Oriole on Flowering Red Hot Poker

Creating the Image after a long wait!

Having patience is a needed virtue with nature photography. However having to wait for over a year is a long time, as this was the case when I tried to catch my resident male Bullock's oriole on my Red Hot Poker flower.  

The Kniphofia hirsuta Fire Dance has a short flowering period that is contingent on the heat, dryness and wind at Walker Lake.  So last year the flower was in bloom for a short period. Furthermore, the birds made a quick feast of the blossoms, leaving only the stalks.

The afternoon of May 3, 2014, I happened to notice a male on the flower.  I rushed inside to get my Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens that I had left attached to the camera just for this opportunity.  As I walked outside with camera, lens and tripod, the bird flew off.  I waited with finger on the shutter release button, hoping that he might come back.  Sure enough my tenacity paid off because he did fly right back. Since I was at least 30 feet away, the oriole was unaware of my presence and began to eat away on the flower.

 

Upon eating his fill, the oriole then flew over to the pond for a nice afternoon bath. 

 I continued to click away as the bird submerged his head and then the rest of his body in the cool water. 

 After each submersion, he would shake off and then go back for another dunking.  

Finally after about fifteen minutes, he shook off and flew over to a flowering mallow for some insect that he saw. 

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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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Costa's Hummingbird

New Hummingbird Resident to Walker Lake, Nevada

The Costa's Hummingbirds have added a new and colorful accent to my garden landscape over the spring and summer of 2013. 

 I noticed one or two of the brilliant hummers coming to my feeders over the last few years, however this year the Costa's appear to outnumber the Broad-tailed hummingbirds which are here every summer. 

Costa's are a desert hummingbird which migrate from south of the U.S. boarder in winter to spend the breeding season in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of California and Arizona.  So why is this tiny hummingbird that measures from 3-3½ inches (7.6–8.9 cm) in length so far north in the Great Basin Desert, I am most curious.  However I have been informed that the migration routes of many birds are changing due to weather patterns. 

The colorful Costa's male has green upper parts and displays a vivid violet crown with a gorget (throat patch) that extends out from both sides of his throat. 

The immature Costa's and adult females have a white throat with gray-buff on upper-parts, and may even show a few violet feathers.

Costa's feed on flower nectar and the small insects that are found on flower petals.  Like most hummingbirds, they are also attracted to sugar water in feeders.  

I suspect that the Costa’s have managed to raise a new “charm” of hummers, which are keeping me on the run to re-fill their feeders with nectar water.   Well, what a small price for so much lively entertainment.

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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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Cliff Swallows of the Great Basin

The Social Birds of Summer

Anyone fortunate enough to live near a colony of Cliff Swallows in the summer time is in for some fascinating entertainment. 

 

 The gregarious cliff swallows dart around catching insects in mid-air while making their "twittering" call as they fly back and forth from the nests. 

These social bird's nests are made from mud and saliva and can number in the thousands, space permitting. 

Any structure near a water source with an eve or overhang on cliffs, buildings or bridges may be chosen as nesting sites for the Petrochelidon cliff-nesting swallows.

  And the best part is, the swallows do return to the same location each year. 

A colorful cliff swallow is just about ready to fly off for more mud in the construction of its gourd-shaped nest.

The swallows stay over the summer to breed and raise their young, but will depart for winter migration around Labor Day.

With my Nikon and tripod, my goal is to recreate the scene as it appears in nature, to preserve in a photographic image the awesome, yet simplistic beauty of the scene that waits around a bend or over a hill. Sometimes it's a colorful landscape, and many times I'm allowed in the presence of the numerous creatures that adapt to life in the wild. 

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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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Spring Birding at Stillwater

A Day of Bird Watching with the Nikon

An early morning drive in April 2013 to Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, near Fallon, Nevada turned out to be an excellent day for bird watching.

In the distance, just approaching the Environmental Education area a huge nest was spotted in a tall cottonwood tree.

  Switching to my Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens, I realized this was a Great Horned Owl sitting on her nest.  

Across at the picnic area, the Cliff Swallows were busy building their nests of mud. 

 With the abundance of flying insects, the swallows should have plenty of food to subsidize their diets.

 

At first, I thought the insects were mosquitoes, but I did not get any bites and they weren't interested in my bare skin.  

As I was leaving, a Double-crested Cormorant waded out in the shallow water and posed while I carefully steadied the Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 on the truck window.   

I hope to do a return visit in early May to check on the progress of our feathered friends and see what new arrivals have stopped by during the spring migration.  

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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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Winter Solstice, a Time for Reflection

Welcome to 2012 Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, a period of so much darkness, to me is a time to turn inward. A time for quiet reflection and as the earth slumbers, inner peace is restored.  The video, “Winter Solstice” is my reflections of special moments over the past year.

Winter Solstice 2012

 

Winter solstice occurs on December 21st.
When the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.

  The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, 

marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
  The word solstice from Latin, solstitium, sol, sun.  

  A balance between the forces of day and night.
 Nature's reprieve from summer follies,

when nature lies dormant all around us and stillness settles over the land.
  A time for quiet reflection, to reflect on the passing year.
 The longest night surrenders, the light shines on a new day, 

renewing our inner light, and focus for a new year.

 

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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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The Inland Gulls of Walker Lake, Nevada

Sky Riders

I have been asked many times about the birds that are in the skies of my photographs around Walker Lake, so I decided to write this blog post and dedicate it to that bird, the California Gull.
  

The California or Inland Gull, Larus californicus, falls in the medium size range, averaging 20 inches (47-54 cm) in length with a wingspan of 51 inches (130 cm). These gulls have striking features with white bodies, black primaries and white tips on grey wings, black tipped yellow bills, yellow feet, and brow eyes.

Found in parking lots and lakes from California to Manitoba, the gulls at Walker Lake do not migrate but remain in this area all year long, except during the breeding season, from May to July when the adults return to their breeding grounds at Mono Lake, California.

Insects are a favorite source of food for the California Gull and that is why they are the official state bird of Utah. The California Gull's appetite for insects saved the Mormon settlers during a plague of crickets and today there is a monument in Salt Lake City commemorating this event, which is known as the Miracle of the Gulls. The diet of California Gulls also includes fish, eggs and just about any food that humans will eat except lettuce and tomatoes!

The California Gulls are also known as the "laughing gull" due to the laughing sound that they make when someone walks by and there might be a handout for food.

For more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gull
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Gull/id/ac
http://www.monolake.org/about/ecobirds

Photographs Make Great Gifts

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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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The Bullock's Oriole

A Summer Visitor to Walker Lake 

Summer is beginning to wind down and as the days get shorter, I’m seeing less of the brightly colored birds that have taken up residence in my backyard. Of all the birds that summer in my area, I enjoy the Bullock’s Orioles the most, watching them scurry around the plants searching for insects, fruit and nectar.

Orioles, like hummingbirds will drink from feeders with sugar water and I have several oriole feeders placed around the yard. The oriole feeders are usually orange, with bigger holes, ¼ inch diameter, and come with larger perches.  A hummingbird feeder can be adapted for orioles by enlarging the holes.

Around the middle of April, the Bullock’s orioles begin to show up from their summer migration. The mature males are easy to spot with their bright orange plumage accented against black, with the white wing patches.

The females and first year-males 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.

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.

With summer drawing to a close, my yard has become quiet and still and I feel sadness as I miss the flurry of activity from my summer visitors. I bid them safe travels on their journey south and will look forward to their return next spring.

For more information, please visit the following links:

Songbird Migration:

http://www.sewanee.edu/biology/courses/Bio201/Songbird.html

Migratory Bird Center
Smithsonian National Zoological Park:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/fact_sheets/default.cfm?fxsht=9

The Bullock's Oriole:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullock's_Oriole

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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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