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!
Midnight Macros
I couldn’t sleep last night. Insomnia has always been an issue for me, so I’ve learned to deal with it. One of my tools is my camera…
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- Tan Praying Mantis
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- Green Praying Mantis
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- #18 Adams Soft Hackle variation
I couldn’t have created better lighting for the green Praying Mantis. It was sitting on the brass base of my porch light, glowing from the bare bulb above it, and I used a hand-held flash. I’m pretty happy with the results of all that brass and reflected lighting…
Thanks for looking!
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!!
Little Lakes Valley
Went for a quick hike up through Little Lakes Valley this morning. Such a beautiful area…
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- Paintbrush
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- Heart Lake
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- Golden Mantle
American Kestrel Release
We had the distinct pleasure of releasing a gorgeous young female American Kestrel this morning. She was with us for about a month, learning to hunt and fly, and feed on her own, and she’s going to do just fine out in the wild…
Getting ready to step out
Perfect flight to a perfect perch
I also got a shot of our Evening Grosbeak. He, too, will be released fairly soon…
Evening Grosbeak
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Incredibly Rare Rodent
Aplodontia rufa, commonly known as Mountain Beaver, only occurs in the northwestern Pacific Coast of Oregon and Washington, and in a very narrow belt in the northeastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. We got one that was hit by a car into the center the other day.
These animals are very rare. In fact, as far as we can tell, this is the first one registered in any rehabilitation center in the state of California. They are a “living fossil” with traits and characteristics that place them as one of the oldest living rodent species in existence. Really interesting creatures. Checkout this Wikipedia article for more information on this fascinating creature…
So far, I’ve only managed to get one decent photo of this guy, but I will be bringing my camera to work again tomorrow in search of a few more…
Aplodontia rufa californica--Sierra Nevada Mountain Beaver
Thanks for stopping by!!
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!
Cruising for Snakes
I went out last night for a short snake cruise, hoping to scare up some Sidewinders and Panamints, but alas, the rattlers didn’t want to come out and play with me. I did find a couple of other snakes, though…
California Kingsnake--Lampropeltis getula californiae
This king was absolutely gorgeous! He was about 4-4 1/2 feet in length, very healthy and crisply colored with jet black and pure white bands. This is a true “Desert Phase” California Kingsnake. Quintessential in color, size, and attitude, but he did settle down and stop trying to bite for long enough to get a few pictures…
Further down the road I found this guy…
Great Basin Gophersnake--Pituophis catenifer deserticola
I have found and played with a ton of Great Basin Gophersnakes over the years. This species is always fun to find, because you never know what kind of attitude they are going to have. Some are incredibly calm, content to be picked up, held, and moved out of the road, and others…well…not so much. This was one of the most defensive Gophersnakes I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. He was medium size, about 3 1/2 feet in length, but he was absolutely FULL of piss and hatred for me. He was easily one of the loudest hissers I’ve ever encountered, and he struck at me more times than I could possibly count. Not little strikes…2/3 body length, almost aerial, lunges towards me, the flashlight, the camera…anything that moved in front of him. Of course, he was determined to convince me that he was gonna kill me, but that’s what I like to see. If a snake is that angry at me, it means he will treat every other human he encounters the same way. When this dude reaches 6 feet or more in length, he will be one helluva snake to deal with. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to meet him at that point. Think he’ll remember me? 
Here’s another shot of the same Gophersnake. Notice the similarity of pose and attitude? He didn’t stop for a second…
Even after picking him up, moving him across the road in his intended direction of travel, and calmly setting him down inches from the cover of sagebrush, he had his sights on me. What a great little snake!
Thanks for taking the time to look!
American Kestrel
These are some absolutely amazing little raptors I love seeing them darting around out in the wild, but this is the first opportunity I’ve ever had to work with them up close and personal…
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!
Barn Owls
I have never had the pleasure of seeing a Barn Owl in the wild. Yesterday, two fledgling Barn Owls were brought to the wildlife center. I was honored and privileged to be able to give them both their initial exams, and luckily, neither one has any apparent injuries! So other than being orphaned and a bit young, they are perfectly healthy. We will feed them and keep them safe until they are able to fly, and then they will be released. I have no worries about these two retaining their wild attitude. They let me know with no uncertain terms that they wanted nothing to do with me…
Fledgling Barn Owl
Fledgling Barn Owl
I’m really excited to be working with these two. The Great Horned Owls are awesome, don’t get me wrong, but you just don’t see these guys very often and to be able to work hands-on with them, knowing they are healthy and will be returned very soon, is an incredible opportunity and experience.
Thanks for coming along!
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…
Wild Iris
Well, flowers are starting to bloom, and spring is trying to be here, but for some reason, this cold wind just doesn’t seem to want to release its grip on the valley. So rather than battle the wind and shoot fast shutter speeds, or wait for the wind (and the Iris) to die, I decided to just go with it…
Wild Iris
There was a couple of other photographers out shooting, but the color never popped, and the wind was incessant. Rather than battle the conditions, I went with it, stopped down to f/22, and even dropped a 3stop ND filter on to slow it down and really exaggerate the blur. I think it came out fairly neat!
The Victoria and Wild Rose are blooming in the front yard, too…
Victoria
Wild Rose
And this is the closest I have ever gotten to a good shot of a Whiptail lizard…
Great Basin Whiptail--Aspidocelis tigris tigris
One of these days, spring will actually get here and stay for a little while…
Thanks for looking!
Mojave Desert Sidewinder
I like Sidewinders. They are a fairly small rattlesnake, with males topping out around 2-2 1/2 feet in length, and females reaching a massive 3 feet, but what they lack in body size, they typically make up for in attitude and venom production. This little girl was fast asleep in the middle of the road. She’s lucky my daughter and I found her first…
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- Mojave Desert Sidewinder–Crotalus cerastes cerastes
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- Mojave Desert Sidewinder–Crotalus cerastes cerastes
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- Mojave Desert Sidewinder–Crotalus cerastes cerastes
Walking Around Out Back
Went for a walk through the desert out behind the house this afternoon. No snakes, but bunches of lizards and birds…
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- House Finch
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- Western Kingbird
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- Common Sideblotch-Uta stansburiana
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- Western Sagebrush–Sceloporus graciosus graciosus
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- Common Sideblotch-Uta stansburiana
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- House Finches
Birds and a Panamint
Yup…more birds, and a BEAUTIFUL Panamint I found with my daughter…
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- Panamint rattler-Crotalus stephensi
That little Panamint was awesome. He was being harassed by a Raven that was evidently trying to keep him in the road to be run over. Lucky for the snake, not so much for the Raven, we were the first car to come along, so I scared off the raven, grabbed my snake hook, and moved the little guy out of the road.
Thanks for looking!
Walk in the Desert
Well…I went in to town today to try and find some local characters to interview and photograph. I didn’t find the folks I was looking for, but I ran into a good friend of mine, and we decided to go for a quick walk in the desert to see what was moving. So we hopped in my car, head to the Volcanic Tablelands, and started hunting around the rocks…
Western Sagebrush Lizard
Barred Spiny Lizard
Great Basin Collared Lizard
Great Basin Collared Lizard
Not a bad day for a quick trip. The sun was out, the wind was relatively calm, and there were some really nice lizards that decided to come out and play. It does a body good!
Thanks for coming along!
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!
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!
What a GORGEOUS Day!!
Ahh…it felt like Spring. Hell, it almost felt like summer! Woke up to a gorgeous sunrise, and had my first cup of coffee on the front porch listening to the sparrows as the sun crept up over the hills…
Sparrow at Sunrise
I got home from work and the Sphinx moths were back out, only this time they were after the freshly blossomed lilacs…
I had to go down to Big Pine to water some animals for a friend who is out of town. For giggles, I cruised up one of my favorite roads to see if by chance the snakes were awake, and wouldn’t you know it…
Panamint Rattlesnake--Crotalus stephensi
This little juvenile Panamint was very cool, chilling in the road on the way back down. So it’s official. First snake of the year means spring is officially here! I don’t care the weather thinks…
Thanks for looking!
A few Birdies for today…
I took a few bird shots yesterday at lunch, and thought I might share them today…
I also managed a couple of shots of our dog, Rex, playing frisbee…
Rex is just not happy unless he catches it in the air…
Thanks for coming along!
HDR from Last Night…
While shooting the sunset last night, I took a chance and shot a 4 exposure HDR, at 1stop intervals. I don’t do HDR very often, but occasionally, it works out…
As the Sun Goes Down...
I also thought I would share a couple of bird shots from yesterday morning. I’m really diggin’ the new 70-300mm lens, but I am already drooling over the Zuiko 2X tele-converter…
Anyhow…bird shots…
Grey bird in the tree...I'm not real good with bird ID's...
Cool looking blackbird with a bright yellow breast and orange head...
That’s it. Just a few more from yesterday. Thanks for looking!
