Two Blue Jays

Clip is from last January 16 or so...weather was a bit desert like around then too!...paddled to the Post Office....and then back through Cook's....sat awhile on a Deer House picnic bench...hadn't seen much...a few Blue Jays...Ravens...two Grey Squirrels...some Acorn Woodpeckers...heard Downy Woodpecker...and one Flicker...finally Hawk came flying high against the Blue Sky acorss Cook's and on towards Lower Falls....picked up and followed...sky gazed...tree top gazed...but no luck...sunny blue with wispy clouds and warm...heard the Wren with the nasal call too...Teusday I think I saw a flock of Bandtails...too distant to tell...report of Bobcat on the Road between Happy Isles and Mirror Lake...and the Pileated Woodpecker pair reported over in Siberia...oh...the Two Blue Jays clip was already posted back 1/19....so I've reached that time when I figured out how to post up clips...I've been wanting to do of the ones I missed before then...still have some....but will likley stay only with current clips and pics now...the pen moves on...

Snowcone Rainbow

Paddled over to the Post Office....then made the Big Loop clockwise...sat awhile at the Oak Branch That Arks Over Halfdome...then awhile out on Lodgpole Point at the New Twig...saw one Ouzel and one Song Sparrow...pic of Raven at Chapel Bridge....lots of ice on the Path along the Road to Swinging Bridge...paused awhile on the Bridge to watch the Falls Rainbow...view time for this looks to be between noon and three...pics and clips...had late lunch...and back to the Cabin for a short nap...or so I planned!...but slept 'till sunset...had to be content with a quiet walkabout under the blue blue sky...and it was warm!...some temp records set over by the Coast....last night, a visit by Bear...some bangity banging...and evidence of Paw Marks on the Alcove Door!...lucky Bear didn't get in the Alcove......lots of bangity banging noise about Last Chance too!....a concerted effort to chip away the ice on the Roads in the early morning...skip loader's shovel sounded like a gong echoing in the Valley each time it struck down...snow from Xmas time has hung around 'till now...but will be gone soon if it stays this warm!!....made one big print with the big printer...and only messed up on paper...didn't have all the settings set and got an 8x10 0n the 13x18....two menus to set paper size in Elements...one in the Printer Properties menu...and one in Element's page setup...at least I think that's what happened!!....prints are satisfying...like they're real in contrast to TV screen pics!

Pileated Woodpeckers

I'd paddled all the way out to just below Washington Column...and hadn't seen much...tried for some Black Cap pics...but thereabouts I heard a loud Woodpecker at work...too loud for an Acorn Woodpecker, I thought!...and I went off the path into the woods, trying to be quiet on the crunchy snow, locating the sound...as I suspected it might be, Pileated Woodpecker was hard at work...the minidigi was all set up...that's the routine now..to have it mounted and ready to go on the tripod...and I took some clips...best I could, as Pileated was behind a lot of branches atop a broken small Fir (or Oak...or Cedar...not sure!!)...I tried for some pics with the new camera...but too far away and low light...everything kinda blurry!...and then a second Pileated showed up...or it may have been there all along, but I'd heard only one...oh...I'd really like to get clip and pic of both together!, I thought...and left off with the minidigi...mounted the 12x on the monopod...and crunched crunched through the snow...got sorta close...then realized I'd have to crawl to get closer!...crunchcrunchcrunch!...once under the Fir I was able to get the clip of the two together...have new camera pics too...but the branches are in the way...and the low light again!...one Pileated flew off...and I circled, crunching, to try an opposite side angle...Pileated is oblivious when at work, it would seem!...but branches were just too much...and the second Pileated flew off too...tree to tree...I think they live in the area...anyway...I'm happy with the clips!...continued on the Path to Mirror Lake...found a spot with a view of the Lake Meadow...and had lunch...egg salad sandwich, chips, hershy's, and elixer...was content until the YIs showed up and 'circled'...but I'd finished eating, so picked up and walked back to the Shuttle...hopped off at Lower Falls...went over to the Deer House road to see what became of the Broken Oak...just a stump now!...they took the whole Tree down....bit of an overdo, I'd say!...light by now was fading...had planed to be in Chapel Meadow for the afternoon light...but going to Mirror Lake was one touch-base too far...no Bears...no Bobcats...a few Grey Squirrels..and Black Cap Chickadees....a quiet day Critter wise...dont know where they all are on an almost Spring like cool sunny blue day!!...an early trip to the Post Office gathered in another package of giant printer paper...I...I have too many things to do!...and the Blue Sky tomorrow is sure to be walkabout opportunity...nice to be in the bunk a bit early tonight...very sleepy...PBS show on India on...Antique Roadshow had an old Fauna Flora book by a Forbes of India...gotta go look that up...and tomorrow make some prints!!

Bobcat Walk Two

Had time for a short walk...made a loop through Cook's....hoped to see the Acorn Woodpeckers...eating an acorn!....read through some web posts last night on whether they might cultivate larvae by putting the acorns in the trees...wiki's take is that's a misconception...another take said it was a myth...one poster had reservations...some things I'm considering...the noise and the vibration of the Woodpeckers' pecking stirs up the grubs...and one source has it that a large percentage of acorns are infested with larvae while still on the trees...and an old source describes the Woodpeckers behaviour during a cold winter...the search last night brought up a good bit on the acorns of not just the Black Oaks, but others all across California...seems they have crops of acorns in concert...a dry Spring one possible trigger...oh...I'll try to gather and coordinate all this..for sometime!!...clip is from Jan. 12, last year...and is just part of Bobcat's walk that day....something I wanted to do then, was put all the Bobcat clips together....as many of them happened at the same time of day, with the same snowy landscape...so far I have enough to show Bobcat going from the Deer House to Sleepy Owl Woods....thought was to get enough for all the way to Siberia!...still a hope, I'd say!...as report today of Bobcat on the Rocky Slope beside the A. Road....sunny blue and cool...tomorrow I gear up for Bobcat pics and clips!!...hopefully...but will be happy with whomever Critters come along!!

Merganser and Ouzel from Last January

I think it's a male Merganser in the clip...but not sure because of the Mallard like bill...wasn't sure last year either!...and it's the only pic and clip set I have of a male Merganser...and I've only seen one other...and that Merganser was flying furiously, as they do!....Ouzel clip is a favorite...pic of that scene is on my wall....Shuttled over to the Post Office...giant printer paper came in a giant box...so had to Shuttle back...and with a half hour left before getting ready for work, I watched football...haven't done that in a awhile!...rooting for the Chargers...and the Ravens.....sunny cool and blue....a bright full moon tonight...oh!...on thinking about the Acorn Woodpeckers, I've come to the notion that they use the acorns to cultivate the grubs...they put them in a hole, and the grubs feed on the acorn somehow...I cant imagine them actually eating an acorn...like a Bandtail!...and I've never seen that happen....have to search this out!...the results for sometime!!

Pine Needle Frost

Bear made a visit in the middle of the night...Tiki Trash Can was too full...heard bangity bang and suspected Bear was about...poked the 3x out the door and got a flash pic...and lightened it up in Elements...Shuttled over to the Post Office...monopod and clamp pod came!...I just like gear stuff...had a Muffin and Coffee...then walked back through Cook's...lots of frost on the plants and trees...pic though is from last week...and Merganser clip...if not the first, the second time I ever saw Merganser, from last year Jan. 8 or so...miss the Mergansers.....sunny cool and blue...and have to remember to not overload the Tiki Can...in the middle of the night, Coyote was howling too....the little forays into the night on trips to the WithOutBath is one of Tree in the Door's unexpected treasures!!

Oak Flicker

At the Oak Grove, on the way to the Post Office, I saw the Acorn Woodpeckers being chased near the snow covered ground...not sure what was chasing them, I looked through the binocs, and saw it was Flicker...just as I got the binocs focused, Flicker flew right towards me....very cool!...and landed on the far side of an Oak just in front of me...I had time to get out the new camera, and took a few pics I really like....the snow is acting as a reflector...and the light is terrific in these Blue Sky days...a little further on, I saw an Acorn Woodpecker 'base jump' from a high Oak branch to the snow...it just fell off the branch, and at the very last, spread its wings!...another very cool!....earlier Raven had flown low right toward me too, and just over my head...sorta that kinda walk!....at the Post Office, picked up the Leki pole with the camera thread bolt top...and walked back through Cook's...nearly back at the Cabin...and taking baby steps on the ice.....the ice was just an increment tilted...and one foot went..and when I tried to brace with the other... it went...and down I went!...kinda frustrating...I seem to have a unwanted talent for slipping and sliding....part of the trouble is the new boots soles are brand new hard rubber and slick...I'd wear the traks, but on pavement they hurt my feet...and taking them off and on from patch of ice to ice is such a chore!...but I better resort to that!....report of Hawks on Posts along the Road to Merced...clip tonight of Zeke, the Redtail, on the Perch...from last year, Jan. 5....sunny cool...near 50 degrees!...but the snow frozen and crunchy...a nice walk today seeing Flicker!!