The classic osprey glare.
This distant osprey has a fish clutched in his talons.
He lands with his prize,
and spots me.
He immediately mantles to cover his prey from the potential thief.
You can see the nictitating membrane, or third inner eyelid, starting to cover his eye for protection as he subdues the thrashing fish. (Click to enlarge).
Up on the safety of the high wires,
he can ignore me more comfortably.
Cheers to you from the well fed osprey~
Crescent City, nearing the border with Oregon.
Battery Point lighthouse began operation in 1856.
Coastal Oaks covered with moss in temperate rain forests.
Southern forests are much drier.
Point Reyes National Sea Shore. (Click to enlarge)
Fierce winds have bent the trees at The Point Reyes Lighthouse.
Klamath California (click and see if you can spot the distant grazing elk herd).
Cheers to you from coastal California~
Curious & handsome,
baby,
Stellar Jay,
wanted to be friends.
I was most happy,
to oblige.
Cheers to you from the Oregon Coast~
from my elk,
said the big red bear.
The elk were happy to have us around,
we distracted Mr. Bear.
I always agree with wild bears,
regardless of what they say.
I couldn’t bear that I didn’t have my wildlife camera,
and had to settle for shooting with my non-zoom lens,
when Mr. Bear showed up with barely a sound, and surprised us!
Cheers to you from The Sierra Nevadas~
The Klamath River Estuary is where the 257 mile Klamath River empties into the sea in the community of Requa California.
Requa is located,
on Yurok Native Land.
Portions of Redwood National Park lie within these Yurok lands.
Jim provides perspective.
This is Northern California wilderness,
centered around the wild Klamath River.
The Yurok’s are California’s largest Native American tribe with a population of nearly 5000.
Their territory extends about 40 miles up river. Click to enlarge and you can see the small community of Requa on the left bank of the river.
Cheers to you from Klamath River and Requa California, in Yurok Country~
For more on Yurok lands & The Klamath River, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klamath_River
https://www.yuroktribe.org/our-history
I seek out solitary wilderness. (Click to enlarge).
But,
when it comes to wild elk,
especially calves,
you’ll find me,
hanging,
with the herd,
especially the nursery!
Cheers to you from Requa California~
California has fully reopened,
so we are on the move again.
We are taking a driving trip,
up the west coast.
The is The Central California Coast (click to see the surfers),
in The Big Sur region.
The sun is shining,
some light rain falls,
And the elephant seals are here!
Cheers to you from Big Sur California~
The Badlands in Anza Borrego State Park in Southern California formed about 4 million years ago.
The unique topography is primarily sandstone, mudstone and claystone.
This whole area was once an ancient sea, and fossils abound in this arid part of the desert.
“The Badlands may be the best place in North America to view sediments from the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs.”
The maximum summer temperature recorded here was was 122F .
The hottest I have experienced was 119F.
In the spring, fall and winter though, the Badlands are temperate and comfortable, good for hiking and exploring.
Cheers to you from The Borrego Badlands~
Factual Source: https://www.desertusa.com/anza_borrego/borrego-badlands.html#:~:text=In%20the%20Anza%20Borrego%20Desert,remote%20springs%20and%20mysterious%20concretions.
These are just three of the many reasons I love Oz. Most of the creatures are very friendly!
Tasmanian countryside.
Old church, in the former penal colony,
Port Arthur, Tasmania.
Tasmanian,
flora is unique and stunning.
Old Government House, Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney.
Flower Arrangement in the Government House. We met and chatted with the Governor of New South Wales while touring Government House where she lives (I told you, Oz is a friendly place!)
Royal botanical garden Sydney.
Cheers to you from just a few of the reasons I love Oz~
In a topsy-turvy world,
that spins,
like a ball,
in space,
plants grow upside down,
and fish swim in trees.
Cheers to you,
from a pond’s point of view~
These photos were taken over the years in California, at Borrego Springs State Park, The Annenberg Gardens in Palm Springs, and Death Valley National Park. (Note: Image three is posted upside down, while image four is right-side up!)
