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!
Photo Manipulations
Yea…I haven’t had a lot of time to get out and shoot photos. So, as usual, I’ve been playing around in Photoshop, manipulating photos, and coming up with brand new looks for some of my older shots. Hope you enjoy them!
Redtail Landscape
Serendipity is Mother Nature’s gift to photographers. So often we stand before a landscape wishing and wanting for a bird or moose or some other interesting wild creature to put itself out there for the shot. Sometimes we get what we wish for…
Redtail Landscape
This redtail hawk chose the perfect moment to fly through. Thanks!
More from Mono Lake…
I’m sure you don’t think I spent the whole day freezing my ass off for 5 shots…
Eastern Sierras and South Tufa
Warning...Dragons Be Here...
Fading Color
First Light
"WTF are you doing?!?"
Harris Hawk Profile
Thanks for taking the time to look!!
A Visit to Keeler
Keeler is an old mining town, nestled between the foothills of the White/Inyo Mountains, and the vast desert of the Owens Dry Lake. At one point in history, several eons ago(before LADWP), the area was a vast watershed, with HUGE amounts of healthy riparian habitat, giant spring-fed wetlands, and water, water everywhere.
Now…it’s a barren salt flat, where daily dust storms cause bronchial infections in the very young and very old, animals struggle to scrape out a living(along with the tough locals that stick around), and the deserted landscape is as vast and empty as the LA Aqueduct is deep and wet…
Abandoned
The first thing I noticed about Keeler was the sense of abandonment. It seems that everywhere you looked, something was rusted, rotted, empty, or falling down under the weight of decades of desert environment and neglect.
Keeler Firehouse
We went by the Keeler Volunteer Fire Department. Their vehicles were all more than 50 years old, most of them retired from other fire districts and most likely donated to the KVFD. Sometimes you do your best with what you got. At least they HAVE a fire house…
Broke Down Palace?
This stone house is probably over 150 years old, though I couldn’t say for certain. Makes a nice contrast to the vastness of the desert and the beauty of the Eastern Sierra in the background. Nestled among the peaks back there is Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the Continental U.S. And about 1 hour south(behind me in this photo) is Death Valley and Badwater, which is the lowest point in the Continental U.S.
Mother Nature Never Fails
And where men have fought, and fallen, struggled to eke out a living in the vast, dry desert, Mother Nature still makes a stand…
Thanks for reading!
Birds of Prey
OK…This is gonna be a long post…
I went to visit a very good friend of mine this weekend. We had a blast. She works at the West Coast Falconry Academy, which gave me a wonderful opportunity to photograph some really, REALLY cool birds of prey…hawks, falcons, owls…you know the type…
Yellow Headed Vulture
Barbary Falcon
Eagle Owl
Saker Falcon
Barbary Falcon
Saker Falcon screeching
Kaylee and a Barbary Falcon
Kaylee and a Harris Hawk
Kaylee and a Saker Falcon
Saker Falcon
Harris Hawk
Harris Hawk
Harris Hawk catching food tidbits from mid-air
Little Sparrow
I
Wild Great Horned Owl with 2 babies...eyeballin' me...
I have a TON more pictures of the raptors, but I haven’t processed them yet. I’ll save them for later.
Thanks for taking the time to look!
