Category: California

Scenic Peak Trail-Training for Cloud’s Rest

Posted in California, hikes, Landscapes, Nature, Nikon, PhotographyTagged 2 Comments

Myself and two friends hiked up to Mission Peak yesterday afternoon. I’m in training for a hike up to Cloud’s Rest in Yosemite this summer, and my friend Rachael is hiking to both Cloud’s Rest and Half Dome in early summer.  This was the first time hiking up to Mission Peak for my friend Dali.

The Peak trail is considered a good training hike because the ascent is steep and fast. You start at 500 feet and climb to 2,517ft in just about 3 miles. The route is quite pretty filled with wildlife and great views. Here is some of what I saw yesterday.

I spotted several wildflowers along the trail yesterday; Spring Vetch; California Poppies; and Buttercups, but the flower I liked the best was this Coulter’s Matilija Poppy growing along the road near Ohlone College. I love the big billowy pedals, and wonderful yellow center. It’s a show stopper!

Not too far up the trail I saw this little Chipping Sparrow. I was so surprised he didn’t fly away when I stopped to take his photo.

At the pond where the cows hang out I lose time taking photo after photo.

I saw a Killdeer up here for the first time.

In the woodland a Bitter Cherry (I think) was blooming.

About halfway to the top we come to my favorite view. You have to turn around to see this lovely Red barn nestled in the trees.

Yesterday we spotted a Red Tailed Hawk flying from one side of the trail to the other. He would circle awhile then land on a rock and watch his territory.  I travel light when hiking up here so I didn’t have my longer lens with me, but wished I did.

Looking back – Fremont and the Bay

Only 300 feet from the top now! This part of the trail is brutal. It’s the steepest, and very rocky the higher you get.

Rachael is a great hiker she moves a lot faster than I do. She made it to the top about 20 minutes before me. Dali not far behind Rachael peaked about 10 minutes before me. I knew he wouldn’t have any trouble making it to the top.

Dali

…and here’s me. I made it!

This was the 7th time  I’ve hiked this trail and 4th time peaking.  I have a goal of climbing up here 4 times this year I’m halfway there! I’ll probably have to step it up and come up here more if I hope to make it to Cloud’s Rest this August.

One thing is for sure. The hike up is always beautiful, and I see something different each time I come.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 18-200mmVR| Handheld and Tripod

All Photos are Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac.  All Rights Reserved.

Series- 4 ImageTheme- Mesquite Sand Dunes

Posted in California, Landscapes, Nature, Nikon, TravelTagged Leave a comment

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Field trip with West Valley College’s Photography Dept. to Death Valley National Park.

4 images taken in the Mesquite Sand Dunes. An assignment for those of us taking all sections of the field studies class was to produce a 4 image theme. I didn’t go into this assignment with any pre-conceived ideas or thoughts. I thought the best approach for me was to go out and shoot whatever I felt compelled to shoot then once home look at all my photographs and see if a “theme” emerged.

What I found when I uploaded all my photographs from the trip was that while out on the Dunes I used the Creosote bushes quite a bit for leading lines, frames, and points of interest; sometimes without being consciously aware that I was doing that. Do I see more in a “compositional” frame of mind than I think I do? One the components of art/photography I feel I struggle with the most is composition, and “seeing” the shot. I think it’s something I’ll always have to work at.

The Creosote bushes were in bloom when I was here. Each time I passed by a bush I could smell its sweet perfume, and I was treated to a symphony of Spring time by the many bees that were busy buzzing from blossom to blossom.

1. “Last light” Sunset Mesquite Dunes
2. Footprints on the Sands of Time
3. Dust up!
4.We need time to dream, time to remember, and time to reach the infinite , time to be.~Gladys Taber

Nikon D700 & Nikon D300s| Nikkor 17-35mm and Nikkor 70-300mm VR| Induro CF Tripod| Hoya UV filters

On Radio Road

Posted in Birds, California, Nature, Nikon, Photography, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

These birds make me smile! They have such a friendly face, but their walk is awkward…. and….stilted. Probably because they’re trying not to disturb the water as they hunt for food.

“The Black-necked Stilt forages by probing and gleaning primarily in mudflats and lakeshores, but also in very shallow waters near shores; it seeks out a range of aquatic invertebrates – mainly crustaceans and other arthropods, and mollusks – and small fish, tadpoles and very rarely plant seeds. Its mainstay food varies according to availability; inland birds usually feed mainly on aquatic insects and their larvae, while coastal populations mostly eat other aquatic invertebrates. For feeding areas they prefer coastal estuaries, salt ponds, lakeshores, alkali flats and even flooded fields. For roosting and resting needs, this bird selects alkali flats (even flooded ones), lake shores, and islands surrounded by shallow water.” ~ Wikipedia

For this shoot I met photographer, and friend Marianne Bush out at Radio Road which is part of Redwood Shores Reserves. After we shot around the lagoon for a while we walked over to a channel that feeds the lagoon where Marianne had spied a Bufflehead while we were driving in. An aquatic bird in the Sea Duck family that has been on my list for sometime. The Bufflehead was no longer there, but we did see this little duck below. Both Marianne and I were very excited because neither one of us had seen this bird before. Marianne being the much more experienced birder had an idea of what breed it might be. When we left we were both anxious to get into our bird books to see if we could identify it.

Marianne was able to ID it faster than I did. She wrote to tell me we had seen a Blue Winged Teal! Very uncommon on the West Coast. You can image how thrilled we both were. A month later looking at this photo I can still feel that thrill of excitement one gets when seeing a new species for the first time.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mm f4 @ f5.6| 1/800 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| On a Tripod

Empty Nest

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The chicks turned into Fledglings over night! I misjudged their age by a week it seems. That “crop milk” is indeed very rich and nutritious for they grew from their tiny new-born, blind, and naked size to this in a week!

I’m sure they could see me by this time (Mar. 11, 2011), or their hearing and sense of smell was awfully good.

March 17, 2011 – Passing the window in the living on my way to the kitchen I saw one of the chicks was standing on the edge of the hanging basket. Yes! Standing there and his/her size was enormous. Nearly as big as its mother. I reversed course to grab my camera to record the moment. A milestone in a Mourning Dove’s life.

Not a chick anymore, but a fledgling now soon to be an adult on his own.  I wondered if the other chick had already flown away. I went outside to get a little closer to see if I could spy another head in the basket.

The other fledgling was there keeping a low profile. In the distance I heard the soft cooing of the Mother. I wondered if she was calling them to join her in a tree in another yard.

My instincts told me today was the day they would leave the nest. I wanted to stay nearby with camera in hand. I might get lucky and get a shot of one taking flight, but I couldn’t stay. I had a commitment that took me away from hearth, home, and Mourning Dove leaving day. I watched as long as I could about 30 minutes. The whole time this little one stayed right there on the edge of the basket…feeling the pull to fly, and mustering up the courage to take flight.  I hated to leave. I knew they’d be gone by the time I returned later in the morning.

When I returned home I went straight to the nest, and as I feared the nest was empty! I immediately started to look around the yard to see if they had stayed close by. I spied one fledgling on the fence on the side of the yard I’d heard cooing earlier in the morning. Then I heard the cooing again. The Mother was in a tree calling him. I got the camera ready, and took a few shots of him on the fence.

All of a sudden there was rustling of leaves, a flutter of wings, I blinked! A squirrel jumped out of the tree landing next to the Fledgling who took flight, I snapped the shutter…

I didn’t get the shot of him in flight. He was gone.

The 7 days the two Doves were in my hanging basket were a gift. It was wonderful to watch them grow, to learn a little more about them, and feel so close to nature.

I looked at the basket now holding a few weeds, and twigs that was once was their nest and felt a little sadness. I pray they will be safe, and grow to have little chicks of their own, and perhaps, next Spring one of them might find my hanging basket.

Update- Dove Chicks!

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The chicks are thriving! Since my initial post about them  https://circadianreflections.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/the-mournful-oowoo-woo-woo-woo-of-my-squatters they’ve grown a lot. March 14, 2011- Mama in protective mode. She usually sits tall in the nest but, whenever I get too close she signals them to be still and quite and like good chicks they do it.

March 13 2011- The chicks are starting to be more active in the nest. Fluffing their wings and walking around a little, but I have to shoot that from a distance so they don’t get into protective mode and hunker down. This is all I can see from my vantage point at the sliding glass door.

Compound this far vantage point with them being under the cover of the patio and it was windy and rainy. The basket was moving quite a bit. Notice the motion blur on the tail. I raised the ISO to get my shutter speed up, not enough I’m afraid. I didn’t want to introduce too much noise. Between the family moving the basket, and the wind moving it has been a challenge  photographing them.

March 13, 2011- Here is the only time so far, I’ve been able to see the female feeding the chicks. It was windy, and had been raining on and off all day. Here the female is getting ready to feed her chicks “crop-milk”.  I’ve got motion blur on the females head. She’s bringing up the milk.

I’ve done a bit of research since these have come into my life about what to expect until they leave the nest. Mourning Doves don’t regurgitate worms to feed their young. They are vegetarian and  have a special pouch that their food goes into where it is turned  into a very rich, nutritious milk.  It contains more protein than cows milk. The chicks stick their head/beaks into the parents mouth and drink the milk. Another interesting fact both the male and female have this extra large crop and produce the milk. The chicks grow very quickly due to this rich milk.

March 16, 2011- Look how much they’ve grown since I first discovered them! They are nearly twice as big, and their feathers are much softer and more filled out. Addendum: They are born blind and naked!

The sitting parent( I think the female)  has been leaving the nest more often, and the male has been coming around. Both the male and female spent more than an hour on the fence away from the nest this morning. The chicks leave the nest at just 14 days old. I found these two 6 days ago, and I don’t know how old they were. They might be here another 6 -7 days.

All photos Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved

The mournful oowoo-woo-woo-woo of my Squatters

Posted in Birds, California, Nikon, Nikon D90, PhotographyTagged , 1 Comment

The call of the Mourning Dove is soft, and low.  I hear it on and off all day long.  Years ago this pair flew into my backyard and tried setting up house in a hanging flower basket I have on the patio. I shooed them away the first couple of years and they set up a nest in the eaves. They are stubborn tenacious little things, and after years of trying to shoo them out of my basket I caved in a let them stay a few years ago. I never look for their return but return they do and always to this basket.

They arrived this year just before the arrival of my new camera accessory the Wimberley Sidekick(2/14/2011). When it came in I decided to get some practice with it taking the pictures of the two Squatters Doves living on my patio.

Yesterday(3/11/2011) I noticed there was only one Dove in the nest and she wasn’t making sorties. I said to myself, ” When she leaves I’ll have to look to see if there are any eggs in there.”

Late this afternoon I noticed she was gone so I grabbed a ladder and my camera to have a look.  I was thrilled to find not eggs but 2 chicks in the nest!

I have no idea how long ago they hatched.  I’ve not heard a peep! They look fairly new and I’m sure they can’t fly. The female has been gone for a few hours now. It’s getting dark and chilly. I hope she returns soon!

I’m in Mother mode now checking out the window to see if she’s returned and I’ll be watching their growth and progress now until they fly out of the nest.

“Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment. Ellis Peters”

All Photos Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.


Bucolic Sunday

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Last Sunday I had a wonderful day hiking with a friend whom I share two hobbies; photography and hiking.  We met to hike up Mission Peak.

We chose the less steep but slightly longer route. This route meanders through verdant pastures in the Winter and Spring months. Cows roam free munching on grass throughout the park.

Rachael loves cows, and was very excited to be so close to them, but was more comfortable with them behind a fence.  This is my favorite photo of Rachael taking photos of the cows on this hike.  This was taken on the way up.

Two times we came across cows near or beside the trail. On one occasion a calf was on the opposite side of the trail of its Mother, and the Mother cow  Mooed at a passing hiker.  So we hiked up the  side of the mountain and gave them a wide berth, but I watched cyclists and other hikers walk or ride right past them without any trouble. Here’s a Happy California Cow munching on the new grass just beside the trail. She totally ignored us.

I turned around to look back and could see way out in the distant horizon San Francisco’s skyline. Can you see it?  There was little to no haze today, and the colors were wonderful.

We ran into lots of hikers on the way up. I even met a neighbor when I was nearly at the top. He was just starting his descent. The para-gliders were out enjoying the day too.

Their parasails looked gorgeous against the blue sky. Here are two sailing the Thermals. Just look at that sky! We couldn’t have asked for a better sky!

On my hikes up here before I’ve froze at the Summit. Today it was warm by comparison. My ski pants, long-johns, parka, gloves, and fleece jacket were not needed.  The last time I was up here I set up my tripod, snapped my photo and headed down as quickly as I could.  It was a little chilly, and windy but not uncomfortable waiting my turn to take my photo at the pole. For the Gear Heads:

I packed really light for this hike. The Nikon D300s, one lens the Nikkor 18-200mm VR, the B+W Circular Polarizer w/warming, one Singh-Ray 3 stop Graduated Neutral Density filter w/holder and adapter ring, spare battery, and my Carbon Fiber tripod with Really Right Stuff  BH-40 ball head. I use the L-plates with my cameras. I packed it in my Lowepro Flipside 300 back pack.  That’s it! It was the right kit for this steep of a climb.

I even stopped long enough to take this shot of the view to the east.This is Sunol Wilderness, and in the distance the snow capped Sierra Mountains.

Passing the pond once again we were treated to great reflections, and a picture perfect scene.

We finished our hike tired, dirty, and hungry. Time to get lunch!  The perfect ending to a wonderful day of hiking.

Begin at 500ft

Total climb 2,017 ft

Total Elevation 2,517 ft

Total miles 3.4 up to the top- 6.8 miles round trip

All photos Copyright © Deborah M. Zajac

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