Osprey Road

A long day rollabout exploring the Foothills...report for sometime....drizzly rainy in the in the morning, but clearing as I
left the Valley, and a knockdown day....returning from Merced, sighted One Coyote, and then Another Coyote, crossing the Road nearing Catheys Valley--this at Dusk...first Coyote sightings in the foothills..for me!....Ospreys too...Redshoulder Hawks mating too!!...and Hawks sitting on Nests!!....not many Flowers...ones up all I saw....Two Identical "Perched Osprey", is a post up mistake!

Before recollection collects too much dust, a report of Osprey Road (written up on 3/21 while the Cabin power is out, and I'm trying to charge up the computer at Last Chance!): After errand in Mariposa, rolled out 49 to Bear Valley, and made a left on Bear Valley Road...Hawks, Redtails, here and there, and knockdown scenic, rolling Oak Hills all green (Oaks not in leaf yet)....nearing Hornitos, began sighting Hawks on Nests, and just Nests...pics...no traffic, so could stop...along the Road is a seasonal Creek, and in one place it emptied into a Pond...and across the Road from the Pond was an exposed Rock Bluff in the Hill, and there was enough roadside room to pull over, and I saw New Ducks (pics for sometime) on the Pond, so pulled over....while I was taking pics, a car passed, slowed, backed up, went forward, backed up, parked, and out hopped a fellow who started right in talking about Hawks and Eagles...reminded me a bit of that scene in Jeremy Johnson...anyway, my first impression was the fellow was a local, he knew the Pond like the back of his hand--'Hawk on Nest in the Cottonwood, Two Canada Geese across the Pond, Ducks dont stay long..."....and he explained where the Ospreys and Eagles were at Merced Falls, and Lake McSwain, where I was headed....I tried to keep up, and reported the Hawk's Nest I'd just passed, and showed pic on the lcd screen of the newer camera....."Oh, he said, "let me show you my Eagle pic!"....and I followed over to his car, and watched him take a camera with lens from the front seat--a camera set the envy of every photog on my budget!....Eagle pic was cool, kinda the same pose of my Eagle pic from Tule Lake--(mine's better, I thought, hmmph..)...and we talked and talked, swapping critter stories...and I asked for a pencil and paper to write my email on, and my like minded new friend opened the car's trunk, and rummaged through every camera and lens known to man looking for a piece of paper!...and gave me his phone number, and a guide to every National Wildlife Refuge in the Country, which he has apparently been too!...'I grabbed a handful of pamphlets last stop...'....'thanks!'....a bit flummoxed, I went my way, and he his, his to the Valley for Snow pics....'there's a little Snow left', I counseled....and with promises to get together for critter pics sometime....before leaving, I sighted Turkey Vultures on the Cliff...pics...and hence the name, Buzzard Cliff Pond.....oh, the little light on the charger is green....more of this report for sometime!!!

Yellow Flowers

Hillside Daisies...I think....pic up is from day at Carrizo Plain....After Breakfast, put on rain gear, and paddled out to the Hummock Ponds...sighted Four Mallards out in the Middle Ponds with the binocs....only had along the waterproof....Western Blue Birds out in the Meadow too....Acorn Woodpecker overhead, Blue Jay calling...quiet....overcast drizzly rainy all day into the night...at Lunch:...only half way across the Road and Rain sent me back inside Last Chance...tomorrowmorro begins Flower hunting season...

Brown Creeper

After late Breakfast, started laundry, and...watched tv until worktime...hmmph....sunny hazy warm, overcast at lunch..at Lunch: Robins pipepipepiping, Ravens callcallcall, and tiny peeps high in the Cottonwoods at Ozone Beach...Brown Creeper Pair overhead...while sighting One Creeper with the newer camera, glimpsed Second Creeper right behind me on Cottonwood, starting to climb....tried to turn, and an almost near as can be pic!...not often I'm so close to Creeper...anyway, tomorrowmorrow...

Blog of the Day: on this page, are some panorama pics of the Valley...bit jealous of the one with the Pines, taken at the Artists Grove I think....some of the newer point and shoots will do these panoramas very well now...

http://www.matthewmayphotography.com/blog/?p=3775

Yellow Rump Warbler

And Eleven Mallards...after Breakfast, Shuttled over to the Village, and paddled back to Bobcat Meadow and out to the Hummock Ponds....it's being noticed that the Ponds are very full, and I've been wondering if the Meadow's hydrology has changed...usually the Ponds flood, and then drain back into the Merced--just where I haven't been able to ascertain...but it's like for awhile now the Ponds aren't draining back into the Merced...Snow Melt could be keeping the Ponds high...let me think: water from the River enters at the Lily Pad Pond, without an obvious channel, (I've thought there's an underground link), and the River is high, but it doesn't seem like that high!...a puzzle...anyway, sat awhile propped up against an Oak, observing Flicker Grove (usually, I look out over the Meadow towards Half Dome)...most times this Winter, I've had this spot to myself, but it's a popular spot, and before long, like Ozone Beach--tourists!...anywayanyway, Two Black Phoebes, Two Robins, One Blue Jay, One Yellow Rump (pic up), Eleven Mallards, maybe Two or Three Acorn Woodpeckers overhead, Kinglets, and Ravens flying about....sunny hazy warmer...at Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods...Robins here and there piping...Ravens...quiet...report yesterday too of Thee Ospreys, and Nests, at Merced Falls..'one caught a fish!'....and the Deer: I've been forgetting to report the Deer I see on forays out of the Valley on my Weekends...Deer are often about at Cascade Falls and by the Kiosk...and I saw Two like Eight Point Bucks from the Shuttle yesterday in the Oak Grove...Bucks I haven't seen before...I think!...oh, and on the Pond there are Knats (pursued by Phoebes), and Frog was croaking...

Three Mergansers

Out and about late, took along mini donuts and orange juice, and snacked at the Hummock Ponds...quiet...Mallards somewhere...Kinglets, Mountain Chickadee, Brown Creeper, on the way by Lower Falls....sat awhile, picked up, and sighted Acorn Woodpecker overhead that had been taptaptapping... lowered my eyes a bit, and saw what I thought was Raven flying toward me, but it was Hawk, Redshoulder, Cedar!...Cedar flew right overhead, and across the Ponds to perch on an Oak Snag Branch amongst the Elms...think sometimes I should observe more, with less pics!...so, sat under an Oak, and with the binocs, observed Cedar observing Bobcat Meadow...time nearing, and thought I might have time to walk out the Road to find vantage to maybe get a pic...Cedar looked to be set awhile...but when I reached the Oaks thereabout, Cedar had flown off....I made a loop through the Oak Grove, and sighted Cedar flying across the Path and perch in an Oak...then back across the Path to perch in another Oak, and back across the Road to perch in the Elm!...well, it was becoming Tree to Tree after all!...so much for observing!....when I reached the Elm, Cedar flew to another Oak just before the Boardwalk, then to an Oak the other side of the Boardwalk, and then to a Small Pine beside the Road (route now is one often taken by Coop!)....seems every time I sighted the newer camera, Cedar would take wing....blurry pics, farfar away pics...Cedar crossed the Road to the Pines by the Clubhouse, and then I saw Cedar fly to another Pine, and though hidden from view, Cedar looked to have perched on a Low Snag...set the tripod down, and Indian walked....and I got so close!...but Cedar took wing....another blurry flight pic!...time, almost past time...two minutes late for work!...but much fun...sunny puffy clouds warm...Redwings, Robins, Blue Jays, in the Meadow, and Frogs!....at Lunch: slogged through the Snow to the Cottonwoods, trying to keep work shoes dry!...and happy to see Three Male Merganser on the Far Bank of the Merced....while taking the faraway lowlight pics, Ouzel alighted on a Fallen Cottonwood in the River...cool to see Ouzel too back at Ozone Beach!

Ruddy Duck

After Breakfast, Shuttled over to the Village, and back to Lower Falls...paddled out to Bobcat Meadow...while nearing the Hummock Ponds, heard Redwing Blackbird over by the Elms...diverted, and tried for pics...Western Bluebirds about too...Mallards on the Ponds...not sure how many, reviewing pics (couldn't get close), I count from Nine to Eleven Mallards...and sounded like Mallards calling further out in the Meadow too, so maybe more Mallards...light rain, clouds moving along the Rims, warm....pics up from Bolsa Chica, Monday afternoon before last Monday--two Mondays ago!....I've got a backlog...anyway, I wasn't at Bolsa Chica long, but it was a welcome relief after the long roll...walked about a short while...saw where Terns nest...have some pics of other new birds...Ruddy Duck is new bird, for me!...I was once on an Audubon Walk a longlong time ago to the Bolsa Chica Bluffs...remember Monarch Butterflies, and Concrete Pillboxes....and that Birders were kinda cliquish, and that was the one Audubon walk!....it isn't like I didn't take an interest in wildlife when I lived in Orange County, but most of my pursuits were under water....but it is curious to me that I didn't pursue Hawks...used to hear Hawks overhead everyday at the MK....guess it was I just never saw Hawk up close, like hereabout...anyway...report from Twenty Hill Hollow: Bald Eagle, Burrowing Owls, and ten percent of the Hollow has been nibbled away by Almond Orchards....Hollow is on private property, and a puzzle how to visit now....oh...another puzzle is why, as a kid, I didn't explore Bolsa Chica....the Beach there isn't a popular surf spot, shore break waves, and the Sand has tar....and the tidal area was probably off limits because of oil drilling--I can remember rows of wooden derricks thereabout!

Ben Hur Road Eagle

After late Breakfast, gathered the gear, and rolled down the hill to Ben Hur Road....thought was to go to Eastman Lake, and find the Hiking Trail thereabout...overshot the Traihead, and made a short visit to Raymond...tinytiny Town, noted, it was reported, for quarrying Granite...anyway, backtracked, and found the Trail Head, and the Sign thereabout that said: Trail Closed...hmmph....began taking some scenic pics on return...lots of Oaks, and rolling Hills, and Digger Pines, and Cows....had sighted like Seven or so Hawks , Redtails (Redtail over powerline pic), and one Kestrel, and thought I sighted another Redtail, but second thought, wait, that's Bigger Wings with White Head!....and Bald Eagle was perched atop an Oak....pics with the newer camera...Eagle looked to be set for awhile, and I took my time setting up for digipics, but too much time, and Eagle lifted off, breaking the Perch Branch which fell to the Ground with a crash...and Eagle flew over to the Oak Covered Hills...overcast cool...most Birds along the Road just glimpsed, or briefly heard: Black Headed Grosbeak, Robins, Flickers, Three Mallard Flight, Coots (by Fairgrounds), Blue Jays, Sparrow Flights, Ravens, Phoebes, Blackbird Flights, Acorn Woodpeckers (Old Fence Posts full of holes)...I wanted to have time for the Trail, so rolled pretty much non stop thereabout, and after seeing the Sign, was disappointed, and rolled pretty much nonstop back!....sighting Eagle kinda rescued the day!...but even without sighting Eagle, glad I went for the rollabout...the Trail looked like a good walk, and dont quite understand the closure for 'environmental reasons'...

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One of the area's most accessible hiking trails, the Lakeview Trail at Eastman Lake, will be closed for at least the next six months to protect a pair of nesting bald eagles.

Read more: http://fresnobeehive.com/sportsbuzz/2010/02/lakeview_trail_at_eastman_lake.html#ixzz1FPefWXKC

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ah!...that explains that!!

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The most outstanding features of the ranch are the fences, the old stone fence built in 1862 by Chinese coolies,

http://www.mariposaresearch.net/Becknell.html

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Stone Fence is in foreground of Eagle pic....and cool that folk along the road wave to one another!