So I was there last week hanging out and taking pictures, and stumbled upon this guy, who ever-so-nicely offered to pose for me for just a moment. It’s always nice to get full-frame shots of the smaller critters… I didn’t crop this a single bit–I really was that close. So fun. :-)

Squirrel.

.

I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water,

and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.

I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light.

For a time, I rest in the grace of the world,

and am free.

.

~ Poem by Wendell Berry

.

Look--it has a heart! I didn't even notice this until I got the picture onto my computer. So cool.

.

I like the angle on this one.

.

One more picture.

.

I counted 16 turkeys in this picture (click it to make it larger if you want to disagree with me.)

.

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." ~WKRP in Cincinnati

.

I took advantage of this a couple of weeks ago when I made two trips (one sunset, one sunrise) out to the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area, about ten miles from my house. The entire Sacramento Delta area is part of the Pacific Flyway, so tremendous numbers of birds pass through here on their way north and south, making for some fun bird photography. I’ve driven over this particular stretch of land many times while taking the Yolo Causeway, AKA I-80, west from Sacramento to the Bay Area, and I’ve always admired it because of its wide-open space, rice fields, and wetlands. It’s especially beautiful at the end of the day, when the setting sun reflects off of the shallow, standing water and tens of thousands of birds (no, I’m not exaggerating) swoop and settle in for the night.

I went for sunset, and I was so blown away that the next morning I dragged myself out of bed in the dark and cold hours and went to watch the sun rise as well. I wasn’t disappointed… In fact, the worst part of the whole experience was trying to figure out how I was going to delete some truly awesome shots (since I really can’t and don’t need to keep everything…)

As always, a few shots :

Day 1: Sunset

Dried star anise. It smells like black licorice!

.

Mallards!

.

You really need to click on this next one to enlarge it.

Red-winged Blackbirds swarming and then settling in the reeds for the night.

.

Collision course.

.

Egret silhouetted against the sunset sky.

.

Day 2: Sunrise

Sunrise over the Sacramento River delta.

.

Red-winged Blackbird.

.

Red-tailed hawk.

.

I was carefully walking closer to an egret, trying to get a good shot, and inadvertently flushed out this blue heron. Sweet. Check out those wings!!

.

Great egret.

[Gallery of more pics can be found here]

.

Went out this morning and took pictures of the sunrise and the birds at the Yolo Wildlife Area about 10 miles from my house. I’m nowhere near being done going through everything, but when they come off my camera looking like this, I know it’s going to be a good day.

Click on the picture and take a look at the full-size shot. Wow. Just wow.

(OK, so I cropped this, but not by much.)