Cabby's Blog

I am pleased!!

2012-01-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

I took a trip up to Klamath Falls this past weekend. It was a bit early for the eagles but I was lucky enough to get some decent shots of them despite the numbers being down. The two above were wonderful models. When I first saw them, I thought the one one the right was hollering because the other one was dining on duck and not sharing. I was getting ready to leave since the one on the right had turned its back to me. He turned back towards me and voila, he had his own duck. If you have a week stomach, sorry but there are some non-gory shots at the bottom. At one point they both started hollering since there was competion in the area. They circled but then backed off. Hawks and Tundra Swans later in the week.

Kingfishers

2012-01-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

Telling a story is not one of my strengths. After all, I’m a geek! That being said, I’ve been trying for years to get a picture of a Belted Kingfisher. More often than not, I’d hear one instead of seeing it. Their call is much like a loud rattle or chatter and by the time I’d hear one, it would often be flying away from me. If I saw one poised to go head first into the water after its prey, it was generally on an electric line which is a rotten prop for any bird picture. When I bird Woodbridge Rd (outside of Lodi, CA), I’m generally looking for Sandhill Cranes but kingfishers are also on my mind since I’ve always either heard of seen them there.

During my last visit to Woodbridge Rd, I saw a lovely female kingfisher propped on the end of a PVC pipe near the end of the road. Her picture is above. After turning around and going about ¼ mile past the female, I started watching two cranes rather intently and was hoping they’d come closer to the side of the road. I also heard the calls of the kingfishers but couldn’t’ locate them. One of the cranes kept looking up and calling even though there were no other cranes flying above it. Below is a composite of that crane looking up and calling. I took the shots after realizing that the crane was yakking at two kingfishers that were chasing one another in a big race track in the air right above it. Eventually one would break out of the circle and rest on electric line right above me and then the mad chase would resume. After watching them for about 30 minutes and wondering if this was some kind of mating ritual, one of the kingfishers perched on a pipe and threw up. I’m aware that this is not the most appealing shot but it proved to be educational since I later found out that kingfishers expel pellets just like owls only theirs are mostly fish bones. Shortly after that he (I was finally able to ID one of them) moved to a rusty pipe. He started yelling, then took on a sleek attack appearance and then turned in another direction. He kept up this routine. I finally saw the other kingfisher land about 20 feet from him and realized it was a male also. I must have been watching some territorial fighting over the little miss down the road who was probably enjoying her fish bon-bons while the boys did their thing. The pipe dance continued along with the other bird charging the one on the pipe. What a sight. I just wish I had gotten better shots.

I also like to photograph old things

2012-01-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

In my previous blog I talked about how much I loved to photograph birds. Last year was a difficult year for a lot of reasons, but after reading Carol's blog in Dec, I realized that I needed to focus on what inspires me and what I was going to do about it. There are many things that won't work for me because of my job but after a lot of thought, I realized I needed to work on photographing the things I REALLY enjoy photographing. Two other subjects came to mind, old things and flowers. I love the textures in old things and applying HDR to those images to bring out the texture even more is just plain fun. Flowers are a difficult subject. Trying to do true macro work on them is a challenge because of problems with my right eye. Somewhere along the line I found that using a longer lens and zooming in worked well by utilizing live view. However I had lousy DOF options with my lenses. I feel in love with the new Canon 70-200 f2.8 ii after renting it a couple of times and it is on my wish list.

The one flower photo below was taken using that lens hand held. The other shots were taken at Fort Point. I was there in Dec. I was really sick and only got out once to go to SF but cancelling the trip would have meant losing lens rental fees. Not smart but I hope to get back there since it was a wonderful experience. The one of the doorways was a lesson learned. The light was poor and I was hoping to get the bench nice and sharp at the end. My aperture was at f32 and the shudder was going to be open for about 25 seconds. I didn't think any one else was around but after the shudder was open for about 5 seconds people appeared. I grumbled and growled. When I looked at the images later, I kinda' liked the movement since I thought it gave it a ghostly look.

Again, Carol, thank you for your inspiring words and for helping me get back on track.

With the birds again...

2012-01-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Crane Family

Last month, my friend and photographic mentor, Carol Leigh wrote a blog that really got my old grey cells working overtime. You can read it here- http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-are-you-working-on.html

I work too much-often 60-70 hours a week. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for photography and if I do have some time, processing photos means being in front of a computer again. I also used to get frustrated because I see so much incredible imagination and creativity from Carol and the photographers I’ve gotten to know through her. But, I don’t anymore and have accepted the fact that the right side of my brain is woefully underdeveloped. I have tried, over the last couple of years, to limit photographing birds for a number of reasons—I mean, come on, there isn’t much interest in images of birds. After reading Carol’s blog and after another friend reminded me that I wasn’t a landscape photographer, I started to wonder what in the world I was doing even owning a camera. My answer was clear. Even though I no longer own a long enough lens to photograph birds, I LOVE to photograph them because I LOVE watching them as well. I’m fascinated by their behaviors and when I am watching and/or photographing them, no other thoughts clutter my head. Not only that, I am also enjoying the great outdoors. Over New Year’s, I spent 6 blissful days with the birds. I rented a long lens and hit my favorite places, the Lodi area for Cranes and then up to Williams where I was close to both Colusa and Sac NWPs. Colusa was very busy because a rarity was there. A Falcated Duck had obviously made a lot of wrong turns and ended up there instead of somewhere in Asia. I’ll post some shots of him in some another post but I will say he was a beauty.

So here are a bunch of shots of Sandhill Cranes. Pardon my poor attempts at being creative with a couple of them but at least I wasn’t working.

It's a New Year!

2012-01-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! Mine started practically perfect with beauty and birds. Hope yours was glorious too!

More from the Eastern Sierra

2011-10-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

The top photo was from the first night I went up to the Minaret viewpoint. It was cold and quite windy. About 20-30 people were there waiting for the sunset and trying to stay warm. Shortly after the sun actually set, all but two of us left. I wanted to stay since I've seen first hand what can happen well after sunset at Yosemite. About 25 minutes after sunset, I was looking at my LCD, since I had LIve View on, and was stunned when bright red seemed to smack me in the face. I looked up at the sky and starting snapping away. Less than 3 minutes later it was gone and I bolted for my car and its heater. What a special treat.

Below are some other photos from the area. They are:
June Lake loop hillside
Late afternoon creek reflections (June Lake loop)
Lundy Lake
Pine Cone and fall color (Mammoth Lakes)
Fisherman on Gull Lake (June Lake loop)

Eastern Sierra

2011-10-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

I spent a few days in the Eastern Sierra near Mammoth Lakes a couple of weeks ago. I missed the peak fall color and saw yellows but very little red and orange. For the most part I had bright cloudless days which made for very difficult photography but I really loved the break from work. My two younger cats, Calvin and Dooley, as well as my two birds, made the trip. The last two nights I was in Mammoth, I went up to the Minaret's viewpoint just before sunset because there were clouds. The photo above is from my 2nd night and was taken about 25 minutes after sunset. The photo below is Lake Sabrina outside of Bishop.

It's a grand day indeed...

2011-09-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

...when I can go watch the cheetah's run. I've written about them before and I'm gonna' do it again. I love the Animal Ark. If you don't know about it, please visit http://www.animalark.org. I've been out there many times and haven't even visited the bears yet because the big cats always catch my eye. The run their cheetahs regulary but the public can only go once a month during the warm months. Today they also had a visiting cheetah from Fresno, CA named Tonga. He was on display with his handlers and we could get within 5-6 feet of him. I got my old creaking bones down on the ground so I could be eye level with him and took an entire 8gb card of photos. What a treat but also so frustrating---I wanted to hug him!!!!

The mountain lion is a 16 year old by the name of Tonka. He is arthritic but he still is a handsome fellow.

Yep, I'm addicted....

2011-09-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

I was back out with the horses today. The hormonal level has risen and there were quite a few fisticuffs among the boys. Mr Muddy, as seen above, was by far the most aggressive horse. There seems to be far more young studs than mares so keeping a lady is difficult. If any one got even remotely close to Mr Muddy's girls, he was challenging them. And look at him, he's a mess! The first two below are a pair that are fighting over a pretty grey filly. The stallion who tried to steal her lost the battle. The third one is Mr Muddy fighting. The last shot is just plain serenity.

Revisiting the Horses...

2011-09-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

I've been out to see the horses a couple of times since I last posted. Even though I was gladdened by the number of horses, I didn't see the band with the sweet foal in it. Today I found them. After returning home and looking at the photos from a few weeks ago, I realized one mare was not in the group. Hopefully she joined another band and wasn't captured by the $%^&* BLM. I mentioned that last time that a young stallion seemed to have been kicked out but still was staying close to the herd much to the ire of the older stallion. Well, he's still hanging around and keeps his distance. The band wasn't as close as the last time and they didn't seem as accepting of my presence as before so I suspect the BLM has been rounding them up.

Above the little sweetheart is getting some nurishment and then he/she decided to take refuge under mom's tail. At one point I got too close. The older stallion started down the road and then beckoned his brood to follow. It felt like he turned around and told me to back off!! So I stopped and watched them head into the hills---notice that the ostracized stallion is following at a safe distance.

Wild Horses

2011-08-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I went up to Pyramid Lake hoping to see dramatic skies from storms. Even though nothing panned out photographically, it was still wonderful to visit Pyramid. Unfortunately some of the places that I love to visit have been closed to the public because idiots have defaced areas in the Indian Reservation that includes the lake.

After visiting the lake I took the long road home so I could cruise a parkway where I've seen wild horses. In the past they've never been close enough to photograph but this time I lucked out. I saw three different herds. One group was off in the distance but the other two were much closer with 5 in one and 10 in the other. There was one young stallion that was not with either herd but kept trying to get close much to the ire of another, and much older, stallion. I suspect the young one might have been recently "asked" to leave the herd by the older stallion since he wasn't very aggresive but did display antics that indicated high levels of testosterone. (Yes, I am being polite) The older stallion was a hoot to watch since he'd pretend he was grazing while slowly getting closer to the younger one with the hope starting a fight but the young one would make sure he was a safe distance away.

The photo above is of the herd of 5 after they discovered I was far too close. The herd of ten had two foals--don't know if they were colts or fillies. One foal was considerably younger than the other and I immediately fell in love with him/her. He is below along with a head shot of the proud papa, the elder stallion. Great mane on that formidable fellow. He was coming up the embankment to the road I was on.

I have many other shots to process but I'm not sure when I'll get to them or any other photo processing. The video on my computer has taken a powder and after hours of trying to fix it, I am still not getting the screen resolution or color settings I prefer. Unfortunately my computer is a laptop so I can't run out and buy another video card.

More Birds from N California in April

2011-06-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

A few more birds. Were you expecting something else? ; >

April Egrets

2011-06-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot about the pictures I took in April when my friend, Mary, and I went up to the Eureka area on the N California coast. I went out one evening and came across Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons flying back and forth carrying nesting material. I could barely see their nests since they were in a dense pine forest but they could be heard especially if the wrong piece of material was brought back. I watched one bird that was trying to carry a half a tree back and laughed at how many stops it had to make and how difficult it was for it to get going again.

The last shot is one that I played with in Photoshop. Tried some NIK software filters.

Oregon Green

2011-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

There's a little park outside of Brookings named Alfred Loeb State Park. I loved it despite the fact it was absolutely pouring. The scene above was one I would have loved to work for an hour, if not more, but the rain didn't give me the opportunity. I also loved the new growth in the ferns but almost took a header trying to get down on the ground to photograph them since the ground was so slick. Even if I had nothing to show for my time there, it was stll worth it. Just one of those lovely and charming places that stays with you for a long time.

The 1st fern below had a poloroid transfer filter applied to it just for fun.

More flowers from Oregon

2011-06-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Enjoy.

Oregon Coast

2011-06-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

After looking at my pictures, I realized I did have more than one hour of sun while in Oregon. I'm not picking on it-heck Reno is cold right now and more snow is expected in the mountains tonight. I think it may finally hit 70 next week when normally it's 90 and there's no sun to boot. Anyway, I did get to see some of the Oregon coast and its stunning beauty. I just didn't see it at the right time of day. The first day I was there, it did clear around noon for a couple hours but the bright sun and haze made for some difficult photography. These shots are not the best but hopefully they will give you an idea of the natural beauty of the area. Imagine if there were with lovely sunrises and sunsets-----can't wait to go back.

Oregon Flowers

2011-06-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

There will be a few days of posts with Oregon's blooms. They were all so gorgeous!!

Southern Oregon Coast

2011-06-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

I spent Memorial Day weekend in the Gold Beach area in Southern Oregon. The weather wasn't very friendly so I only saw about 1 hour of sunshine the whole time. However, the drab weather made for wonderful colors especially when photographing the rhododendrons and azeleas. The colors also jumped out when I visited the dock area of Brookings. Thanks to the tutelege of Carol Leigh, I learned to appreciate the vivid colors of fishing nets and ropes.

Play Day

2011-05-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

I'm not one that does a lot of manipulation with my photos mostly because I don't know what I'm doing. However, I like IR shots but don't want to haul around another camera. I went hunting for IR PS plugins and found a couple that gave me some decent results. The upper photo is with IR applied and the lower one has been tampered with using Topaz Simplify. It was a play day at Yosemite's expense.

A weekend away

2011-05-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

I was given a day off last Monday after working two weekends in a row. I took advantage of the time and went to Angels Camp and Yosemite. The first day I went to Yosemite mostly to see Michael Frye's work since his stunning photos are being displayed at the Ansel Adam's Gallery. The dogwods had finally emerged and the water flow was amazing but it was too darn hot. The following day, I stayed close to my room and watched the activities of the clown faced Acorn Woodpeckers. Before I went home the next day, I went to Yosemite again. What a change---cold, rainy, sleet, snow, wind, and dust. But no complaints-it was still gorgeous.

California Coast

2011-04-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent time, with my friend Mary, on the northern CA coast. Unfortunately the Pelagic Tour we were supposed to take was cancelled due to weather. So we left the Eureka area and went down to Ukiah. One day was spent going down the coast from Pt Arena to Bodega Bay. It was a gorgeous drive. We visited the Pt Arena Lighthouse and the photos with this post are from the area around the lighthouse.

Great Blue Heron

2011-04-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

I went out to do some errands today and decided to stop at the ponds/wetlands down the street from me. We've had plenty of rain and snow this winter so the water levels are high. I'm hoping that a flock of Northern Shovelers make it their breeding area this year. They've been around for two weeks now and look like they are getting comfortable on one of the "islands". While there, I spotted my first of season American Avocet. It was in full breeding regalia and quite beautiful. I was also watching a pair of Cinammon Teal and noticed a Great Blue lurking behind them. I was lucky to get a series of photos of it catching a fish. I wish I could have gotten a straight on shot of the bird since it had some beautiful markings. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with what I did get. Please click on the photos so you can see the details.

All Gone!!

Finally....

2011-03-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Signs of Spring!!

There's an unusual love affair going on in my apartment..

2011-03-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

It's not really a love affair. My female bird, Archie (yes, that is HER name), has no fear and goes to the bottom of the cage to nip Calvin's nose. Actually I think Calvin is the smitten one and thinks Archie's squawking is a sign of her affection.

San Diego Safari Park

2011-02-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

Earlier in February I went to San Diego. Thankfully my friend Judy was patient and allowed me two visits to the Safari Park (used to be San Diego Wild Animal Park). I'll be posting many more shots from that visit but here's a few of the critters in the park. One was not in any kind of enclosure but pretty nonetheless. Again, thank you Judy for your generous hospitality, CJ and Rich for dinner and, Terry, so very good to see you!!

More from Klamath

2011-02-25T23:53:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more from the Klamath area. The group of Tundras really amused me. I can only image what they were "talking" about.

Klamath Visit

2011-02-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

The last weekend in January I went to the Klamath Falls area to see the Bald Eagles. While it was thrilling to see so many of them, most were way out in the fields since the refuge waters were open instead of frozen over. All in all in was a delightful respite from the wonderful world of IT.

Old Stuff

2011-02-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

The last day of I was in San Diego, Judy took me to a wonderful place for morning coffe and a scone. It is a winery and, regretfully, I can't remember its name. What a treasure trove!!! Carol Leigh would love this place.

La Jolla Birds

2011-02-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

I have so many pictures to process since I've been gone three weekends in a row. Why I'm starting with the ones from La Jolla I don't know. For the most part I was disappointed with most of my photos from San Diego-too much sun and too much contrast. But I had a wonderful time with friends and the kindness and hospitality of Judy Tillson. For me, the best time is the time spent with friends.

How do you like the blue of the cormorant's eye?

More Yosemite and, guess what, some Birds!

2011-01-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

Even though I was in Yosemite admiring the scenery, you gotta' know I was also looking for birds! I saw my very first Pileated Woodpecker. He/she was beautiful and I was stunned at how large he/she was. The other bird was a Great Blue Heron that I never expected to see next to a roaring river. Nice surprise even though he/she is a bit hard to see. And finally, another shot of the majestic El Capitan. Sorry the photos aren't lined up nicely. Blogger is being ornery.

A weekend visit to Yosemite

2011-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Yikes, it's been almost 2 months since I've posted anything. 2010 was not my favorite year so I was and, still am, very glad that 2011 has arrived. I'll make no promises this year to post a photo a day since it just doesn't work for me.

I went to Yosemite last weekend. Before going into the park, I had a delightful lunch with Michael Frye, photographer extraordinaire. In fact, he has a shot of the same area as the one I took above but it is a whole lot better than mine. Still and all, I'm fond of the shot. The park was beautiful on Friday. Trees on the southside of the park still had snow and frost on them making them quite magical. For the first time, I stayed in Curry Village in the winter. I got a tent cabin that had heat and some drywall on the inside. I brought a down comforter with me and was quite comfortable. There was one outlet in the "cabin" so I could download photos. The only other amenities in the cabin were beds, towels and a chair. The kind woman who checked me in gave me a cabin that was very close to parking and the shower/bathroom building. I packed some cold food to eat that kept cold in the bear locker outside of the tent. What more could a girl ask for?

I'm still working on photos. There's s set that I was really looking forward to seeing on my big screen only to find out that a drop of water was on the lens that I didn't see. I'm not sure I can remove it but I'll give it a try!.

So here's to a happy and healthy new year to all---just a few days late.

Calvin and Dooley

2010-11-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post new pictures of my two "kittens" who are now grown cats. They are also quite destructive and downright bad. But would I give them up---no way! So here's one of the two dickens. Dooley (black and white) is around 14 lbs whereas Calvin is much smaller. However, he does not know he is small and is absolutely fearless. Well, almost--the water squirt bottle will send him running.

Immature Peregrine Falcon

2010-11-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

I stopped at the Sacramento NWR and even though there were very few Snow Geese, I was entertained by an Immature Peregrine Falcon. I'm pretty sure it had just finished a meal and was a bit put out at having people gawking at him/her. At one point it flew off only to return to its perch. After that, he/she preened and then settled in for a nap.

Sandhill Crane Festival

2010-11-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went over to Lodi, CA where the Sandhill Crane Festival is held. Saturday was a beautiful day and the sunset was absolutely gorgeous. Sunday, on the other hand, was rainy and cold but I will post a few shots I took at the Sacramento NWR before I headed home. Today it's the cranes and one shot of a motley looking Northern Shoveler.

More fall colors....

2010-10-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

...but this time a lot closer to home. Yesterday I headed for Ebbett Pass (Rt 4 over the Sierras) and then to Monitor Pass (Rt 89). When I left it was cloudy-just perfect for getting the fall colors to pop. As I headed up the pass, the rain started and got harder the higher I got. When I go to the point where it was turning to snow, I decided to turn around and get back down to a friendlier elevation. I started over Monitor Pass which is still part of the Sierras but it was being shadowed from most of the weather. The last time I went over Monitor I practically cried since a fire has destroyed part of its beauty so I hadn't gone over it for many years. What a mistake! I missed the peak color but there was still some hanging around. Even though the burn area is still evident, so much of the pass is still gorgeous! I'm still kicking myself.

The photo above is just a sampling of the groves I saw. Most of the color was gone but it was still lovely. By the way, the sky is almost black. The photos below are first a grove of aspens on Monitor and then the view coming down the eastern side of the pass. On the way up Ebbetts, I stopped to photograph Raymond Medo creek (in the pouring rain), then I saw this crazy little tree growing out of the rocks at the side of the road. By the way, the rock colors and detail was wonderful due to the rain. Finally, the point where I turned around, Silver Lake. See the snow on the other side of the lake--that's why I turned around.

I really dislike the way Blogger places pictures . One of these days, I will change my blog format again to see if pictures line up better.

Fall Colors

2010-10-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I went south of Reno with the hope of seeing Fall Colors. On the way down I started to get a bit concerned because I saw lots of green. Conway Summit was just starting turn, the June Lake loop was green and even the Convict Lake trees only had hints of yellow. After spending the night in Mammoth Lakes, I headed for the high hills above Bishop, CA. I was not disappointed-in fact I was stunned by the magnificent beauty. There are not enough words to describe what I saw. While there, I ran into another "Carolite". We are the lucky folks that have been taught by a wonderful photographic teacher, Carol Leigh. Anyway, Phyllis (Houghton) and I felt that we had died and gone to heaven. For me, it was an experience that will stay with me forever.

The photos around this blog are just a sample of what I saw. If you care to look, the others are at http://www.capturedbycabby.com/Recent . I wanted to post shots that displayed the incredible color I saw, so quite a few of the photos are not the best composition wise. Also, just in case you doubt the color, I did very little post processing of the photos. The color was truly incredible. Of course, the cloudy skies and light rain helped all that color to really pop.

Pyramid Lake again...

2010-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

I went back to Pyramid Lake today. Yesterday I went down to Hope Valley to see if there was any fall color but it's still too early. I wasn't disappointed though since it was still a beautiful drive. Anyway, I made to out to the actual Pyramid today--a first for me. I spend some time down by the waters edge. There were thousands of grebes on the lake. Most of them looked like Westerns but there could have been Clark's in the mix as well. I also saw some earred grebes and a sinlge white pelican. The westerns were very talkative and when I was down among the rocks near the water, it was a eerie sound. I headed up towards Gerlach afterwards but when the wind started blowing up a wicked sandstorm, I turned around and happily went home.

Pyramid Lake

2010-08-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

When I saw storm clouds forming today, I decided to take a trip up to Pyramid Lake. I really need to go there more often since it is such a beautiful area especially if there are clouds. I got there a bit too late and there were more clouds than I really would have liked. Maybe tomorrow will be better. A front is moving through that might bring snow to the mountains tomorrow night and it was 100 the other day!

A month later...

2010-08-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

I've been laid up trying to get well from ankle surgery so photography has not been on my mind. Today was the first day I woke up with minimal pain so when I saw the thunderstorms rolling in, I grabbed my camera gear and headed out to see if I could find some dramatic light and skies. No such luck since the storms were so widespread and I didn't want to drive an hour to get up high. So I meandered over to the little wetlands about a half a mile from home. There were lots of avocets minus their breeding red necks and I was finally able to get a bit closer to the Black Crowned Night Heron (BCNH) I've seen before. I waited out the rain and was a treated to a couple of pleasant surprises. First two juvenile BCNHs came out of the reeds and then a Sora. As I was leaving a family of mallards were at the side of the road posing for me. I told them to get back in the water!!

I did a fair amount grumbling when I got home and looked at my pictures. Guess I'm not very steady on one foot!

Revisiting Buffalo

2010-07-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

I revisited some of my photos from my stay in Buffalo in May. As I mentioned before I was enamored with the Guaranty Building. Here are a couple of shots of the inside of the building-- the above image is the upper part of a wall and then the ceiling. I didn't expect to be inside of any building so all I had was the crummy flash on the camera. The first one below was one of the staircases. Too bad that ugly rug is there. The other one below is from the outside of the old Post Office Building downtown. Gotta' have a shot of a Buffalo somewhere!

Wondering around

2010-07-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of days before the 4th, I spent some time up at Lake Tahoe. I went up there to photograph some fishing osprey I was told about but couldn't find them. So I meandered over the Taylor Creek area. Not much there but I saw the above mules ears in the shade and couldn't resist them. Later I was at a favorite bird watching area and saw the white faced ibises. The sun was very harsh and the wind was blowing so photography was difficult. There were some baby coots that were absolutely adorable. I didn't know they were covered with red fuzz when they are young. Too bad they have to grow up. I put coots, cormorants and canadas (geese) in the same category. There are too many of them!!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a delightful time sharing dinner and fireworks with my friend, Judy, and part of her family. Her Dad's house is up on a hill that looks over Reno. Seeing the fireworks from a distance was such a pleasure since all of the loud noise was miles away.

It's been a lovely 4 day weekend--wish I had more of them.

Wild Horse Sanctuary

2010-06-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, CA. I loved this place and I love what they are doing there. Rather than me go on and on about the place, check it out at http://www.wildhorsesanctuary.org/

I was allowed to roam around as much as I wanted to so I spent about 2 hours with the wild horse and burros as well as some birds. Hopefully I'll be able to go on one of their Trail Rides next year but I will definitely go to their special event August 21, 2010.

Cute, Bizarre and Grunge

2010-06-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

The mare and foal above were not wild, they were on a farm near Lamoille, NV. I decided to take the long way home and wander up Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains and on my way there I saw these two. It's an aaawwww shot--aren't they cute?

I'm not sure what flavor of bovine is in the photo below but I thought its horns were something else.. Don't you agree they are bizarre?

And finally, I played with Topaz Adjust and Detail on the old car below. I think a lot of old stuff lends itself well to the grungy extreme HDR look. Fun stuff.

Wild Horses

2010-06-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

When I went ot Ely last weekend, my main purpose was to see Wild Horses. The weather was bad; rain, wind and quite chilly, so I think the horses were trying to stay out of the elements. Not a bad idea if you ask me. Anyway, I did fall in love with the wild Palomino seen above and below. He was gorgeous!! It is very sad to know that horses like these are being rounded up by the BLM. Some die because the BLM is totally insensitive to their needs. In the Ely area alone, 1800 were captured and corralled a couple of years ago. The BLM says they are putting them up for adoption when, in fact, many die in captivity. The BLM will also say that there isn't any grass for them so they are doing them a favor. NOT true.... especially when you see that the horses have been replaced with range cattle. Seems there's plenty of grass for them but not for the horses.

More images of them are posted on my website at http://capturedbycabby.com/recent/wild-horses

Ely Railroad Museum Part II

2010-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

More of the Ely Railroad Museum but these photos are a lot different than what I posted yesterday. My photographic mentor, Carol Leigh has taught me to look for the details. Generally Carol loves old Railroad yards but I suspect that this one might have been a tad bit too tidy for her--just not enough junk. Anyway, here are a few shots of what caught my eye.

Ely Railroad Museum

2010-06-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

I went to Ely, NV over the weekend. My main purpose was to photograph wild horses. Knowing there was a Railroad Museum there, I left early so I could visit it. When paying the fee to wander the grounds, the gentleman in the store convinced me to take a ride on the steam train. It was delightful.

My Dad loved trains. He loved to play with them, he loved to watch them and he loved to ride them even more. Growing up, one of my favorite things at Christmas was setting up the Lionel train set to run around the Christmas tree. Every year "the train" got a present. Maybe some accessory or a new car was added. Dad set the train up and I was allowed to help. After everything was meticulously in place, the train came alive. When I got my first job, the train was given to me but Mom made sure Dad still had a train to play with and bought him a new one. The last time my parents visited me in Reno, I treated them to a train ride over the Sierra, from Reno to Colfax. He really enjoyed himself and I enjoyed the smile on his face when I picked them up in Colfax. And, by the way, I still set up the train every Christmas.

I kept thinking, while riding behind ole Engine 93 in Ely, that Dad would have really liked the trip. Then again, perhaps he did since I was so aware of his presence. So Dad, these photos are for you and I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did.

More from Buffalo

2010-06-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from Buffalo. The one above is the old Buffalo Lighthouse. There's a fancy new one in the marina but I like the classic lighthouse. Too bad there's no beacon any more. The two below are a couple more from the Guaranty Building. I am not pleased that I cut off the top of the lamp but, even so, I am still wanted to post the image. I love this building!!!

Back Again

2010-06-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

I recently took a trip back east to Buffalo NY because my Dad passed away. I was there for about 10 days. To relieve some tension, I went out with my camera a few times. Buffalo's waterfront isn't as accessible as most would like because a highway was built right along the river and lake front. However, a marina was developed about 25 years ago and it has turned into a popular spot. While I was there it was very hot and muggy which is unusual for May so I headed to the marina one night after driving through downtown and photographing the Guaranty Buidling. What a truly gorgeous building it is and while I was taking some shots, a security man started talking me. He then let me inside and turned on the lights. What a treat! If you want to learn more about the building, either google it or take a at this webpage.

I'll be posting more shots of the building as soon as I figure out how to correct perspective. Even if I don't figure it out, I'll post them anyway.

Birding

2010-05-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

I've been fussing a lot the last couple of weeks. We've had some typical Reno springtime weather which means that anything can happen and it has. One day it's 70 and the next it's snowing. I don't mind the up and down but the wind has been howling a lot as well. So my fussing and worrying has been for a Red Tailed Hawks nest about a half a mile away. This is the 2nd year they've occupied this particular nest and last year I missed the babes because of a bout with shingles. The tree the nest is in is mostly dead so when the wind gusted to 60mph, I wondered if the nest would stay together. So far, so good as you can see above. I've see two eyases (I just found out that is the name for a baby hawk) but there might be a third. The shots of the adult hawk is one of the parents. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them!

I also went out on a bird jaunt through the Carson Wetlands. Photography was next to impossible because of the bright sun and then the wind. I was really hoping the shots of the white peilicans I took would be OK but not so. So here's a shot of an American Avocet and a Snowy Egret. There were lots of birds and water at the wetlands--thank heavens since last year they all but dried up.

Odds and Ends

2010-04-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I decided I'd better go through some folders of photos I've taken in the last month or so. I had a lot of purging to do and even some processing of a few keepers. The one above is actually a composite of a sandhill crane chasing a Canada Goose. I was laughing while I was photographing the sequence and it makes me smile now. Down the road from this crane was another two and one of them was sitting on a nest only 20 yards or so from the road. We're seeing more breeding cranes in the surrounding areas and I'm thrilled. Hopefully I'll be able to see the colt once he/she is born.

The above shot on the top was taken at Daffodil Hill. I had fun applying the grunge look. Seemed fitting on the old washer. The one below was part of a sea anenome display at the Monterey Aquarium. I was hoping that some of the shots I took of the sea horses would be good but I had no luck with them.

Last but not least is another photo of the Merced River Canyon Redbuds. The background is a bit busy but I loved the lush green. The photo below it is a sunset at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada and it is over Lake Ontario. I went back east to close a family home on the lake. It was a difficult time for all, especially for my parents. They spent many, many happy summers looking at similar sunsets.

Looking for Redbuds

2010-04-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

I heard through Michel Frye's Blog that the redbuds were blooming in the Merced River Canyon. I love the redbuds and have only seen them a few times since I seem to forget about them until it's too late. So I headed for the Merced River Canyon last Saturday. The redbuds didn't disappoint me but the weather conditions were wretched. Bright haze than caused way too much contrast and the wind was howling. I tried being patient with the wind but found later that despite my patience, I still had blur. I got a couple of ho-hum shots before I turned my attention to photographing just the river. It is truly a magnificent river and if my ankle was more solid (I sprained it while I was back east), I would have crawled down its banks to take some more photos. I may not have gotten the photos I wanted but the dose of beauty was soul candy.

It's been a long time...

2010-03-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. Work is very demanding and I've been having some problems with my "shingled" eye. It's much better now but I'll be glad to get my new glasses which will correct my ever changing astigmatism. I got new specs 6 months ago and I hope getting new ones every 6 months is not a pattern. Anyway, I decided to go over the hill last weekend since it was so beautiful and Daffodil Hill, in Volcano, CA, was opening. There were lots of people but this was once time when I didn't mind the crowds since the daffodils were so spectacular. Besides it was great to get a good dose of natural Vitamin D instead of the stuff I take every night. I'm posting a bunch of pictures with this post including some that have been run through Fractilius. I may not be able to post any more this week since I'm leaving for Buffalo on Sunday. There's a good chance I won't have much Internet connectivity while I'm there but I hope to work on pictures from time to time.

Morning Surprise

2010-02-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I went to the Nugget to attend a NANPA Summit seminar, I left my apartment in a sweatshirt and was very comfortable. When leaving the summit, I noticed the weather had changed a bit and there were a few snowflakes in the air. Just before going to bed I checked outside and we had gotten about 2 inches of snow but it was clear and the weather forecast didn't indicate that any more was in store. So when I woke up this morning to a foot of snow and still coming I was quite surprised. Thankfully it was Sunday so there weren't many bad snow drivers on the road. I think we got about 14 inches total but it's hard to tell since it was melting fast as well. No complaints here since we need the water and it was very pretty.

I also spent some time looking at some photos I hadn't processed yet and found another water lily from San Juan Capistrano that appealed to me. If you click on it to see a larger size, there's a reflection hiding in the dark water. Guess today was a day of whites with the cold northern Nevada snow and the warm southern California lily.

Pandas at the San Diego Zoo

2010-02-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

When I was in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, I spent a few hours at the Zoo. I hustled to see the baby panda since she was only on display for 2.5 hours every day. What a cutie! The sun was shining brightly so the white fur on both the babe and her mom blew out so I played with the shots in Fractilius.

A Pleasant Day in Reno

2010-02-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely day in Reno today. A bit cloudy but on the warm side. I went out donned in a sweatshirt and a light lined jacket and ended up shedding the jacket. There weren't a lot of birds but some of my favorites ducks were at the DaMonte Wetlands. The Canvasback above was taking a casual stretch while the Ring Necked Duck and Green Winged Teal below showed off their finery. At one point I noticed a Ring Necked puffing up a bit only to see a huge carp jump out of the water, not one but 3 times. I really thought the Loch Ness monster had arrived in Reno. Ugly son of a gun....

More Pelicans from LaJolla

2010-02-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

I'm still plowing through the many shots of pelicans. Here are a couple more.

The Ladies....

2010-02-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the 3 ladies-Mrs. Wood Duck, Mrs. Ringed Neck Duck and Mrs. Amercan Widgeon.

Santee Lakes

2010-02-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in another entry, I visited the Santee Lakes near San Diego. I took advantage of parents with their kids while they were feeding the ducks. I didn't have the heart to tell them that feeding ducks bread is bad for the birds but rather answered their questions about the names of the ducks. One little girl didn't like their real names and preferred naming them either Violet or Emerald. The one at the top of the post is a Wood Duck. The two at the bottom are an American Widgeon and a Ring Necked Duck. All three are males and I'll post some of their lovely ladies tomorrow.

More from San Diego

2010-02-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

I'm still processing pictures from San Diego and not as fast as normal since I'm playing with Fractilius. Many of the shots I have are of the pelicans and their grooming and other behaviors. I'm trying to create a filmstrip view of some of their weird poses and I also want to read more about why they do them. Hopefully I'll get those done before the end of the week. In the meantime, here are two more.

Mrs Wood Duck

2010-02-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have so many pictures to process and weed through between visiting Yosemite and then San Diego. I keep looking at them, and looking at them and looking at them some more. There are quite a few keepers and that's great but there's so many of them......

So I picked on Mrs. Wood Duck tonight. Unlike her gaudy mate, she is subdued and pretty in her own right. I have others of her as well as her mate, his majesty. I visited the Santee Lakes near San Diego and they are known for their "Woodies". I also saw quite a few Ring Necked Ducks (one of my favorites) and some American Widgeons. Here are two shots of her-one that is just a photograph and the other has been treated with Fractilius.

San Juan Capistrano Mission and some weird Pelicans

2010-02-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I met up with a group led by Carol Leigh at the San Juan Capistrano Mission. We spent a few hours photographing this gorgeous mission and afterwards had a fine lunch at a local restaurant. I had an absolutely delightful time and was thrilled to meet up with old friends and make (hopefully) some new ones. Here are a couple of shots that I took that day. If you'd like to see all of them, please click here

I also went to the San Diego area to photograph the pelicans in their breeding plumage. Between two separate visits to the La Jolla cliffs, I managed to shoot around 30gb of pelicans and some other birds. After weeding, the total is down to around 8gb--still far too many. In the meantime I saw some photos that were manipulated with a Photoshop plugin called Fractalius. I've been playing with it tonight and came up with the following. I generally don't like a lot of post processing of photos but this was fun.

Yosemite Part 5

2010-01-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here I am in sunny, warm and dry San Diego and I'm still posting photos from Yosemite. If the truth be known, I'm too worn out to process the pictures I've taken here and since I haven't finished the Yosemite saga, I'm posting some more. On Saturday of last week, we finally saw sunshine and it was most welcome. The sunset across the Merced River from El Capitan was delightful. I just wished I had a wider lens since my 24-105 just couldn't get all of El Cap's width and color.

Yosemite is closed

2010-01-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

When I got up Friday, I found out that Yosemite was closed. El Portal had 3-4 inches of snow so I guessed that the valley got a lot more. I decided to wait in line on Highway 140 until it opened since the line was getting very long and then found out from the park police that the valley roads weren't just covered with snow but with downed trees. After 3 days of heavy wet snow, the storm Thursday night was much colder and added another 16 inces of snow to the already heavily burdened trees. There was a possibility that they'd caravan some folks in the early afternoon but they couldn't promise that they'd let you back out. Trees had fallen on some buildings at Yosemite Lodge so some folks had to be relocated to other rooms. No one was being allowed to drive in the valley including those already staying there.

I decided to take a ride on Route 140 towards Mariposa along the Merced River. I got about 5 miles from the lodge when a little rock slide fell in front of the car. Enough.... with my luck I may not be able to get back to my room if a bigger one came crashing down. So I went back to the lodge.

My room had a patio that went right to the edge of the Merced. So I took out my camera and patio and shot the river the the opposite bank until it started raining too hard.

Yosemite on Thursday

2010-01-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

I was continually drawn to these trees since it seemed everytime I saw them they seemed to droop lower and lower. I also liked the hint of bronze from the oak leaves that still clung to them. Thursday's weather was more of the same so it was not a good day for photography. Heavy snow continued but there was some clearing as I left the valley that afternoon. I guess it was the calm before the next large and destructive storm. More to come....

Yosemite continued

2010-01-26T20:46:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday of last week, the wrath of the storms was felt as power was lost around noon in both the valley and in El Portal where I was staying. I went out in the afternoon to shoot but didn't have much luck since it was snowing so hard. This was the only one that was half way decent. When I returned to my room in El Portal, it was cold. The lodge gave everyone some meager emergency lighting but it couldn't do anything about the heat. So I snuggled up in bed with the bedspread from the other bed as well. Around 8PM, the electricity was restored. Most likely the outage was caused by a rock slide but I never found out for sure.

Home from Yosemite

2010-01-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

I spent all of last week in Yosemite. What trip it was! Storms, power outages, tire chains galore. On Friday I couldn't even get into the park because they had to close it. Even the folks already in the valley weren't allowed to travel around. Last year I saw Yosemite for the first time with snow and loved it. This year I saw it with copious amounts of snow and even though it was beautiful, it was sad. So many trees split or fell under the weight of very heavy snow.

I'll be posted photos from the trip throughout the week. These two were from my first day there when it was raining most of the time although that night it turned into wet snow. It took me almost an hour and a half to get from Yosemite Lodge to where I was staying just outside of the park. The trip shouldn't have taken more than a half an hour but seeing the road was next to impossible.

I was amused by the raven on the tree. It was squawking a lot and also did a fair amount of begging. The other shot gives you an idea just how gloomy the day was. I converted both of them to black and white since there wasn't much color anyway.

Marble won't pose for me

2010-01-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

I did skip a day this time. I'm trying to get ready for a trip to Yosemite for a week so photography has been put on the back burner for a few days until I leave. I did get this shot of Calvin after trying to get a shot of Marble. As usual she will not cooperate. I suppose her doo is mussed so she doesn't want her picture taken.

I am taking a photomotivation class from Carol Leigh and I have an assignment to shoot at the same level as a dog would see something with their nose to the ground. Tomorrow I'll get a new point and shoot and hopeflly it will be easier to get it down at level with it and a tether of some sort than with my DSLR. I plan on carrying it with me at all times since it is so much smaller. I often see spectacular skies or mountain views driving to and from work so hopefully I will be able to get those shots.

The Tough Life my Cats have...

2010-01-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish I could be one of my cats. Don't you think they have a tough life?

The orange cat is Wensley, my once feral and now senior citizen Manx. The black and white one is Dooley and he is only 7 months old. My vet thinks he will be at least a 15 pounder by the time he finishes growing. The other kitten, Calvin, and Dooley chase around my apartment something fierce and I often hear crashes. I just close my eyes and hope it's nothing important. While the chases are going on, I often see Dooley panting like a big cat. I still haven't posted a picture of Marble, my other senior citizen. She is the lone female of the bunch and she considers herself the only cat in the house. At least she wishes she was.....

Red Tailed with an Attitude

2010-01-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is the last photo that I'll post from my birding excursion last weekend. I really think guy looks like he has a bad attitude or else he's mad that I'm taking his picture. This isn't the best of shots. What I was really waiting for was for him to take off. It's pretty clear that he has a bodacious red tail!

More shots of the Red Shouldered Hawk

2010-01-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here's another couple of shots of the Red Shouldered Hawk that was so cooperative at the Colusa NWR last weekend. I wish the tree wasn't behind the head of the one on the left. I liked the shot because you can see both feet and talons.

Red Tailed Hawk

2010-01-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

This portly fellow was quite a distance from me. I think I'm liking the 18MP on my Canon 7D. This hawk was hanging out at Colusa NWR.

"Mrs" Ruddy Duck

2010-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

This little gal was really chugging along and right behind her was the Mr. She was one of the few waterfowl shots I got when visiting the Reserves. Actually I was quite surprised by the lack of birds at Grey Lodge and even the Sac NWR. Usually there are thousands of Snow and Ross's Geese. I did see an American Bittern at Colusa but it wouldn't come from behind the reeds. It wouldn't even do its "stretch my neck out so you can't see me" act.

There will be more of this guy...

2010-01-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

I have a few shots of this Red Shouldered Hawk that I like so be prepared to see more of him over the next few days. He gave me some good looks when driving through the Colusa NWR. Handsome fella, huh?

Thanks to those of you who commented on the Phoebe. I was very surprised when I saw that shot. Because of the weather conditions, I shot it a full stop over compensation and an aperature of 6.3. After cropping and cleaning out a couple of little branches, I was quite pleased!

I really didn't skip a day!

2010-01-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

I know it looks like I skipped a day but I didn't. I had pictures to post last night but the motel I was in had lost its Internet access so I couldn't blog and post. Anyway, the first two shots were taken at Colusa Wildlife Refuge Saturday afternoon. It wasn't a spectacular sunset but pleasant. The great egret looks like his neck plumage is blown out but it really isn’t. The sun was quite low and it created the effect. But I had no blinkies!!

I set my alarm to get up extra early this morning. However, when I looked outside all I could see was a wall of fog. Not wanting to drive up I-5 in that stuff, I went back to bed and slept a couple more hours. I spent the rest of the day driving through the Sacramento National Wildlife Reserve, revisiting Colusa and then a circle around Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. This was my first birding adventure since I sold my big 600mm lens. Even though I missed its close ups, I also felt so much freer without it. I rented a 400mm lens for a week and used it on this trip. I’ve been thinking of buying a Canon 70-200 lens and renting the 400 from time to time but after this weekend I think I may buy the 100-400 instead. Anyway, I’ve also posted a couple of shots from today’s outing. The little one with its mouth open is a marsh wren and the other one is a Black Phoebe. I’ll be posting others throughout the week.

Back to work tomorrow!

January 1, 2010

2010-01-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Like so many others that I have gotten to know through Carol Leigh's workshops and online classes, I'm going to give the idea of a photo a day a try through this blog. The photos may not be new since I may drag something out of the archives, but at least I'll be giving photography a little bit of time each day. One warning though--you may be seeing a lot of photos of my cats! Here's one of Calvin and Dooley, my two kittens. They terrorize my two older cats but I still love them. Don't they look uptight? ; >

Happy New Year to all. May this year be filled with fine photos, good health and an abundance of happiness.