Pelican Art

Nick did this painting for me as a Christmas present. He actually made his own ink from walnut husks! Although this photo doesn't do it justice, I just had to share it. Thanks Nick!

New Year's Eve at Lake Berryessa

I took a little drive up to Lake Berryessa today, even though it was cold and gray. On the way, I stopped to check out these Turkey Vultures.There were about 10 sitting around, maybe waiting for the air to warm up.

What a face you have!

I learned that vultures can turn their heads 180 degrees like an owl!

Next stop was for this Red Tailed Hawk.

From the little parking lot at Acorn Beach, I could see two eagles in the same spot I've seen them twice before, last year.

Canada Geese will inherit the earth, or at least all its golf courses.

This part of the lake has many coves and little islands. I saw an otter at this spot.

I didn't see any Ospreys today, so I guess they haven't arrived yet, or at least there was no sign of them fiddling with their nests. This looks like an Osprey nest at the top of this dead pine trunk.

Another lake view. It is so quiet here on a winter weekday, with hardly a car even on the highway.

A Western Grebe was doing it's underwater flying for fish.

OK, "Aguila Nora", this one's for you. These two Bald Eagles were perched a long way across the water, and even though it is a telephoto shot, it is also cropped and enlarged a lot.

This is how they really looked through my camera. Well, that about wraps it up for this year. Happy New Year, friends and family!

Christmas in Illinois

It was a real hoot being able to spend a week in Illinois during the Christmas week.

The day after arrival, we drove to the World Bird Sanctuary located in the woods west of St. Louis, Missouri.
This is Dorothy, an Andean Condor. She was hatched at WBS and is part of a species survival program.

Meet Scoop, an American White Pelican who was rescued due to a major shoulder injury. He has been a long time resident, and cannot be released, due to a partial wing amputation.

Two silly birds, Andria and Nick.

This Golden Eagle has an amazing history (above and below).

Andria nabbed the rehab manager and asked if we could have a tour of the clinic. He happily led us around inside where we saw a number of mending owls, eagles, and hawks.

Nora attending to her home built bird feeder. This was two days later after a 5 inch snowfall.

Dave sitting on the remnants of an unsuccessful snow man.

Heading up the street to the park where there are some small hills to sled on.

Nick crafted this cute little guy.

Christmas morning means... costume time! Nick looking very much like the young Frank Zappa.

Codger, Frank, and the Veterinarian.

Snow man now being guarded by icicles.

Nick and Nora in the snow fort we built on the last day in Belleville.


We spotted this penguin at the park!

Wrecks and Ducks

The birds below are Northern Fulmars. An incident called a "wreck" has occurred the past several weeks where over a thousand were found dead in one day along the Central California coast. Beached, cold, and hungry fulmars were brought to rescue centers, and the ones that were able to be stabilized were brought to IBRRC. They are difficult to rehab, and in the past, only about 5% survived. During this crisis, however, about 36% have been released by IBRRC due to the discovery that tube feeding them salt water daily is a great benefit. They look like gulls, but are tube nose birds related to albatross. They also have strange behaviors.

. Another domestic duck looking for a home.

Jenny and Donna enjoying duck time. As I've mentioned before, Donna is a very rabid duck fan.

UCSC graduate, Jenny, has been our latest intern the past few weeks, but is leaving us on Christmas Eve - off to Baltimore to intern at an aquarium and learn how to wrestle seals. Her fun loving attitude will be missed by all.

A Mt. St. Helena Day

Today started out sunny and crispy cold, and since the weather forecast called for rain starting up tonight, I wanted to get in a good hike. I haven't been up Mt. St. Helena in awhile, but on a good day, you can see over much of Northern California.

Part way up I paused to look down the Napa Valley from it's headwaters.

It was very clear looking toward the east.

You can barely make out the snow capped Sierras behind that last ridge.

It was cold at the top with the ice not really melting. There were some interesting looking ice delicacies.

More ice art.

... and more.

What's a Bay Area peak without an arsenal of antennae these days! What a blight - they also require power poles all over the mountain. But I do use a cell phone, so I'm part of the problem, too.

Looking northwest you can see several plumes of steam coming from The Geysers Geothermal Powerplant. This is the biggest one in the U.S. and produces enough electricity from underground steam to power a city the size of San Francisco - if I remember correctly.

Looking to the west you can see Point Reyes extending into the ocean.

As I was being microwaved, a jet contrail added to the spectacle.

Looking north you can see the white triangular peak of Mount Lassen, about 150 miles away.

Some old geek hanging out at the top.

Mt. St. Helena has large areas covered with Knobcone Pines. They are all about the same height, and I assume age. This is because the cones stay on the tree a very ling time, and only open to release seeds when they are burned by fire. I think they must have been burned off in a big fire in the seventies, and that's when most of today's knobcones started to sprout. That's my theory, anyways. Notice how I qualify most everything I say these days? Well, that's it for today.

Stumpy and Elton

We have a few domestic birds at IBRRC, these days, along with the gulls, fulmars, loons, grebes, coots, and what not.

This is Stumpy. He is a sweet, friendly domestic duck who came to us with a missing foot. His stump needs to be protected with a "bootie", which is frequently changed.

His "good" foot is swollen and deformed from the extra strain.

Stumpy, however, is healthy in all other respects, and doesn't show signs of pain. He is a proud duck who likes to chat with his caretakers. The hope is that he can be placed with someone who has a pond and can look after his special needs.

Meet Elton. He turned up in Jay's yard and had an eye that was swollen up to almost walnut size. After several weeks of treatment, his eye is better, and he is waiting adoption. Elton crows loudly in the morning, but gets to go outside during the day.

Elton is a Japanese Silky. I used to have a pair, Donny and Marie, back in the 70's. At IBRRC, a bird is a bird, and no one is turned away (except Starlings).

Santa Barbara Trip

Nick and I spent the week in Santa Barbara, and had a very pleasant time visiting Mom/Grandma, Nora, and Maggie.

Nick, Maggie, Mom, and Nora at Shoreline Park. It was probably warmer in Anchorage.

Nick enjoyed having a temporary replacement for his dog, Rocket.

Nora made over 50 tacos - we ate 27 of them for Thanksgiving dinner. Yumm!

Nick and I went to the harbor early Tuesday morning. Captain gull greeted us.

I can't resist snowy egrets. They were almost exterminated for their plumes to make hats.

The words Santa Barbara and beauty go together often.

That far peak, left of middle, is La Cumbre Peak. Nick and I climbed it the next day.

Mom's house is just behind the first hill with all the homes on it.

Brown Pelicans, some in breeding colors.

This is a Heermann's Gull.

Wednesday, Nick and I set out up Rattlesnake Canyon to Lacumbre Peak which is almost 4,000 feet elevation.

An interesting array of seeds.

The peak is on the horizon. You can see the faint line of the trail in the foreground.

Near the top, parts of the ground were covered in these little fallen icicles.

Midday frost on the leaves above.

Santa Barbara County is mostly rugged back country.

Looking out to the Channel Islands, 20 some miles offshore.

A telephoto view of the islands and a freighter beyond the islands.

Looking down at the harbor where we were the morning before. The end.