Nevada – Page 6 – Circadianreflections Blog

We’ve been having thunderstorms with lightening almost every day lately so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see or photograph this month’s full Moon. The day before the full Moon we had storm clouds rolling in all afternoon, but then it cleared up about an hour before Moonrise so, I thought I’d photograph it in case the following night was too overcast to photograph it.

While waiting for the moon to rise enough to get past the mountains I saw a couple of people in Motorized-gliders flying around the mountain where the moon would rise. I hoped they were going to stay long enough for the moon to rise, and fingers crossed one or both would do a moon fly-by. One did!!

It looks like a big bug doesn’t it? The sun was still up so the moon is really faded/washed out.

The following night there were enough breaks in the clouds that I was able to photograph the Full Moon. This is a two frame composite image.

One frame exposed for the sky and foreground and the other exposed for the Moon. I blended the frames in Photoshop.

June’s full moon gets one of its names from the wild strawberries that begin to ripen during the early summer and be gathered by Native American tribes.

Other names for June’s Full Moon are:

Rose Moon, Hot Moon, and Mead Moon.

Yesterday the wind really picked up tossing two patio chairs across the patio, one cushion was blow across the entire patio, and a planter tipped over. The Zephyr wind wins again!😂 We also had some thunder and a little lightening, but both were several miles away.

Saturday #1 Grandson is coming to visit for a week or two for summer. We have plans to hit the grocery store and library straight-away. We hope the weather improves so we can go to the lake and take him paddling.

That’s all from here. I hope you’re having a good week!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 300mmf/4| PS CC 24.5.0

Friday’s Feathered Friends- Wood Ducks

May 26, 2023May 23, 2023Posted in Birding in Nevada, Ducks, Friday's Feathered Friends, PhotographyTagged Dabbing Ducks, Fuji X-T3, Nature, Nevada, Spring, Wood Duckling, Wood Ducks41 Comments

I heard from a friend that along the river where I found the Owlets there was a family of Wood Ducks so, I went to check it out and sure enough I found some of them. My friend said there were 6 chicks, but I only saw 3.

I hope the others were just napping.

Here’s the male…aka Dad Wood Duck. Isn’t he a beautiful duck!

Here’s Mama. It looks like I caught her just after her bath. It must have been a fast one b/c now she’s after the chicks making sure they’re alright.

Here’s the first chick I spied. This is the only chick I was able to get a decent image of as the other two stayed in the reeds.

Wood Duck Fun Facts:

Natural cavities for nesting are scarce, and the Wood Duck readily uses nest boxes provided for it. If nest boxes are placed too close together, many females lay eggs in the nests of other females.
Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year.
The Wood Duck nests in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times over a mile away. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of over 50 feet without injury.
The oldest recorded Wood Duck was a male and at least 22 years, 6 months old. He was banded in Oregon and found in California.

Fun Facts gleaned from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/

Fuji X-T3| Fuji 100-400mm| PS CC 24.5

I hope you all have a good week-end!

more to come…

Whatever Weds. Don’t worry…

May 3, 2023Posted in Lizards, Nature Photography, Photography, Reptiles, Whatever WednesdayTagged From my Patio, Nature, Nevada, Retiles, Western Fence Lizard, Whatever Wednesday39 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

It looks worse than it is. It’ll grow back!

After I set up my new birdbath 3 lizards came to check it out straight-away…this was one of them and the bravest of the 3.

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 24.4.1

more to come...

Friday’s Feathered Friends- Cooper’s Hawk

January 6, 2023Posted in Bird Photogaphy, birding, Birding in Nevada, Hawks, PhotographyTagged Birds in the Wild, Carson Valley, Cooper's Hawk, Friday's Feathered Friends, Nevada, Russian Olive Tree, Snow, Winter66 Comments

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

For several weeks we’ve had a Cooper’s Hawk perching on a neighbor’s tree out back. With all the White-crown Sparrows, and Quail about I’m sure it’s hoping for a meal.

I’ve been enjoying seeing it perched there.

Cooper’s Hawk

Fun Facts-

- Dashing through vegetation to catch birds is a dangerous lifestyle. In a study of more than 300 Cooper’s Hawk skeletons, 23 percent showed old, healed-over fractures in the bones of the chest, especially of the furcula, or wishbone.
- A Cooper’s Hawk captures a bird with its feet and kills it by repeated squeezing. Falcons tend to kill their prey by biting it, but Cooper’s Hawks hold their catch away from the body until it dies. They’ve even been known to drown their prey, holding a bird underwater until it stopped moving.
- Once thought averse to towns and cities, Cooper’s Hawks are now fairly common urban and suburban birds. Some studies show their numbers are actually higher in towns than in their natural habitat, forests. Cities provide plenty of Rock Pigeon and Mourning Dove prey. Though one study in Arizona found a downside to the high-dove diet: Cooper’s Hawk nestlings suffered from a parasitic disease they acquired from eating dove meat.
- Life is tricky for male Cooper’s Hawks. As in most hawks, males are significantly smaller than their mates. The danger is that female Cooper’s Hawks specialize in eating medium-sized birds. Males tend to be submissive to females and to listen out for reassuring call notes the females make when they’re willing to be approached. Males build the nest, then provide nearly all the food to females and young over the next 90 days before the young fledge.
- The oldest recorded Cooper’s Hawk was a male and at least 20 years, 4 months old. He was banded in California in 1986, and found in Washington in 2006.

Fun Facts gleaned from allaboutbirds.org

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 24.1.0

more to come…

Whatever Weds. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

December 21, 2022December 20, 2022Posted in Landscape Photography, Whatever Wednesday, WinterTagged Carson Range, Cat-tails, Cold Day, Cottonwood Trees, From my Patio, Frozen Pond, Hoar Frost, Merry Christmas!, Nevada, Russian Olive Trees, Sagebrush, Snowy Day68 Comments

Wishing all my family, friends, and contacts a safe, and healthy MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 24.1.0

more to come…

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Cooper’s Hawk

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