Under Ibis Skies

 

“I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.” 

 
~Lee Maynard 

 

 The number of White-faced Ibis have doubled in the last week or so, which is a very nice turn of events. I love seeing them fly overhead in the late afternoon. They are so quiet. In fact, I don't remember having ever heard them as they fly, and only sometimes while they are on the ground. They make a funny little sound when eating, almost a nom nom nom sound only high pitched. The juvenile Ibis are green, mostly, while the adults are dark, almost burgundy and purple. When the sun hits them just right, their plumage is downright magical. Oh my. I better stop writing this post, or I am going to shuck off all responsibilities, grab my camera, and spend the rest of the afternoon photographing these fabulous birds! I wish, but alas, I can't. I have a BIG day planned with the camera for Friday, so the Ibis will have to wait. But maybe one day next week I will make the day all about them.

 

 

Mr. And Mrs. Sandhill Crane

 

“If a year was tucked inside of a clock,

 then autumn would be the magic hour.”

 

~Victoria Erickson

 

Meet the Woodbridge Cranes. They came in on Friday, and at the moment there is just the two of them, but soon they will have company. There are several clusters of them dotting the farm country and the delta. I can't wait until I hear the sound of their wings, when they all fly together as one big ballet! By next week, I think there will be at least 50 or so at Woodbridge! Each red dot on the Sandhill Crane tracker, shows where they are being sighted, and how many where counted. It's a cool little took for keeping track when life gets to hectic to visit the reserve. Currently the count is 27. More to come!

The Magical Autumn Equinox

 

“His beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face. His cheeks were apple-red. He looked like a friend; like someone you had known all your life.” 

~Neil Gaiman

  Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

 

My friends arrived at Woodbridge yesterday afternoon. This will be the third year in a row I have been lucky enough to be one of a very few to see the Sandhill Crane arrive at the Woodbridge Ecological (AKA The Phil and Marilyn Isenberg) Reserve, in Lodi, California. I know I am one of the few because not only have I been out watching, and listening for them, but I have been following along on multiple apps, to find out when they will make it home. This year they are in about a week late, so needless to say, I have been on pins and needles.But when I watched the pair I spotted take to the sky yesterday, I was in awe, and that is why I got such a bad shot. I was in the moment. Sometimes being in the moment is a lot better than getting the perfect shot. My heart is very happy. So the first to arrive were the Canada geese, followed by the Snow geese, next to come was the Greater White-fronted goose, and finally my lovely friends, the Sandhill crane. And it's all the more magical that they arrived on the Autumn Equinox!

“I’m still in love with you, I want to see you dance again. Because I’m still in love with you on this harvest moon.”

 

~Neil Young

 

More to come! 

 

 

The Last Hours Of Autumn 2020

 

"The autumn twilight turned into deep and early night as they walked. Tristran could smell the distant winter on the air... a mixture of night-mist and crisp darkness and the tang of fallen leaves."

 

~Neil Gaiman

Stardust

 

December 20th 2020

The Last Full Day Of Autumn

 

It was a beautiful way to end autumn 2020. The late afternoon light at both the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve and at the Cosumnes River Preserve, was gorgeous! I will never forget it! 2020 didn't have very many happy moments in it, but this Autumn had more than all the other seasons of 2020 put together! I will always believe that Autumn is just a little bit magical! 

 

 

This Autumn's Last Gift

 

"I stood in a clearing among a stand of beech trees, leaves as red as rubies, branches black as jet. It was sunset, and shafts of richly colored sunlight struck through the delicate pillars of the tree trunks, as if though the lancet windows of a cathedral."

 

~Kate Forsyth

Bitter Greens

 

In my sadness, I thought that I would probably never see a sunset again, as beautiful as a sunset from way atop Grizzly Peak in Berkeley, or from an unobstructed view of my beautiful Pacific, from Ocean Beach, in San Francisco, but last night the sky burned with every bit as colorful beauty as I have ever seen in those other two places. And it doesn't hurt my heart to say... I am home now. I have found a new creative love in enjoying the birds at the protected areas along the San Joaquin Delta, and my camera has found purpose. And I even have my beloved Mount Diablo to remind me, San Francisco, and all the places that live in heart, aren't so far away, and are just right on the other side of the mountain waiting for me. If I can see Mount Diablo... I am okay. I am Okay. Better yet... I am in love. Autumn 2020 had one last gift for me. My heart is healed.

 

Woodbridge Ecological Reserve

Lodi, California

December 12th, 2020

~Carly

December 12th 2020

Stockton, California

Autumn Reflections Winter Shadows

 

"The smell of burning firewood and the molding of organic earthly substances reminded her of jumping wildly into the enormous leaf piles of autumns past and she suddenly wished that it was appropriate for someone her age to do such a thing."

 

~Abby Slovin

Letters In Cardboard Boxes 

 

I guess I really shouldn't complain, after all this year's autumn was more than generous with it's leaves, but I can feel winter coming on, and in a little less than a month from now, this project, and the season will come to an end. So, I guess it's time to choose a project for winter, and realistically, I think I choose birds as my new subject, with maybe tree skeletons as a sub-subject. Both will allow me to do my photography from inside the house, or the car, if the weather, or Covid-19 makes it necessary. The long shadows of the winter sun can't be counted on, which is fine, but it's another fascination of mine. Who knows, maybe when the time comes, I won't limit myself to one subject or another, maybe I will let my Twitter family decide which works the best as a nod to the season of winter.

 

What do you think about the two photos in this post?

Black and White or Color?

Which is the most pleasing to the eye?

 

Click To Enlarge

 

~Carly

Stockton, California

November 24th 2020

 

 

Autumn And The Sandhill Crane

 

Pilgrims

 

Tuscan reds and ochre hues

Olive greens and skies of blue

Sunlit valleys of charm

Secluded homestead and hilltop farm

 

Over hills birds in flight

Aromas whet the appetite

Autumn rustle fills the air

Reveling grace of trees laid bare

 

Pathways meander through the vale

Inviting travelers its height to scale

Sunset rewards as evening ends

And pilgrims to the night descend

 

~Collette O'Mahony

The Soul In Words: A Collection Of Poetry And Verse

 

 

Last Saturday was such a pretty autumn day, that we decided to take a drive to the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, in Lodi, California. A couple weeks ago, I came across an article about how large numbers of Sandhill Cranes stop in the Delta wetlands, just west of Lodi, while on their migratory path. I have always loved Snowy Egrets and Herons, but I have never seen a Sandhill Crane, so it was kind of exciting to add a new bird to my Google Album, Birds. Seeing these cranes for the first time, has been an incredible mood lifter! There is way to much beauty in life, especially in autumn, to waste one day in the house! The cranes are such popular visitors every year, that Lodi now holds a Sandhill Crane Festival welcome them, as they move along their migratory path!

 

 This year, however, all the festivals in California have been cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus, which is sad, because festivals are one of the nicest ways to get to know the best of where you live! One of my favorites from the Bay Area, was the Pumpkin Festival, held yearly, in Half Moon Bay. I sure hope 2021 brings all of us some relief from the pandemic, and the world will see a genuine vaccine that will make everything safer for everyone. I am ready to stretch my wings a bit, now that I am fully settled into the Central Valley. I like little festivals, and the Central Valley has some delicious crops to celebrate. Apricots, Walnuts, Grapes abound, but for viewing just sheer beauty, you gotta love these beautiful birds! I am definitely making a note on my 2021 calendar. 

 

Once I got to the reserve, I was astonished to find that not only were there hundreds of cranes, but there were many other species of birds to see and photograph for the first time! Alan and I counted about 20 new species of birds that we hadn't seen before. We both agreed that we will be visiting again. Soon. The delta is so beautiful, the next time we venture out there will probably be to do some twilight shots. Sunrise and sunset is when they are at their most active, so hopefully there will be a colorful sunset to make for a beautiful photo of the cranes in flight. And to my delight, there is still a lot of autumn colors in the trees. Can you tell how happy I am to be on this new adventure with the camera?

 

~Carly

Stockton, California

November 23rd 2020