...it is not always hot. Amish winter washday. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Color Palette /
On a ridge with a steep canyon between this vantage point and a portion of Artist Point. Death Valley continues to enthrall.
Box n' Bug (3 photos) /
This is the end of the Ice Box Canyon trail near Las Vegas. The trail is about 2 miles long and ends at this rock wall with a series of three pools. I am at the second about 20 feet up the third was just past the light rock and the first near the floor of the canyon. The second photo is from the same spot looking back down the trail It was a neat place and I saw my first "in-the-wild tarantula.
Death Valley /
The white substance on the floor of the valley is salt. You are looking at the lowest place, 230+ feet below sea level in the US. Death Valley is breathtaking. I just loved the park and really anxious to return and see much more of it than is possible in a couple of days. This view only shows a small portion of the park.
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
We end our sixth bird week with this non-desert species found in the desert this day, once again at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. This is an male Northern Shoveler in breeding plumage. A striking bird. They feed by skimming water with their beak.
"We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
'What amazing things the Lord has done for them.'
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!
Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert." Psalm 126:3,4 NLT
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
This curious bird is another resident of the Henderson Bird Viewing Venue Preserve - see yesterday's post. He is called a Crissal Thrasher and is found in southern Nevada and the southern deserts of CA, AZ and NM. They are usually hard to spot, being secretive and preferring dense brush however, no one told this specimen. He was happily singing out in the walkway for several minutes. My first spotting of this bird.
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
Did you know quail are quick? These bids scooted everywhere at top speed. Here they are crossing the road (Why?) at the Henderson Water Treatment Plant just outside of Las Vegas - a spectacular location to watch birds. That my favorite reason to go to Las Vegas is a sewage treatment plant says things about me I would rather not think too hard about. These quail, by the way, are Gambrel Quail distinguished from the California Quail by the plain breast and the dark forehead. The birds were eating some sort of pink flower that grew on bushes along the edge of the ponds. Just in case you are wondering, the HWTP is set up for birders and is now renamed as the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. There is a small fee, to enter and you will find multiple ponds, boardwalks, blinds, and towers - and a lot of birds. http://birdandhike.com/Bird/Urban_LV/Henderson/_Henderson.htm
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
Driving along Artist's Drive in the Death Valley National Park, I saw the bird fly across the road in front of the car and then back. I stopped and got one or two shots in flight but did not know what I had seen until I shot this one under the brush. It did not stay still long and was gone before I got a second shot. This was a life-list bird for me, first time I had seen one. The Sage Sparrow is distinct so it was a clear ID. Not a very common bird even in the SW desert habitat that it likes.
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is resting on a picnic table near the visitor's center in Death Valley National Park. The bird is larger than the more common Mourning Dove seen in the Mid-Atlantic. At first it appeared white but on closer inspection it is subtile shades of purple with dark primaries and grey on the back tail feathers. The bird is spreading across the Southeast and Southwest US.
Bird Week VI The Desert /
I really like this image it reminds me of a Japanese print. (Example) This Snowy Egret is a bird I have seen and largely ignored many times but at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge 90 miles north of Las Vegas I was surprised to see one. And that it was hanging out in a Cottonwood tree on the edge of Upper Lake was a treat. There are birds in the desert but when you find some water the birds multiply by a significant factor. This area just teemed with birds of all sorts.
Bird Week VI The Desert /
American Kestrel spotted west of Las Vegas in the Red Rock Canyon. Once known as the Sparrow Hawk it is really a small falcon. You can find them in all the lower 48 states and often sitting slightly askew on a pole wire. Very colorful birds.
A Moment Before the Storm /
Looking from the first overlook at the Beacon Hill hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway across miles of rolling mountains the rain was fast approaching with the cloud mists enveloping us as part of the prelude.
"Your unfailing love, O Lord , is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds."
Psalm 36:5 NLT
Ancient Tree /
Likely not too old but it feels old on this very misty afternoon on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 305.2, the Beacon Hill hike.
Aerie (4 photos) /
Aerie is a high nest for a bird on a cliff or an elevated dwelling. It fits my work space. There is a loft in our townhouse that is essentially a third floor, a small third floor, and it is here that I have my office and process photos as well. It has great natural light and a nice open feel. I have my books, a reading lamp and chair, some storage, desk and computer etc all stashed up here. In the summer afternoons it is hot, don't like to work much past three or so - move to the laptop downstairs. In the winter it is a perfect and cozy space.
What I first shot was the photo of the table in front of the desk. I use it for the keyboard but I bought it for the Wacom Tablet. The tablet was a gift from Dennis Mook of The Wandering Lensman (https://www.thewanderinglensman.com). He replaced this one and passed it on to me. It is really nice and I am working through the learning curve but what a help. That is typical of Dennis, always sharing his vast knowledge of photography and anxious to help a fellow photographer improve. The times we have shot together have been so instructive. So, again, thanks Dennis.
Up /
A most excellent hike, the trail leads up the face of the cliff 1089 feet. The Precipice Trail at Acadia National Park is closed much of the early spring and summer for the Peregrine falcons that nest here but by the time we arrive in late September the trail is open and beckoning. Breathtaking views. That is my friend Laura nearing the top from a couple of years ago. Happy Birthday!
Solar Lighting /
19th century lighting in the old cotton mill in Lowell, MA. A neat example of an urban National Park Service site in the midst of a modern city.
Green Shack /
Shack seems to be the name that follows, lobster, for these place on the piers and docks around Maine. I am sure they are used for other gear and more. This neat green lobster shack is on a pier at low tide in Stonington, Maine on the south end of Deer Island which is at the end of the Blue Hill peninsula. A neat out of the way place. The area houses a large quarry and marble from here dots DC landscape including J. F. Kennedy's Memorial at Arlington.
Variation /
This is a slightly different perspective of Monument Cove in Acadia National Park of a photo I have posted long ago. Much more of the tree on the left and different processing as well. I am hopeful to shoot this spot at Sunrise this fall. Sometimes the cliffs glow bright red for a few seconds and it is amazing.
Bass Harbor, ME /
Moonrise on a still, quiet night.
“Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the Lord."
Leviticus 19:30 NLT
Panorama /
From Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park. That is Great Head sticking out on the left with Sand Beach peeking out in the bay area. Thunder Hole is about directly below. It is very popular and crowded often but rarely lives up to the name. Gorham is a nice easy hike to about 550 feet over sea level and great views. Not sure how a panorama photo will look on the site but here we go.
