Owls

John and Marilyn put up an owl box in their backyard a few years ago. This year they had an owl couple inhabit the house and raise a successful parliament. Yes, a group of owls is called a parliament, wisdom or study. A baby owl is an owlet. Cute name for a baby owl, almost as cute as they are when they are young. I only got to see John and Marilyn's owlets when they were already fledging. Last week I was at John's birthday party but was having so much fun I neglected to set my camera up and pre-focus on the owl box to enable me to shoot after dark. I was unable to get my camera to focus even with the focus assist light as I was some distance away. I did get lucky and got this one shot last week.

There was such a show on TOP of the house this night that I knew I wanted to go back and try again when I had the time to properly set up for the shoot before sunset. I knew the owlets were very close to fledging completely so I had John keep a look out to see if they were still around before I made the haul up to their place last night to try again. John confirmed they were still there. Last night as I waited for them to come out of the doorway, they surprised me and flew in from a surrounding tree to perch on top of the house! They weren't even in the house any more. The mom and dad owl are trying to convince the owlets to move away from the box and go off on their own but the owlets need more convincing. They associate the box with being fed and like that situation better than hunting for their own food apparently. 

There are three owlets all together. An owl couple usually has between two and three so this is a successful brood. I hunted forever to find what to call a litter of owls, John calls them a clutch but I couldn't find any reference anywhere to indicate there was a name for them. The above shot shows two of the owlets. I left the red-eye on these because when you light them up with a flash, you can see all the way back to their retinas. If you visit the gallery I put up you'll be able to decide for yourself if you like the red-eye reduced shots better or not. I couldn't decide which is why I have them both ways in the gallery.

This is the third owlet coming in. In the gallery you'll see it coming in for a landing, this is the shot after that one. It was so tempting to try and readjust the camera for composition. I had pre-focused on the doorway figuring enough DOF (depth of field) for the owls to be in focus on top of the house. BUT they never came out of the door, they flew in to the edge of the house so these are large crops. I knew better than to try and change my focus and composition after dark as I was unsuccessful last week trying so I decided a crop was better than nothing!

All three in place.

They were really making a lot of noise. Lots of hissing sounds, which is what they do to call each other. I think they were begging mom and dad for food. Mom and dad were having nothing of it. They knew they had to teach their owlets that they were not going to be fed at the box anymore and they were on their own. If you look close at the shot right above you can see their mouths open!

I probably won't get back up to John and Marilyn's until after this parliament of owls is gone. But next time they have owls in the box with owlets, I'll bring my 500mm lens along with another camera body and get serious about setting up a couple different scenarios so I may be able to make larger prints. These are ok for onscreen viewing, but printing large wouldn't be good. Still, a very fun time was had by me and Sterling. What a great experience! Here is the link to more photos: John and Marilyn's Owls

Santa Rosa Plateau

On Mother's Day my oldest son took me out to Santa Rosa Plateau for a hike. We started off early and the coastal eddy was colliding with the inland air warmed by the rising sun. As we came over the top of the hills on the trail the valley had a pocket of fog tickling the landscape.

The fog cleared and it warmed up quickly into a beautiful Southern California day.

I was treated to many of my favorite things on this hike. It was really the most perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day for me. I love nature and walking trails.

This tarantula was very much in a hurry. It scurried out right in front of us and ran across the trail. I was lucky to get a couple shots of it before it scampered off into the grass along the other side of the trail.

The first time I visited Santa Rosa Plateau was with a couple of friends who are bird photographers. It is a great place to view a lot of different types of birds. I was treated to grabbing photos of a White-tailed Kite, Turkey Vulture, Red-winged Blackbird, Acorn Woodpeckers, a Western Meadowlark and a raptor I was able to get a photo of but not able to identify. The Acorn Woodpeckers were very busy packing a palm tree with acorns the way they are so fond of doing.

I put a small gallery together of things that caught my eye on the hike. We hiked about six and a half miles, so it was a short hike. It was quite rewarding and one of the very best Mother's Day treats! I'd love to make it a tradition and next time I'd like ALL my boys to go along! Here are the links to more photos and the slide show . I hope you enjoy!

San Diego Botanical Garden

The San Diego Digital SLR group met at the San Diego Botanical Garden for April's group shoot. It was a cold and windy day that turned wet for a while. This group doesn't let a little wind and rain dampen our spirits though! We had a great time and made the best of it, enjoying great people and camaraderie in the process. The lily pond with frogs and turtles is a fun place in the gardens to visit and it was my first stop. 

I particularly like when I can capture the reflection of a lily in the water. Even if it is just a partial reflection like the shot below.

Of course there were many many different types of flowers in the botanical garden. I thought of my friend Bonnie when I saw this Calla Lily and I had to stop for a photo of it.

Plenty of different colors in the garden.

Of course with all of the colorful flowers, there were birds of all types. The hummingbirds in particular are frequent visitors in the garden.

I am getting kind of carried away with the number of photos I'm posting in this entry so instead of getting too too carried away, I'll leave you with a link to a few more images from the day here and of course my favorite way to view the images are in a slide show

More Fun in Anza-Borrego

More Fun Four Wheeling in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

I had another opportunity to explore the desert with http://frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com/ and some of our mutual friends. We always have a good time. I was treated to seeing new places I'd never been and I always love that! I like that we stop at the turn out on the way down into the desert. This time I zoomed in to a small property at the base of the hill.

There are some folks that think that the desert is bland and boring...all the same and not much of anything. I don't see the desert that way at all. I am amazed at the different formations of sand, rock and terrain. Often in our travels in the desert we are treated to views of very different geology almost layered on top of each other. 

Getting in the narrow areas with the four wheel drives is always fun and exciting too. Now, just think of what happens when we get to a spot we can travel no further on this narrow trail. Yep, it can get a bit tight to turn around. At least there was only three vehicles on this trip, but it still proved to be a bit of a challenge.

Here is a shot of my friend Robert in his jeep. You can see his wheels flexing every which way on the bumps. Keep in mind, I am using a wide angle lens here, so it looks like there is more room around the vehicle than there really is. Hey, where is his co-pilot Rae? She's next to me shooting too. :-)

We were treated to beautiful skies as you can see in this next photo.

Boys and their toys....

They are a very generous bunch of guys and they share. Here is my take.

Here is the tight spot we came to in our travels. We had to turn around as we couldn't travel further. Actually I think we had already traveled further than most on this leg of trail. There was a bit of burning transmission etc. before we were facing in the direction we needed to be. 

In one of my first posts on this blog I shared some photos of the metal sculptures of Anza-Borrego by artist Richardo A. Breceda. You can read more about Richardo and his sculptures here This next photo is one of his latest additions to Anza. There is a scorpion it is fighting, but you'll just have to visit the gallery I put up to see the scorpion.

The link to the gallery of photos from this outing in the desert are here 

We also had an opportunity to witness a migration of Swainson's Hawks. It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen. Hundreds of hawks were soaring high on the air currents over the desert and slowly descended to some trees in a field behind where a group of birders had gathered to witness the scene. The group that caught our attention on the side of the road was called the Borrego Hawk Watch. They had counters working on a count of the migrating hawks and the count was close to 300. I have no idea how they manage to do a count of birds like this, but I know they do and they are experienced at being accurate too. I didn't have a good long lens with me so the photos I took just don't do the event justice but I can tell you it was quite an experience to witness. It is something that I feel very fortunate to have witnessed and I will never forget it.

St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012

It is undoubtedly true that the modern day celebration of St. Patrick's Day has little to do with the real man, St. Patrick. You can read more facts on St. Patrick's Day in this article: National Geographic Facts on St. Patrick's Day I do very much enjoy the parade that is put on to celebrate the day in our city of San Diego each year though. This year was different from years past because it rained! It rained in sunny San Diego and the show still went on. I was grateful and proud of each person who braved the weather to both walk in the parade and attend it too. Despite the rain, it was a lot of fun!

This pup was ready for the chilly day, and looks downright cool in his sweater and spectacles! 

Green, Green, Green, the color of the day!

They were getting wet, but most had a very good attitude, along with rain protection for their hats at least! 

The Irish Setters seemed quite happy and comfortable in the rain of the day.

One thing is for sure, many folks did not let a little bit of wet spoil their fun!

To see more parade photos along with a few from my walk to and from the parade location, here is the LINK

Leo Carrillo Ranch

The SDDSLR group had the January shoot at Leo Carrillo Ranch. The ranch was built and once owned by actor Leo Carrillo. There are rustic old adobe buildings, antique windmills, a reflecting pool and much more. The ranch is full of native flora and fauna. One of the first things that visitors are treated to seeing are many peafowl on the property. To find out a little of the history of the ranch click here Leo Carrillo History

The Peacocks put on a great show strutting their stuff.

The reflecting pool had to be redesigned to be 18 inches deep to avoid having to install an ugly fence around it.

The paths are lined with beautiful plants and the birds they attract.

The back side of a peacock strutting is just as impressive as the front view!

The Leo Carrillo Ranch is a fun place to visit. The link to more images Leo Carrillo

The link to the slideshow

   

Four Wheeling in the Desert

I had the pleasure of riding along with a group of friends in their four wheel drives in the desert this past weekend. It was just what the doctor ordered. I had such an amazing time and the desert had incredible weather and skies. It really was an rejuvenating experience. Great people and lots of fun! 

When we came over the top of the mountains to this view, I knew it was going to be a grand day!



Rae in the slot



A Supacat 400 HMT Jackal, used by the militaries of the United Kingdom. Taken through Frank's windshield.



I fell in love with Frank's Xterra. What an awesome ride! Frank is an excellent driver too.

The sunset was beautiful. While the guys added air to the tires, I got to enjoy the sunset. Doesn't seem fair does it?

A special thanks to Robert for the identification of the military vehicles. Thanks to Frank for letting me ride along and showing me places I'd never seen. Here is where we traveled quoted by Frank, "We started out driving south on the road from the dump towards the Borrego Sink. Right before the Borrego Sink we turned east into Borrego Sink and San Felipe Wash. We turned south into Borrego Mountain Wash and followed that to our lunch spot at the north end of The Slot.  We then backtracked to San Felipe Wash, continued east to Blow Sand Canyon, and took that sort of south to where it intersects with the Goat Trail. We took Goat Trail west to where it ends at Buttes Pass Road (where the orienteer finish line was set up), then went north on Buttes Pass back to San Felipe Wash. Most of us then took San Felipe Wash east to the south end of Military Wash, and turned north (running head on into a Jeep after a bit). We all then continued north in Military Wash (although not all of us were actually pointed in the same direction for part of that drive).  The place that we stopped to check out the old spent bullets on the ground was in Military Wash.  Military Wash ends at Cut Across Trail, which we then followed to the east for a shot bit until we got to Fault Wash, where we turned north again. Fault Wash ends at Arroyo Salado Wash, which we took east to Ella Wash, turning north.

 Ella Wash is one mile long, and ends at S-22 at the north end."

Have I said how amazing it is to me that Frank knows the desert like he does!?! What an excellent tour guide. Thanks again Frank!

Here is a link to the gallery of photos I took from our trip. There are many and if you are just browsing might be best viewed in the slideshow view, you can change the speed of the slideshow to taste in the upper right hand corner after choosing the slideshow option. Those of you who were traveling with us on this day, look closely at the photos. Some photos that look like they are the same have a slight difference that changes. Watch in particular for a video camera just peeking though. Ha!

gallery link

slideshow