Photography – Circadianreflections Blog

Whatever Weds. This and That

April 6, 2022April 5, 2022Posted in Birding in Nevada, Nature, PhotographyTagged Birding, Birds of North America, Cheetash, Fuji X-T3, Nature, Photography, Pinyon Jay, Spring Blossom, Watercolor43 Comments

We had #1 Grandson with us last week which was so nice. One of the things we did was visit an Animal Sanctuary in No. Reno called Animal Ark. My favorite were the Cheetahs. Here are two. One wanted to play but, the other wasn’t interested at all so, they’re just chillin.

Here’s a rare look at #1 Grandson. We had fun measuring our arms comparing them to wingspans of No. American birds. Mine was the same as a Turkey Vulture.

*#1 Grandson’s is as large as a Red-tailed Hawk*

All too soon it was time to take him home.

The week before his visit I had gone birding locally and saw some good birds. One I was super excited about seeing was the Pinyon Jay. I’ve been waiting for their Spring arrival so I could try again getting a decent image of one. This bird was a lifer for me in 2019 but, they were flying by so fast then that I failed to get a decent shot of one. Finally, on this walk-about I got a few but, that tree on the right is in the way. I was afraid to get any closer and scare it off which I eventually did anyway. 😮 They travel and forage in large flocks- on this day I counted 17 in all.

Spring is breaking out all over the west now. When we took #1 Grandson home I noticed Baby Girl’s Apple tree was blooming so I took a quick snap of a blossom.

I’ve been doing some projects from the book by Wendy Tait- Watercolor Flowers. This is project #2 Roses.

I’ve painted 3 of these now- 1 8×10 in. and 2 5X7in. I’m making progress getting my paint to water ratio right, and blending is definitely improving. There are 8 projects in the book with step by step directions and images. I like the book a lot. I’m moving on to project 3 hopefully I’ll continue to improve.

Tomorrow I’m meeting friends down in the Mono Basin to do some photography and camping. I’m hoping for good weather, and clear night skies. I hope you all are having a good week, and your week-end is fun!

Fuji X-T3| iPhone 7 Plus| PS CC 23.2.2

more to come…

Whatever Weds. “You’re off to great places…

March 16, 2022March 15, 2022Posted in birding, Landscape Photography, Photography, Travel, Whatever WednesdayTagged Barns, Ducks, Ducks in Flight, Farms, Fuji Camera System, grass, Klamath Basin, Landscapes, Mt Shasta, Photography, Pond49 Comments

Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” ~Dr. Seuss

*Mt Shasta seen from Lower Klamath NWR, Oregon*

Happy Hump Day! I hope your week is going well.

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 23.2.2

Wordless Weds. Sunrise Between Storms

January 26, 2022Posted in Low Light Photography, Sunrise, Wordless WednesdayTagged Clouds, Fog, From my Patio, Nikon, Photography, Pinenut Mountains, Red Sky at Morning, Sunrise, Wordless Wednesday45 Comments

Nikon D810| Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G| PS CC 23.0.0

more to come…

Whatever Weds. A White Christmas

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022Posted in Landscape Photography, Nikon, Oak Trees, PhotographyTagged Mistletoe, Nikon D810, Oak Leaves, Oak Trees, Photography, Pine Trees, Snow, Tree Stumps, Tuolumne Co39 Comments

As I mentioned in my last post we had a window of opportunity to get across the mountains to go to our daughter’s for Christmas so we took it. A couple of days later after it had stopped snowing I put on some boots and headed outside a couple of times to photograph some of the Oak trees on my daughter’s property while the snow was fresh.

We had a low of 11 degrees on Sunday but, it’s warming up my weather app says it’s going to be 50 degrees today…it said that about yesterday too but, the high was 49 which I was happy about! It was windy making it feel colder but, my walk to the mailbox was pleasant.

I hope you’re staying warm and your new year has started off well.

Nikon D810| Nikkor 24-120mm| PS CC 23.0.0

more to come…

Friday’s Feathered Friends- Wood Duck

December 17, 2021December 16, 2021Posted in Birding in Nevada, Friday's Feathered Friends, Fuji X-T3, PhotographyTagged Birding, Birding in Nevada, Birds, Female Ducks, Friday's Feathered Friends, Male Ducks, Nature, Photography, Pond, Tree, wood duck52 Comments

A couple of week ago I discovered a new park with a pond not far from home and this beautiful male Wood Duck was there among the mallards and geese.

I heard there was a female there too but, I never saw her. She too is quite striking and pretty. Here’s an image I made last year along the river of a female Wood Duck checking out a tree for a nesting spot I thought as they nest in holes in trees or if available a nesting box. They have claws that can grip bark so they can perch on branches.

The Wood Duck is one of the prettiest ducks of all the waterfowl.

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 had been banded in Oregon and was found in California.

We got a good snow dump during the night and early morning hours on Tuesday. It made everything so pretty! As I write this (Thursday) we’re supposed to get more snow today. #1 Grandson will be celebrating his 9th year on this planet next week. I hope we can get over the mountains to see him to help him celebrate. 9 years old! Time is flying by.

What are you doing this week-end, anything good? Have you finished your holiday shopping?

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 23.0.0

more to come…

Whatever Weds. Flatirons

October 27, 2021Posted in iphonegraphy, Photography, TravelTagged Boulder CO, Cairns, Chautauqua Park, Flatirons, hiking, iphone, Photography, Pine Trees, Travel51 Comments

Have you heard of or been to the Flatirons outside of Boulder, CO? I had never heard of them before, but I ran across an article or review of them while researching “things to do in and around Denver”. The hikes sounded interesting and pretty so we added this destination to our itinerary.

It was just over an hours drive from our hotel so we got up early had breakfast at the hotel then headed out for Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO. That’s where we’d find the Flatirons. They’re rock formations that back in the 1900’s were know as the Chautauqua Slabs, and later they were called the Crags… Wikipedia.

They do resemble clothes irons. They’re numbered 1 through 5. The big one in front is number 1.

Upon arriving and reading the trail map we discovered a big sign notifying hikers that the trail we hoped to hike was closed for repairs, so Plan B. We hiked up this trail in the image above and caught the Bluebell-Baird trail which made a nice loop and a great stretch the legs hike.

Ready? Let’s go I’ll show some of what I saw along the way.

The wide open space soon changed to a dense forest.

There were still some wildflowers in bloom. I think this is Narrow Goldenrod, but I’m not positive. Any one know for sure? I apologize for the missed focus. My iPhone and I weren’t having a good moment with focus. 😂

We walked around a bend in the trail and on both sides of the trail were cairns! I can’t recall seeing so many in one place before!

There are so many! More than fit in my frame. The park had fenced off both sides of this area but, if you know me and rocks…you just know what happened next. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody, but I had to, HAD TO add a rock to a cairn. This one.

Added one rock on top. Cairn Bluebell-Baird Trail Chautauqua Park

Then before we knew it we out in the open again. Here’s a little view of Boulder, CO.

It’s all downhill from here. Before we finish up let’s take a look behind us shall we?

Geoolgy Fun Facts:

“The Flatirons consist of conglomeratic sandstone of the Fountain Formation. Geologists estimate the age of these rocks as 290 to 296 million years; they were lifted and tilted into their present orientation between 35 and 80 million years ago, during the Laramide Orogeny. The Flatirons were subsequently exposed by erosion. Other manifestations of the Fountain Formation can be found in many places along the Colorado Front Range, including Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, Roxborough State Park in Douglas County, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison.”~ Wikipedia

I’d like to go back to this park one day and hike the trail that was closed. From here we headed to Estes Park the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. More on that in a future post.

iPhone 7 Plus| PS CC 22.5.1

more to come…

Whatever Weds.- Dawn this Morning

October 20, 2021Posted in Carson Valley, Landscape Photography, Landscapes, NevadaTagged Carson Spur, Clouds, Dawn, Lumix FZ200, Music, Photography, Pinenut Mountains, Rose colored mornings, Sierra Nevada, Steelers Wheel, Stuck in the Middle with You, Whatever Wednesday46 Comments

Pinenuts to the left of me…

Dawn over the Pinenut and Eastern Sierras

Sierras to the right…

Here I am stuck in the middle of you. And, so happy to be here! It’s so hard to keep the smile off my face.

In case you got an earworm from this post I’ve included this song to help you out of it. 😀

Panasonic Lumix FZ200| PS CC 22.5.1

more to come…

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