Nature – Page 15 – Circadianreflections Blog

New Moon, Venus, and a Very Faint Jupiter + 1 More

July 19, 2015July 19, 2015Posted in Close Up Photograhy', hikes, Plants, Santa Clara County, Shrubs, WildflowersTagged Close up Photography, hiking, Nature, Plants, Santa Clara County, Views along the Trail, Wildflowers20 Comments

I didn’t venture too far for this image; just down the street. In hindsight I should have sought higher ground. Venus was setting fast and if I had been higher I might have been able to photograph longer ,so that Jupiter would have been brighter. Live and learn!

I do like the way the Moon looks, and am pleased I didn’t blow it out. 🙂

Jupiter is that teeny tiny white dot above and to the right of Venus which is the bright star next to the New Moon.

+ 1 More…

He-Man and I have been hiking every week-end together since his Dr. and Therapist gave him the okay after he ruptured his Patella Tendon and had surgery last November. He’s really come a long way.

Today he was up for hiking the steepest, and longest hike since he was given the okay.

We gained about 1000 ft in elevation and hiked just about 5 miles. Here are several images I made along the hike.

All were taken with my iPhone 5 and developed in Photoshop CS6

Hiker’s Foe…Poison Oak

Copyright © 2015 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Mexican Elderberry

Rain Clouds in the Southeast….

<Moffett Field Historic Hangers

An unidentified wildflower…or not

Garrod Pond…when we take #1 Grandson on Pony Rides it’s at this stable, and pond that the guides walk him. I love seeing how excited he is walking the Ponies around this pond looking at birds/ in the trees for birds, and looking for ducks in the pond. His Mother says I am influencing his interests. I can’t say I’m totally innocent or sans motive! If I am able to influence him to love nature, an his environment then I think I can take a back seat and let the young lead.

I OT: I offer no excuses I love being a Grandma, and I’m really glad that I’m able to keep hiking, moving my legs, and hope that I am able to for many years to come! I hear the secret to living a long happy, active life is keeping the legs moving.

I am going to try my best to keep moving…uphill! The reward is going home down hill all the way baby! 🙂

More to come…

Monochrome Madness 2/12: Clark Grebes Courtship Dance

May 26, 2015May 26, 2015Posted in birding, Birds in the Wild, Black and White Photography, Clark's Grebes, Courtship Dance, Mating Dance, Monochrome Madness2Tagged Birding, Birds in the Wild, Black and White Photography, Clark's Grebes, Clear Lake CA, Courtship Dance, Eyes of the Wild Boat Tours, Mating Dance, Monochrome Madness2, Nature1 Comment

Over the week-end several friends and I went up to Lakeport, CA to view Western and Clark’s Grebes doing their annual Mating Rituals. Part of the ritual is the Courtship Dance. It’s absolutely amazing to watch. We went out on the lake with Eyes of the Wild Pontoon Boat Tours at 5:45am. We followed several large groups of Grebes and watched, and photographed their mating behavior.

The males and females come together talking then they get really low in the water face to face, and their voices/tones change then in an instant they’re up; dancing together across the water’s surface!

Sometimes they come together low in the water, talk a bit then change their minds about dancing, other times one will get up to dance and find he or she is all alone in the dance. 🙂

It was a fascinating, and entertaining morning on the lake.

To see all the other entries to Leanne Cole’s week 12 of Monochrome Madness 2 click here.

Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 300mm + Tamron 1.4x TC| Hand-held| Hoodman STEEL High Speed Digital Film| CS6 & Silver Efex Pro 2

More to come…