On my last day in California we went to the Yolo Bypass Bird Sanctuary. Hit the jackpot! I saw 7 new birds for my life list and a number of others. The photos are not great that I took, but I included some of the clearest ones below. Short-eared owl Northern Harrier Black Phoebe White-Faced…
My son Kerry, our dogs and I went out to our largest nearby reservoir for a long walk and a Christmas bird count. The result: 150 Canada Geese 1 Bald Eagle flying overhead with prey in it’s talons 4 tiny, white birds who flew up from some grasses 1 Prairie Falcon On Christmas Eve Day…
A Northern Flicker (western version with red marks) visits the suet feeder now. With his red markings, which are not really noticeable in these shots taken from inside the house, he looks ready for Christmas. With that long beak, he pecks at the suet block, which is frozen solid this morning.Later in the day he…
Late this afternoon, when the sun was sinking behind the mountains, Tango and I headed out in the van for a walk and nest hunt. When the trees are in leaf, the nests are invisible. Eagles are supposed to nest in this area, so I wonder if any of the nests were theirs this past…
We have Eurasian Doves throughout town, and a few pairs live in my yard all year. They especially enjoy perching on the church roof and bell tower. Doves adorning the church seems so appropriate, so biblical. I throw bird seed on the ground near the bell tower since the doves rarely access a bird feeder.…
It worked! I went to sleep in the camper Saturday night and woke up Sunday morning at 5 AM, leaving plenty of time to go home, clean up, and get to work at 9:30 AM The night was warm, requiring only one sleeping bag. When I awoke the world was still dark. I stared out…
Back from another two nights at Hawk Springs State Recreation Area. Again, the mornings and evenings were cool and wonderful, while the afternoons were hot. A quick dip in the lake took care of that. The second time hitching, unhitching, popping up and popping down was easier than the first, as expected. The big difference…
The van, Tango, and I are the first to drive off the ferry. We are on a beautiful little island that has a few restaurants, gift shops, a marina, and grocery store. The houses, whose lawns are getting into shape by caretakers, are classic Midwestern and lined up neatly facing the water. The Van! I…
Ten Sleep is a small town up in north-central Wyoming. The town was a Native American rest stop that was 10 days travel or “10 sleeps” from Fort Laramie (near where I live). Here is my report from One Sleep on my travels. Shortly after leaving the Rest Stop yesterday, I enter Central Time Zone.…