Rocky Slope

After Breakfast, paddled over to Rocky Slope...scenic pics....around about Camp 4....maybe half a dozen Tents, Snow over a foot deep on the Tables...pics....and across the Road and half across the Burnt Forest....Snow drifts thereabout up above my knees....and that all wore me out...continued on Snowplowed Pavement and the Path out to Two Top Pine Meadow...pics for sometime....and returned along the Merced...scenic pics....along the way: Ravens, Blue Jays, Acorn Woodpecker call, Little Bird call...quiet....and when I neared the Cabin, Deer in the Backyard--Doe right in front of Silver....pics and clips...Siberia Mama Doe and Two Fawns, and Cabin or Last Chance Mama Doe and Fawn, and one more Doe....same Deer at Lower Falls yesterday...all night fluffy flakes, cloudy sunny until late afternoon, and more tiny flakes, clear tonight, warm cool, below freezing late night, which is a concern for Sunday long trip to Southern California for weekend...not quite sure when to leave...Road might be best after work, best meaning not icy slippery, and that would be an all night drive....an early morning departure would mean icy road too, and maybe tule fog in the big valley too...it's a business errand, but I would like to go along the Coast on way back...just thinking aloud!!

Lower Falls Deer

After Breakfast, paddled over to the Village...on the way, at Lower Falls, Deer were about--Two Bucks, Siberia Mama Doe and Two Fawns, Cabin, or Last Chance, Mama Doe and One Fawn, and another Doe...pics and clips!....Hundred Blue Jays, Robin call--all I noted!...was looking for Bobcat!, but no luck...snowrain day, cool, snowflakes after dark....problem with clicking on pic to enlarge them has re occurred....posted explanation on Mast....problem is with Microsoft's Security Program, and only shows up with Internet Explorer browsers...it's kindof an absurdity....brb....

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Problem: When a picture in the blog is clicked to enlarge, and when the action happens to send the user to 3.bp.blogspot.com/ , a flag that says This website has been reported as unsafe is posted by Microsoft.

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=1c8b5078eb08c10a&hl=en

unquote

Lower Falls Bobcat

After Breakfast, Shuttled over to the Village, and just as I stepped off, heard the Shuttle Driver say, 'there's a Bobcat'...oh!...paddled up to the front of the Shuttle, and asked 'where?'....took me awhile to sight Bobcat...first pic up....wanted to get in front, but Ravens came over on attack, and Bobcat trotted over behind the Club House, somewhere!...lost sight, but there was a trail, and followed best I could, all the way to the Hummocks in Bobcat Meadow!!...where I found a second track...but no Bobcat, and in the open Meadow, this was a bit of a puzzle...left off, checked mail, saw even more tracks on the return....but when I did head back to the Cabin through the Oak Grove, sighted Bobcat under a Pine at the Intersection...and was able to follow Bobcat into the Oaks by Owls Old Snag Oak....and thereabout was joined by friend, and photogs began to gather, and cars began to stop and looksee, and, I just sat on the Split Rail Fence awhile after some farfar away pics, and watched....and wait for a notion where Bobcat was headed....a guess was the Lower Falls stop, and I trotted out to the Road, and down the Road, and found a place at the Split Rail Fences to kneel, and wait, wait for the photogs to herd Bobcat my way!....a trick I've learned from previous jams!!....and I got some pics when Bobcat came my way...Bobat will come very close, and not be disturbed...I lost sight, but regained it when I saw the photogs by the Creek Footbridge...Bobcat was just the other side of the Fence, and crouched completely flat, listening. I think....I left off, Bobcat needs to catch food, and is engaged in serious pursuit...tourist find it remarkable that Bobcat can shut out their observing, talking, walking, and clicityclic cameras!.....oh, but Cats are good at this!!....light snowfall off and on all day into the night, and through tomorrow, forecast says....I set the newer camera to Tv, iso 800, with 1250 shuttler speed, and the auto exposure grabbed f stops between 7 and 10....the auto focus missed some of the closest opportunities, and the Fences were in the way, and sometimes running down the Road is a lot of fun hereabout!!

Snow Trees

Opened the Door, and it was Snowing, and after Breakfast, paddled out to Bobcat Meadow--just the waterproof camera with....pics and clips...quiet...at the Village, Grey Squirrel, and Black Bird on a Boulder resting while I waited at the Shuttle Stop...Shuttled back to the Cabin and checked a note left on the Door the night before...thought it was package delivery note, and so the errand trip to the Village, but it was a 'come to work at three thirty note'(hours being trimmed)--should open notes!...anyway, I had more time, and made the Inside Loop counterclockwise...more pics and clips!....at the very end of the walkabout, in the Backyard by the Fig Tree, happened on Three Does and Three Fawns...Siberia Mama Doe and Two Fawns, and either Cabin Fawn, or Last Chance Fawn--I think!...anywayanyway, a fine walkabout, no one about, and Snow falling sometime, and clearing sometime, and clips for sometime!!...took one more Snow Tree pic after work...order of pics (not order I took them!) Artists' Grove, Backyard, Ozone Cottonwoods (fallen log is where I sit at Lunch), Flicker Grove Oaks, and Lower Falls, and Tree in the Door!

Rainbow Pool Hawk

Monday morning, gathered the gear, and rolled down the Hill to Oakhurst for new tires for Silver...wobbled a bit...no...just plain wobbled! on the way, but new tires fixed the wobble on the way back...thanks to Big O Tires!...anyway, lots of daylight left, and no storm, and rolled over to Groveland for a long planed, but often diverted, overnight visit with friends....much fun, and on rollabouts, saw the neighborhood....one visit was to Rainbow Pool...thereabout, Ranger was releasing Raccoon accidentally trapped while trying to catch Feral Cats...pic....and nearing thereabout, Hawk, Redtail on Snag beside Road...friends are familiar with my routine! and found a pull out....pics...but missed some good Redtail pics when card filled up....lots of souvenir clips and pics....and scenics on return to the Valley....pretty day with clouds from the edges of the storms which are crossing up North....rolling by Bobcat Meadow, sighted Mallards...dropped off gear at the Cabin, returned, and sighted Three Mallards at the Hummocks...pic...still some light, and thought to go see Horsetail Falls, but it's been awhile since I made the Inside Loop to Creek's End...paddled out to Ozone Beach, quiet, and walked along the Merced to the Creek...thereabout, Two Male Mergansers, and One Female Merganser came by flying furiously down river....I wondered if Mergansers were going all the way to Mariposa to the Pond by the Fair Grounds...on the Monday morning rollback, I sighted Ducks there, pulled over, walked back for faraway pics, and thought Mergansers, but reviewing pics tonight, I see Ducks were Golden Eyes, and I now have pics, farfar aways, of Male and Female Golden Eyes...very cool!....this morning, I was out and about early to try and find the Owls near my friends' house, but no luck...but lots of other Birds....Canada Geese, Robins, Starlings, Rosy Finches, Hummingbird, Blue Heron, Acorn Woodpeckers, Egret, Stellar Jay, Scrub Jay, and some calls I couldn't id....saw Buzzbirds over Oakhurst....more visits to Groveland for sometime soon...lots to see in and around the Canyons of the Tuolumne!!

Nine Mallards

After Breakfast, paddled out to the Hummocks...quiet, Mallards somewhere...and over to under the Oaks by the Elms to sit awhile...quiet too!...Hundred Blue Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, Phoebe, and Robin call...made the Loop around Bobcat Meadow...Mountain Chickadee call at the Creek Footbridge....sunny blueblue warm, a few hazy clouds...at Lunch: found the Mallards' 'where'...all Nine Mallards by the opposite Bank at Ozone Beach....pic up...Ravens overhead, Phoebe call...quiet...on the morning walk, overheard tourists talk about Cat sizes by Lower Falls, and they likely had seen Bobcat thereabout...report of Two Coyotes at the West End of Two Top Pine Meadow....

Robin

Took along mini donuts and orange juice to the Hummocks...snacked...quiet...no Mallards about!....continued under the Oaks by the Road..Acorn Woodpeckers and Hundred Blue Jays about....Black Phoebe perched atop the Small Volunteer Ponderosas that are taking over Bobcat Meadow...all the Meadows actually...Phoebe likes the Small Pines for perches....checked mail, reported waterproof camera found...and while waiting for the Shuttle to return, heard Nuthatch call...oh...and White Headed Woodpecker on a Cedar next to the Cabin when I stepped outside...sunny blueblue warmer....at Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods...heard call I thought was DownyOrHairy Woodpecker back in the Alders...short pipings...but then I heard a melody--Robin!...very cool..first Robin sighting of the New Year...maybe it's Spring now, but small Storm forecast for Monday...'felt like a hint of spring'--tv weather newscaster.....'one degree away of record'....75/76...Fresno I think....but 3,000 foot snow level next Monday....62 hereabout today...