Cookie-Cutter Brown Trout
It’s fall in the Eastern Sierra. That means the flows on the Lower Owens River are down around 200cfs, the brown trout are active, and the surface action is predictable. So are the cookie-cutter brown trout…
One of several photo copy, cookie-cutter browns
This time of year is my favorite for fishing. The fish are very active, the flies are predictable, and the weather is typically awesome. I’m looking forward to many more days of warm sunshine and dry-fly action…
Thanks for looking!
A Beautiful Morning
My daughter has been begging me for a dog…specifically a Chihuahua, for the last 6 years and change. Me…I don’t like Chihuahuas. Yippy, snappy, barky, bitey, toe-biting rat dogs…I always said we would get a dog “someday”, but stressed that we would not get a Chihuahua. I’m such a sucker…
Yup…my daughter walking her 4-month old Chihuahua, Fleur…
This is them. 2 peas in a pod in only 3 days…
I went and hung out with this puppy for about an hour before I ever told Zayne anything about her. She is actually a very well-behaved puppy, and very easy to train.
Anyhow…on our little walk around the desert this morning, I took a few pics of the local Autumn wildlife…
Great Basin Fence Lizard
Common Sideblotch
All in all, it’s a beautiful morning. And yes…I know my kid is wearing 2 different shoes…
Thanks for stopping by!
Been A While…
Wow. It’s been quite some time. A lot has happened. Initially, I was unemployed for a little bit, and anyone that has ever been there knows that priorities change. The internet had to go. Time was spent looking for a job, pounding the pavement, rather than walking the streets looking for photographs waiting to be taken. Money got tight, gas prices rose, and activity in my life ran down to a minimum.
But I’m back. I’m working, making money, and putting my camera back in hand, and priorities back in line. So by way of a re-introduction, here’s just a few random shots that have helped pass the time…
Zayne and Great Basin Gophersnake
My son and his girlfriend hunting for petroglyphs in the Volcanic Tablelands.
Goldfinch
Zayne enjoying Hot Ditch. Natural reflection from the water cured backlight shadows nicely.
Random front yard flower
1982 Shovelhead Custom Rigid. She will be mine. VERY soon…
So…yea…just a few shots to say, I’m back. And things are getting better. Thanks for stopping by!!
My Son, the Dragon…
Had my son outside breathing fire for a few photos this evening…
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- Kiss of Fire
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- Iron Cross
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- Breath of Fire
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- Breath of Fire
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- Sustained breath
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- Kiss of Fire
It’s Been a While…
I’ve been slackin’ on the posting. Work has been incredibly busy, and I’ve had no time to go out and shoot photos. It’s been hectic, to say the least. But I brought the gear to work the other day, went in a couple of hours before I was scheduled, and took some shots…
Cooper's Hawk
Jeremy and Cindy examining a Golden Eagle
This Golden Eagle was found hopping on the ground, unable to fly. An early exam revealed dehydration, near-emaciation, and all of his primary feathers broken on one wing. The flesh and tendons are viable, no signs of electrocution, and was given subcutaneous fluids, and fed gently. He is recovered well enough to be transported to a facility with on-staff veterinarians and raptor specialists, and after full-recovery, he will be brought back to us for release.
Love Dove-European Collared Dove
This dove came to us as a tiny baby. We raised her up, big and healthy, and tried to release her, but she came back and hangs out at the center. There are other doves in the area, and they all get along well, so we’ll let her stay…
Roadrunner
This young Roadrunner is completely wild. He has never been a patient at the center, and doesn’t appear to be even remotely injured. He just hangs out in the desert behind the center, and has gained enough confidence to allow us to approach him…sort of. We don’t get closer than a few feet, but I have passed directly underneath him whilst he was perched on this branch several times, and he is less than 6″ above my head, so…pretty bold Roadrunner…
"Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore!'"
First Flight of Freedom
Lenore came to us as a little nudie baby, orphaned, naked, cold, and starving. She grew into a big, healthy, beautiful Raven. I was quite fond of Lenore, and shared pictures of her a few weeks ago. She’s a big girl now, and we released her the other morning to be free as she can be…
Thanks for looking!
Raptors at Work
If you follow with any regularity, you probably know that I recently started working as a wildlife intern at Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care. We rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife. It’s a very labor-intensive job, and very time-consuming work, but it is the best job I’ve ever had…
Great Horned Owlets
These baby Great Horneds are really awesome. They’ve been here for a little while now, and pretty soon we’ll start getting them hunting live prey and prepare them for release.
Red Tail Hawk scheduled for release in the next couple weeks
This Red Tail was shot with a pellet gun. Lucky for him, the pellet fragmented without causing a ton of major damage to the wing. He is healing fine and flying well, and is scheduled for release very soon.
Adult Great Horned Owl
This Great Horned was one of my first intakes at the center. You can see his right eye is injured. We aren’t exactly sure what happened, but he seems to have good vision. He’s ready for test flights and live hunting in preparation for release, as well.
Lenore
This Raven came to us as a young baby. She’s pretty darn sweet, and will probably be released soon. I couldn’t resist an old feeling, B&W treatment and an Edgar Allen Poe reference…
Thanks for looking!
I LOVE my new job!!!
Yup…got a new job. I told you guys I was fired while my son was in town. I was a bit pissed at first. Afterall, who can blame me for getting upset? I was fired for not working hard enough…for free…on my days off…but I digress…
Shortly after getting fired, I found out that the local wildlife rehab center was hiring. I have been an Educational Volunteer with Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care, doing educational shows and presentations for a couple of years now. Cindy is a wonderful lady with a tremendous amount of knowledge and a heart of gold, and she always respected my reptile knowledge. When I found out they were hiring for summer wildlife interns, I jumped at the chance. Luckily, out of a rather large field of VERY experienced individuals, Cindy gave me a chance.
So here’s some pictures of our current patients…
Juvenile Red Tail Hawks
Juvenile Red Tail
This poor guy above was electrocuted. Unfortunately, it is likely that he will never fly again. His wing is wasted, and may even need to be amputated as the flesh continues to atrophy from the injury. Hopefully we can get a permit to keep him as an educational bird, but…that’s a mighty big “IF”…
Nestling Great Horned Owl
This is one of 3 nestling Great Horned Owls we have right now. All 3 were orphaned, but otherwise healthy. They are strong, healthy, and will be released to live in the wild as soon as possible. We also have an adult GHO, but she has a pretty bad wing laceration, and she stresses out really easily. She’s doing well, and we expect a full recovery and release soon, but I didn’t want to stress her out with photos…
Nestling Red Tail Hawk
Nestling Red Tail Hawk
This is Lucky. Lucky is a nestling Red Tail Hawk. He was found on the ground, out of the nest, no adults anywhere to be found, and he was FAR too young to be alone. An extensive search of the area revealed no signs of parents or siblings. We don’t know why or how Lucky was orphaned, but we sure are trying to raise him right. He’s strong, he’s full of attitude, and hopefully, with some flying time and hunting lessons, he will be released back into the wild before fall.
My mom always said, and I always believed her…things happen for a reason. Getting fired from the pet shop SUCKED. Getting this new job at the rehab center is a dream come true. When one door closes another opens, and this door is one I’ve been wanting for a long time. Stick around. I plan on sharing a TON of photos of our rehab adventures this summer…
Thanks for looking!
P.S.–Please checkout Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care’s website. It’s a fantastic, non-profit institution funded entirely by private donations and volunteer efforts. We are sometimes the only thing standing between these fantastic creatures and death, so give ‘em a look, and see what it’s all about. If you live in the area, we can always use rescue volunteers, and you could even volunteer to work hands-on at the center. It’s not a job for everyone, but everyone that does it is vastly rewarded…
Backyard Bird Watching
Backyard bird watching. It’s almost cliché. People are hustlin’ and bustlin’ around this great big world of ours, and not leaving anytime to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Money is tight, job security is low, taxes and inflation continue growing… It seems the only thing we have any ability to control anymore is how we respond to the rapidly changing stimuli.
That’s why I LOVE my backyard. Let me explain… I live in the High Desert. My house is situated at about 5,000′, right on the feet of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in eastern California. I can look out my living room window and I have an unobstructed view for close to 10 miles, all the way up the western slope of the White Mountain peaks, which is the western most border of Nevada. Now…there is a major highway running through there, and a multitude of high-power, high-tension lines zig-zagging back and forth. Views are spectacular, but these ugly lines are very destructive to landscape compositions. But the wildlife is incredible…
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- American Goldfinch
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- American Goldfinch
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- Common Sideblotch–Uta stansburiana
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- Domestic Iris
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- Male House Finch
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- Female House Finch
It’s amazing how curative a backyard like mine can be. I’m gonna tell you guys a little secret…I lost my job last week. Yea, right in the middle of my visit with my son, I found out that I was no longer employed. But it’s OK. I had an incredible week visiting with my son, and my emotional well-being has never been more positive. Even being unemployed and quickly running out of money, I can’t help but smile. I walk out back, and it just happens. Something will come through. I have a lot of experience in a lot of fields. I’ve done everything from flippin’ burgers and pouring drinks to antique restorations and hotel management. I also found out about some pretty cool job openings in my area, including backcountry habitat recovery and wildlife rehabilitation, and not only would I LOVE to have either of those jobs…I’m fairly well qualified for both. So something will come through. Just gotta ride this wave for a few days…
Thanks for taking the time to stop and look!
A few more random shots…
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- Osprey with a fresh catch
The Buttermilks and Mono Lake
Turkey Vulture
- Panamint Rattler–Crotalus stephensi
- Panamint Rattler–Crotalus stephensi
It was quite a lovely day…
- Kevin trying to get the shot
- Little Peak
- Buttermilk Ridgeline
Kevin’s flight back home was this afternoon, so we left the house around 5am, and headed up to Mono Lake, to get some early morning shots before he had to go. It was another spectacular day…
- Mono Lake Tufa
- Looking for a shot
- South Tufa Portrait
This has been one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I’m really glad I took a chance and reached out to my son. I’m even more thrilled that he responded positively. I think we have a good thing to build on here…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Landscapes, Lizards, and More Fire
Kevin flies back to Colorado tomorrow. It’s been an incredible week, but I’ll be sad to see him go. We’re making plans for him to come visit again in August, and that will be really nice, but…I’m gonna miss him when he leaves…
Yea, it’s really been an incredible week. I met my son. Zayne met her brother. And we really enjoyed each others’ company. It will definitely be sad to watch him go, but I know he’ll be coming back…
Thanks for looking!
Playing with Fire…
So…my son is a Fire Dancer. Fire scares the shit outta me, but he’s got WAY more balls than I do, because he purposely sets shit on fire and spins it around his head and body. It’s pretty intense to watch, because you can hear the flames and feel the heat. Makes me wonder what it feels like inside of all those flames…
What a Day!
So…I picked my son up at the airport on Sunday. I haven’t seen him since he was 2 years old, and he has no conscious memory of me at all. He’s a 21-year-old Army combat veteran, now. We had a 4 hour drive from the airport to the house, and we spent 99% of it talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. It really surprises me how much we have in common, both in terms of things we enjoy, and our personalities…the way we think. We share similar opinions on many subjects, and enjoy many of the same hobbies and activities.
It’s really been a nice couple of days. We went for a walk around the Buttermilk area, looking for snake and lizards, and taking pictures yesterday afternoon…
My son, Kevin, looking for snakes and lizards, camera 'round his neck
We did manage to find a few lizards, but no snakes…
Great Basin Fence Lizard--Sceloporus occidentalis longipes
And a B&W panorama of some of my favorite mountains…
2 shot pano--Paiute Crag to Mt. Humphries
Last night, Kevin and I went road cruising for snakes for a little bit. We didn’t see any snakes, but we did find a Great Basin Spadefoot toad, which is always a welcome and rare treat in Inyo County…
Great Basin Spadefoot--Spea intermontana
It’s been fantastic so far! We are going to pick up Zayne either tonight or tomorrow. These two haven’t met, yet, so I’m pretty excited to get them both together…
Thanks for looking!
Am I THAT Old?!?
Man…my baby girl is growing up WAY too quickly. It seems like just a couple of months ago I was changing her diapers and she was falling asleep on my chest in a rocking chair…
About 2 weeks ago, she asked me if she could pierce her ears and cut her hair short. The earrings we had discussed before, and I told her I didn’t care if her mother didn’t care. The hair was hard. All of her life I have adored her long, golden locks, and now she wanted to cut them off. “It’s your hair”, I told her. “If you’re old enough to ask me for permission to cut your hair short and pierce your ears, I suppose your old enough to decide for yourself.” And so she did…
My Heart, My Soul, My Everything
Her mom was picking her up for the weekend, and so they decided to make a “Girl’s Day” out of it, and go to the salon for haircuts and earrings. I’m telling you…I almost cried when I saw her. I have to admit she looks absolutely adorable. But she looks so…grown up! She ain’t no tiny baby girl no more, and that means I’m getting old…
Wanna know something else? I have a 21-year-old son whom I haven’t seen since he was 2. He has no memory of me whatsoever. He is coming out to meet us for the first time this April. You have no idea how flippin’ excited I am!!!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
One of My First Shots
A long time ago, or so it seems, I took the plunge and invested in a mid-range DSLR camera. My best friend John was thrilled. Within 2-3 days of getting my box in the mail, John took me to one of his favorite locations in The Alabama Hills to try it out. Those first few images were rightly crap. Poor composition, no subjective connection, and only moderately acceptable exposures. But on that first day, I learned and re-learned some fascinating aspects of photography that were forgotten in the maze of years.
I went back through the files from that first day, and actually found one that was fairly reasonable. So I took it into Photoshop CS4, and reprocessed the original file…
Southern Inyo Mountains
I was feeling a little nostalgic, and missing my recently deceased best friend, John. I’m always gonna miss him, but he will always guide my feet and my exposures in this gorgeous little valley that we both loved so much. Thinking back on that first day shooting, I couldn’t help but process this one with a little sense of nostalgia, and an antique flare of it’s own. It was only a few years ago, but it really does seem like a lifetime…
Thanks so much for taking the time to look!
Silouhettes and Clouds
I’m sick. I hate being sick. I hate being stuffed up, nose running, fever, aches, and chills. I hate not being able to go outside and walk around, work a full day, or even enjoy my daughter’s company.
But I love cloud formations, and I love the fact that where I live, I can see some pretty awesome clouds from my front porch…
I guess the clouds today WERE the silver lining. I still hope to feel better and go to work tomorrow…
Some Family Shots
Had my daughter’s mother and sister in town the other day for a decent, albeit cold, photo shoot in the town park…
Some More Do-Overs
It’s fall, and it’s getting chilly, so a lot of my “free time” is devoted to cutting wood to keep the place warm. I actually quite enjoy “wooding”. I guess it’s manly lugging around a chainsaw, cutting up rounds, hauling it home in a big ass truck, splitting it and stacking it. A bit unsophisticated, and quite primitive but…I never claimed to be above machismo, and I enjoy the workout, so…
Anyhow…I have spent a bit of time looking over some shots from earlier in the year, and decided to rework a few more. So here they are…
In Memory
I lost my best friend this morning. It’s very difficult for me, as John was my best friend, my mentor, and a very strong influence on my life, my photography, and my state of mind. Anyone that has read this blog has seen photos of him, and photos of me taken by him. We spent as much time together as possible over the last few years. He was instrumental in helping me form the Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that without his support and confidence…it wouldn’t exist.
He was also a HUGE influence on my photography and my love of the Eastern Sierra. He was a fantastic photographer in his own right, and with his help and guidance, he showed me the way to become a halfway decent photographer for myself. I always had a love of photography, and I can remember trying to develop that love ever since I was a youngster. John was my reason for investing in a digital SLR camera, and his confidence in my abilities gave me the freedom to explore my own creativity, and to try and develop my own style…which I’m still working on…
The last two months have been really difficult as he was battling stage 4 terminal cancer. We knew he was going to die, we just didn’t know when. None of us could have imagined how fast it would happen. But the pain is gone, and John is happy again. He can now look down on his mountains, and see the Eastern Sierra which he loved so much. I know he is watching me, and while every click of my shutter will seem hollow in comparison to our times together, I rest assured that he will be with me as I walk these hills, deserts, and mountains over the coming years. He will guide my compositions, and correct my exposures. He will always be there.
Here’s to you, John Ivan Atwood. Your strength, support, confidence, and encouragement have gotten me this far. I will take you with me for the rest of my days.
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- John I. Atwood
Rest in Peace, my Friend.
Portraits
I don’t do very many portraits. I just don’t have the knack for it. But I am trying to develop those skills. Luckily, I live in a house with 3 beautiful ladies…
My baby girl, Zayne
Rosie Posie
My Beautiful Nut
As always, any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to look!
Do Overs…
Remember when we were kids? Like most photographers, I always save my original, straight from the camera files, just in case I ever want to re-visit them. Over the last couple days, I have done just that. So here are some older shots that I have recently re-worked to what I believe are better results. I hope you enjoy!
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- Storm Over Wheeler Crest
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- Sunrise over Mono Lake
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- Peace in the valley
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- Convict Lake II
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- Convict Lake
They’re Eating My Peaches!
But they are beautiful, so I’ll let it slide…
"I'm watching you watching me!"
Contemplating the risks of movement
Hmm...Is that a threat?
Better safe than sorry!
I had 2 beautiful peach trees this year. This small tree that produces large numbers of small-ish white flesh fruit, and a much larger one that produces smaller numbers of large, ultra-sweet yellow flesh fruit. We managed to harvest about 5 dozen white flesh peaches before the birds got to them. We only maneged 4 yellow flesh peaches…
But the birds and the bees are happy as you please, and all is as it should be.
Thanks for taking the time to look!!
Up, Up, and Away!!!
Sometimes, you just gotta put the chores aside and get out there to play with the kids. It’s not about doing anything constructive, or trying to accomplish something. You let the kids be kids, and somehwere, somehow, deep inside your soul, you feel something of your own kid waking up to laugh with them…
What do you do when you don't have a mulberry bush? You go 'round the fence post
Rosie Posie getting airborne
She always told me she wanted to fly...
I hope you enjoyed them. I know we did!!
Thanks for taking the time to look.
Wounded Coachwhip
I got a call about 2 weeks ago. A friend of mine caught a Red Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus) in his backyard, and wanted to know if I could help it. It had a small, but fairly deep skin injury. Kind of looked like he got stuck on a thorn, and it ripped him open, and pushed the skin up underneath itself. So I brought this thing home to see if I could help. He ate a live hopper mouse straight away, so the first hurdle was past…getting him to eat.
I pulled the flapper out using tweezers, and tried to let it heal back down in place, but it didn’t work. After 3 days, it was dry, and curling back underneath, so I moistened it with some betadine, straightened out the flapper, and cut it off.
This morning, he ate a frozen and then thawed hopper mouse, which is a fantastic sign of recuperation and adapting to captivity, and the wound is showing signs of healing.
You can see the wound site there below the markings on his neck...
Closeup of the wound
You can see in the closeup that the remaining healthy skin has started to heal and form scarring where it has re-attached to the underlying flesh. You can also see signs of scale definition beginning to re-develope in the flesh, itself. Luckily, it wasn’t an injury that was deep enough to cause muscle damage, and while it will be a decent scar…he should have a complete recovery, and make a fantastic addition to the collection. It is, afterall, illegal to release them from captivity once they have been captured…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
