Out and about before sunup...but too late for the meteors....paddled back to the Creek and Creek's End...could hear Kingfisher upstream near Chapel Bridge...had seen fog over Bobcat Meadow..and again through the Bridge Railings...took clip to record Kingfisher's call...hopped over the Creek and out to the Meadow to looksee....pic and clip....heard Hawk in the distance...but just one call...forget what drew me back to Creek's End, another Hawk call I think...but hopped over again...and walked up the Diversion Channel...sighted a flock of Ravens on a fallen Snag...clip...didn't think much of them together, but then remembered the Deer Carcasses last Winter...went to looksee with much reluctance what had Ravens' attention...and as a I feared, a Deer carcass...one of the Fawns...pic...but too grim to post....continued out to the River...and heard Hawk...should say, a would be Hawk with Blue Feathers.!!..I found the Blue Jay that mimics Hawk's call..same time, same Trees, but this time I had the 20x along (and ironicly, the new camera without its battery--still in charger!)...clips...and wish I could have gotten closer, but Blue Jay was on far side of Merced...heard Hawk back in the Woods...back that way I went, but no luck...and went out through the Woods to the Cabin...and to Breakfast...French toast and sausage...returning to the Cabin, I heard Hawk again right in the Backyard...looked about, but again no luck...so to the Cabin and sleep....out again around two, with the intent to take pics of each Tree's fallen leaves...and to check the Aspen Grove to see if they are Aspens!...across Chapel Bridge and along the Use Path, and near the Grove sighted Hawk soaring against the Glacier Wall...friend approaching from the Meadow on the Use Path, and I raised my hand, and asked for quiet..clip in progress!....Hawk stayed too far away though, and is tinytiny...and lost sight when Hawk made the turn over Siberia...for a little while, Half Dome was in background..always a wished for background!...friend saw Hawk too...and reported sighting Owl by Housekeeping...demonstrated Owl's size with hands, and didn't look big enough for Great Horned Owl....Owl was perched on one of those flashing light traffic stanchions....while we were talking, I sighted Big Wings flying across the River from the Grove to Creek's End...picked up and followed...but no luck...went back to the Grove to take pic of leaves...I cant tell if they're Aspens or not!...will look about web in moment...sighted DownyOrHairy Woodpecker high in one Tree...pic and clip...continued along the Meadow to Swinging Bridge...sat awhile at the Boardwalk...skipped lunch, but drank an apple juice..which helped!...as I was hungry...at Two Top Pine Meadow, walked out to the Broken Cottonwood....Raven clip...and a neat clip of a pair of DownyOrHairy Woodpeckers chasing..for sometime...dont know where the time went, but light almost gone from Two Top...made a loop around to the Scorched Forest...pic...heard Pileated Pair thereabout...but couldn't locate....back to the Bike Path...Buck with thin antlers..clip...back along the River to Ozone Beach...Doe at the exact same place as Buck last evening!...and no photogs or tourists!...clip...heard Mallard distant at Creek's End...and went out the Diversion Channel...checked the carcass...undisturbed since morning...at Creek's End, clip of Mallard....and while listening, Kingfisher flew by at eye level...sun gone from Half Dome...was thinking how briefly I saw Kingfisher, but how cool...only a second!...and starting back up the Creek, heard Owl's raspy screech...started back into the Woods, and Owl swooped overhead, and banked back into the Woods....followed, but just way too dark...Owl was like a tenth of a second!....but how cool!!...sunny cool blue...cold tonight...weather to change a bit, they say...brb...gonna check on Aspens in the Valley...
This site calls them Aspens:
http://ca.myphotoscout.com/2009/10/28/fall-in-yosemite-valley/
And this one Cottonwoods:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdanmitchell/
scroll down a bit at this one...
brb...
And here's one of the, everyone calls them Aspens, in the A Meadow...
http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np-image.yose40083.html
The first site's pic is of the gravel shingle where I was standing this morning...the second is where I took clip of Mallard...didn't get to the A Meadow today..but that one is from the Bike Path with Arches in background...
brb...
Well..this site suggest there are no Aspens in the Valley...which would make them all Cottonwoods, I guess!
http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/fall-color.htm
but:
quote
The aspen is the most widely distributed of our North American trees and one of the most delightful. At our latitude it does not descend the mountains much below 4,500 feet, though one stray grove is to be found on the Valley floor (4,000 feet), on the south side of the Merced River near Cathedral Spires.
Trees of Yosemite (1932, 1948) by Mary Curry Tresidder
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/trees_of_yosemite/quaking_aspen.html
and from same:
quote
The Black Cottonwood is one of the trees frequently encountered along the banks of the Merced River and on the edge of the meadows throughout the floor of Yosemite Valley. It is found well into the next zone also, where it finds favorable conditions, but it does not go so high as the aspen.
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/trees_of_yosemite/black_cottonwood.html
unquote
and who is Mary Curry Tressider?
brb...
http://www.historic-hotels-lodges.com/california/ahwahnee-hotel/tour/ahwahnee-tressider-suite.html
and it's been a ghostly day!!
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