Monarch

Shuttled over to the Village for mail, hopped off at Lower Falls on way back, and paddled out Lodgepole Point...Monarch on Thistle...pics...been wanting to get Monarch pic with Wings open!....this Summer, I've seen a lot of Buckeyes, and not so many California Sisters and Turtle Backs....on hike to Mono Pass, I saw a Lustrous Copper, but no pic...sat while by the Great Turf at the Creek...Young Mallard about, and may have glimpsed Hawk...crossed the Creek, and made the Inside Loop, quiet, and back to the Cabin for nap...have a change of weather cold....sunny hot blue....naps lasted all the way to dusk!...but made a counterclockwise Inside Loop...Phoebes, Robins, Blue Jay, at Last Light....

Oil Spill: http://birdsredesign.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/when-oil-stops/

Books:

Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds

The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture (The Charles M. Russell Center Series on Art and Photography of the American West)

Dont know but Sibley's captions to his paintings are better than the poems! And I got the Russell book for the early drawing of starving cow in winter surrounded by wolves--it has stuck in my memory since I first saw it..brb...tried to enlarge text...color painting of cow isn't the original drawing, which has a simplistic charm....Russell understood the Vanishing West...Sibley, Birds...

Two Mallards And Turtle

Weather report for Tuolumne was problematic, kinda cool, sometimes in twenties, and report from Friday of Snowflakes...soso...I took the Bus to Mariposa, and walked out the Old Road to the Fair Grounds...quiet walk...on way back though, I heard Kingfisher, but no luck...Acorns, Buzz Birds, Little Birds, about...and at the Pond, sighted Mallards, Turtle, and a Wading Bird, which I have to id....after Lunch and visit to bookstore, sighted Humming Birds on the Native Plant Walkway....tried for pics...Hummers would dart about the Flowers, then chase one another up and about..only a few pics clear, and wish I'd taken more....sunny blue warm...report yesterday of Big Wings by Spillway Lake (Mono/Parker Pass) Friday....nice truck at the Car Lot by the Fair Grounds, but the price too problematic!....

Willow Chickadee

Shuttled over to the Village for Mail...on the way back, hopped off at Lower Falls and paddled out to Lodge Pole Point....Mallard about, and followed Mallard to Creek's End....Creek's End is changed a lot by Sand and Gravel movement from Spring...where I used to hop across the Creek by the Leaning Cedars, it is now all filled in, and the whole area leveled out....pics for sometime...sat awhile at Owl Log, which hasn't changed...tried for pics of Little Birds in the Alders...and upstream, sighted Mama Doe and One Fawn crossing the Creek....heard Kingfisher chattering up the Creek...but no luck..sunny puff clouds warm....at Lunch: sat awhile at the Fallen Cedar, and again the Willow took my attention...Mountain Chickadees about...pics...Mallard splash landed, paddled right over to me and walked up the Bank...but I had no snack, and Mallard paddled over to some tourists at the Cottonwood, who took pic, but no snack, and with no luck, Mallard splashing flew off quacking...Phoebes, Robin, Song Sparrow, about.....a windy Fall like day, except the Leaves are still green...

Willow Birds

Morning taken up with Breakfast and napping....grey overcast warm...at Lunch: sat by the Fallen Cedar, but my attention for the while was on the Willow....Little Birds again, and a little better luck with pics!...Mallard, Phoebes, Redwing, Blue Jay, about....report yesterday of Snake, 'green and brown', between Three Arch Bridge and Sugar Pine Bridge, swimming in the River, then sunning on a Stone, and looking right at reporter, "I took my feet out of the water!"...top pic: Wilson's Warnler, bottom pic: Black throated grey warbler, middle pic: dont know!....but the dark eye ring is what I'm looking for.....

Yellow Willow Bird

After late Breakfast, paddled back to the Creek...quiet...Phoebe, and a glimpse of small Yellow Bird darting across the Creek...oh...and an occasional Acorn falling on the Deer House....the Black Oaks have a crop of Acorns, and the Live Oaks along Rocky Slope too....but not a lot, it seems....sunny hot blue...at Lunch: sat awhile by the Fallen Cedar...Mallard came in for splash landing, and made splashing quacking take off after a bit...quiet, but Little Birds in the Willow...I turned about, and tried for pics....one up the only Little Bird not hidden completely by Leaves...did see clearly Chickadee...but not with pic!....report of One Fawn about Last Chance this morning, and report of Bobcat this evening behind Second Chance (reporter would like to see Bobcat roam else ware from concern for One Fawn--me too, but tomorrow I might lunch sit thereabout to maybe see Bobcat!).....Edie has a remarkable post up...have a look:

http://littleredtent.net/LRTblog/2010/08/25/international-cooperation/

Fallen Cedar Birds

I looked up while eating Breakfast (cheerios), and was surprised to see Raven flying about, inside Last Chance!....Raven snuck in through an open Door, and became trapped, and panicked, flying about and crashing into the Big Windows....I tried to help, positioning myself like a post in a pinball machine, along with a friend...and tried to get a clip at the same time, holding up high the waterproof, and unfortunately didn't press the video record button...fortunately, after one window collision, Raven fell to the floor just opposite the open door, and Raven hopped out--all okay....a tourist nearby did get a clip, and I requested a copy, and so will maybe have clip to add here sometime....afterwards, paddled out to the Creek, and out to the Fallen Log in front of the Deer House to sky gaze awhile out over Bobcat Meadow...had some drawing pens with, and sketched a bit, and reminded myself of how difficult it is to do in short time...time, and very quiet, and back to the Cabin....sunny hot blue with puff clouds....at Lunch: sat awhile at the Fallen Cedar, and it was disneyesque!...Two Mallards paddling about, Black Birds, Song Sparrows, and a new Flycatcher, the Pale Yellow Bird pic up, and a new Yellow Bird, pic up, and, I think, a Juvenile Robin....while taking these pics, Two Young Mergansers paddled by, snorkeling....when I took the Phoebe flight pic, I thought I was taking a pic of the Pale Bird, but they exchanged places!....on the way back, pic of DownyOrHairy Woodpecker....the Cedar a real contrast to the noontime Quiet Creek!...sadly, the Little Pale Bird looks to have a broken Upper Bill...oh!...Bear ambling behind the Cabin in the dark after work...gave heads up to tourists with flashlight walking by...'Oh, a Bear!!'...disneyesque.....

Nuthatch

Shuttled to the Village for Mail in the morning, and Shuttled back, and, took a nap until worktime...so no pics...sunny hothot blue...at Lunch: sat awhile at the Fallen Cedar....Song Sparrows, Little Yellow Birds, Acorns, Ravens, Sandpiper, Blue Jay, Pee Wee, about...blurry pics of Sandpiper and Song Sparrrow..so...no pics....pics and clip up are from the Stump where I wait for the Hiker's Bus (Glen Aulin hike)...first sighting of male Williamson's Sapsucker....

Moon Bear

After Breakfast Monday morning, I checked Court Corner for One Fawn--still there, and dont know where Mama Doe was...pic...hopped on the Hikers Bus....Paper Wasp Nest at Crane Flat..pic...Young Bear beside the Road near Porcupine Flat...and at the Wildenrness Center in Tuolumne, no luck with permit for Dana Plateau...soso...diverted to Young Lakes....I'm doing a reprise of one night Backpacks I did three years ago, the first year of Fauna and Flora...I didn't report them back then...and the time when I went to Upper Young Lake, there was a Full Moon, and I tried for pics...usually the Moon is too bright for exposure of foreground, but with the Sunset filling in the foreground as the Moon rises, it's almost possible, and I wanted to try that again...there's two Routes to Young Lakes, one through Dog Lake Trail, and the other a right turn aways out the Glen Aulin Trail...the Dog lake Trail begins with a steep uphill, and to avoid that, I went the other way...which is longer, and I was wore out when I got to the Lower Lake...another five mile five hour hike!....sighted One Buck on the way...pic...One Flicker, Juncos, Nutcrackers, Golden Mantle Squirrels, about..otherwise very quiet....set up the Tent at the site I've used before, and paddled down to the Lake for dinner, and to watch the Sunset....Nutcrackers said goodbye to the Day, and Trout hopping...and I waitedwaited for the Moon, and it got too dark for the pic...so picked up and back to the Tent, where I turned about, and saw the Moon beginning to show...hurried back to the Lake Shore, and tried for pic and clip....kinda dim, kinda blurry...but cool just to see....settled into the Tent, too tired to listen to the ipod, and off to sleep....woke up in the middle of the Night...Moon full and very bright, lighting up Conness and the other Peaks....watched the Stars awhile, hard to see in the Moon Glow....took my glasses off and set them carefully in the Tent's pouch (nearsighted!), closed my eyes, watiedwaited for sleep to return, and heard a soft noise nearby, and opened one eye....I think Bear saw my eye opening!...or somehow sensed I was awake, and Bear did a turn about, swinging away from sniffing my Boots and Gear....there's not much else to do, when Bear comes around, but lay still, and twice before on other hikes this has happened, but never under Full Moonlight when I can see Bear clearly, well, blurry clearly!...there was a Boulder a few feet from the Tent, and Bear walked behind it, and over to the Bear Can...sniffed...and moved off...Bears seem to know when a Camp has its food and such secure, and just visit and move on....continued to lay still, and Bear came back for one more looksee...kinda cool just to see!....looked for Paw Prints on the Gravel in the Morning, but hard to see...Bear walks so soft....one Print by the Tent's Corner..pic up....packed, and returned the Dog Lake route...scenics...sighted Hawk when I came upon the Long Meadow...Mantle Squirrel was piping warning beside the Trail, and Hawk must have been right over head perched...but no luck...Hawk flew off down the Meadow towards Tuolumne Meadow...report of Deer hit by car at White Wolf...second time in that location....oh...sighted Hawk too while waiting for the Bus, fly to and from the Lodgepoles along the Road, but too far away for pic...today taken up with returning to the Valley, as sunny hot and blue as Tuolumne!

Yellow Green Bird

Peddled over to the Wilderness Permit Center, and tried to get permit to Dana Plateau, which proved problematic....it's in Inyo National Forest...maybe I can get one at the Tuolumne Center, if they can hook up with Inyo...peddled back and made phone call to Inyo in Bishop, which gobbled up time...paddled back to the Creek and sat awhile...quiet.....sunny hot blue....at Lunch: Doe beside the Use Trail to Ozone Beach, looked to be Mama Doe....sat awhile at the Fallen Cedar...Phoebe, Mallards, Black Birds, Ravens, Robins, Acorns, thereabout, and on the way to and back...and the Little Yellow Green Bird came to perch on the Cedar, and right beside Phoebe, even a few foray flights together with Phoebe...then Yellow Green flew into the Willow, where I've tried to get pics before...tried to id tonight, but haven't yet....One Fawn in the Court Corner on return...pic...Mama Doe, if it was Mama Doe, had settled into the Grasses at the Beach....last evening I saw, and forgot to report, several of these same Little Yellow Green Birds dashing from the Willow and across the Merced....

Blue Jay

After Breakfast, paddled to Ozone Beach, and followed the Merced out to Two Top Pine Meadow, and around to Rocky Slope, and back to the Cabin, and time...and work...destination of the walk was report of new Tree gnawed on by Beaver at Beaver Bend, and indeed there was one!...Bug Pics along the way...Blue Jay at Swinging Bridge...sunny humid tropical clouds....at Lunch: sat awhile at the Fallen Cedar...Two Bucks upstream, and Bucks crossed the River like the other day...pics...and Merganserling Six minus one and now Five came paddling upstream...pic...oh...One Fawn settled into Court Corner in the evening...pic...dont know where Mama Doe was....One Fawn can navigate about okay it seems...Beaver must be big!...should have used reference to indicated how high up the gnawing is...Flower pics along the way too...for sometime...