Scenic Drive through the Sacramento River Delta 11/2016

In my last post on the 2016 Pacific Bird Migration we visited Staten Island, California.  While I was there, I couldn't resist taking photos of all the interesting sights along the way.  It was a gorgeous afternoon sky, slightly foggy and cloudy in spots, that morphed into a gorgeous sunset which was perfect for a relaxing drive.

And for awesome photo opportunities. 💚

We'll start on Staten Island Road.  There were interesting things to see besides birds. As I mentioned in the previous post, these fields belong to active farms.  One of which had the cutest little sheep and a sweet cow sharing a pasture. 

She He likes me.  💕 He has horns, so that's a he, right?

Most of the fields had some level of water in them.  I believe that some of them are flooded/irrigated for both rice and then the sandhill cranes.  But we've also had the wettest October and November in 30 years, so it could just be that!

But however the water got there, it looked really cool and made for awesome photos.  It all makes me feel quite poetic, really.

"Back to it's nethermost caves retreated the bellowing ocean.

Dragging adown the beach the rattling pebbles, 

and leaving inland and far up the shore, 

the stranded boats of the sailors."  

~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Evangeline)

"Roads go ever on and on,

Under cloud and under star.

Yet feet that wandering have gone,

Turn at last to home afar."

~~ J.R.R. Tolkien 

I love these trees.

I love this horse. 

And I LOVED the sunset!

In this next photo, if you look to the left in the distance, you can just see Mt. Diablo peeking through the clouds.  The colors were very fitting for Devil Mountain.

I just could not get enough of the amazing sunset! 

Or of this horse, really. 

But then it was time to leave Staten Island.  The sight of a steel bridge at sunset was enough to make me turn away from the freeway and head for the River Road.

I absolutely adore driving the River Road, in spite of it's deadly history.  I used to do it all the time for relaxation but haven't been down here for awhile.  

And this is the Courtland bridge which lets me know I'm almost back to Sacramento.

And then I was.  

Suddenly I was beside the huge water tower at the side of I-5 and the River Road, which runs beneath I-5 just before the first suburb exit of Sacramento.  

It was almost full dark by this time, which is why these photos are tinted with my favorite color, purple!

"Still 'round the corner there may wait,

A new road or secret gate;

And though I oft have passed them by,

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon, East of the Sun."

~~ J.R.R. Tolkien (Roads Go Ever On)

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Bird Watch 2016: Staten Island - No, Not New York!

Of course when I mentioned to a few friends that I wanted to go to Staten Island after work to see the sandhill cranes, they looked at me like I was crazy!  "Who goes from California to New York to see some construction equipment??"

They didn't actually say that in so many words, but the look in their eyes implied it strongly.  I don't really blame them.  I, like probably many California residents, had no idea that there is a Staten Island in California.  I just found out recently when I was having a conversation with another amateur nature photographer.

She told me that the migrating sandhill cranes gather in large numbers near Lodi and at Staten Island.  I had no idea that either of these wildlife refuge sites were there.  I didn't even know what a sandhill crane looked like until last February when I stumbled upon the Merced National Wildlife Refuge!

But after hearing wonderful things about the cranes "flying in" in the evenings at sunset, I thought I would venture on the hour-long drive to check it out.  I actually tried once before to go there first thing in the morning, but it was completely socked in by fog.

This time, no fog.  But also not a lot of cranes.  They were there but not in the numbers I expected.  There were, however, some surprise (to me) visitors that I was very excited about.

First, let me explain, that apparently this is not an actual "island" even though until THIS VERY MOMENT I thought it was.  It is a road straight through land that is marshlike and possibly purposefully flooded to benefit the crane migration.

It IS surrounded on all sides by various water channels such as rivers, canals, etc., so I guess in that respect is could be considered an island. But probably not.

Anyway, please embark with me on a drive down Staten Island Road in the Sacramento River Delta.

As soon as I drove past the informational sign, I spotted some cranes in the first field on my left.  This guy was cleaning his beautiful feathers, which were ruffled for the occasion.

They normally don't have their feathers ruffled so prettily.  Which is why I wanted to include the above photo, even though it's a tiny bit blurry.  My camera was having some serious focusing issues.

I call this next one "Anatomy of the Sandhill Crane".  It includes a bird butt shot which is definitely not something you see very often!  You're welcome.

As mentioned, there were other birds hanging out as well including the ubiquitous red-winged blackbird!

Next we have another trio of sandhill cranes.  One is a little shy.

And since the buzz was about the "fly-in", I did shoot some birds flying in.  But, whether it was my damn camera or operator error, they didn't come out as well as I would have liked.  😬

But the cranes were not the only birds who were flying into these fields in large numbers.  Nope.  The largest bird population on this evening consisted of Cackling Geese.

Now I know what you're thinking...  You're thinking "this crazy Staten Island going beezy doesn't even know a Canada Goose when she sees one!" 😜

These are not Canada (or Canadian) Geese.  These are Cackling Geese which used to be considered a subspecies of Canada Geese.  But they were recognized as their own species in 2004.  They summer in the northern reaches of Canada and migrate south to the United States in the winters.  They are much smaller than their look-alike cousins with shorter beaks and necks.

There were also a few Northern Shovelers paddling around.

Now we get to the bird that I was so excited to see!  The Trumpeter Swan!  

As you may have deduced from the snow, that is not my photo.  It is from The Trumpeter Swan Society.  The swans at Staten Island were quite a bit away from the road.  Therefore, my photos are pretty crappy so I thought it important to put that one in so you could see how beautiful they are. 

As usual, there were several Great Egrets hanging about. 

There was one, lone Ruddy Duck swimming about with an American Coot friend. The sun was creating a glare so not the greatest picture.  But the first one I've seen. 

The fields belong to working farms.  I like this next photo as you can see the furrowed field clearly behind the crane.  The farmers work with government agencies to promote the conservation of the cranes and other migratory birds.  

Even though there weren't as many cranes as expected, I was totally thrilled to be able to be so close to these amazing creatures once again.  The Sacramento River Delta is really gorgeous and I took a lot of random photos without birds in them, which will probably make up my next post.  

Here's a quick preview since it actually does have some swallows flitting about...

But for now, I'll leave you with one last look at the beautiful Sandhill Crane.

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Hot Springs and Supermoons! - 11/13/16

I have been looking forward to the November 2016 Supermoon for months!  Seriously, months! 

In case you're not a geek like me, November's full moon was a "Supermoon" which is when a full moon occurs when the elliptical orbit of the moon brings it closest to earth. Not only was this a Supermoon, but it was the closest the moon has come to Earth since 1948!  AND it's the closest it will be until 2034!  

So I really wanted to try to get some amazing shots of this special celestial occurrence.  I had some pretty good success on my last dedicated Supermoon shoot in 2013.  That was just from my balcony, so this time I wanted to get away from all the light pollution and try for something extra. 

I definitely got extra!!

Perigee (closest point to Earth) was actually set for the early morning hours of Monday, November 14th.  But I had to be at work fairly early, so I decided to try my luck on the evening of the 13th. Since it was a Sunday, it also allowed me to do some other stuff.  That turned out to be getting some work done on my car after running over a big piece of metal that fell off a semi right in front of me the day before.

And then setting off for Mono County, where the moon was due to rise at approximately 4:45, right as the sun was due to be setting over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the West.  Perfect. 

But first, I wanted to scope out Travertine Hot Springs.  I had tried to stop by on my previous trip to Mono Lake and the amazing Bodie Ghost Town.  But I just didn't have time.  This time, I was more determined.

But I did stop to take some photos of the beautiful landscape. 

Science experiment:  Edit from a darker exposure

Science experiment:  Same shot but edit from a lighter exposure

Of course I did not realize that the main tubs would be SOOOOO crowded!  I knew these springs are popular, but there were quite a few folks when I got there about 3:30 p.m.

So I opted to hike around and take some photos.  I didn't even go up to the main four tubs.  Which are located in these cliffs...

These main tubs are located at the top of a hill.  And the small valley below is quite spectacular.  I'm soooo, so lucky to have been there when the sun was just about to set.  It made for AMAZING pictures!  I did not Photoshop any lens flare or sun rays into any of these photos.  Nature did it for me because I am just not that good in Photoshop. 

You can see water which is a sort of marsh created by the runoff from the springs.  There is also white ground that looks like the Bonneville Salt Flats, which is because it is salt.  And minerals, of course.

There was a beautiful pool at the base of the cliff...

...which was FREEZING cold when I dipped my toe in!

I continued meandering around until I heard a soft cough and was startled to find that I wasn't as alone as I thought I was.  A very nice gentleman was sitting in an almost hidden spring below me.  Or rather, he was sitting up on a rock above the hidden spring.  It was actually a very cool, picturesque scene.  After talking with him for a little while (which was a little awkward for me as he seemed to be naked - I guess this might be a good time to mention that Travertine is a clothing optional hot springs), I surprised myself by feeling comfortable enough to ask him if I could take his picture.  I promised that it would be tasteful and discrete and I did not lie. 

Science experiment:  Edit with higher contrast.

Science experiment: Original.

I also spent a bit of time talking to another gentleman I ran into.  He was a Native American local and he told me about when the local tribes considered the area sacred ground. It's sad that it's now a place where the local kids party until sunup frequently.

This gentleman pointed out another spring down below.  It's amazing how camouflaged these things are!  He said that it was his favorite, but unless you get there early in the morning, it's usually taken.  

There was a couple in it as we were speaking, so we both thought it unlikely that it would become vacant.  But to our surprise, the couple got out after about 20 minutes.  I started to leave, but the local gentleman wouldn't hear of it and said he insisted I stay.  So I did.  

This is the "hot tub" from below.  You can barely see it!  Hint:  It's to the right of the photo behind the log. 

Surprise!  You can see the spring running through the green crevice and gently falling into the natural pool below. 

I'm assuming that these logs were put there by some enterprising person to make seats and maintain the natural look.

It was so amazing.  The water was hot like a bathtub and it was just so cool to be out in nature like this.  I didn't go clothing optional, but I did go topless and it was heaven.  

But it was getting close to sun set time and I didn't want to miss the moon, which was my main reason for being there!  So after soaking for about 20 minutes, I hiked back.

Eeek!  The sun was actually setting and I wasn't even back to my car yet!

I raced back to the highway and headed towards the lake as fast as possible.  I just made it!!

I stopped at the vista point overlooking Mono Lake and grabbed some shots of the Moonrise at Sunset.  None of these photos are composite or retouched except for exposure/contrast.  

Mono Lake was bathed in the shimmery colors of sunset too. 

  

This orange cast on the moon was from the sunset.  There is very little pollution up in the high desert and I was sooo fortunate to catch the moon during the sunset!

I converted this photo into black and white.  Because it's cool.  :-} 

Soon the sun was down and the moon was a brightly-shining white globe in the indigo sky.  After one last photo... 

...I jumped back in my car and sped down 395 to try to get some shots over the water.

I was tempted (for a minute) to do a composite photo so I would have a photo over the water with detail in the moon, but I decided not to. 

For now.  ;-p

Thanks Moon.  Thanks Mother Nature. 

Amazing. 

xoxo

Nikon D3300