Spring Outings

 

Before we go back to Bretagne and (maybe) some prehistoric sites, let me invite you to some of the walks I did in late winter and spring. The first signs of spring are usually visible here in February, but even if they're not, I enjoy being out in nature in every season.

The Lakes, end of February

A fisherman and his dog were looking for a good place to fish. It was the dog who draw me into taking this picture, not the guy...

This Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) seems to have no problem with this acrobatic display while taking a nap. Can you sleep on one leg - without losing your balance?

This was the first time that I saw a Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) - quite pretty, don't you agree?

Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla - I think) were in the bushes - I usually see them in the colder months. Their song is a bit mournful I think, but I like it and it is very easily recognizable.

A Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans - I think) sat in the bushes by the lake. I'm still not very sure in bird identification, especially with these smaller ones.

And of course I'm always drawn to the light. Late winter offers some interesting contrasts.

Crane Creek, March

I came here in the hope of seeing wildflowers, but I was a bit too early. However, the California Buttercups were already in full bloom and painted the landscape with cheerful yellow dots.

A Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) seemed to enjoy that as well.

We had a very wet winter and I was glad to still see some water in the creeks that meander through the park.

A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis - I think) - well, shit happens.

Crane Creek is full of majestic oaks, buckeyes, California bay and lots of dead and/or crooked trees. It's a paradise for Acorn Woodpecker - and for photographers like me.

Sonoma Valley, early April

In a recent post I wrote that Sonoma Valley almost completely burnt during the October fires in 2017. It is amazing to see how nature bounces back from a nature catastrophe like those devastating fires. 

A European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris - I think - David, please, correct all my "I think"s) greeted us at the start of the paved trail that meanders through the shady valley.

Everywhere we could see dead trees, either remnants of the fires or just natural death occurrence. They look interesting and were just waiting for me to take a picture.

A Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) - my new best friend after I had learned about their ability to "de-weaponize" ticks. 

This is Purple Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida), another species I hadn't seen before and was glad to find here in the woods.

The shady path through the valley is perfect for walking on hotter days. 

Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus), a native, was found everywhere! They aren't very tall and dot meadows with their bi-colored petals - blue and magenta, how wonderful is that?

Two weeks later when I was at Sonoma Valley again, the Narrowleaf Mule-ears (Wyethia angustifolia) had turned up in many spots. Another native that is found inland in grassland and meadows as well as at the coast.

The Lake again, April

When I walked the less crowded dirt trails a little bit further away from the lake, I finally saw all the wildflowers I was waiting for.

Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) and Italian Thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus)

Blue Dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus)

Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)

This True Cranefly (Tipula luna) was happy to be in the cool shade of the forest.

The lichen on the fence was very much to my liking, however, the French Broom (Genista monspessulana) was not. This plant looks gorgeous, but it is an introduced species that is extremely invasive and can take over quickly. What is even worse, it burns easily and can spread fires rapidly. 

Do you look more closely at tree bark? I do and find this oak bark very interesting. Nature is full of wonders.

No, I wasn't drunk when I took the following picture - the trees really grow like this along this path. Isn't it a bit magical? I wouldn't be surprised if some elves would suddenly appear among the trees.

I leave you with a shot of two Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) resting in a dead tree - our natural clean-up crew. What would we do without them?

With so many bird and flower faces I link up to Nicole's Friday Face Off.

Obelix Would Have a Blast

 

Let's get back to the Alignements de Carnac. Last time we were there it was still foggy, but eventually the fog burnt off and the sky slowly turned blue. With that the atmosphere of this place changed as well.

We walked along the seemingly endless paths.

The standing stones were impressive. 

Do you see a face in this one?

 

One really wonders how the people were able to move these giants and then put them all in a row without our modern day tools.

The Geek and I were too slow for Kaefer, so she proceeded on her own (I suspect she wanted some time away from her annoying parents) and someone was kind to take our picture (this is for Nicole's Friday Face Off). We got rid of our jackets after the sun had come out.

The rocks were all different and had a lot of character I think. Please note the amount of lichen on many of them.

It was going on forever! Menhirs, menhirs, menhirs.

Obelix would have such a blast!

Who the heck is Obelix, you might wonder. Well, I'm glad you asked.

Our heroes Asterix and Obelix are the creations of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, a French comic album series that almost every child (and adult) in Germany and pretty much all of Western Europe knows. In 50 BC all of Gaul is occupied by the Romans except for one tiny village (which looks like it is located in Bretagne) whose inhabitants fiercely resist the Roman legionaries. With the help of a magic potion brewed by their druid (called Miraculix in the German translation) which gives them temporary superhuman strength they can fight the Romans. Obelix, however, is not allowed to drink it since he fell into the pot of the potion as a child and has lifetime superstrenght. In the comic books you usually see him casually carrying large menhirs on his back or dead boars under his arm, the favorite food for their lavish victory parties. Their adventures lead them throughout the antique world. These comic books are some of the very rare ones that are used in German schools for instruction in French, Latin and Old Greek. In my school it was used in Latin in the 9th or 10th grade (I started to learn Latin in 8th grade).

No wonder that here where menhirs are available in abundance, you would find Asterix and Obelix souvenirs in the shops.

As I mentioned in my first post about the Alignements, there were also tumuli (individual tombs) and dolmens (collective tombs).

Slowly, the sun ws sinking toward the west...

... and painting warm colors onto the menhirs.

When the sun finally started to disappear, the true magic began.

I leave you with a few sunset pictures and hope that you will enjoy them.