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White Mountains, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake, Bodie and Yosemite

I’ve been dying to get out and actually photograph something and fortunately this past weekend took us to Mammoth Lakes for their annual Jazz Jubilee. And…being in the Sierras meant I had to take advantage of some of the great birding areas!

On the way up, we took a quick detour to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains. Got some dynamite photos of Mountain Bluebird. I wasn’t so fortunate with my Clark’s Nutcracker photos though and along the way we found a Violet-green Swallow nest. On the way out of the park I managed to spot a male and female American Kestrel perching next to each other.

Mountain Bluebird

Violet-green Swallow

Clark’s Nutcracker

American Kestrel

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

The following morning I birded nearby Sherwin Creek of Mammoth Lakes, CA. Highlight of the day was definitely a Western Tanager family. I first found the female that was clearly not happy with my presence and continually made an alarm call as I photographed her. The male flew in from time to time and after I photographed them for 10-15 minutes I finally found the young Western Tanager that had just fledged. You can still see some down feathers and the tail feather had not grown in yet.

Western Tanager (m)

Western Tanager (f)

Western Tanager (i)

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

The rest of Saturday was speant enjoying the jazz and piano music at the Mammoth Jazz Jubilee. We woke up early Sunday morning and headed to South Mono Lake where I photographed Violet-green Swallows and California Gulls. I had hoped for Wilson’s Phalarope but no such luck this time.

Violet-green Swallow

California Gull

California Ground Squirrel

Mono Lake Tufas

After our quick little jaunt out to Mono Lake we sprinted up to the Bodie Ghost Town north of Lee Vining to look for Sage Grouse and ended up being quite fortunate to find a group of 7.

Greater Sage-grouse

Bodie Ghost Town

After Bodie we headed into Yosemite Natl Park via Tioga Pass in hopes of Great Gray Owl and Black-backed Woodpecker. Although we didn’t find either I did manage to get better shots of Lincoln’s Sparrow.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Belding’s Ground Squirrel

Yosemite Natl Park

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Posted by ctaylor on July 14, 2008 in Photography Adventures

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Tags: ancient bristlecone pine forest, belding's ground squirrel, bodie ghost town, california ground squirrel, clark's nutcracker, lincoln's sparrow, mammoth, mono lake, mountain bluebird, tufa, violet-green swallow, western tanager, white mountain, yosemite

Portland, Oregon

July 07

It’s been a long while since my last post but I finally managed to get out and do something. Although our trip was primarily focused around wine tasting with friends in the Willamette Valley I managed to sneak away a couple of mornings. I was fortunate enough to be invited to Christine Sheridan’s property in Sherwood, OR where all of these photos were taken. Highlights were really Pileated Woodpecker and better shots of Chestnut-backed Chickadees.

Also spent some time up Larch Mountain hoping for Gray Jays but completely struck out. We had an American Three-toed Woodpecker and several MacGillivray’s Warblers calling but I was not able to get any photos.

We’re off to Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite next weekend and SE Arizona the weekend after so lots of updates to come this month.

Pileated Woodpecker

Black-capped Chickadee

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Douglas Squirrel

Townsend’s Chipmunk

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Posted by ctaylor on July 7, 2008 in Photography Adventures

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Tags: black-capped chickadee, chestnut-backed chickadee, douglas squirrel, fox squirrel, gray jay, larch mountain, macgillivray's warbler, pileated woodpecker, portland oregon, three-toed woodpecker, townsend's chipmunk

Placerita Canyon

June 11

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past week. I have been pretty busy with work. The in-laws were over last weekend so I didn’t get to go anywhere far. Although I managed to escape early Saturday morning to look for the Spotted Owl family up in Placerita Canyon. Unfortunately I struck out on both adults and the chick. It wasn’t entirely disappointing as I did happen to find a Black-chinned Hummingbird nest with the mother feeding her newborn’s:

Black-chinned Hummingbird

And a couple weeks ago a Northern Mockingbird fledged in our backyard. It’s been waking us up every morning with it’s annoying squawking but I finally captured it in a moment of silence as his mother was feeding him:

Northern Mockingbird

Sorry to say, there won’t be much in the way of updates this weekend either. We’ll be in Las Vegas for a mini-vacation. I may be going to Arizona the following weekend though so stay tuned.

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Posted by ctaylor on June 11, 2008 in Photography Adventures

Least Tern Nesting Colony

June 02

This sunday I visited the Least Tern nesting colony located at Huntington State Beach in Orange County. Since the Terns nest in a very popular area near Newport Beach, the entire area is fenced in to protect the nests from being trampled on by unaware beach-goers. There were more than a hundred successful nests and many with two eggs. The project is almost entirely supported by volunteers which has a few benefits including free admission to any California State Park! You can read more about the Least Tern and Snowy Plover Project here.

Least Tern With Egg

Least Tern With Newborn Chick

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Posted by ctaylor on June 2, 2008 in Photography Adventures

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Tags: bolsa chica, least tern

Volcano erupts in Galapagos Islands

May 31

Volcano erupts in Galapagos Islands
13 hours ago

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A volcano on the largest of the Galapagos Islands has begun erupting and authorities are evaluating possible dangers to the island’s famed plant and animal life, officials said Friday.

Rangers and tour guides spotted lava flowing down the northeastern flank of the Cerro Azul volcano on the seahorse-shaped island of Isabela late Thursday, the Galapagos National Park said in a statement.

Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute said that satellite data and a flyover of the island by park officials showed a “small amount of ash” coming out of the volcano, located on the southwestern edge of the island.

Park official Oscar Carvajal told Radio Quito that as many as four lava flows “have consumed a lot of vegetation,” but do not pose a threat to the famed Galapagos tortoises.

Neither was the eruption endangering people on the island, park official Vinicio Pauta said.

The 5,600-foot (1,690-meter) Cerro Azul — one of five active volcanoes on the island — last erupted in September 1998, causing minor damage to plant life. Cerro Azul is located in the unpopulated southwestern corner of the island.

The Galapagos Islands, 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) off of Ecuador’s Pacific coast, are known for unique plant and animal life, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas and seabirds known as blue-footed boobies. Charles Darwin’s observations of the islands’ finches helped inspire his theory of evolution.

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Posted by ctaylor on May 31, 2008 in Photography Adventures

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White Mountains, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake, Bodie and Yosemite

Portland, Oregon

Placerita Canyon

Least Tern Nesting Colony

Volcano erupts in Galapagos Islands

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