Tioga Ducks

After Breakfast, heard Hawk's call somewhere over by the Train Wreck...yesterday, Hawk was thereabout too, but the Tour Buses idling engines made Hawk hard to locate, and no luck,.... but this morning, sighted Hawk, Redshoulder, maybe Coop--call sounded more like Cedar, and I wonder if Cedar has returned with Feathers changed to adult orange--Cedar had a soft call...trying to keep track of the Valley Critters is all guesswork, of course...anyway...pics....and back to the Cabin to gather gear for a rollabout to Mono Lake....Silver made some clunking noises just pulling away from the Cabin...friend and I tried to locate...noise somewhere in the right front tire area...no luck, and finally I rolled a bit faster, and the noise repeatedrepeated, and then stopped...dont know if whatever it was just broke altogether, or fixed itself...I suspect the gears for the front wheel drive...anyway..off I went...and a scenic drive through Tuolumne, down Tioga Pass, and to the County Park beside the North End of Mono Lake...scenic pics along the way...and at the Tioga Ranger Station, in one of the Tarn Ponds, I spotted, looks to be, Eared Grebe...see clip...at the Lake just before Elery Lake, sighted Ducks, new to me!,... Rudy and Buffleheads, I think...stopped here and there going down the Pass for pics of the Fall Colors...look to be Cottonwoods and Aspens mostly....and at the Lake, just after I parked, there was ruckus in a Stand of Cottonwoods....Magpies, a first sighting...this just behind the Parking Lot...thought maybe Hawk was about, and Hawk did flyover....messed up, didn't have exposure set....but I got a second chance after going to the Lake Shore when Hawk flew over again...but messed up again...but not my fault!...in the hurry to raise and turn the camera on, my thumb bumped the live view button so all I saw was a dark view, and my other thumb, switching the on off lever, nudged the program dial, which is serrated and caught on my thumbnail...really miffed that I missed the pics...with some editing, see pic, I think Hawk is Northern Harrier...anywayanyway, at the Lake Shore, I was disappointed...hardly any Birds, nothing like last visit when Seagull, Sandpiper, and such, were about...no Osprey either...thought I was seeing maybe a few Grebes, and when I sighted through the binocs, I was surprised to see that the whole Lake was covered with Grebes, but Grebes all spread out...(click and click and zoom in on pic)....all too far away for pics...One Seagull, Coots, a few Grebes, were near enough for pics...picked up, other tourists arriving and the view site is small....and I went back to the Cottonwoods where the Magpies were...scenic pics...sat awhile...quiet...Flicker and DownyOrHairy Woodpecker..pics...back at the Lot, sighted Two Rabbits on the Lawn (saw Rabbit too from Boardwalk)...pics and clips...time...on the way back up Tioga, all the turn outs are on the Down Leg, so I didn't stop...something to keep in mind, as there were scenics I missed...clouds and colors and snow on the peaks!!...at the Meadows, sighted a Flock of Bluebirds...parked and followed, but Bluebirds stayed too far ahead...settled for some scenics....at Crane Flat, went out into the Meadow for looksee...quiet..Ravens, Nuthatch, Pileated about....and back at the Cabin in time for dinner and tv...and post up!

A note about taking pics: The second pic from top, overlook of Tioga Pass, was taken from a turnout that has a sign, with some nice quotes, and the same scene--a kinda Kodak Photo Spot...most of the pics I take are of this sort...I mean, if Bear ambles out of the Woods, I take a pic, same as everyone....photography may be a unique art, in that most pics are pics everyone would take if thereabout thenabout with a camera!...to take pics that are unique and characteristic of one's singular vision is rare--I dont know if many even consciously pursue that, or if it is even possible, but the pic of the Trees and Grasses and Clouds, the one just beneath the Magpie, is maybe of this sort...I was drawn to take the pic, because I knew it was a place birds will perch, the cottonwoods too....they're not great pics, but they have a content that someone who follows birds would appreciate!....