Sandhill Cranes Flight

After Breakfast, paddled over to the Hummocks, Eight Mallards napping, and likely Nine....continued under the Oaks along the Road....Buck, and Two Does and One Fawn by Shuttle Stop Six(Seven?--the two stops at either road side at the Visitor Center!)...pics and clip, and when I picked up, I left the waterproof camera on the Bench....checked mail, and returned to Bobcat Meadow...nearing the Artist's Grove, sighted Two Does and One Fawn by the Azaleas.....Blue Jays and Black Phoebe too...pics and clips...continued the Meadow Loop, and when passing the Woodpecker Tree, realized I didn't have the waterproof...hurryscurried back to the Bench...favorite little camera gone...reported to Visitor Center Lost and Found, and went back to the Shuttle Stops to catch Shuttle back...time...and once on the Shuttle, asked if anyone had maybe turned in camera, as Shuttle may have been last at Six (Shuttles make a continuous loop), and driver friend teased me a bit..."were there pics of an Owl, and a Hawk, and..."...'"yes, yes"....much thanks to the unknown tourists, and my friend, that retrieved my camera!...not entirely unknown though, as on the sd card, a pic of everyone on the Shuttle mugging for the camera, a fine souvenir!....Hundred Blue jays, Acorn Woodpeckers about...sunny blueblue warm....at Lunch: sat a brief while at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods....Raven high overhead, and Merganser, I think, furiously flying by upriver.....Sandhillcranes pic from Monday at Merced Wildlife Refuge....

Black Necked Stilt

pic up is from Merced Wildlife Refuge last Monday afternoon, Black Necked Stilt...pics, I think, I have from other visits, but tonight id, and so a 'new bird', and very pretty Bird!....After Breakfast, paddled over to the Hummock Ponds....Nine Mallards napping....and napping under the Oaks, Three Does and One Fawn...and over by the Intersection, Mama Doe and Two Male Fawns (Two Top Pine Meadow family), checked mail in the Village, and returned through the Oaks...sighted Hawk, Redshoulder, Cedar!, fly to the Elm...followed, and was close, and couldn't see Cedar--new glasses really are a problem, the polycarbonate lenses can see details okay, but it's all a bit like when the binocs are not the right distance apart...maybe my eyes will adjust....anyway, Cedar flew off above the Oaks, and I lost sight by the Suburbs...returned through the Oaks...Three Does and Fawn still napping...Acorn Woodpeckers, Ravens, Hundred Blue Jays....sunny blueblue warm...at Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Cottonwoods....One Acorn Woodpecker call, Raven pair high overhead....quiet...curioius to see which will be the first Springtime Bird(s) to arrive, and when usual Birds like Ouzel will come back....

Link of the Day: (there are 58 clips at this youTube site TheMusicOfNature, and veryvery cool!!)

youTube clip: Winter Wren Portrait

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvdwamHv_fk

Bobcat

After late Breakfast, gathered the gear, and nearing Lower Falls Crosswalk, sighted Bobcat crossing Road towards me...pics!!....lost sight of Bobcat near the Creek Footbridge, but tourists got some good views and pics....continuing through the Oak Grove, overheard talkabout Two Bobcats, and when I reached the Intersection, sighted Bobcat again...pics and clips...more tourists got to see Bobcat, and helped me much sighting...dont know but new glasses are a new handicap!...hmmph...filled up one card (it was almost full already), and a second I grabbed was almost full too, and so lost some good pics with full card diversions...looking down, and looking back--Bobcat was lost to sight....and time!...much fun for everyone seeing Bobcat!!...clips for sometime...sunny blueblue warm....at Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods, reviewing the Bobcat pics...quiet...Ravens and Acorn Woodpeckers calls....oh...counted Eight Mallards napping at the Hummock Ponds, but again, One Mallard may have been hidden...

Link of the Day:

this is the 'about' page of site called 'runtheplanet'....author snowshoed up and around Upper Falls, and maybe down Snow Creek, not sure, and then up the Muir/Mule Trail....always thought to do this my ownself in winter, but snowshoes are a tough slog!....bit jealous of clip...helmet cam with a bit fishy eye looks to be, and it has a neat funkiness!!

http://www.runtheplanet.fr/about

clip is at bottom of this page--site is kinda busy!...oh...and author has pics from vantage of the Big Steps, a trail closed, and for good reason!

http://www.runtheplanet.fr/2011/01/renaissance-au-yosemite.html

Owl And Egret

Picked up mini donuts and orange juice and paddled over to the Hummock Ponds...snacked...counted Eight Mallards, but Mallards were sleeping amongst the Hummocks, and too far away for accurate count....on the way, Brown Creeper on Alder Tree by the Creek Footbridge...hd clip for sometime!....continued over to the Village...returned, and looped through the Meadow....sighted Black Phoebe for sure this time...pic...walked with friend going to Last Chance for lunch....I walk slow, and trying to keep up with those who walk faster makes me wonder how they manage the hectic pace!...anyway, after Lunch, thought to go on line and look for tires for Silver....since the tire rotation, there's a shimmy....curious, I searched for others with same problem, and discovered that Silver has the dread 'death wobble'(note speedometer in clip)...sheesh....it is an alarming wobble (new tires, and check of alignment--and all okay!)...happens to the front tires at about 45 mph, often triggered by bumpy road, and/or breaking....the tires are old, with uneven wear, and I can see where work was done on the front suspension before I bought Silver...just what all was done I dont know....there are a lot of post ups in the forums, on youTube, about DW....and there doesn't seem to be one straight forward fix....tires were okay before rotation, so good chance that shimmy is being caused by unbalanced tires, or uneven wear..the curio is that the shimmy happens at such a specific mph, 45-50, and when breaking or going over bump, or bumps...googling that specific data with model, make, and year, brings up exactly the same data in forum posts!....anyway....that concern took up all afternoon....noted Sunlight fading outside the Cabin Window, and gathered the gear and rolled over to El Cap...but too cloudy for Horsetail Firefall Show...sunny blueblue breezy cool to clouds...some pics of Clouds moving across El Cap...not much Water coming over Horsetail Falls....Morning walk quiet....Hundred Blue Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, Ravens, about the Meadow...oh...pics up are from MWR....felt remiss that I didn't get there at Sunup, and look for Owls, but sighted Two Owls beside the Road....after I made the the loop of the Refuge, I diverted from going to look for the Tuolumne Bald Eagle--not enough time, and long drive with DW!--and made a second loop, and Owls still in the Island Cottonwood(Willow?)...very cool, and Owls very sleeping!...and I think they are Owls I see and hear at Entrance Cottonwoods at Sunrise...and Egret was at the Island Cottonwood too!...oh...it's a Willow... I think...

Sandhill Cranes

youTube: Sandhill Cranes Flight

After Breakfast, rolled down the hill, and after picking up new glasses in Merced, rolled over to Merced Wildlife Refuge....and thereabout, finally saw Sandhill Cranes on the Ground by Bitten Marsh, and fortunately, the Roads thereabout are Trails, and I was able to Indian walk within digiscope faraway range....Corn Stalks were being mowed, and Cranes looked to like the Flattened Stalks....while making digi clips, I saw Hundreds and Hundreds of Cranes take off and head my way from the middle of the Refuge, where Cranes usually are, and hidden from Road views, though easy to hear!...I have clip of Cranes flying overhead, and will try to put it up on youTube with link here....clip up is with the digi....sunny blueblue warm, a little hazy too at the Refuge....back late, and a long day....reports and more pics for sometime....Refuge is on Sandy Mush Road, which I've been calling Sandy Marsh...Foothills have some curious Road and Town names!

"Have you been to the Refuge on Sandy Mush Road?"

"You mean the swamp"?

mush: a soft, wet, pulpy mass : she trudged through the mush of fallen leaves.

a new word for blog use for certain!!

Pileated Woodpecker By Sentinel Bridge

After Breakfast, made the Outside Loop counterclockwise...Hairy Woodpecker by the Broken Cottonwood in Two Top Pine Meadow...pic...nearing Chapel Bridge, Blue Jays scolding in the Old Village....waded in the Snow to looksee, but I think Blue Jays, a contingent of the Hundred Blue Jays!, were just being noisy....continued along the Merced Bank to Sentinel Bridge...Pileated Woodpecker call, and glimpsed Pileated overhead flying across the Road...followed, and going up the Little Embankment to the Sidewalk (original from the Old Village!), was a few feet of Slippery Icy Slope, which took but a few moments to tackle my effort...fortunately, cradled the newer camera before it touched down!....anyway, Pileated was noisy, and ratattaptaping, on a Tall Snag...pics up...continued around Bobcat Meadow...Nine Mallards at the Hummock Ponds...Acorn Woodpecker, twice Chickadee calls, Kinglet call here and there, Ravens, maybe Siskins by the Path near the Cabin, and maybe Phoebe in Bobcat Meadow...a quiet walk!...sunny blueblue warmer with wispy clouds, snow is melting, bareing ground everywhere...at Lunch: sat a brief while at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods...quiet..Ravens overhead....

Pine Siskins On Alder Branches

After Breakfast, sighted Pine Siskins across Road in the Frontyard...pics up...gathered all the gear, and paddled out to Bobcat Meadow....Deer at the Oaks....Four Does and One Buck....hopping over Split Rail Fence pics of each Deer...cars parked on both sides of the Road now, again...for awhile, just a few, which was wonderful!...anyway, Seven Mallards at the Hummock Ponds....sat awhile under, and leaning against, one of the Black Oaks...more comfortable than the Snag Branch!....started to pick up, and sighted Hawk, Redshoulder, Cedar!, across the Meadow above the Boardwalk...farfar away pics...thought to sit back down, watch with the binocs, and in the doing, Hawk flew off, somewhere....paddled over Chapel Bridge for a looksee...quiet...Hundred Blue Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, Ravens, inby Flicker Grove, DownyOrHairy Woodpecker in Chapel Meadow....sunny with hazy clouds, clear for a moment in the evening for Horsetail Firefalls Show...at Lunch: sat awhile at the Ozone Beach Cottonwoods...quiet...Ravens, or maybe Buzzbirds, wayway high....oh!!...email, with pics, from hiking friend, reports Bald Eagle flying from "it's tree top fishing spot along the Tuolumne River, between Drew creek and Lumsden Bridge."....and pics of Sierra Newt....Newts and Salamanders are hereabout in the Valley, I think, but not sure how to find things...I dont turn Rocks and Old Logs and such over...not fair...kinda like moving the ball in golf!!...oh...it's late saturday night, and very windy out!...