Environmental Photographs Highlight 2015

 Themes and Issues during my photo-explorations

At the year’s end, I usually write about the highlights of my travels or adventures.  However for the finality of 2015 and following the Paris Climate Summit, I have been compelled to feature a photo for each month that has an environmental theme. These photos are from scenes that I have come across during my photo-explorations of the past year, from water issues to weather extremes and compromised ecosystems. The following photographs were taken within a 100 mile radius around Walker Lake, Nevada and in the Great Basin Desert.

Clouds form over Mono Lake, California, moving eastward from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The receding shore line and lack of snow on the mountains for the month of January are indicators of the drought that continues to plague the western U.S.

Late January and early February, a large number of waterfowl were infected with Avian cholera at Walker Lake, Nevada. 

The bodies of American Coots lay tangled in tumble weeds that were blown to the water’s edge by the wind.

A dust storm churned up by the strong winds of March on east side of Walker Lake, Nevada. 

A desolate location for Lee Hot Springs with a capped off well and volcanic rocks, however the mountains in the background show lack of snowpack after a dry winter on an early spring day in April. 

 On a hillside in the Gabbs Valley Range, in May, the top of a purple bottle stands out.  A closer look reveals a piñon pine root that has been growing through the bottle’s neck for no telling how many years.

A hot June morning and cumulonimbus clouds build over the Garfield Flats Range.  I barely made it out of the wash before the clouds produced a F1 Category Tornado that touched down in Hawthorne, Nevada. 

With the heat index reaching over the century mark in July at Walker Lake, ecosystems grow out of balance at the water’s edge as numerous damselfly larvae are caught in the huge orb-weaver spider webs that cover most of the shore.

The receding shore at Soda Lake in August, tufa mounds grow along the edge of the water.  Soda Lake was formed inside the collapsed cone of a basaltic maar volcano by irrigation for agriculture which increased the groundwater.

A tunnel by the highway to Yerington, Nevada in September.  Rainfall from fast moving summer monsoons produced flash floods that cut deep washes through the dry desert.  

An October photo-trip to the Wild Burro Range at Marietta, Nevada.  The frame of a windsock stands as a reminder of the harsh winds and extreme weather in the Great Basin Desert. 

Strong winds in November blow the thin snow pack across the peaks at Mount Grant, Nevada.  

A winter storm in December brings in much needed moisture; however it will take so much more to offset the receding north shore at Walker Lake, Nevada.  

The year of 2015 has seen interesting weather patterns with a warmer winter and rising heat index for the summer.  When El Niño comes for the winter, I will be ready with my Nikon to record any interesting trends, so follow my blog and check back often for the new posts.

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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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Summer of 2012, Great Basin Desert

 Nature's Subtle Changes

Over the summer of 2012, I have noticed some subtle changes with the birds and insects that I enjoy watching in my yard that is located in the Great Basin Desert of Northern Nevada.

 It was a cold spring this year with the temperatures not warming until June. However, the cooler temperatures and strong winds were not deterrents to the hummingbird migration. I noticed some early arrivals in mid-March.  Fortunately I had the feeders ready with plenty of sugar in my pantry.

The Bullock's Orioles began to show up much later than the typical April 15th. calendar date.  I was starting to worry that something had happened during their migration from South America when finally I noticed a male desperately trying to drink from the hummingbird feeder.  Quickly, I prepared the larger feeder that is designed to accommodate the orioles so that they can drink nectar water.

Once the air began to warm up, it got very hot.  The summer was also dry and even the seasonal monsoons did not produce any measurable moisture. 

The hot, dry summer did not deter the damselflies from being so prolific; I have never seen such large numbers and a few stragglers were still around in late August.

For the first time over the summer, I did not see any of the usual garden spiders that spin such intricate webs around the pond plants.

  I only saw one Western Spotted Orb Weaver on the Russian Sage.  

However, the lake spider orb weavers were out in mass with larger numbers than I have ever witnessed.   It was not a good time to go hiking through the brush, they are not poisonous but will bite.

The bees have been very plentiful and are still buzzing at every flower that is still in bloom this late in October.

After such an abundance of Painted Lady Butterflies from the summer of 2011, I only saw a few and they did not hang around for long.

Much to my surprise, the number of preying mantis was very low.  There were so many last summer and I found egg sacs on almost every wooden surface.

The summer of 2012 has been an unusual one and it seems to be getting hotter each year.  The Great Basin Desert is noted for its cooler temperatures and if the climate continues to warm, it will be very interesting to see what changes to nature this will bring.

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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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Walker Lake Water Fowl

A Day of Birding at Walker Lake 

Walker Lake is a natural lake lying within the Great Basin Desert that is also on the Pacific Flyway, the north-south travel route for American migratory birds. Fed by the Walker River which has been diverted for agricultural use, the water level of Walker Lake has dropped over 126 feet (38.40 m) from its 1882 elevation of 4083 feet (1244.5 m).  As the lake recedes, salinity increases and has reached a critical level  where the water can no longer support the native, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.  A smaller fish, the Tui Chub which is a major food source for the Cutthroat Trout and numerous water fowl has also become endangered.

As salty as the lake has become, it still attracts large numbers of birds to its cool, clear waters.  

Large white American Pelicans fly back and forth between Walker and Pyramid Lake on a daily basis in the warm months.  The American Pelican does not dive for food, but catches it while swimming.

Phalaropes or wadepipers are halophilic (salt-loving) shorebirds.  Feeding on small insects or crustaceans, they breed in western North American and migrate to South American.

California Gulls are the state bird of Utah and noted for assisting the Mormon settlers in the plague of Mormon crickets.  They forage in flight on insects and also feed on fish while swimming.

One of the unique characteristics of Walker Lake is the Orb-weaver Spiders that thrive in the hot summer months of July and August.  The spiders set up communal webs that cover the rocks and boulders.  Their favorite food source is the damselfly which can be seen covering part of the webs.  Keeping nature in check, the spiders help feed the shore birds and also the lizards that live around the rocky banks.

  

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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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