Hawk and Bee

Was waiting at Last Chance Shuttle Stop, on way to the Post Office, and heard Hawk back by the Cattails....hurried over to looksee...just as I got there, Hawk picked up...but a glimpse showed direction, and found Hawk in the Pine...farfar away pic and clip!....missed the Shuttle, so back to the Cabin for the bicycle...peddled over making the loop through Bobcat Meadow...came back the same way, and at the Artist's Grove heard Hawk over by the Deer House...hurried over, though slowed at the Boardwalk Bridge for pedestrians!... just as I got to the House, Hawk picked up and flew to a golden leaved Oak...farfar away pics and clips...and Hawk's head was often behind a branch I didn't see!...picked up and peddled over Chapel Bridge and to the Path along the Road...looking across Chapel Meadow at all the snags...and at the Boardwalk, thought I saw Hawk's silhouette...farfar away!...but reviewing a pic..zooming in...I saw what looked like a giant gall....peddled out the Boardwalk to looksee...and I think it's a Bee Hive...at least a few Bees seem to be going in or out...brb...going to check on line for such a thing!!...Oh!....it's a Paper Wasp nest!!!..pic at this site (scroll down):
http://www.saginawbees.org/swarminfo.html
well...wait!...this site says it's a Yellowjacket Wasps nest!
http://www.livingwithbugs.com/yel_nest.html.....brb....
a page with a rescue intern's tale of a summer in the Little Valley (being bitten by yellowjackets brought page up in search...):
http://ylp.ucmerced.edu/2.asp?uc=1&lvl2=44&lvl3=44&lvl4=45&contentid=28
brb...well, the search brings up plenty of pics of the paper nest...and natural history of the Yellowjackets...I find myself quite taken with the alienalien look of the nest!!....after taking the Nest pics and clips, heard Hawk back at Bobcat...peddled hurriedly thereabout, but quiet...earlier by the Deer House pic and clip of White Headed Woodpecker...and earlier still by the Cabin, pic and clip of Chickaree that is living in the Cedars, I think...sunny warm blue with the hazy clouds and light breeze...Bear report by the Train Wreck around four am...reporter was seated at table bench, waiting for worktime, and heard slurping sound in nearby water bucket (used to douse bbq)...reporter didn't dare to look or turn head!...and pitch dark!...oh!!..and last night, report of Ladybug roost by El Cap Meadow..I think...somewhere out that way....have seen pics of these gatherings, but have yet to see my ownself these thousands of Ladybugs all toghether....

Note: It's taken all morning, but I've gotten Windows Security Essentials to download and work.

Delta Deer

After Breakfast, paddled back to the Creek a bit... quiet...picked up the tripod and second camera, and then out to Rocky Slope...tried for Little Birds...but not much luck...Trail thereabout crowded, so paddled out into the Delta...and quiet there too!... as a place to take pics, the Delta is photogenic...lots of Trees...but spread out, so not so shady....and good play of light and shadow...pic....happened on Deer...clips up...report of early morning Bear in Siberia...sunny warm blue with some hazy clouds and slight breeze!

Kinglet

Shuttled over to the Post Office...Raven out front in the Oaks...clip...thought to visit the Indian Village...Kinglets thereabout...clip and pics....and Brown Creeper...clip...and Mama Doe and Two Smaller Fawns...clip...Grey Squirrel too...clip....paddled back through Bobcat Meadow...Black Phoebe at the Woodpecker Tree...clips...sunny warm with hazy clouds....one Fawn limping a little...right front leg...

Brown Bird

Pic from Monday...while in the Bookstore that day, heard report of 'Thrush, maybe' perished on the ground on the other side of the building..went over to looksee...have tried to identify...the bill doesn't look narrow enough....and I'm thinking it's a Fox Sparrow...but I dont know!!....after Breakfast, made a short walk back to the Creek..Creek's End...and around through Owl Woods back to the Cabin...quiet....sunny warm blue...think the little Brown Bird ran into a window...report of Owl hoo hoos early in the morning behind the Rooms...no pics or clips today...

Looked about web to try and figure out id of the 'little Hawk' of Sunday past...Cooper's Hawks and Sharp shinned Hawks look a lot a like...wish Hawk had turned around!....

Hawk Morning, Owl Evening

Out and about at sunrise....while in the Woods, heard Hawk across the Merced...went to the River's edge, and contemplated wet boots...did get short clip...and boots a little wet!...Hawk flew over to the Woods...and I followed Hawk's call Tree to Tree awhile...but no luck for pics...went to Breakfast...French toast and sausage....and back to the Cabin and nap...woke up around two!..and Shuttled over to the Post Office...Coyote strolling by as Shuttle pulled away from Last Chance..clip...picked up peanut butter and jelly, kitkat, and orange juice...walked back through Bobcat Meadow and along the Merced...Cottonwood Snags by the Apple tree fallen down...one still leaning, and will need removal for safety...took a seat on the Deer House Log ...3:02...time announced by passing tourist...and heard soft hoo hoo hooo hoo hooo hoo from the Oaks...Owls!...picked up and went back to the Cabin for the gear, and returned....found a log by the Creek to sit and listen..and ate the late lunch...heard Owl over by the Muir Redwood...picked up and looked and looked...but no luck visually...but heard Owl with the high hoo back by the Creek...and two Owls in the Oaks...and maybe a distant fourth way way back by the Creek...clip of calls...a quiet day, with the long midday nap!...sunny warm and blue...have been reading the book with Enid Michaels' writing...reports really, of fauna and flora in the Valley...not dissimilar from the ones posted here!..and reviewed the dvd...16 mm clips...some black and white, some in color...these are only a small number of the ones lost in the fire at Shirley Sargeant's home...a real loss!...the clips too have some of the flavor of the ones here, in that they were an effort to report the Fauna and Flora...though a lot of them are home movie things!....a real value of the reports, is that Enid often gives the exact location of a critter or plant...'Kingfisher's beat was from Sentinel Bridge to Stoneman's Bridge'.....'The Joy of Yosemite' is a much worthy book to have on one's book shelf!...thought I heard Kingfisher yesterday...but maybe it was Ouzel.....and Kingfisher's beat appears to be from Swinging Bridge to Sentinel Bridge!....the dvd has all of Enid's reports printed in the Nature Notes and in the Stockton Record...some duplicated in both...the Notes are on line...scenic pic of Sentinel from yesterday...

Squirrel And Hawk

After Breakfast, peddled over to the Library..found the book, Joy of Yosemite...thought it great luck, then checked the Bookstore, and they have it too!....bought two...one for my Library friend!...picked up mail, then stopped in the Gallery to see if they carried a bigger gorilla pod (small flexible camera tripod)...and they do, so bought one...and a little camera umbrella gadget....spent too much money...but back at the Cabin was entertained trying to figure out yet more ways to attach the waterproof camera to the scope...got it all together and sorta working...gathered all the gear and paddled out to Creek's End...set it up...took faraway pics of bolts on Chapel Bridge to see how things might go...everything too unsteady...but I have some more ideas..for tomorrow...ate lunch at Owl Log...egg salad, grape cranberry....picked up, and just as I started into the Woods in the Diversion Channel...Red Tail Hawk flew up from the gravel, and perched in a Ponderosa...pic...tried to get close, but Hawk flew off, but was calling...after a lot of Tree to Tree with no luck, finally found Hawk high in the Cottonwood...clip...but no pic...Hawk flew off again...calling...followed out to Two Top Pine Meadow, and heard Hawk over in Chapel Meadow...workmen had Swinging Bridge closed, so headed back to the Cabin for the bicycle...peddled back to the Scorched Forest..Chickaree pic....thought to wait for sunset...maybe hear Owl....report of Owls thereabout ....but decided to go back to Owl Woods..feel more at home thereabout!...Woods quiet ...Ouzel at Creek's End...Two Does and Fawn by the Merced, and Mama Doe and Two Fawns on the far side of the River...almost dark, and came upon Buck while crossing back through the Woods...took scenics out in Two Top...oh...Ground Squirrel on Owl's Old Oak in the Oak Grove...pic and clip up...sunny warm blue...the Michaels took a lot of 16mm film of the Park...this in the 1930s...haven't seen the dvd yet...review for sometime soon!!!

Pileated Woodpeckers And Hawks

Before Breakfast, heard Pileated Woodpecker out back...went to looksee, and Pileated was in the Three Dogwoods...handheld pics and clips...hard to get sight line through the branches and leaves...Pileated flew off, and I went to Breakfast, and afterwards, checked the Dogwoods again..quiet...but I could hear Pileated nearby....and Pileated flew into the Old Oak above the Bus...then flew towards me and over to the Dogwoods...better clips and pics than before!...and a second Pileated showed up....very cool....they flew off...and I took a walk out to Creek's End and looped through the Woods...quiet...and back to the Cabin, for a rest and football on tv, but thought to sit awhile on the paint bucket by the Dogwoods and wait...could still hear Pileated about...and also a scolding Blue Jay faraway somewhere over by the Rooms...wasn't too eager to walkabout again, but the scolding went on and on!...so I paddled over to looksee, and located a little Hawk high in a Cedar amongst the Trees between the Bike Path and the Rooms...Hawk was feeding..and wouldn't turn around!...tried every which way to get pics and clips...and while looking up, sighted Osprey in the Magnificent Blue Sky...hands came unglued trying to sight the camera...missed pic.....went back to trying every which way to photograph the little Hawk, and overhead, sighted two Redtail Hawks chasing one another...better luck this time...pics!...again, returned to the Little Hawk, and missed Hawk picking up, and flying right over my head out to Owl Woods.....picked up my ownself, and did get half an hour of tv football viewing!...thanks to daylight savings time!!...sunny warm blue...no lunch walk...too dark...thanks to daylight savings time!...

quote

Then came the fall of 1923 with a complete failure of
the acorn crop of both Kellogg and golden oaks. Owing, then, to this crop failure,
and also to the fact that there had been no excess storing during the preceding years
of plenty, the California Woodpeckers, for lack of food, were forced during the winter
of 1923-24 to leave the Valley.

from:

ACORN STORING METHODS OF THE CALIFORNIA AND
LEWIS WOODPECKERS
By CHARLES W. MICHAEL

a pdf page here:

http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v028n02/p0068-p0069.pdf

which is from here:
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/

Oh! Charles Michael is the husband of Enid Michaeal...the Nature Notes often have bird reports from her...and wiki has bit:
http://wiki.tradgirl.com/The_Joy_of_Yosemite:_Selected_Writings_of_Enid_Michael

maybe can get this book:

"The Joy of Yosemite: Selected Writings of Enid Michael, Pioneer Ranger Naturalist”

brb...well..it's here, and available from YA...it has a dvd with old movies...a must get!!
http://quaking-aspen-books.com/joy.html

the author, Fernando Peñalosa, has another book about the 1930's hereabout...

gotta wonder if the book about Enid is in the bookstore hereabout, and why I haven't noticed it!!..a lookabout for tomorrow!!

book looks impossible to get...but looked about too for Owl Cuckoo Clock...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQIYRZmkHXQ