Red Tailed Hawk Pair

Nothing will get me reaching for my camera faster than the cry of a hawk.

This time we were out for our regular walk and I didn't have my best lens.

A pair of Red-tailed Hawks were flying together, pairing up I assumed, as creatures do in the spring.

I have read that hawks will soar high up in the sky and grab talons, consummating their courtship in free fall.  If you enlarge this image you will see that the higher of the two birds is assuming a very strange posture, legs down, head down and shoulders hunched, not a normal flying posture for a hawk.  

They flew higher and higher, out of sight, but I'm pretty sure I know what he had in mind but was she of the same mind?

You can see more or what is happening in the skies above us at SkyWatch, Friday, hosed for us each week by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

Looking for Photos

My new 400mm lens is too heavy for me to carry on our walks so I've been driving to spots where we have seen interesting subjects.  Unfortunately, the wildlife doesn't usually wait around for me to return with the camera.  Still, patience has its rewards.

I checked on the heron rookery.  The males are staking out their territory, waiting for some willing female.  There don't seem to be any takers yet and only three nests in this tree that had at least six last year.  I guess it is still early, I'll check back in a few weeks.

Hooded Mergansers had been spotted in this pond and Hubby and I had seen them nearby on one of our walks.  No luck when I returned with the camera but I did capture an image of this Wood Duck, hiding in the shadows with some mallards.

Over at the Mallard Pond I had twice seen a river otter so I headed there.  A cormorant posed for me.

 A Black Phoebe landed on a branch.  I do like these little flycatchers, they look so dapper in their cut-away coats.  I enjoy watching them flit off their perch to hawk insects out of the air.

I saw Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes and Egrets but no sight of the otter.

Wait, I see ripples, something is swimming!

That's not a river otter, it's a muskrat.  He came closer and closer, presenting me with a problem I've never had before in photographing wildlife.  He came so that my lens couldn't focus!  I kept having to back up.  He was only about five feet away when he finally noticed me and moved away.

On my way back to the car I spotted a flash of white in a small pond.  Training my lens on the pond I saw not one but two pair of Hooded Mergansers!  Aren't they cute? 

They were quite a ways away but my lens didn't fail me.  I'm pleased with the images but still hope to do better.  I will keep looking, hoping for a closer shot.

To find more views of our wonderful world, go to Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

To find more images of birds, check out World Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Springman.

A Strange Vehicle and a Visit With Michael

We made the 400 mile trek to Los Angeles recently to watch grandson Michael while his parent got away for a long weekend.  On the trip home we saw an unusual vehicle up ahead.

What on Earth?

It looked more like a boat than a car.

Was it an amphibious vehicle?

It's hard to get good images on the freeway on a gray day.

The only way to get a shot of the front was in the rear view mirror.

When we got home I saw the word "Deco" and that looked like an "r" at the end.  I searched "Decoliner" (how did we get by before google?).

Not an amphibious vehicle but a hand built motorhome.  You can read about it here.  I guess those who watch Leno already know about this but I am not a fan of late night or any other TV.

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Our visit with Michael

 No pictures of Michael this trip, it's hard to take a picture of someone who is holding your hand.  We did have a nice visit.  He is so unique that it gives me a lot to think about.

Communication is what this visit brings to mind and the different kind of intelligence.  Michael is non-verbal and it is hard to know just how much language he understands, bath, eat, night night, this much I'm sure he knows.

There are ways to communicate other than with words.  He understands that the TV only works if an adult holds the remote.  If he wants to watch he brings someone the remote.  He knows that the crack in the side of a car is where the door opens so he will work his fingers into that crack indicating he wants to go for a drive.

I brought out a simple puzzle, just three flat shapes that must be placed in a similar indentation.  He did it a couple of times, indicating he knows how to do it.  Then he began to put the square in the triangle or stack the pieces, his way of saying "I did it, I don't want to do it again".  Just turning 12 he wants to be his own person.

 He may be asserting his independence but he is still very cooperative.  He knows his routine and helps as 

 much as he is able.  He pushes his arms and legs into clothes to help in dressing and pulls them out when it is time to undress.  He hands his leg braces and shoes in the proper order to whoever is putting them on.  He even hands toothbrush and tooth paste when it is time to get his teeth brushed even though he doesn't care for the process.  He has his limits, though, he loves his bath and goes limp when it is time to get out, no cooperation there.  Like very young children he is fascinated by the texture of food and wants to put his hand in the dish. 

See more of our world at Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

More Than Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes may have been our focus on our recent birding expedition to the Delta but they certainly weren't the only birds we saw.  Good Crane habitat is good habitat for a variety of species.

Tundra swans and geese enjoy the flooded fields as well.  But what kind of geese?

My first thought was that this goose, right behind the swans, was a Canada Goose although it seemed rather small and stocky.  When I read Eileen's post about the Brants I decided I needed to take another look.  No, not a Brant.  I went to one of my favorite sources, the Cornell site.  Here I learned about a newly recognized species, the Cackling Goose.  This guy seems to meet the criteria, smaller and with a shorter neck and bill than the Canada Goose, and with the white neck band, which is more common with the Cackling Goose.  There were several of these little guys.

In another field I spotted some little ducks in the distance, moving away as fast as there little feet could paddle.  Downloaded to the computer and cropped I saw that they were Ruddy Ducks, the first I have seen this year.  

In the irrigation ditch beside the road was a Snowy Egret.  We watched him as he used his big yellow feet to stir up the mud, looking for food.

Feeding in the same ditch was this Greater Yellowlegs.  He seemed to be using a similar technique to find food.

A Great Egret and Blue Heron took a siesta in a field.

Down the road some Curlews were foraging.

I know I've shared several images of Kestrels but here is one more.  My best yet and I doubt I will ever do better of a Kestrel in the wild.











Your can find more views of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.
Find more birds at World Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Springman

Sandhill Cranes

We recently took a couple of birding trips to view Sandhill Cranes.  Though I wasn't pleased with the images on either trip, I will share some of the best.

There are several places in the Central Valley of California to view the Cranes in Winter.  One area, called Staten Island, is owned by the Nature Conservancy and managed to benefit wildlife.  Here Cranes, Geese, Swans, Ducks and other birds can be found foraging in the flooded fields.

 Observing behavior is the most interesting part of viewing wildlife.

 It is not just to see the animals but see them interacting with the environment and each other.

If you watch the cranes for any time you are sure to see some interesting interaction.

Not far from Staten Island (an island formed by rivers and canals) is the Woodbridge Ecological Preserve, our next stop.

Wave goodnight, Gracie

 As the sun was setting, it seemed to draw the cranes attention, it was time for them to head to their night time roost.  The crane's foot does not have grasping toes as do herons and egrets so they head to water for the night.  If they stayed in the fields they would be prey for the coyotes and bobcats.

Find more views of Our World at Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

Find more birds at World Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Springman.

If you find yourself in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta in winter and want to know where to view the cranes, Staten Island is here and the Woodbridge Ecological Preserve here.  Good viewing can be found along Woodbridge road, not just at the view platform. 

Take Off

On a recent birding expedition to view Sandhill Cranes I spotted a beautiful Redtailed Hawk.

He was sitting on the cross arm of a power pole.  He looked like a rufous dark morph and was very striking when in flight.  Unfortunately, I didn't capture the underparts in these images but my impression was they were reddish.

As you might expect, he didn't care for my attention.

Get ready

Go!

And he's off

I say "he" but it well might have been female for it seemed to be quite large.

Off it soared.  I had a hard time keeping it in my view.  My new 400 mm is not image stabilized and the bird was so close that it filled much of my image.  All that said, I was mostly pleased with this series.

Isn't it a beautiful bird?

You can find more birds at World Bird Wednesday, hosed for us by Springman.

Locke, California

On our way to see the Sandhill Cranes we made a stop at Locke.  My dad had a life-long interest in history and had brought the little town to my attention years ago but I had never had the opportunity to visit.

So, you might ask, where is Locke and what is its historic importance.  It sure doesn't look like much.

The little town sits in rural farmland on the Sacramento river south of Sacramento.  Nearby is another small town, Walnut Grove.

After a fire in the Chinese section of Walnut Grove in 1913, the residents decided they needed their own town.  Chinese faced severe discrimination in the California of that day, much as Hispanics do today.  They had come to America to work; they built the railroads, the levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and then worked in the fertile fields of California's Central Valley. 

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 had made it almost impossible for Chinese to emigrate to the US.  This meant that men who wished to stay here had little opportunity to marry and start a family.  They were also prohibited from becoming naturalized citizens and in some cases from owning land.

It's not surprising then that they wanted a place of their own.

Under California law, the Chinese community could not buy land for their town so George Locke leased it to them.

Today many of the buildings on Main Street are in very poor condition.

Other buildings have been restored.

This monument in a small memorial park is dedicated to the early Chinese residents of California.

The inscription in English and Chinese reads:

Dedicated to the industrious

Chinese pioneers of California

Whose strength and sacrifice helped

Build the Transcontinental Railroad,

Construct the Levees of

The Sacramento San Joaquin Delta, and

Develop the agriculture in the Central Valley

With  Determination and Perseverance

The Chinese built the town of Locke and

Continue to shape California.

This gambling hall museum and another museum at the old Chinese school (some men did manage to bring wives to America in spite of the restrictions) show a bit of the life of the residents. The old boarding house has some displays and a few books for sale but is otherwise empty.

Currently only 10 of the 80 or so residents of Locke are ethnic Chinese.  A Chinese restaurant and this Chinese medicine shop still represent the cultural heritage.

To see more views of our world, go to Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina , Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.