Half Dome and Moon

At Lunch: sat awhile, the whole time actually, under the Cottonwoods at Ozone Beach visiting with new friends, the English tourists from yesterday...talkabout Owls (and pic viewing on cameras), critter sightings, and vacation adventures...very cool...picked up to return, and Mama Doe and Two Fawns right behind us...pic up...Half Dome pic form Owl Morning...sunny hothot blue...report of Rattlesnack under the handicap ramp entrance to Last Chance from Teusday...a marvel!!!...more report of Owls calling over in Siberia...and in foothills too...trip maybe in works to Foothill Ranch with lots of Owls...

Owl

At Lunch: of late, I've been having Ozone Beach to myself at Lunch, but this evening, two tourists were sitting on the Log under the Cottonwoods...'nice spot...'...'oh, yes!'.....and I heard Owl, and lots of daylight, an early evening Lunch....'do you hear Owl?'...'oh?'....and I paddled up the Diversion Channel...startled Owl, Sentinel, and a blurry flyby pic...and a few pics when Owl perched in the Black Oaks...on return, 'I don't want to intrude, but would you like to see Owl?'...'oh, yes!'...turns out tourists were from England or Austrailia, where there are 'pink and blue Blue Jays', and Woods in their Backyard, with Owls, and reported they once saw Owl. with Mouse in beak, pass the Mouse to another Owl..all this while both Owls were in flight!!...maybe Mama Owl feeding Fledgling, I thought...a fine brief talkabout about Owls, the Valley, taking pics, and such...suuny blue and cloudy, hot...report of hoo hooos in Siberia, and behind Village....considering these reports, and report of hoo hooos at Backpacker's Camp, I'm wondering how many Owls are about the Valley...maybe a before Dawn bicycle rideabout  in order...friend who heard Owls in Bobcat Meadow, Flicker Grove, too, hoo hoos at me at work...

Northern Harrier

no pics today...Morning taken up with mailing bills and shopping...At Lunch taken up with showing Bobcat and Coyote book to friend, which has become a routine...since book has no text, I narrate as I turn the pages..friends are usually snacking across from me..what happens, friends usually expect a good pic of Bobcat, and to sorta respond like one would to a souvenir pic from vacation...but as I turn the pages, jaws drop...and when I finish, I say to them, 'your food is getting cold...'...much fun....oh...saw W. in Village, and she gave me a book of Valley Songs, with a new Valley critter, Sierra Long Toed Ring Necked Black Eyed Squeegee...W. signed book...a very fine Souvenir!!.....Harrier pics from yesterday at MWR....sunny hothot blue...

Waterbirds

Rolled down the hill to town for errands and snacks, and time for rollabout Merced Wildlife Refuge...Water is back now at the Entry View Platform, and some Waterbirds too...I've learned Birds' names, but not to the point I can recall them off hand...anyway...it's charming to see Birds return...one wonders where Birds have gone and what adventrues Birds have had...Big Wings, Buzz Birds about, and Small Hawk I couldn't id, and Notrthern Hariiers, which I almost got good pics of...Harrier pics I'm haveing trouble getting...Harrier's are always on the move horizontally, bobbing and swooping...thought is, if I can ever get in front of Harrier's flight path, Harrir will fly right into me...but I haven't even come close to that happening...not being able to get out and walk being the problem...anyway...Harrier pic for sometime...now, on the blog, if I post more than one pic, thumbnails appear below, and one can clic through all the pics, rather than scroll...trouble is, one can't click on and enlarge, like before, unless, there is just one pic up...so, sometimes now I just post one pic, so one can enlarge ti and study it more closely...a large res uncropped pic can usually be clicked on and enlarged twice...sunny hothot blue...gone most all day, and no Valley pics or walk.....

Two Yearling Deer

Two Deer by the Cabin this morning...pic up...sunny, maybe cloudy, (didn't get out much!), warm....after dinner at last chance, picked up a mocha (which I have been getting on the farflung rollabouts--a travel treat) for the first time at Last Chance, which has a coffee corner, which I've never gotten coffee from before, I mean, it's right there, but as part of my chores, I make coffee, and can have coffee for free, or when off work, half price, and I dont know, it just never occured to me to get the special coffees, which are sorta like deserts....anyway, with mocha, paddled out to Ozone Beach...sat awhile ahd watched Mama Doe and Two Fawns, One Fawn, and Bucks and Does over in the Diversion Channel..made the Inside Loop counter clockwise...sat awhile at Creek's End...there's a fine Log now with the old view in front of Owl Log..and I was content to watch Last Light fade from Half Dome...Blue Jays, Robin call, Mallard call, Ouzel, Phoebe, quiet...report of Bobcat catching Ground Squirrel behind the Rooms..

Two Fawns

At Lunch: Sighted, what I thought, was just Mama Doe and One Fawn nestled in the Grasses by the Use Path on the way to Ozone Beach, but on review, see Second Fawn in pic too...so the head count today, okay...Second Doe about too...sat awhile under the Cottonwoods...Ouzel, Blue Jays, Robin call...quiet...sunnycloudylightlightsprinkles, warm...asked friend who was up in Tuolumne on their weekend by Pothole Dome if they saw Deer Herd...'yes'...and Birds?...'no big ones, hardly any others at all'...oh,,,and a web report of Golden Eagle at Cartwright Reservoir....wait...looks to be Young Bald Eagle..:)

Owl

Out and about before Sunrise...at the RipRap, heard Owl, Sentinel, across the Creek...crossed the Creek, and followed call, calls, Ponderosa calling too, to Flicker Grove...thought I made clip of both calling together...but newer camera didn't record calls...disappointing, as Owls were calling back and forth....too dark for pics...and sighted first Ponderosa fly over head back to the Creek, and Sentinel calls followed, and I crossed back over the Creek, and at Owl Woods, sighted both Owls again...and missed calls again in clips...pic of Ponderosa too dark, and pic of Sentinel up, very grainy...was going to call post, Black Eyed Owl...very cool to see Owl with pupils dilated all the way...picked up, and at the Merced, Ozone Beach, sighted Mama Doe and Two Fawns upriver at Cottonwood Bend...clip for sometime...sunny blue with thunder clouds in the west at dawn, thundershowers later in the afternoon, clear tonight....at Lunch: sat awhile at Ozone Beach...Ouzel, Robin, Bluejay, Flicker call, and lots of Ravens...quiet...friend heard Owls too at Flicker Grove, and asked if Owls always there....I dont know if Owls are about in July and August, two months I have no pics or reports...I suspect Owls dont call much in Spring and Summer....

Ouzel

Gathered the gear, and before First Light, paddled out to Creek's End...Blue Jays calling here and there...quiet...continued on Inside Loop, clockwise, and at the same place I saw Mama Doe and Two Fawns the other morning (Bear Plop Shores), I made another effort to sight the Little Bird in the Willows thereabout...lots of blurry pics and clips...sighted Song Sparrow, Brown Creeper, and the Little Bird of most interest, Winter Wren...Wren was singing and talking...call on clip...behind me, heard Deer crossing the Merced, and too, Two Mergansers diving for Fish...picked up and followed Mergansers around Cottonwood Bend as far as Ozone Beach..been awhile since I played leap frog with Mergansers...object is to trot ahead, set up, and get clip as Mergansers pass by in the Current...have many avi clips of this, but few hd...and still few..clips too far away..Deer clips, Wren clips, too blurry...the newer camera doesn't lend itself to moving subjects..anyway...Ouzel pic up from morning before...I'm trying to make a routine of earlyearly morning walks, and maybe posting too--five thirty am at moment...sunny blueblue hot, clouds in afternoon...at Lunch: Ouzels about, Mama Doe and Two Fawns across the Merced at Ozone Beach...tourists came by on two rafts, kidding one another loudly and laughing, all the way to Swinging Bridge, voices echoing--River very low now, and likely last rafters of Season...heared Hawk, Redshoulder, in the Morning, Flicker too, and Flicker at Lunch...and the Tall Cottonwood that stands by itself at Ozone Beach is dropping its Leaves...thought is that it was overwatered during High Water...Leaves on all the Cottonwoods look to be pale, kinda like the Alder leaves when they begin to fall...Alder Leaves dont change colors much at all, and am wondering if the Cottonwoods wont show much color this Fall...

Cottonwood Bend

At Lunch: paddled out to Cottonwood Bend...Mama Doe and Two Fawns thereabout...pic up...Ouzel too...pic for sometime...Robin, Mallard, Blue Jay,...quiet...sunnybluehot, afternoon clouds, balmy night...oh..a short post...off to ride a Mammoth!

no pics today

At Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods...Robins, Blue Jays, Song
Sparrows, glimpse of Ouzel...quiet....sunnyblue, and  then cloudy and a few sprinkles....

Tuolumne Morning

Gathered the gear, and rolled up the hill to Tuolumne...near Pothole Dome, sighted Deer Herd...I've seen Deer hereabout on several of the visits to Tuolumne, lots...counted like fourteen this time, Does and Bucks, but no Fawns, and mostly Mature Antlered Bucks...and knockdown hd clip of Deer all crossing and wading up the Tuolumne River...and will have to find time for upload to youTube...there is a backlog of clips I'd like to put on youTube, in fact, I'd like to edit many of the old ones, and upload, as the resolution is good on youTube, and length limit is like fifteen minutes now, which is plenty....anyway, continued to Mono Lake...checked the Bird Report Board at the Visitor Center, and rolled over to the County Park at Lake's North Shore for looksee...just a rollabout, in the distance on the Lake, looked to be same Birds, Seagulls and Grebes, as last weekend,  so didn't walk out the Boardwalk...should have to check for Osprey...didn't see Osprey mention on the Board...Hawk, Redtail was about..bottom pic up...Hawk, Redtail, just above, was over Dana Meadows...continued, and rolled back up Tioga to Tuolumne...hotdog, fries, and ice tea, at the Grill for snack...sat across the Road at where I like to sit, and didn't see one Bird...very quite...Raven flyover...had thought to continue back to the Valley, but walked out to Sept. 1915 Bridge, and it is veryvery quiet...sighted just a couple Songsparrows, I think, and Nutcracker Call...Blackbirds at the Store Benches....Tuolumne has been very different for me this Summer...rolling about all over the map in Silver, I haven't taken the Hiker's Bus to the Meadow, or backpacked....having a car speeds things up, but it doesn't really make for more Critter sightings, well, maybe...what I'm thinking, is that I'm not seeing the Critters in depth, so to speak, on the rollabouts...walkabouts slow down ones perception, as it should be when sighting Wildlife...butbut, the rollabouts have given me a perspective of just where I am on the map...north west south and east were a bit of a mystery, but now I have a notion of the Carrizo Plane, Great Basin National Park, Tule Lake, Point Reyes, along with a few other places!!....Silver has made for a very different year...thought was to roll up to Tuolumne on Summer Weekends, and have a longer time to day hike and backpack, which has been diverted for one reason or another--big reason, all the Snow in June and early July...butbut, usually this time of year, when the Hikers Bus no longer makes trips to the Meadow, my Tuolumne visits are over for the season (unless finding ride with friend), butbut, now, I'm not sure, but Tuolumne Hiking Season for me, may just be beginning....if Snowfall holds off, like it often does, until December, I'll have all of October and November for hikes...next weekend, errands in Merced, and I'm curious to see all the Hawks being reported--kettles of Swainson Hawks...sunny blueblue hot, thunder clouds in the afternoon...

Two Fawns

Gathered the gear before First Light, and started out along the Path to Two Top Pine Meadow, and behind the Rooms, heard Pygmy Owl call, and, both Great Horned Owls, Sentinel and Ponderosa!!...diverted out to Owl Woods...too dark for pics, but waitedwaited....Ponderosa quiet, and then Sentinel, and enough Light, but no luck...waded through the Grasses to the Merced (everything damp, and pants legs too--Mists about) and Mama Doe, Two Fawns, and One Yearling Doe, about the Cottonwoods at Ozone Beach....clip up....continued to Two Top...by the Broken Cottonwood, Blackbird Flock, I think...pic for sometime...Sunlight coming down the Rim, crossed to the Burnt Forest, and to Breakfast, and to Cabin to snooze all day, 'cept for foray to Village--had played wow all night in fact, over last two days, maybe a stretch with maybe just four hours sleep!!....not hard to explain to someone familiar with game!...sunny hothot blueblue...report of Owl call in morning at Backpackers Camp....it's late, the Tree Tops beckon, time to visit the Gryphon Master....

a bit from the Madnees of Sweeny (see wiki's take..), which is here:
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T302018/index.html

quote

1. Gloomy this life,
   to be without a soft bed,
   abode of cold frost,
   roughness of wind-driven snow.
2. Cold, icy wind,
   faint shadow of a feeble sun,
   shelter of a single tree,
   on the summit of a table-land.
3. Enduring the rain-storm,
   stepping over deer-paths,(?)
   faring through greensward
   on a morn of grey frost.
4. The bellowing of the stags
   throughout the wood,
   the climb to the deer-pass,
   the voice of white seas.
5. Yea, O great Lord,
   great this weakness,
   more grievous this black sorrow,
   Suibhne the slender-groined.
6. Racing over many-hued gaps
   of Boirche of hut couches,
   the sough of the winter night,
   footing it in hailstones.
7. Lying on a wet bed
   on the slopes of Loch Erne,
   mind on early departure,
   morn of early rising.
8. Racing over the wave-tops
   of Dun Sobairce,
   ear to the billows
   of Dun Rodairce.
9. Running from this great wave
   to the wave of the rushing Barrow,
   sleeping on a hard couch
   of fair Dun Cermna.
10. From fair Dun Cermna
    to flowery Benn Boirne,
    ear against a stone pillow
    of rough Cruachan Oighle.

Misty Morning Hawk

Well, there was more than enough Light by seven am, gathered the gear, and started on the Path towards Two Top Pine Meadow...and not far along, heard Blue Jays scolding, and sighted Hawk flying up to a Pine Top...far away pic..thought a bit, and diverted to Bobcat Meadow when Hawk flew thataway...Creek low enough to walk across behind the Deer House...almost certain Hawk was about the Meadow...Blue Jays still scolding...but no luck..too many Leaves on the Oaks....paused a bit at Flicker Grove, and thought a bit on what the gardeners have done...all the Small Trees, Cedars and Ponderosas, volunteers, have been removed in the Grove, which is a mix of Black Oaks, Cedars, and Ponderosas...and now, now one can sight right  through the Grove and easily see Bobcat Meadow, which makes for some new photo ops, albeit kinda artificially...pic up of Woodpecker Tree and Morning Mists through Flicker Grove...I like the pic okay, but I know it has been fashioned, or something...I cant argue that it's not natural, every scene in the Valley has some fashioning in it. or something...even if a car or building isn't actually in a pic, one can turn about, and, well, stuffs eveywhere....overheard a tourist commenting on seeing Bear...'it's like I saw Bear in a zoo'....worse, was 'it's like Nature's television'...hmmph...oh...this morning, tourist commented on the Cabin and the Cedar...'they wouldn't build the roof around the Tree like that today'...often I hear on waking..'which came first, the Tree, or the Cabin'...and the other morning I heard, 'have to cut the Tree down, it'll be in the way of the rain gutter when we re-roof it'...and in answer to this comment, another worker launched into a description of the Tree in the Door of one the Cabins on A. Meadow Row...'it was the healthiest Tree I ever saw'....that Tree was cut down a year or so ago, I've seen the Stump...another Small Cabin thereabout still has its Tree in the Door...there was a time in the Valley when there was a sense of humor...Galen Clark had a Tree in the Cabin...and one of the Artists did too...and the Post Office in Siberia had one, a Tree on the Porch, then its Stump for a Bench, which I think may be gone, but have to check...have heard the pigeon hole mail boxes are gone...hmmph...sunny blueblue hot, cool on the morning walk...picked up mail, and back to Breakfast, and snoozed until worktime...lost lock for locker at work (forgot keys inside,--bolt cutters removed lock), so didn't take camera, and no lunch walk, well, I walked to the Cabin and back...report of Bobcat, yesterday, at Happy Isles...'I'll have to get combination lock...'...'can't remember key, won't remember combination'....hmmph...workman humor....

Two Backyard Deer

Well, I tried to upload clip, Two Yearling Fawns in Backyard, right behind Cabins (Cabin Fawns from Last Year, I think), but fell asleep...clip too long...a souvenir clip for upload maybe sometime....sunny blueblue cool in morning warm...at Lunch: sat awhile at Ozone Cottonwoods...Ouzel call...quiet...report of Falcon over Rooms...latelate, or earlyearly, now, three thirty!, so maybe awake at Dawn and will paddle out for looksee...maybe Falcon in Two Top Pine Meadow...

Floppy Ear Fawn

no pics today...clip up from yesterday Morning...part of longer clip with Mama Doe and second Fawn, but shortened for upload..and at end of clip, I switched to hd, and will try to upload that to youTube...at Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods, and friend visited--talkabout photos, and how scenic East Side is...and I often find myself going over the advent of the digital cameras and the computers, which is just kind of miraculous...at Best Buy I had just looked at the new Go Pro waterproof, which is waterproof to 180 feet--think I saw that right!...'something like that when I thought to do underwater pics, no thought of clips!, was beyondbeyond!!'....wish it had a 3x zoom...it has a porthole like the canon d10 waterproof, and will work with the scope for digiscoping...oh...it just looks cool, and on the list of must haves!!!....sunny blueblue with clouds, hot....report of evidence of Raccoons at Backpackers Camp...or mayge Ringtails...or some such Critters...Packs nibbled on and such....

Antlered Buck

Out and about before Sunrise...gathered the gear, and paddled down the Path aways following Pygmy Owl call...hope was to catch a glimpse with the headlamp...through the Woods, and to Creek's End, and stood awhile listening--call somewhere in the Cottonwoods across the Merced....I have no idea how to get a pic of Pygmy Owl!...continued along Heron Point, and stepped in Bear plop...hmmph,,, but looked up, and Mama Doe and Two Fawns browsing...lots of clips, and very cool..One Fawn now has a Floppy Ear, and mugged for the camera...heard Hawk, first time in awhile, and followed...Hawk across the Merced at Cottonwood Bend...set up for farfar away clip, and Hawk flew out, and right overhead, Redshoulder, maybe Cedar?...pics blurry, continued, and sighted Antlered Buck sharpening Antlers on Saplings just behind the Fallen Cottonwoods...and veryvery cool clip....continued, and looking back, sighted Buck now at River Edge on the Gravel...set up, and got veryveryvery cool clip as Buck crossed River, and walked right by me...see pic up...all these clips, Fawns, and Buck, for sometime, but will take much editing...most hd...and will try to upload to youTube at that resolution...continued to Breakfast, and to Cabin, and snoozed...sunny blueblue hot...at Lunch:, sat under the Cottonwoods at Ozone Beach...friend came by, visited...Mallard came by..pics, for sometime...Mama Doe and Two Fawns by the Sandy Beach at Cottonwood Bend...but too tired to walk out, like now, too sleepy to work with the pic and clips!!..hmmph...tomorrowmorrw...very cool to see Hawk...missed Hawk Day post...Sept. 6..hmmph...but Zeke was in mind when I heard Hawk's call...screee  screee  screee......oh...did post Hawk pics Sept. 6, Two Cows post....

Two Fawns

At Lunch: paddled out to the Cottonwoods at Ozone Beach...sat for just a moment and sighted Mama Doe at Cottonwood Bend, and when I neared, Two Fawns, with new Coats--spots all gone....sunny blue cloudy in afternoon, just a tiny few sprinkles....Robins, Raven, Song Sparrow, about, Mallard flyby...quiet...

Two Rabbits

Pygmy Owl is about the Cabin before Sunrise...heard call again while putting gear in Silver...rolled up to Tuolumne, and to Mobil for Breakfast, and to Mono Lake, for early pics...Merganser on Tenaya and Sunken Tree Stump, and Seagulls And More Seagulls, with Grebes (Grebes too far away!) on Mono Lake...sighted One Hawk at Mono Lake...pics and clip for sometime..and not many Little Birds...Yellow Rumps....was sleepysleepy, and returned, back at one, snacked, and snoozed during the Thunder Storm...Rained for brief while, Lightning show...had thought to do long hike at Tuolomne, and would have gotten caught in Storm, afternoon Thunder Storms routine of late...dusting of Snow on High Peaks like Dana and Gibb...sunny blublue with clouds building to rain, cool in Tuolumne, warm in the Valley...oh...Two Rabbits clip at Mono Lake...

Clouds And Bats

Picked up mini pizza and gator aid, and paddled towards Ozone Beach, and sighted Pink Clouds over Two Top Pine Meadow, and diverted thereabout...sat on the Split Rain Fence, snacked, and watched the Sunset Clouds and Bats...Sunset is problematic for photogs in the Valley...does one sight East at like Half Dome, or West at like Two Top, or from the Rims!!??...sunny after rain cloudy warm...I snoozed most all day...lost track of time playing wow, again...


Probably Heaven
Clouds over Two Top Meadow
Sunset Colors with Winged Bats

Two Fawns And Ouzel Catches A Bug

After Breakfast, paddled out to the Woods, and around to the RipRap by the Creek...Two Fawns resting behind the Rooms...at the Creek, sighted Ouzel by the Twin Fallen Cedars...watched awhile, and on reviewing pics, looks to be  Bug surfacing in one...pics up...Blue Jays about, Bear plop by the Path...quiet...rain and thunder in the afternoon, broken clouds tonight, and two nights previous, with Moon shinning, warm...

Running Two Fawns

At Lunch: at Ozone Beach, my sit awhile Log under the Cottonwoods got tossed in the River...hmmph...likely playful vandals...so sat awhile on the Curved Log wrapped around the Cottonwoods that floated from Creek's End...Owl Log is still at Creek's End, but has been pushed back into the Saplings thereabout...not quite the place I want to sit, and thereabout now I just sit on the Gravel Beach...anyway, heard a stirring behind me, and sighted Mama Doe and Two Fawns on the way to Cottonwood Bend, Fawns gamboling...pics up...Flower pic on return...rain enough for puddles, cloudy, warm...

Cloud

At Lunch: Sprinkles in the Afternoon...sat awhile at Ozone Beach under the Cottonwoods...quiet...Mama Doe and Fawns' tracks in the Wet Sand...quiet...Robin, Flicker, Blue Jay, Raven flyover....pics up from Today and Yesterday...overcast, warm...report of Baby Bear by Lower Falls....