Blackberries

Developing a month later than last year. We had a cool, wet Spring.

Early June

Early July

Hawk vs. Camera

I ruined my Canon PowerShot SD990 by carrying in my pocket without a case.  Dust worked itself into the camera until every photo had splotches.

New Camera Requirements:

• pocket size
• Canon brand, if possible
• long zoom (for birds)
• manual controls, especially aperture (for isolating plants)
• 
  

I settled on the Canon PowerShot SX210.

Zoom range: 5mm --> 70mm
Translated into old 35mm film terms, that is 28mm --> 400mm

Here is a scene at 15mm (equivalent to 50mm, "normal human perspective")

The same scene at max optical zoom (equivalent to 400mm)

Finally I crop the photo in the computer (perhaps equivalent to 1600mm!)

Coyote

Can you spot the coyote?

Zoom in..

The grass was tall and it "pronged" to get around.

Update: Jonathan saw the coyote the next day in the same place at the same time, following the same path.

Bullock's Oriole

Young male Bullock's Oriole

Swallows

Cliff Swallows

A Violet-Green Swallow (right) joins them for a rest.

Vole

Sparrow, Towhees & A Hole


Sparrow, Towhees & A Vole



Sitting at the computer, staring out the window as the sun rises, I get my first good look at a vole.

Beneath the bird feeder, he pops out to forage seed. Never more than his head.

In these parts, every step -- woods, lawn, field -- is smushy from their underground burrows. Every square inch. But they're never seen.

Until NOW!

June Clouds

A megacumulus forming over the Sierra, 70 miles away. It must be 40 or 50 thousand feet high.



A variety at different altitudes.