At the Lake Again

 

We're having a bit of a weird summer this year. Our average highs are 8 degrees lower than last summer, thanks to a persistent low pressure in the upper atmosphere which has strengthened the marine layer, a blanket of cool, moist air. It results in morning fog that finally burns off by afternoon. This pattern has kept onshore flow steady and temperatures down. 

And I love it.

Last week I went to the lake early, hoping for some wildlife sightings that are usually more frequent in this kind of gloomy weather. I had just gotten out of my car in the parking lot when I was greeted by the call of a Red shouldered hawk. I scanned the trees and finally found him/her, well hidden near the top of the tree.

A lone fisherman took advantage of the overcast day as well.

I decided to take the Fisherman's Trail which skirts the western shore of the lake. There was a breeze rustling in the leaves of the Cottonwood - a lovely whispering sound.

The lake was very still, but I could always hear the loud calling of the Canada Geese who were congregating on the more open part of the lake.

While I was trying to identify a bush by its fruit, there suddenly was a whoosh and the hawk was landing on a branch in the trees behind the bush. Look at that beautiful guy!

Some of the Armenian Blackberries were flowering while others had already developed fruit. They were lining the path, ready to be picked.

There were willows and California wild grape (Vitis californica).

The reflections in the lake were truly amazing.

Further on I saw these dried grasses - I have no idea what they are, but I think they simply look lovely.

Then I left the Fisherman's Trail and walked along one of my very favorite little paths. Not many people walk here, maybe because in some places the path is very narrow and dry grasses grwo into it. Unfortunately I had forgotten my tick repellent, so I crammed the legs of my pants in my hiking socks. I'm really not keen on ticks (apart from those who feasted on a Western fence lizard before).

Poison Oak is found here as well, just as "popular" as ticks. Beautiful to look at, but stay away from it if you don't want a terribly itching and burning rash.

Dead trees overgrown with lichen and moss, probably offering a splendid habitat for all kinds of insects and tiny critters.

The trail then flattened out...

... and I had reached the top of the slope, a very favorite spot of mine. And look who was already waiting for me, sitting on a bare branch.

I had been following his/her call all the way up.

S/he wasn't alone. Not too far from the picnic area (and a world away) I saw a family of Black-tailed deer.

Here's a short video of the two fawns, and if you listen carefully you should be able to hear the call of the Red shouldered hawk.

Toward the end of my walk I saw these two California ground squirrels near the picnic site, having their second breakfast.

It was such a pleasant day that I sat next to the lake with my journal. The sun finally came out when I packed up and left for home.

It was such a wonderful morning.

Thanksgiving in the Park

 

Sonoma County, where I live, has an abundance of beautiful nature parks. On Thanksgiving we were blessed with mild sunny weather and therefore we spent it hiking in one of my favorite parks, Crane Creek. I've written about this park several times - here and here for example - and this probably won't be the last time.

I always take a picture of the tree above in front of the vineyard.

We had just walked a couple minutes when we noticed a hawk high up in a tree. I'm not quite sure which hawk it is, but I suspect it's a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Crane Creek is a great place to watch hawks and kites.

We walked for a while and then climbed up to a bench from where we enjoyed the view and listened to the many woodpeckers that were darting in and out of the surrounding trees.

We came upon a split tree - maybe the drought and then a storm cut the weakened tree open. This must have happened sometime during the past months, since the last time I was here.

Further down, a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) was resting on a bare branch. I have to admit that I have a great weakness for these graceful birds.

It's the trees that fascinate me over and over again in Crane Creek. There are native Oaks, California Buckeyes and California Bay trees, which have a wonderful scent. Many of them are covered with moss that waft in the wind.

There are many crooked tree parts to admire - branches and entire trunks. And those of you who have read my blog for a while know how much I love crooked trees.

Our loop finally let us back to this tree again, and when you look closely you can see "our" hawk on top of it. It was "following" us the entire time of our hike.

Back home we made some hot chocolate and covered our mugs with a Dutch Stroopwafel. The steam from the hot drink softens the caramel in the cookie - oh, so delicious! This is for T Tuesday that is so kindly hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Next week I might miss T Tuesday because I will be on call for jury duty.

Misty Morning at the Lake

For Rain's TADD I don't have any art to show - my art today are the photos I took yesterday morning when I walked around the lake. I finally had taken my big camera with me - the last few times I was here I saw so many birds, but couldn't really capture them with my cell phone. I have a good camera in my phone, but it certainly is not THAT good.

It was a misty morning like we have so often here, when the fog from the coast is hanging low. Since temperatures are much lower on those mornings and the moisture in the air is higher, I prefer them to a bright sunny morning (that's something I like in the winter). It is very typical weather for our area.

The sun was just peeking through the fog and the trees.

It is so beautiful when the mist hovers over the lake. I sat on my favorite bench for quite some time, journaling and just enjoying this delightful morning. The birds that I was hoping for, though, kept hiding - as if they knew that I brought my camera! Only the mallards were kind enough to make an appearance in a very safe distance.

Slowly, the fog started to rise. Isn't it beautiful how the water sparkles in the few rays of sunshine?

And then the fog just burned off - the entire process in the following three pictures took less than ten minutes (maybe this fits the "movement" prompt in today's TADD?)

Life on the lake became busier.

Eventually I left the bench and continued my walk. I had given up hope to see any herons this morning - usually there are Black-crowned Night Herons and Green Herons here, who are favorites of mine. But it seems today they weren't in the mood to show themselves.

Instead I first heard and then saw this lovely woodpecker. I always have difficulties identifying woodpeckers; I believe this is a Downy woodpecker, but I'm confident that David will correct me if I'm wrong.

Then I heard the distinctive call of the Red-shouldered Hawk, but I couldn't see it. It kept me company for a few minutes until I suddenly saw him (her?) flying towards and landing in the top of this tree (I'm even worse in identifying trees). But what was that? Right behind it was a second hawk, landing right beside No. 1. I felt like winning the lottery.

I took a million photos until they were tired playing model for me and took off. I felt quite elated when I walked on - what a wonderful sight these birds had been.

There were unmistakable signs of autumn - my favorite season is just around the corner!

There was some rustling in the underbrush - our state bird, the California Quail.

On a shady trail sunlight lit up the pale-yellow flower heads of fennel. I love this kind of light.

And then, when I least counted on it, there it was standing by the side of the lake, waiting for its morning snack - a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron! I love love love these birds.

This was such a wonderful morning. 

So today, I went to the farmers market in the morning. Wednesday and Saturday mornings are our famers market days, with the market on Wednesday being much smaller than the one on Saturday. Even though there are by far fewer vendors, I tend to prefer Wednesdays for the simple reason that there is much more time to talk. I learned so much about the different kinds of garlic, e.g. that you have to use much less of "Red German" than it states in a recipe because it's quite strong - and it is the one I always buy. It has such fantastic flavor.

This time of year is simply the best - the abundance of vegetable and fruit is incredible. Look what I brought home from the farmers market this morning:

Even Kibeau approves!

Unfortunately, the "mushroom guy" wasn't there today. He has the best selection of mushrooms - however, I still mostly buy cremini and shiitake and sometimes chanterelle. Recently I made (crooked) vol-au-vents with my creamy mushroom sauce - looks odd, tastes delicious. A glass of dry rosé from a local winery is a fine companion. Bon appétit.

 

Laguna Birds

 

In my last post I promised to show some of the birds that I had seen during my walk in the laguna a couple weeks ago. It was a beautiful sunny day, but as you can see in the photo above, there was still snow lying on the hills. It's always intriguing to see flowering trees and fields down here and the snow capped hills in the background.

I know that there are quite some Western Bluebirds in the laguna, but I see them only rarely. This time, however, I spotted them every time I walked here.

There were dozens of Song Sparrows in the bushes and grasses. These sparrows truly pay credit to their name - they have such a beautiful song. They may blend into their surroundings, but their singing gives their presence away.

In the trees along the laguna I spotted so many herons that I stopped to count them. One tree was solely populated by Cattle Egrets, some Green Herons were visible, but most of all I saw Black-crowned Night-Herons. The male and female look alike, but it is easy to tell the juveniles apart. There were entire families roosting in the trees.

I love these guys!

The Red-shouldered Hawks were very active that day. Before I saw them I usually heard them, they have a very unique rather high pitched call. One of them was so kind to land in the tree near where I stood watching the Black-crowned Night-Herons. 

After my walk I stopped on the other side of the laguna - I always wanted to explore the area here and I finally did it. While I was happily taking pictures of trees in water I discovered some big white birds swimming in the distance. I first thought they were swans, but when I observed them more closely I though they were behaving differently from swans. I tried to get closer where they were, and when I finally could see them much more clearly I realized that they were American White Pelicans.

I was surprised to see them here. At the ocean I have seen hundreds of Brown Pelicans and I always thought we don't have White Pelicans in Northern California. Well, I stand corrected. This seems to be the farthest North they get in the winter - seeing them North of the Golden Gate is, indeed, very rare, and I think this was an extraordinarily special treat. Once in twenty years...

This was such a wonderful day in the Laguna that was complete after I had discovered the field of mustard on my way back.