Photography – Circadianreflections Blog

Whatever Weds. Wild Iris and Mustangs

In June when some friends and I went out to see the Wild Mustangs in the Eastern Sierras we found the fields pretty swampy. We definitely needed our Wellies or Muck boots out there to keep our feet dry, but the Wild Iris loved the swampy environment.

Wild Iris and Mustangs

It’s mostly peaceful for humans and horses alike out here until…a Stallion gets upset about another stallion near a mare that’s his, or he wants her, or he just wants to be King of the Pasture then it can get exciting!

Wild Mustang Skirmish

They got wet!

The flirtatious Stallion was run off and all was peaceful again.

Wild Mustangs

I hope you all have a peaceful Wednesday and a great rest of the week!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 2019

more to come…

Whatever Wednesday-Summer is…

Reading at the Lake-

Girl Reading a Book at Convict Lake

Convict Lake, Eastern Sierras.

UPDATE: I’ve often wondered how Convict Lake got its name, and some have asked me in the questions so I finally looked it up. Here’s how it got its name:

“In September of 1871, a group of convicts escaped from Carson City, Nevada, and were cornered by a local posse by the lake. A shootout took place and two members of the posse were killed, including Benton merchant Robert Morrison. The biggest peak above the lake, Mount Morrison, was named in his honor and the lake was renamed after the incident.

The convicts were eventually caught and two were brought to frontier justice. Several movies have been made about how Convict Lake got its name, and even more movies, commercials and ads have been shot at the picturesque lake. Beauty is just part of its appeal. Convict Lake, however, calls to people with more than just its looks. The unique character of the place has a pull, too.” ~ https://www.visitmammoth.com/blogs/how-convict-lake-got-its-name

It’s a great place to fish, hike, and have ice cream at the store.

Nikon D810| Nikkor 24-120mm| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 2019

more to come…

Whatever Wednesday: Reach for the Stars

I met some girl-friends in Lee Vining this past week-end for a long weekend of camping and photography.

One of the things we wanted to do was some night photography. With the Moon rising in the wee hours of the morning we had several hours of the dark sky to work with.

After sunset which wasn’t too colorful, we went searching for a neat foreground to accompany a Milky Way image. We found this wonderful dead tree on a country road. We had a lot of fun shooting it and admiring the stars is always so peaceful.

If you look closely you’ll see I managed to capture several shooting stars in this frame.

The bright object above the tree is Jupiter.

Reach for the Stars

I have quite a few images to share in future posts from this week-end that include Wild Mustangs, a Ghost town at night, and some landscapes.

I hope you’re all having a great week!

more to come…

Whatever Weds. The Tahoe Rim Trail

Saturday He-Man and I went hiking along the Tahoe Rim Trail. We heard the views were amazing, and I want to get back in shape and explore our new area. Since I feel out of shape and easily winded at this altitude still we opted for a 3 mile out hike and back.

We quickly discovered that Spring has sprung in the mountains at 7000 and 8000ft elevation. I was so excited!

Here are just a few of the flowers we saw.

Nuttall’s Larkspur with Bumble Bee. We took a side trip up the Vista Trail to the top of a ridge and found a view of Carson Valley and these wildflowers busy with Bumble Bees.

Wild Nuttals's Larkspur

Mule’s Ear was blooming all over the place and it was perfect blooming time!

Mule's Ear-Wildflower

Coast Paint Brush? I’m not positive this is what it is, but it looks like it.

Coast Paintbrush-Wildflower

There were thousands of Butterflies along the trail. I thought at first they were Painted Lady’s which I had heard were migrating through and there were thousands being reported but looking at them and my images confirmed that’s not what they were. It’s new to me called a California Tortoiseshell ( Nymphalis Californica). There was also White cabbage and Sara Orange Tips I believe but, those little guys were already warmed up and flying all over the place rarely landing and when they did they alighted almost as soon as they touched down.

Californ Tortoiseshell- Nymphalis Californica

We had a glimpse of Lake Tahoe about 2 miles into the hike. It was a great place to catch my breath too.

Lake Tahoe from the Tahoe Rim Trail

I have more images of flowers I need to identify, and two birds too.

There is a gorgeous view we’re told 5 miles in, so we’re going to work up to that. The Tahoe Rim Trail is 165 miles long going around Lake Tahoe. I’m hoping to do bits and bobs of it here and there, but I don’t think I’ll ever do the whole thing.

Our stats for the hike were:

6.5 miles total distance, 1000 ft elevation gain, and 3H:56 minutes…due to me stopping to smell the roses, watch butterflies, gaze at the views, and stopping to catch my breath.

It was a great hike! I hope I can get back up there before the butterflies flee, and the Lupine is in bloom.

I hope you’re all having a great week, and good Wednesday!

Panasonic Lumix FZ200| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 2019

more to come…

Whatever Weds. This and That

I thought I’d share several images I’ve made in the last few weeks and have been working on to share.

Golden Hour over the 13th Fairway, the Eastern Sierras, and the marsh as seen looking southwest from my patio.

Golden Hour on the Eastern Sierras and Neighborhood

A new bird for me! A Rough-winged Swallow with lunch. If I have not made the correct ID for this one please let me know!

Roughed-winged Swallow with Lunch

Last Friday a friend came up for a Doctor’s appointment and spent the night, but after her appointment, we went out exploring my area looking for some Nevada Wild Mustangs; we had Lady Luck with us b/c we found a small band! Doing a little research we discovered that this Black/Blue Stallion is called Zorro.

Zorro

Here’s one of Zorro’s band members with some Hitchhikers.

Wild Mustang with Birds out for a ride

I’m looking forward to getting to know the Wild Mustangs of Nevada and this band.

To close out this week’s post I’ll share a sunset from last week. This was made while I was on my patio.

Sunset from my Patio

I hope you’re all having a great week so far, and as they say out here in the Valley, let’s get our Hump Day Dance on and bump those hips! 😂

Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm and Nikkor 50mm| Lexar and Hoodman Digital Film| PS CC 2019

more to come…

Whatever Wednesday- Storm Clouds over Job’s Peak

Job's Peak under Clouds

The view from my backyard all week has been cloudy with some rain. In between He-Man and I have gone out hiking twice each time on a new trail. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen some images of the trail there.

Our hike on Monday was a 5.3-mile loop that wiped me out. In Silicon Valley, I lived 257 ft above sea level. Here I’m 4,750 ft above sea level and the hike took us up to nearly 6,000 feet. I was huffing and puffing and light-headed for most of it. I am out of shape and not used to this elevation yet. A sinus infection and plugged ears didn’t help, but I hope this summer’s hikes get me ready for snow-shoeing this winter!

The weather may be unsettled here this week, but we are settled and on the road to discovering new trails and sights. I hope you’re feeling settled in and finding some time to enjoy the outdoors this week.

Nikon D810| Nikkor 24-120mm f/4| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2019

more to come…

Whatever Weds.

We’re settling into our new home. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel of boxes!

Sunday I went out with a local birding expert and guide for a morning of birding.

It was so much fun and a great birdy day with so many bird highlights. We saw a pair Great-horned Owls, some Owlets, a Barn Owl, Bald Eagles, lots of Red-wing Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, sparrows, Turkey Vultures, and a pilot practicing aerial loops, swoops, and dives!

I’ll share just two images today though.

A pair of Kestrels in a tree with breakfast. I didn’t notice the prey until I uploaded my images. I’ve never seen a pair together before so this was a real treat for me.

American Kestrel Pair with Prey

and from my backyard, there are flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds enjoying the trees and my feeder. I never saw these in Silicon Valley. I love their vivid heads and lovely white pattern on their wings. I’m not sure if these are year-round birds or just spending Spring here. I’ll soon find out!

Yellow-headed Blackbirds

Yesterday the cabinets for the laundry room arrived so the contractor is going to open those boxes up and see what we got. I have to select and order my counter top still, and I think he’s going to paint He-Man’s closet. He textured the new framing for it yesterday. I’ve been taking photos of the project at each step. I’ll share those later.

I hope your week has been going well and continues to go well through the week-end!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 top image and 300mm f/4 bottom image| Hoodman Steel Digital Film| PS CC 2019

more to come…

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