Point Lobos

After Breakfast, coffee, danish, and sliced oranges, at my friends' Cottage, which overlooks Rocks and Surf and the Whole Ocean, and Two Cormorants this morning below on the Rocks..pics...I rolled off after farewells to Point Lobos....no sooner than I rolled past the entry than ranger motioned with his hands for me to slow down...'I was going too fast', I apologized after rolling down the passenger window, 'whatcha looking at?' I continued...ranger was sighting with scope...'Redtail Hawk'....'I'll be right back with my gear.'....parked Silver at Whalers' Cove, and went back up the Road to find Hawk with ranger, and we went Tree to Tree ...Hawk eventually flew off too far and we compared pics....nearly identical, flight pics a bit blurry, but much fun!....ranger explained where there might be Peregrine and Osprey, and I was on my way...took the North Trail from Whaler's Cove, and the pics and clips up are in sequence from thereabout all the way to Bird Rock at the South End of the Park, where, I happened again on ranger pulling over in pickup truck, I thought to visit, but ranger had sighted another Redtail!...again Tree to Tree...and again we both had flight pics that were a bit blurry...but a bookend!...very cool....ranger's name is Chuck, and is known thereabout for Wildlife photos, and has been there awhile, over thirty years!...and Chuck was happy to hear my reports of Peregrines where he'd said they would be, and I told him of the Redshoulder in the Memorial Grove, which was the sighting of the day for me...twice I startled Redshoulder from perches right over the Trail, but kept sight of Redshoulder's next perch, and was able to get pics and clips...the Trees thereabout are a remarkable tangle, and colored with red and orange lichens....one Peregrine was far out on a Pinnacle seen from the Grove, and second Peregrine on Snag inshore from Bird Rock...when I was back at Whaler's Cove, putting gear away, I sighted Redtail againagain in the Tall Pine across form the Whalers Museum...I walked up the Road, but Hawk flew off, so no flight pic...by the Road I kept seeing White Egret, and took time for pics and clips...looking up, I saw Redtail once more in the Whalers Pine, and again trotted up the Road...some more pics, but missed again flight pics...was looking down making adjustments...missing the flight pics has made me more determined to have the camera set up right for flight pics...the settings are different than when Birds are at rest..I use the lowest possible iso whenever I can, but to use a high shutter speed to stop action, I often have to use a high iso...iso is 'digifilm' speed--low from 100 to high 1600...newer camera goes higher, but that's only useful in near dark conditions....Osprey is often seen at Bird Rock, and, I think, in the Snag too where I saw Peregrine, and Osprey was Hawk I didn't see on ranger's list...in the Sage where Little Birds...was able to get some pics when mixed flock was puttering around the Aggregate Rocks....Scrub Jay was at South Parking lot...Flicker at just before (was on way back) North Trail's end...Seagull and Egret by Whalers Cove...Seagull would not look my way...the Tree's look like reflections in water with the Wavy Branches....knockdown pic of the day is Redtail, between Seal and Scrub Jay pics up...a fine day and visit!!