Tag Archives: valley

Egret On The Hunt

Egret On The Hunt
“Egret On The Hunt” — A great egret hunting in a California Central Valley field.

I photographed this great egret back in late February during one of my last seasonal visits to a place where I photograph migratory birds every winter. This bird, like so many egrets I see out there, was hunting on its own, moving methodically and slowly toward its prey. If you did not realize what the bird was doing you might not understand its behavior, but once you do the purpose of its focused attention becomes clear.

Continue reading Egret On The Hunt

Autumn Black Oak Leaves

Autumn Black Oak Leaves
“Autumn Black Oak Leaves” — Autumn black oak leaves in Yosemite Valley.

Is it ever too early to start thinking about autumn? I don’t think so! Every fall I revisit familiar places to photograph the signs of the changing seasons. One of these is Yosemite Valley, where the most interesting colors often peak right around Halloween. At a minimum I make a long day trip up and back from the San Francisco Bay Area. But my preference is to visit for at least a coupe of days.

Continue reading Autumn Black Oak Leaves

Desert Gold Bloom

Desert Gold Bloom
“Desert Gold Bloom” — Desert gold wildflowers in bloom, Death Valley.

You often hear the expression that there is a “carpet of wildflowers” in a landscape. That description was apt in quite a few areas of Death Valley National Park when we visited in late February. To be clear, much of the landscape of this desert park sill looked like… desert. But in places there were wildflower blooms of impressive size.

Continue reading Desert Gold Bloom

Egret and Chick, Evening

Egret and Chick, Evening
“Egret and Chick, Evening” — A great egret, accompanied by an egret chick, stands in evening light.

Near the end of October last year, while returning from a fall color visit to the Western Sierra Nevada, I decided to make a stop at a Central Valley location where I have photographed migratory birds in the past. I wasn’t expecting to find the winter birds that I usually see there, but I was surprised to find large numbers of other birds that usually diminish at this spot later in the season. Among them were large groups of great egrets.

Continue reading Egret and Chick, Evening