Category Archives: Photography

October 24, 2023 · 23:31

Fine Feathered Friends – October 24th

Not common, but a return visitor. I spotted this guest last January, and I’ve heard it a couple of times in the last week. The Northern Flicker is back!

See it? Neither did I. But what I heard was a tapping or knocking sound directly overhead. I thought it might be one of the downy woodpeckers we see here every once in a while, but nope! Just above center, on a bare branch, is a much larger bird.

The yellowish belly with all of those spots! That black, crescent-shaped arc under its chin! It’s our red-shafted Northern Flicker, back for a refill of SoCal bugs, and I have just the dead branches for it!

Is this the exact same bird as was here in January? I don’t know. Maybe? Probably? We have other migratory birds (the juncos, some of the hummingbirds, the yellow-headed blackbird) that seem to be the same ones coming back year after year, but as I’ve noted before, I can’t get any of them to wear nametags or sign in on the guest register, so it’s a guessing game.

I unfortunately didn’t have my “good” camera (the DSLR with the telephoto lens) with me, just my cell phone. As has been said, the best camera is the one you have with you.

Look at that beak! It makes it obvious that it’s a large member of the woodpecker family, doesn’t it?

I’ll try to remember to carry my DSLR when I go out, just in case, and I’ll keep and eye out for the chance to get some better pictures.

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Filed under Birds, Photography

October 23, 2023 · 21:48

Falcon 9 Launch From Vandenberg

I’ve shared a number of pictures and (I think) one or two videos from when SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket out of Vandenberg Space Force Base, 115 miles to the northwest. They’re amazing when they’re right after sunset, pretty cool in the middle of the night, and a “challenge” to capture on film or video.

But I have a Nest security camera looking at the front porch. What does it see?

Here’s your generic, normal, daylight view, looking northwest-ish. Where’s Vandenberg? On the lefthand side, in the distance just to the right of that support pillar with the flag, you can see the northern flank of Castle Peak. There’s a bit of sloping hillside there between the pillar and the trees where the red-tailed hawks hang out (and attack me).

Watch there…

First a full-frame view, then zoomed in.

Hmmm, how to improve this? Probably easier to move the camera than to chop down that support pillar. Besides, if I hack away at that sucker I’ll NEVER get my security deposit back!

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Filed under Castle Willett, Photography, Space, Video

October 22, 2023 · 23:08

Observe The Moon

Yesterday was National Observe The Moon Night, an annual event around this time of year when the Moon is at or near First Quarter phase. That means it will be up high in the early evening and easy for folks to see without having to stay up late or get up early. There will be a nice terminator line to bring some contrast to craters, plains, and mountains.

But you can still observe the Moon tonight. Or tomorrow. Or any day you want. I encourage it!

Maybe you have a small telescope. Or even binoculars. Either will do a far better job of bringing out details than anything used by Galileo or Newton. Watch how the shadows change the view and appearance across the big craters from day to day.

Or you can just watch with the naked eye. Find a grassy spot or a lawn chair. Just lay there and watch for a few minutes every now and then. (Remember bug spray!)

And one of these days you’ll be able to watch and know that there are men and women living up there, the same way you can watch the ISS go overhead and know there are people living and working there.

Observe the Moon. One day it will be observing you back.

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography

October 21, 2023 · 22:46

Looking For The Lizard

It’s 12:44 and 88º – do you know where your lizard is?

Do you want to play the game? Do you want to look? Go ahead. I’ll put some spoiler space in here for you.

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While the lizards love the sun, they more like just being warm, and if that wooden edging piece is in the full sunlight it gets toasty, so they can snuggle up against it and hug it like a giant body pillow, sucking up infrared photons through their little, blue bellies.

Which means they can hid in the shade.

With their little heads poking out over the edge to keep an eye out for hungry predators.

You can see in the other photos that the roots of the big tree are just a couple inches behind him. As soon as I twitched, he was off the edging and onto that big root, where he blended in almost perfectly. Another twitch by me and he as climbing up the tree and making his escape.

That’s how you get to be a six-inch lizard or a ten-inch lizard instead of a two-inch “popcorn” hatchling.

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Filed under Critters, Photography

October 20, 2023 · 23:37

Venice Beachfront

Twenty years ago. Venice Beach, with Santa Monica Pier in the hazy distance.

I’ve never been much of a “beach person.” Too damn crowded and cramped. But it’s an interesting place to visit every now and then.

Especially Venice. It’s earned its reputation.

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Filed under Los Angeles, Photography

October 19, 2023 · 23:40

Fleeting Indeed

Just three days ago it was a botanical symbol of defiance against the winds and weather.

But beauty is fleeting and the winds are relentless.

You can see a few wisps of spider webs attached now – they seem to be everywhere in the last few days.

The only thing that never changes is change itself. I guess the heat death of the universe will, by definition, finally end that. But I suspect I won’t be here to see it.

But I will be here the next time this rose, or any of the others along the driveway, or in the neighbors’ yards decide to blossom and amaze the world with their own individual, spectacular, fragrant explosion of beauty.

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Filed under Flowers, Photography

October 18, 2023 · 23:05

Fine Feathered Friends – October 18th

The back yard grass has taken a real beating with the three years of drought and last year’s watering prohibitions.

But the mourning doves love it for a couple of reasons. First, it makes it easier to find the seed that gets thrown out every morning.

Second, the natural camoflouge works GREAT against the brown dirt and dead grass. On a nice lawn they stand out like a sore thumb.

Our current mourning dove flock is at about 15 to 20 most mornings. I’m assuming some of them are from the front porch nest earlier in the year, but they don’t wear name tags.

Still love those pink feet!

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Filed under Birds, Photography

October 17, 2023 · 23:13

You Can’t Take A Bad Picture Here – October 17th

Up at the point end of the plane there are generally two seats. The left one is a fantastic place to be any time. Sometimes you have a moment to take in the view and take a picture. (When it’s safe to do so, of course.)

This is at the north end of the San Fernando Valley, with the 405 Freeway on the left going to the center of the picture over the Newhall Pass into the Santa Clarita Valley beyond. Probably at about 2,000′. Not sure of the details, it was thirteen-plus years ago.

That’s the only thing wrong with this picture. It’s been way, WAY too damn long since I’ve had a chance to take another one like it.

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Filed under Flying, Photography

October 16, 2023 · 23:27

Favorite Rose

First of all, a wind storm about two weeks ago stripped all of the roses of all of their petals.

But this favorite rose of mine, the one with the magnificent color, basically said, “Up YOURS!” to Mother Nature’s more malevolent side and burst out with two magnificent blooms.

Maybe it’s not just the color that makes these my favorites. Maybe it’s the attitude, especially when I can use the reminder.

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Filed under Flowers, Photography

October 15, 2023 · 22:21

Spider Web

A couple of days ago, near sunset, as I was taking trash out to where the bins are on the side of the garage, I noticed a single thread of spider silk floating overhead. It was connected to the garage room about 10 feet up, the other end anchored about 15 feet up to the Italian cypress trees next to the driveway. Along the line I could see a single large-ish spider working. I’m no expert on spiders by any means, but I think it’s an orb weaver?

Today when I was heading out to get groceries I went to look and see what might have been built up there, lit up by the early morning Sun.

It’s been moderately windy here for the last couple of days, so the web must be pretty sturdy to not get torn apart by either the tugging of those cypress trees as they sway in the wind or from the wind itself.

The circular portion of the web here is about three feet across, roughly the size of a trash can lid.

While orb weavers are reluctant to bite and their venom is mostly mild and harmless to humans, my biggest concern is having a web like this built at head level, not 15 feet overhead. If I blindly walk into this in the dark while taking the trash out at night, then A) I’m going to be flailing and making dance moves that have never before been seen by man, and; B) I’m going to pull every muscle in my body doing so.

It won’t be pretty.

The instinctive engineering skills portrayed here are amazing. Having acknowledged that, let’s agree to keep to our separate spaces. I won’t destroy hours of your work and significant amounts of your resources which you’re using to feed yourself, and you won’t scare the shit out of me at random times.

Good talk!

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Filed under Critters, Photography