Category Archives: Nature

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Unknown Flower

Regional Parks Botanical Garden, Tilden Park.

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Crocosmia

I first saw this flower in Oregon and added it to my own garden some years later. It grows from corms and self propagates. In New Zealand it is considered an environmental weed. Photographed at a school near my home.

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Raptors & John Muir

Last evening while a good friend and I were in the John Muir National Historic Site for a glimpse of the full moon rising over Mt. Diablo, we met up with a Park Ranger who was going to lead a moonlight walk in the hills … Read More

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Buckwheat & the Bee

Honeybees again, this time on Buckwheat. Amazingly busy and resourceful creatures.

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Oaks

Another view in the Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve. It was hard to not be faced with multiple choices in all directions. It’s truly a magical, Harry Potter-esq forest. I’d not be surprised to see a door into a Hobbit home.

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Los Osos Oaks SNR

The Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve has a modest face on the highway but a fabulous surprise awaits inside. It’s mixed oak forest with fantastic shapes and curves and looks like something from a Harry Potter movie. This particular tree was an exception and … Read More

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Mustard & Bee

All day long honeybees worked the mustard behind our tent while we stayed at Montaña de Oro. While it’s fairly easy to get photos of them, it’s harder to get nice ones. All too often, I end up with perfectly exposed photos of bee’s butts … Read More

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Golden Yarrow

One of the flowers that gives Montaña de Oro (Mountain of Gold) State Park its name is Golden Yarrow, eriophylum confertiflorum. It was blooming in abundance during our visit last week.

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New P&S camera

I must admit to being thrilled with the quality and capabilities of my new P&S. It’s far better than I had hoped and capable of some very nice photos. This is from today’s Farmer’s market and have very little Lr adjustment. It’s really the way … Read More

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Little Birds

I took a short, hot hike in a new-to-me part of Mt. Diablo State Park called Macedo Ranch. It was near mid-day, a terrible time to take photographs, but I wanted to see if some changes I had made to my camera would allow me … Read More

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Bald Eagles, Calaveras Reservoir

I was on a gorgeous bike ride Saturday from Sunol to the Calaveras Reservoir and back when I passed a man with a spotting scope. I took a look in the direction it was pointed and saw what appeared to be a Bald Eagle atop … Read More

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Sparrow

Canon EOS 5D Mark II + EF500mm f/4L IS USM, 1/400 @ f/11 A White Crowned Sparrow (Zonotricha leucophrys) seen during a morning walk at The Sea Ranch.