Tag Archives: valley

Precipice and Valley Below Applecross Pass

Precipice and Valley Below Applecross Pass
“Precipice and Valley Below Applecross Pass” — A stream meanders beneath a towering cliff at Applecross Pass.

This day was a bit of a venture into the unknown. Since we had two nights in Ullapool, we decided to drive a big loop out to Applecross, a place that is fairly isolated, even by Scotland standards. It is on the far west cost, looking out over the waters toward Skye and other islands. When we arrived we took a quick drive through the village and then headed up the hill toward Applecross Pass to begin our return to Ullapool.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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