Birds in the Wild – Page 10 – Circadianreflections Blog

California Thrasher II

May 17, 2016May 17, 2016Posted in Bird Photography, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography, Santa Clara CountyTagged Bird Photography, Birding, Birds of California, Bushtits, California Thrasher, Nikon, Santa Clara County30 Comments

Back in March while birding and photographing flowers in Santa Cruz, CA I was thrilled to hear and see a California Thrasher for a minute…long enough to get a few images, before I spooked it trying to get a little bit closer to it. You can see that post here.

I’ve been wishing to see one again, and be closer to it. Well, on Sunday I got my wish while birding down in the southern end of Santa Clara Valley.

California Thrasher

He was singing his little heart out!

California Thrasher

He sang for 10 minutes. Then he stopped, gave himself a real good shake…

California Thrasher

…took a breath, and began singing again!

California Thrasher

Two little Bushtits flew into the bush beside him and began talking to him,

Bushtits

so he turned around to sing to them.

California Thrasher

There were a few more notes sung by the Bushtits to the Thrasher then they flew off. It happened so fast I was only able to get 3 shots of the Bushtits. The image isn’t great. My lens kept wanting to focus on the branches in front of the bird rather than the little bird.

Then the Thrasher flew north. What a treat that was to hear him singing for so long. It was the highlight of my morning.

The California Thrasher is found in California and Baja California.

I found some California Thrasher Song sound files over on allaboutbirds.com that you can listen to here.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015

More to come…

Tribute Day May 14, 2016

May 14, 2016May 14, 2016Posted in Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Global Big Day, Macro Photography, National Train Day, Nikon, Photography, TrainsTagged Amtrak Trains, Bird Photography, Birding, Butte County, Global Big Day, Macro photography, National Train Day, Nature, Nikon, Santa Clara County Birding, Toys, Train Spotting, Western Wood Peewee26 Comments

Today is National Train Day in the States, and it’s also Global Big Day 2016 in the Birding World. I thought I’d honor both here with a short post.

Back in 2012 myself and two friends Dali, and Phil were looking for a particular waterfall called Phantom Fall in Butte county. We hiked through a woodland forest, along railroad tracks, crossed creeks, and climbed grassy hills looking for it. While on a grassy hill taking a break I heard the rumble of a train, and the low train’s whistle and turned to find the train.

I waited for it to get around the curve hoping it was a long enough train to go around the whole curve. It was a wee bit short. 🙂 Still neat to see, and hear though.

We hiked, and drove a lot of miles that day looking for that elusive waterfall, but didn’t find it. Dali and I found it a year or so later, but I’m saving that story. Not enough time has passed yet. I need to be older and the tale a bit more aged before it comes out in public.

Amtrak train

Here’s a fun macro image I made of a toy Bachman’s Engine some of you may remember from a post I made last year. This is from a train set we used to set up around the Christmas tree when my kids were little.

Toy train

To honor Global Big Day and my love of birds here’s an image of a Western Wood Peewee.

I took this image while looking for the Gray Flycatcher posted here The Western Wood Peewee is a “lifer” for me! That was an exciting day of Birding with 2 “life” birds added to my list.

Western Wood Peewee

I hope you all have a wonderful week-end!

Nikon D700, & Nikon Df| Nikkor 70-300mm VR, 200-500mm VR, and LensBaby

More to come…

Gray Flycatcher

May 10, 2016Posted in birding, Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Flycatcher, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Santa Clara County BirdingTagged Bird, Bird Photography, Birding, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, California, Empidonax wrightii, Gray Flycatcher, Nature, Nikon, Photography, Santa Clara County22 Comments

I went birding on both Saturday and Sunday this past week-end hoping to find two birds I’d never seen or photographed before. I got lucky with really good looks on the first bird on my list: The Gray Flycatcher. A “lifer” for me!

Gray Flycatcher

There were other birders there looking for the same bird which made the experience more fun and exciting. It also helped to have several pairs of eyes, and ears on the lookout.

Gray flycatcher

It’s migrating south, and this one is further west than it’s regular migration route.

Gray Flycatcher

He was pretty far away from me, and in the shadows of the trees so I boosted my ISO to keep up my shutter speed to prevent blurring, and these images are cropped.

Sunday I went back to look for the second bird on my list, but I was not successful. I’ll have another go this week-end if I hear it’s still in the area.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| Tripod|

Note to self- take the bug spray! I got eaten alive by mosquitoes!

More to come…

Thursday Doors 18/52 Historic Alviso Revisited

May 5, 2016May 4, 2016Posted in Alviso CA, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Doors, Nature, Photography, Santa Clara County, Shorebirds, Thursday Doors, Urban DecayTagged Alviso, Architecture, CA, Doors, Golden Hour, Marsh, Nature, Nikon, Photography, Rust, Santa Clara County, Sunset, Thursday Doors, Urban Decay, Western Sandpipers28 Comments

I went out to Alviso, CA this past week to look for a Little Stint which is a shorebird, and very rare to this area. I didn’t see the Little Stint unfortunately, but I did see a neat rusty, and sagging door at the old Bayside Canning Company. This Canning Company has been closed since 1936. I blogged a little about the Canning Co. & town here.

Rusty Door- Photography

The city is letting the buildings decay, and they are currently being used by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

The Little Stint has been hanging around the Western Sandpipers, and I did see some that were close to me. Sadly the Little Stint wasn’t hanging out with this group.

Western Sandpipers- Photography

There are deck walkways that take you right across the top of the marsh and you leave

the deck via a facade like doorway to the levy’s that surround the ponds. You can walk around these or just gaze at the view. Back in September 2009 I happened to be there early in the evening for Golden Hour; it was gorgeous.

Alviso Golden Hour Fall 2009

Top two images- Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015

Bottom Image- Nikon D90| Nikkor 70-300mm VR| SanDisk Digital Film| PS CC 2015

This post is part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors. If you love doors and would like to see the doors others are posting, or post doors you’ve photographed and join other door lovers from around the world click here.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links, or add your own.

More to come…

Killdeer

April 22, 2016April 22, 2016Posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Photography, ShorebirdsTagged Bird Photography, Birding, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Killdeer, Nikon, Shorebirds15 Comments

Killdeer-

The Killdeer is a year round resident in California, and gets its name from the shrill, wailing kill-deer call it makes. I love their big eyes.

Killdeer_ Photography

Happy Earth Day!

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015|

More to come…

Yellow

April 20, 2016Posted in Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Flowers, Macro Photography, Photography, ToysTagged Birding, Construction Toys, Flowers, LensBaby Composer Pro, Macro photography, Matilija Poppy, Nikon, Protea, Showy Daisy, Soft Focus Optic, Toys, Western Meadowlark, Yellow30 Comments

A little bit of this and that to share today. While developing images I discovered all the images I was selecting to work on had a theme; the color Yellow. Perhaps it’s because it has been quite nice, warm, and sunny here the last few days? I don’t know, but Yellow just feels good doesn’t it.

I took this image earlier in the year. Male Western Meadowlark

Western MeadowLark: Male Photography

A Margarite Daisy blossom I think.

Flower- Yellow_Photography

Toys in the Sandbox

Toys in the Sandbox-Yellow_Photography

Matilija Poppy

Flower Matilija Poppy_Macro Photography

Protea from the Australian Garden in Santa Cruz, CA

Protea_Macro Photography

I hope there’s some sunshine in your life today!

Nikon Df| Nikkor 28-105mm, & LensBaby Composer Pro w/Soft focus Optic + 8mm macro converter|Delkin Digital Film| PS CC 2015

More to come…

Twitterpated

April 9, 2016April 10, 2016Posted in Bird Photogaphy, birding, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Common Goldeneye, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography, San Mateo CountyTagged Bird Photography, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Common Goldeneye Male, Ducks, Mating Dance, Nature, San Mateo County, Spring, Twitterpated17 Comments

I had a most delightful morning a couple of months back watching some Common Golden-eye males doing the their mating dance/display.

Common Goldeneye Male-Mating Ritual Dance-Photography

Common Goldeneye male- Mating Ritual Dance Photography

Common Goldeneye Male-Mating Ritual Dance-Photography

She likes me!

Common Goldeneye Male-Mating Ritual Dance-Photography

I think I nailed that.

Common Goldeneye Male-Mating Ritual Dance-Photography

The word Twitterpated was first used in the movie Bambi. It means to be overcome with romantic feelings; smitten.

UPDATE: I looked up the scene in the original Disney movie and found the dialog about Spring Twitterpation. I think it’s delightful! Hope you do too.

Bambi 1942

Flower: [about two birds fluttering around] Well! What’s the matter with them?
Thumper: Why are they acting that way?
Friend Owl: Why, don’t you know? They’re twitterpated.
Flower, Thumper, Bambi: Twitterpated?
Friend Owl: Yes. Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: you’re walking along, minding your own business. You’re looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden, you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head’s in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather; and before you know it, you’re walking on air. And then you know what? You’re knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!
Thumper: Gosh. That’s awful.
Flower: Gee whiz.
Bambi: Terrible!
Friend Owl: And that ain’t all. It can happen to anybody. So you’d better be careful.
[points at Bambi]
Friend Owl: It could happen to you…
[points at Thumper]
Friend Owl: …and you, and…
[Flower looks at Owl shyly]
Friend Owl: Yes, it could even happen to you!
Thumper: Well, it’s not gonna happen to me.
Bambi: Me neither.
Flower: Me neither.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015

More to come…

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