Category: Wild Life

The Eastern Sierra~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life218 Comments

Got slammed with 111 inches of snow in the most recent 5 day storm.

UC Berkeley’s Snow Lab records this as the snowiest 5 day stretch in 40 years.

But the Sierras are once again,

silent,

still,

serene.

Even the twin waterfalls are sleeping!

Life perseveres, waiting for spring thaw.

The White Mountains (in the back), are home to the few surviving California herds of wild mustangs who are now going to be captured and removed by helicopter roundup and bait water trapping. See prior post on these magnificent wild creatures and their keystone place in the wild habitat:

Wild Mustangs of Mono Lake~

The US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are moving forward with plans to capture and remove approximately 500 wild horses from their home near Mono Lake in California’s Eastern Sierra. The mustangs have lived here since the 1800’s. The Forest Service and BLM claim the horses are a danger on roads and disturb sensitive habitats.

Interestingly, cattle are allowed to graze in much of this “sensitive habitat.” Reports indicate wild mustangs are consuming habitat allocated for privately owned cattle. In more than 50 years I have never seen a wild mustang on a road, and neither have my friends and family, some whom live in the area, and had no idea they were even here.

https://americanwildhorse.org

https://www.easternsierrawildhorses.com

Cheers to you from The Eastern Sierra and her not long remaining, wild & free mustangs~

We See You~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life273 Comments

(click to enlarge)

You bird watcher,

you.

You think,

you watch us?

Our lives depend,

on watching you.

We appreciate,

your jelly,

but we don’t really trust you.

You are a human after all.

Cheers to you from the wise and wonderful Holler Hooded and Bullocks Orioles~

For more on these orioles see:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullocks_Oriole/overview

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Oriole/overview

Columbia River Gorge (Oregon Side)~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life232 Comments

We are staying in The Gorge Hotel built in 1921 where my grandparents once stayed,

with the wildflowers blooming,

driving up to find the views,

my grandfather painted in his Columbia Gorge paintings.

This observant robin didn’t let me distract him,

from his worm,

and this friendly elk licked our car windows!

Cheers to you from the gorgeous Gorge~

Elkish Attitude~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life206 Comments

Who do you think you are?

Can’t you see we’re busy?

You are not a member of our clicque!

We have a hard enough time getting along with each other.

You are just toooo much!

We just want to rest in peace,

but you human, are not getting the message…..

and you are NOT invited for dinner.

Besides we are much more handsome than humans.

Cheers to you from the handsome haughty herd of Cannon Beach Oregon~

Happy Easter Wishes~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life243 Comments

Flying,

to you,

from The Holler,

and,

your feathered friends! (note the hummingbird’s tongue)

Cheers to you & Happy Easter~

(_/)
( • .•)
/ >🥕

Magdalena Bay~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life243 Comments

Click/Tap to enlarge.

Meet Mr. Red Rock Crab. He is quite large! We have been traveling out of wifi and satellite range on the Pacific side of the Baja California Penninsula in Mexico and into The Sea of Cortez through the narrows where the two oceans meet.

This view between the rocks is where The Pacific Ocean meets The Sea of Cortez.

This is a pristine, unpopulated desert ecosystem extending for hundreds of miles, surrounded by oceans that are teeming with wildlife.

This bull sea lion is suspicious and watches me with one eye,

before he relaxes and resumes his nap.

Rare, rarely seen, huge, up to 5000 pounds, and endangered, this Sunfish basks on the surface of the ocean sideways to absorb heat from the sun before he dives deep into the cold ocean to forage. For more click on following link:

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/ocean-sunfish#:~:text=The%20ocean%20sunfish%20(Mola%20mola)%20looks%20like%20the%20invention%20of,the%20world’s%20heaviest%20bony%20fish.

Dolphin abound and can be seen alone,

or hunting in huge superpods,

that can consist,

of thousands.

This pod surrounded our boat and swam around it for close to an hour.

They were noisy,

slamming their bodies and tails on the surface of the ocean,

to stun the fish,

whom they herd into,

balls and consume.

This spotted box fish is left at peace because he is poisonous.

Even the always ravenous Snowy Egret won’t touch him!

Cheers to you from The Sea of Cortez~

BOO!

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life267 Comments

(click/tap to enlarge)

To you,

from The Holler,

silent Slytherins,

of the night,

& Happy Halloween!

My best guess creepy crawly identification in order are: Rustic Sphinx Moth, Green Darner Dragonfly, and the rarely seen, mildly venomous, nocturnal California Lyre snake. I welcome any corrections~

Tattered~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life240 Comments

(click/tap to enlarge)

and torn by hungry birds,

but persevering.

A tattered beauty,

fluttering by.

I love both the bird and the butterfly,

but this round goes to the bird.

Cheers to you from The Holler creatures~

Unleash the Beast~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Tech Marvels, Uncategorized, Wild Life244 Comments

(click/tap to enlarge)

Meep Meep’s secret speed source revealed!

(Let’s keep his secret just between us.)

Cheers to you from The Holler’s Monster Energy drinking always running Roadrunner~