Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Hawk

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Pausing for the Moment, Where the Adventure Leads

Tumbleweeds, Zebra Lizards and a Tunnel to Nowhere!

Sometimes do you just have urge to get out and see where the journey takes you? This was my feeling after so many days of 100°+ temperatures, smoke from all the wildfires and then a percussive 4.4 earthquake that almost blew me off my office chair. After packing lunch, water and camera gear, I ventured out to find a road less traveled.

In less than one hour, I came to the tunnel in the desert that goes to nowhere. This seemed to be where I was supposed to go, so I stopped and prepared to take a hike.

Some interesting patterns in the dried mud caught my attention at the tunnel's entrance, reminding me of what a severe drought we were still facing.

There was not even much variety in the flora and fauna on this hot September day other than a zebra-tailed lizard scurrying by to find shade in the rocks.

The tumbleweeds were doing well, flowering and soon to be going to seed. This invasive species, as flammable as lighter fluid, is taking over the hillsides of the Great Basin Desert.

A refreshing coolness greeted me inside the thick tunnel walls, making me want to linger before pressing back out into the intense high noon sun. The absence of spider webs reminded me of how desolate this area was. Careful footing was a must or you just might become something's dinner.

Exiting the tunnel, the fluttering of wings caught me by surprise and I managed to catch one frame of a hawk departing the rock outcropping.

From the layers of white droppings, these rocks were a favorite nesting area for raptors. It would be interesting to check back here in spring with my 500mm lens, in hope of photographing the chicks. The long lens will allow me to focus up close on the nests without disturbing the birds. My creed as a nature photographer is to take only photos and leave with only memories.

As much as my mind was feasting on the Pareidolia in the dropping on the surface of the rocks, the heat index was climbing so it was time to turn back.

I am hoping to return when its cooler and I can get past the tumbleweeds to further explore more of this interesting outcropping of rocks. Maybe then I will find the purpose to a tunnel that leads to nowhere in the desert.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Sunday, February 8, 2015

Sharp-shinned Hawk on Southward Migration

Taking time out to pose for my camera!

Late one autumn afternoon after sundown I noticed a small raptor from my office window. The hawk had landed on a wooden box and at first sight I thought it had sustained an injury to its beak. After grabbing my camera and quietly slipping outside, I discovered that the hawk must have recently finished dinner and still had some left-overs clinging to its beak.

When I brought the photos up on my monitor, I found that this hawk was a Sharp-shinned, which is one of the smallest hawks in North America. Males are smaller that females, so at first I thought this bird might be a male migrating southward for winter. However, as I looked closer, I decided that the hawk was an immature bird since it was mostly brown with vertical streaks on its white under-parts. Adult birds are blue-gray above with narrow, horizontal red-orange bars on the breast.

Backyard bird feeders tend to attract Sharp-shinned hawks and that is one reason why I prefer not to use the seed feeders. Instead, I grow plants and shrubs that produce seeds and berries, allowing the birds to forage. The shrubs provide cover where the songbirds and sparrows can retreat when predators are in the area. It is amazing to watch these small birds head for cover, almost like they are being vacuumed in.

The small hawk must have been traveling through for I did not notice him around the next day. It was a nice suprise to be rewarded with a short visit and a few photos.