New Additions to the Galleries
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December 24-27, 2018
Visits to Yosemite and Kings Canyon before the National Parks closed as a result of the government shutdown.
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Fire-blackened sequoia stump: Kings Canyon
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Mist in the Central Valley on the drive home
December 16th : Early morning birds at Bolsa Chica
December 16th : The Bradbury Building, Los Angeles
An afternoon visit to the historic Bradbury Building for a concert by Kitka womens vocal ensemble, and some architectural photography with a 17 mm T/S lens
December 9th: White pelicans, gulls and egrets at Bolsa Chica
Thanksgiving holiday : Along highway 395
Moonlight at dusk and dawn at Mono Lake
Driving along Highway 120 from Mono Lake we found a herd of wild horses crossing the road through the forest.
The volcanic tablelands north of Bishop are rich in petroglyphs. Several sites lie along Fish Slough road in Chalfant valley and are well known - but are no longer widely publicized following vandalism and actual cutting to remove petroglyphs from the rocks. But hidden within the high tablelands are other, more remarkable, petroglyphs whose location, as yet, remains 'secret'. I had previously photographed one of these; the 'Sky Rock' petroglyph. On this visit I hoped to find its partner; the 'thirteen moons' petroglyph. Fittingly, we were there on the night of the full moon.
October 26 - November 3 : Patagonia
An out-and-back road trip along the Carretera Austral from Coyhaique to Caleta Tortel.
The Carretera Austral (in english: Southern Way) is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs about 1,240 kilometers (770 mi) from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins through rural Patagonia. Carretera Austral provides road access to Chile's Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region and southern part of Los Lagos Region. These areas are sparsely populated and despite its length, Carretera Austral provides access to only about 100,000 people. Construction of the highway was commenced in 1976 under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in order to connect a number of remote communities. The highway opened to traffic in 1988, and by 1996 was completed to Puerto Yungay. The last 100 kilometers (62 mi) to Villa O'Higgins were opened in 2000. In 2003, a branch road to Caleta Tortel was finished. The highway began as almost entirely unpaved, but more sections are becoming paved each year. At the time of our visit in 2018 the paved road ended at Villa Cerro Castillo, so the great majority of our journey was on unpaved, but surprisingly well maintained gravel roads. |
Landscape Images
Driving along the Carretera
Endangered Huemul Deer
The south Andean deer ( Hippocamelus bisulcus) is an endangered species of deer native to the mountains of Argentina and Chile. The huemul is part of Chile's national coat of arms and it is since 2006 a National Natural Monument. The viability of the small remaining population is an outstanding concern to researchers. |
Guanacos
The guanaco ( Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. In Argentina and Chile they are most numerous in Patagonian regions, where they have robust populations since grazing competition from livestock is limited. |
For much of the time guanacos seem to live a sedate life, grazing alone or in small herds, or lying among the grasses to languidly chew the cud. But, we were there at the start of the mating season, when things sometimes got a lot more frisky. Males become territorial at 4 to 6 years old, and thereafter they engage in violent competition to establish residence in feeding territories and control of family groups. Although guanacos are not sexually dimorphic in body size, males have significantly enlarged canines, which they use in intense, frequently injurious male–male fights that include include spitting; threatening displays; chasing and fleeing; biting at the legs, hindquarters, and necks of their opponents; ramming chests; and neck wrestling. [Click HERE for a BBC video]
Guanacos live in herds composed of females, their young, and a dominant male. Bachelor males form separate herds. While reproductive groups tend to remain small, often containing no more than 10 adults, bachelor herds may contain as many as 50 males.The members of one particular herd with territory near the park entrance were particularly prone to engage in fights. I was able to photograph many examples of these behaviors over two days, usually positioning myself in a small depression to try to catch the guanacos on ridgelines so they would stand out against a clear or well-blurred background. |
Birds
Chilean flamingos on Laguna Seca, Parque Patagonia
The Marble Caves (Cuevas de Mármol), Puerto Rio Tranquillo
October 14 : Birds at Bolsa Chica
September 3-7: Lofoten Islands, Norway
We stayed in a rorbu - the name given originally to a seasonal fisherman's cabin built on stilts partially over the water, but now generally used to rent out to tourists.
Some little things...
Racks for drying cod caught during the winter are abundent everywhere
in the Lofoten Islands. The stockfish are simply dried for about four months in the cold wind, without use of salt. The racks were empty at the time of our visit.
Some atmospheric landscape photos
Aug. 9,10. The Holy Fire, photographed from our bedroom window
July28 - August 4th : A narrowboat on the Trent & Mersey and Caldon Canals
SCENES along the TRENT and MERSEY and CALDON CANALS
LOCKS
CANAL WATER
Water in the Trent & Mersey canal is a deep orange color, not from mud, but resulting from iron-rich springs near the Harecastle Tunnel.
SMOKY OLD DIESEL ENGINES
200 YEAR OLD BRICKWORK
STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERIES WATER COMPANY PUMPING STATION, CALDON CANAL, STOCKTON BROOK
CHURCHES, KILNS and OTHER THINGS along the CANALS
FLORA
HARECASTLE TUNNEL
MOTION BLUR at the SPEED of a CANAL BOAT
The CANDY BOAT
July 20 - 26th : Renting a Castle in Scotland for a family reunion
LICKLEYHEAD CASTLE - OUR HOME for a WEEK
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Reflection;
Lickleyhead Castle |
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SCENES in ABERDEENSHIRE
Dunideer Castle
Catching up on photos from three Sunday mornings at Bolsa Chica
Fourth of July Fireworks
Views from the top of University Hills on the UCI campus, where we live.
Fireworks at Newport Center
June 2-10; Svalbard aboard SV Antigua
We joined the SV Antigua in Longyearbyen for a late spring voyage around Spitzbergen led by Morten Jorgensen and Nozomi Takeyabu of NozoMojo Tours
Click HERE for the trip report by Morten and Nozomi
To learn more about Svalbard click HERE to visit Rolf Strange's website; a treasure trove of information and photos
SV Antigua, our mobile home for 8 days
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SV Antigua in pack ice;
Spitzbergen |
Ice
Terrestrial mammals
Humans (sometimes too many!) in the landscape
Marine mammals
Walrus
Polar bear lookout. When on land we had to stay close to our guides, who were armed with rifles to guard against attack by polar bears.
Birds in the landscape
Alkefjellet Bird Cliffs; home to 60,000 pairs of Brünnich’s Guillemot
Spitzbergen landscapes and skyscapes
"Little things"
Dinner at Gruvelageret, the northenmost gastronomic restarant on earth, before boarding the Antigua; Longyearben, Spitzbergen
Westfjords, Iceland; May 28, 29
Some little things to photograph on a wet day in the Westfjords
A last dinner in Iceland at the Fjöruborðið restaurant in Stokkseyri
Fjöruborðið ; The famous lobster tails ( ÞRIGGJA RÉTTA MATSEÐILL) |
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Artwork decorating the walls of Fjöruborðið |
Reykjavik; May 27
The night after we arrived in Reykjavic I woke, jetlagged, at 1:30 am. It had been raining steadily the previous day, but a look out of the hotel window showed there was already some light in the sky and the clouds were clearing. I fished my camera out of the pack and went for a walk through the city.
Western bluebirds feeding in Lu's backyard
Bolsa Chica, mostly about the terns - May 6th
NASA InSight probe launched for Mars - May 5th
Salton Sea Ultramarathon - April 28-30
I returned to the 6th rumming of the Salton Sea Ultramarathon as staff photographer. Many more photos of the runners HERE
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This remarkable event challenges up to 35 teams of two or three ultrarunners – running together as duos or trios for the duration, NOT in a relay – to tackle an unimaginable traverse of Southern California deserts and mountains. The route covers 81 miles (130km) non-stop from below sea level at the shoreline of the Salton Sea, across, up, and over Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, to the top of Palomar Mountain with a dramatic view of the Pacific Ocean. |
A visit to the Salton Sea the day before the race start
Font's Point for sunset and a night out under the stars
At the Salton Sea start line before sunrise for runner check-in
Race start: 6:30 am by the shore of the Salton Sea
Runners on the road toward Borrego Springs
The big climb up the California Riding and Hiking Trail
A cold, misty last stretch to the finish on Palomar Montain
April 14,15, A weekend trip to Carrizo Plain
Ths time last year the hillsides at Carrizo Plain were carpeted with flowers - a true superbloom after a wet winter. This year the Temblor Range was completely barren, but we found a a few patches of yellow at about the 3000 ft level in the mountains.My favorite phot though was a small-scale find, of vivid lichen on twigs.
April 8th, Bolsa Chica
Not much action from the big birds, so I photographed little birds around the heron trees fence.
March 19-25 - Northern Arizona
A quick stop at Horseshoe Bend while detouring through Page to get a wi-fi connection at McDonalds.
Into Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, with a first night camping by White Pocket
Then south into the maze of sandy roads criss-crossing the Sand Hills
The Sand Hills are a big, remote area, but I fould the most fascination
with small sandstone oddities and colors.
An overnight stop at Little Finland (now a part of the new Gold Butte National Monument) to break the journey home.
Another Sunday morning at Bolsa Chica
Two Sunday mornings at Bolsa Chica
A couple of photos of BioSci buildings at UCI taken after rain
Presidents' Day weekend. An excursion through Saline Valley and over Steele Pass to Eureka Valley.
Saltscapes in Saline Valley: the evaporation ponds of the long abandoned salt works.
A very still, dark and moonless night gave good opportunities for some astrophotography
Onwards toward Steele Pass and a hike to visit the petroglyphs in White Cliffs Canyon
After a grinding descent over the rock steps in Dedeckera Canon we camped at the canyon mouth. Strong
winds during the night rattled our tent and made for disturbed sleep. Waking before dawn I had the entire Eureka dunes to myself. The winds had blown the dunes free of any footsteps, and etched pristine ripple patterns into the sand.
Feb. 12.
Back to Bolsa Chica for another Sunday Morning
Photos from a couple of Sunday mornings at Bolsa Chica
An excursion over MLK weekend to try out my new 400mm DO lens birding at Bosque del Apache
Three good mornings and two good evenings with the birds. On my previous visits the Flight Deck was the place to be, but this time the best action was at the North Crane Pond. Unfortunately, the only time there was good color in the sky was the evening when a strong wind kicked up a dust storm that deterred the cranes from landing in the pond.
Some sharp shots of sandhill cranes
In the desert garden at the Bosque visitor center
A new-year family reunion staying in a cottage in Yorkshire, with an afternoon to photograph around Whitby
Old town Whitby is on a steep hillside, well suited to vertical format photos
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