A little Sand Piper gives me a wink and motions me to join in their morning yoga class on the beach. Although balancing on one leg proved not too difficult I fell flat on my face trying to hop away on one leg like these characters did when a rogue wave came up the beach just a little too far.
Evan with a light rain coming down this Red Shouldered Hawk sat alert and ever present of the next little meal that might scurry across the field below.
Along the coast of California on a rainy winters day.
While hiking around a rock outcrop in an attempt to get a better view of some large breaking waves I came across this guy busy foraging along the rocks near the shoreline. Since we spend so little time along the coast our shorebird identification skills are a bit lacking especially when the birds are dressed in their non-breeding plumage. My best guess is that this is a Black Turnstone albeit not looking very black this day. I welcome correction and tips for identification of shorebirds from costal dwellers.
Northern California Coast.
Looking up on a midwinters day an old cottonwood tree told a story.
The southern sun is warm and bright yet there’s a chill in the air.
I shall wait for spring.
Denver, CO.
This guy was quite curious as to what we were doing although our presence did not alter his routine. He would dive into the water via a small hole in the ice and every 5-6 tries come out with a nice looking fish.
Yellowstone Lake, YNP.
A little White Breasted Nuthatch catching the downward elevator on an old cottonwood tree as the morning sunlight begins to return to our local woodland.
Arranged and displayed in a quiet corner of a quiet forest. This self-made bouquet brought a smile to my day.
A Coyote on the prowl gives us a quick look back to let us know we have been noticed.
Yellowstone, NP.
We were treated to quite a show by this Male Hooded Merganser the other day and unfortunately for him we seemed more interested in his display than the female Hoodie he was courting. To begin with, he took on the other male in the pond in a typical Hooded Merganser head bobbing competition. He appeared to win that battle easily. Next he danced around his lady bobbing his head up and down and to our surprise would crook his neck sideways and belt out a little tune for her. The female hoodie would occasionally glance over his way, tuck her head back into her feathers and continue with her afternoon nap. He kept head bobbing and singing for quite some time and we got to witness quite a show but were left wondering was the female just playing hard to get, or was his show subpar?
A green winged teal doing a little people watching in Upper Geyser Basin.
Yellowstone National park.
nature has no boss 
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