Yosemite and More

Before this current Covid-19 crisis three fellow photographers and I took a little  sojourn to the Merced Wildlife Refuge. It turned out to be one of the  most memorable ones I've taken to the Refuge, and that's  saying a lot. While there were a lot of geese I'm posting those a little later. This first one is of one of my favorite birds, the Black Necked Stilt. These birds are constantly feeding and usually move just as I hit the trigger. The birds in the Refuge don't seem to have any trouble mixing with each other. While the old saying 'birds of a feather, flock together' applies it's not carved in stone. The image above includes a Great Egret, below is a Snowy Egret, much smaller and there seems to be fewer of them at the Refuge. Note the longer bill. Another bird you only see a few of are the White Pelicans. While not a total stranger to the Refuge the most I've ever seen at once were  4 or 5 a c...

Hello, If anyone is still out there I apologize for the long delay. I had back trouble for many months which limited my mobility. About two months ago I finally had back surgery, however the doctor says that I need to limit my movements. I'm not allowed to bend, lean, or twist, nor lift no more than 10 lbs.. Anyway the little photography I've done is in my yard and one trip to the Merced Wildlife Refuge which I'll post later. The following photos are from my yard as I've said, some where taken through windows, some with a macro lens.  Just a couple of the different flowers that are presently blooming in my yard. With spring arriving there should be a lot more color to come. I've had these succulents for several years, never had them bloom. The flowers themselves are about the size or a dime. Went out this morning to chase the cats away from my bird feeders and happened to see the first ladybugs of the season. ...