Day 180

June 29, 2011

     First sighting of the baby today! Too bad baby Mourning Doves are kind of funny looking. But I am still so proud.

Day 248

     Hatching Year Mallard Female.

Day 242

Day 196

     Every day, hundreds of thousands of birds run into windows, mistaking them as a passageway, their reflection as another bird or in sheer confusion of mistake. Many of them revive and are able to fly away within a few hours. But that leaves many who don't get to open their wings again. This little girl was one who was unfortunate to not make it. I found her lying in our garden, in a beautiful spot under the window box. I have probably seen this same bird, foraging our big new lawn for worms, and she probably has raised several young this summer. It's strange to find death. It happens all the time, all over the world, and I keep getting more and more used to it.

Day 176

     Today was a good day. I heard a bang out in the kitchen, and being the only one home, wondered what in the world it could be. Aphelocoma californica. One of the hatching year Western Scrub Jays that's been hanging around in our front yard ran into our window.
     At first I was heartbroken as I guessed it was lying there dead. I've been watching these guys. There's three of them that like to hang out in the front yard, calling at each other with what almost sounds like a little boink. So to see this guy on my deck dead was terrible.
     I then noticed that his wing was slowly moving up an down as he breathed. Because he was in the direct, hot sun, I decided it would be best to move him in the shade, over by his siblings, in the trees that they frequented. His foot looked twisted and mangled, and upon worrying that he was broken, I examined him closely, feeling for any fractures. Thankfully, everything felt healthy. I wrapped him in a blanket, covering his eyes, and made the short trip. He heard his pals calling and peeped and wiggled for a second, but then calmed, relaxed in my hands.
     I put him down in the speckled shade of a tall pine. And he just sat there. Sat there looking at me.

Day 168

     I did it. I broke the Rule. The Rule I've always had and always heard and always kept. I broke the "Let Nature Follow It's Course" Rule. It's the fatal mistake. And sometimes it actually is fatal. But I couldn't stop myself. I told myself that I needed to break It.
     Today it rained harder than I had ever seen it before. Plants were being shredded and some branches broken. I instantly thought of the poor mother Dove, sitting on her eggs, trying through the terrible storm to give them life. And then it started hailing. Big, round balls of ice rocketing from the sky. I couldn't help it. If you don't know, I have a pet dove, but due to all the remodel work, I haven't been permitted to keep her at home, so she's staying at a friends. Discovering this mother and nest was like discovering a little link to her.
     I ran over with a giant umbrella to see the mother, and though it was an image of distress, it warmed my heart. I found her on the nest, eyes plastered shut, head thrown back in determination, all concentration on keeping the two little bundles warm and every feather on her body soaked useless. I broke the Rule and stood under that tree in the slanting rain, with the umbrella angled to protect her from impact. After a few minutes she opened her eyes, curious as to why she could no longer feel the hail or rain. She cocked her head and looked directly into my eyes, a little shocked but perhaps a little thankful. That should have been my cue to go. I should have left the umbrella hanging in the tree and backed away, looking away from her. But I stayed there with her, staring into her beautiful blue-framed eye and seeing her drenched feathers. And for a few minutes it worked. But then she realized what I was, and flew away off in the storm, leaving those eggs subject to the drafty wind. In that situation, those eggs could die in minutes. And my learning was strong enough to know I couldn't take the eggs. But if they were left there, they would die due to my foolishness. I decided to leave the umbrella in the tree and watch from inside. And I waited, waited, waited, but she didn't come back. As the worst of the storm was over, I took the umbrella, and was incredibly concerned, believing there was no way those eggs would ever hatch. But soon after the rain stopped, I heard the familiar whistling of dove wings and saw a disturbance in the leaves. She miraculously returned. I do not know if those eggs stand a chance, but at least she's trying.

Day 161

     Mommy was sitting in her nest while dad watched over the sunset, waiting his turn. It was quite endearing.

Day 158

     Today I did a lot of garden work. As I stood up rather adrubtly, my head bumped into the branch of an Acer ginnala and a startled Zenaida macroura whistled out of the tree. Me being me, I wondered why it hadn't moved until then (they are pretty shy birds) and did some searching. And got out a ladder. And found a nest! Two little white eggs, freshly laid. I don't think she's started to incubate them yet, but I'll keep watching. But I can't wait to have cute little babies! 

Day 154

      I think I have a stocker. He followed me for quite a while today. He has a scratchy singing voice, but is confident enough to sing for me anyways. He has a bit of a hair loss problem. His scientific name is Buteo jamaicensis.

     I went on a nice walk through the canyon in the greenbelt behind our house and he followed me through. Circling, calling and swooping down low over me. I don't know why he took such an interest in me, but it was really fun to watch him. While on my adventure, I saw many more birds. Orioles, Kingbirds, Warblers, Hummingbirds, Towhees and I even saw a group of American White Pelicans flying overhead! It's a good day for birding.

Day 140

    Just more experimentation with how light falls. Mostly because it's important and partially because I did not have free time until late at night.

Day 135

     I absolutely love Western Meadowlarks. Sturnella neglecta. Their song is beautiful, their coloring is beautiful and they always signify the glorious days of spring and summer to me. I feel like the bird itself is sunshine. I've never been able to get a picture of them, as they sit in the high pine treetops and scare easily. You can always hear them, all throughout the day and evening but they're hard to find because they're notes carry so far. When I do get to see them, I fell so lucky and so happy. The other day when it was raining, I saw one a far off bathing in the wet grass, and it significantly improved my day. And today I got closer to one than ever before. This time, it was sitting on a Yucca, not using it's classic song but letting out a few notes here and there. And it calmly watched me as I watched it, slowly approaching. It didn't startle, even when my sister called out for dinnertime. Eventually, I went and had my desert, after I had watched it fly away.

Day 122

Day 109

     What better sign of spring than a duck?

Day 91

     Went to a Hindu temple today. It was just absolutely gorgeous. I played with the llamas while peacocks strutted the grounds around beautiful statues and parrots talked from their cages. I have been around peacocks before (at the zoo) but I don't ever think I heard them call out. Now I know where they got the inspiration for the bird Kevin in the movie UP. For whatever reason, I wasn't really thinking, and instead of taking a beautiful image (which I am kicking myself for at this moment, realizing how cool my idea was) I kind of went for the cliche peafowl pictures. They are beautiful birds, so almost every picture possible of them has been taken. Almost. And I could've been the one to take the new one. Next time I happen to run into a peacock on a farm, I will do my best.

Day 82

     Ho, Hum, Beautiful Day. And that is definitely not reflected in my photo.  Not one of my favorites, I did not put enough effort into it to like the end product.

Day 56

     Since we've been having a warm streak (45 °F), I decided to wear sandals again to day. As soon as I opened my door, I had to turn around and change into my boots and grab my camera. We had gotten dumped on! And it was gorgeous. I didn't get to take many pictures, as I was running between classes and it was melted by the time I was out. I did snap a few, and to spice them up, I decided to add a couple fun elements to a fairly plain picture. I love winter. 

Day 29

     Everything is so much more beautiful in the morning when no one's seen it yet. I woke up early this morning, to go on a field trip, and found a freezing world with frost crystals clinging to it. Everything was coated in delicate little fingers of ice! Sparkly grains of snow continued to fall, but were only noticeable when you stopped to look in the light. Fog hung over the mountains, shielding some of the buildings from view and hovering over the street.
     I tried a lot of different things today as I was shooting, trying to get my images to be sharper. I often find that I feel a picture is sharp but I load it and it may not be at all. Through experimentation, I found that a lower ISO, (obviously) faster shutter speeds and a delicate attention to lighting helped me out.
     By the time I got back, it had warmed up, the frost was gone and people were everywhere. So I locked myself up to work on my pictures.

Day 17

     When I woke up, there was a plethora of birds outside calling outside of my window. It made me feel like I was at home. Haven't seen birds in a while here! When I went out, I found that they were Cedar Waxwings! Wow! As I sat beneath the berry-laden trees, they would gulp the berries down and zoom past my head. It is amazing what can happen to you when you just sit still. Here's one of the pretty little guys, no color enhancement added.

Day 3

     It's been a busy and beautiful day! My last before I head back to school, sadly enough. It was warm enough for the snow to keep melting but cold enough for icicles to form and breath to appear. The air was clean and fresh, and believe it or not, I heard birds singing! Sure enough, a crowd of eastern bluebirds swirled in the trees around me. Such a beautiful afternoon. I saw and felt many wonderful things, and I wish that I could capture them all into a photograph to share.