Tioga Pass Reveals its Soft Side as Wildflowers Bloom

Fragile beauty thrives in the rocky terrain

Tioga Pass, the paved road leading to the eastern entrance of Yosemite opened late this year due to the huge amount of snow over the 2016-2017 winter.  As soon as possible, I made a day trip to check out the scenery along this picturesque drive.  Tioga Pass winds up through the higher elevations and is so narrow in places that it is not safe for winter driving; therefore the road is closed from the first snowfall until late spring. 

 

I was quite surprised to see so much snow still lingering on the slopes this late in June. 

 

There was so much water coming from the melting snow that it formed a large stream which flowed into a waterfall that poured down through the rugged mountainous canyon.

 

Driving up higher, I began to notice wildflowers growing along the rocky slopes. 

 

On closer inspection and I realized these vivid fuchsia flowers were  Mountain Pride or  Penstemon newberryi  penstemons. 

 

In the gravely areas along the roadside the Showy Milkweed was just beginning to flower.

 

Suddenly a flash of red caught my eye and the Beaked Beardtongue penstemons  Penstemon Rostriflorus were thriving along the rocky bands of the road.  

Additionally a number of Giant Red Paintbrush Castilleja miniata were making a spectacular showing! 

 

Delicate flowers of  the spiny Prickly Poppy accented the rocky terrain.

 

What an awesome photo-adventure this turned out to be.  I came in hopes of just enjoying the rugged scenery along the Tioga Pass and was delighted with a showing of wildflowers.  

Come back often and  join me as I explore the awesome moments of nature.  Follow my blog for updates on my photo-adventures!

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. 

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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. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

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/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Bullock's Oriole, a Summer Visitor

A mated pair returns each spring

Backyard birding in the warm months brings a special pleasure with the arrival of the Bullock’s Orioles. These birds begin to show up in early April from their summer migration.  A dash of bright orange from the green leaves and a whistling call signals that it’s time to get the nectar feeders ready to hang.   

The oriole’s diet consists of fruit, insects and nectar.  They are especially drawn to the same nectar water that I supply for the hummingbirds: a 1:4 mixture of sugar to boiled water.  Their feeders are like hummingbird feeders except with slightly larger holes and larger perches. 

Male Bullock’s Orioles are easy to identify with their deep orange plumage with black accents. The females and first year-males however are more difficult to identify because they have similar colors; gray-brown on the upper areas, with dull yellow on the underparts. The only noticeable difference on the male is the eye-lines and black on the throat. 

Not too long after both males and females arrival they soon begin the task of nest building.  Each year the mated pair selects a site on the outer limbs of my tall elm tree.  They always make a new nest which they weave from string, strands of plastic tarp and grass that hangs like a sock.

Once the chicks hatch, the male and female are kept busy hunting for insects and flying up to the nest. Can you  spot the yellow head peeking out from the nest?

After the juvenile fledge, it’s a special treat to watch the parents training these youngsters to eat fruit from my mulberry trees and drink from the nectar feeders.  

 

Around mid-July, I begin to miss seeing the adults and realize that they have departed to fly south where they will spend the winter.  The juveniles stay for several more weeks building up their stamina for the long trip south.   

Over the years from bird watching in my yard, I began to notice a pattern where the orioles were in the yard at dusk, but gone the following morning.  I did some inquiring on the Internet and found to my surprise that orioles and songbirds migrate at night.  Studies have found that when birds are in the nest, they spend a large portion of their time at night looking out at the stars. It is believed that by watching the stars in the nest, birds develop the ability to recognize star patterns and their movement in the night sky.  Furthermore, it is theorized that birds use the North Star for navigation. During spring migration, orioles and other type birds fly to the north, or to the North Star, and in fall they fly away from it, heading south to Mexico.  On cloudy or foggy nights, it is believed that birds fly above the clouds and can actually detect the earth’s magnetism through a built-in compass.

It is always a sweet sadness when my yard becomes quiet and still.  I sure do miss the flurry of activity from these summer visitors. However I know they will be back again.  I bid them safe travels on their journey south and will look forward to their return next spring.  

Check back often and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will take me! 

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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. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

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/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Photographing the Solar Eclipse, August 21, 2017

Being in the moment with nature as the sun grows darker

On the morning of August 21st. I was packed and ready to photograph the solar eclipse.  What a beautiful morning, the sky was almost completely clear of clouds with just a little haze  hanging on the mountains from all the summer wildfires. 

I chose an area with a view of the lake but off the beaten trail.  I was hoping to be away from civilization and just alone with the natural environment.    

 
After setting up my camera, 500mm lens, Baader Solar Filter on my heaviest tripod, I took a test photo of the sun before the eclipse started.  The Baader Solar Filter is very dark but allows the natural color of the sun, which is white on the photograph.   

 Before starting to photograph, I checked out the special solar viewing glasses.

At approximate 08:53 PDT, I noticed the dark area beginning to appear on the top of the sun.  The solar eclipse was starting.  The dark spots on the face of the Sun are sun spots.   

Continuing to photograph the eclipsing Sun every few minutes as the moon advanced across its face, I bracketed my exposure from 1/125 second up to 1/1000 second.  The camera was set on manual mode, at f/8 and 100 ISO.

 When the Sun began to grow darker, I noticed how quiet and still everything seemed to be.  All of a sudden, the wings of a golden eagle caught my eye as it headed back toward the canyon.  This was a very special moment, almost like a totem was there.  

The landscape was getting darker with each advance of the eclipsing Sun and the early  morning heat was beginning to cool down.  A slight breeze moved the still air.   

Around 10:14 PDT it appeared that the Sun had reached the total point of eclipse for this area in Nevada.

I paused from my photography to notice my surroundings, the dark shadows, cool breeze and stillness with any wildlife.  Shortly afterward, the surface of the sun began to lighten and the morning heat returned.  I heard birds chirping in the canyon and saw a few flying toward the sage brush. 

What an experience this was, it was a thrill to try and photograph the Sun but even more meaningful  to become one with nature and just be in the moment. 

 
I took the artistic creativity to work this image in Photoshop to bring out the colors surrounding the Sun through the Baader Solar Filter. 

Follow my blog and check back to see where my next photo-adventures will take me.   

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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. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

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/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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