Southwest Florida IPT Wrapup

Royal Tern
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We concluded the photography class on the beach taking pictures of terns and egrets. I've read repeatedly Arthur Morris's admonition to get down on your belly and photograph birds at eye level, today we did it together and discussed which tern had the nicest looking beak and what the best angle was and how to keep the sand from getting all over your hands.

It was a fabulous class, I really enjoyed the folks on the trip, and learned a lot. And I really enjoyed doing the class with Mary and Dad, thanks you two!

It's a Christmas Miracle; and, Happy Birthday Dad!

Burrowing Owl
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

This image represents the conjunction of two Christmas miracles. First is the Canon 2X teleconverter, which my wonderful parents gave me for Christmas this year. I received it and promptly stuck it in my backpack for use on our Florida trip. The second miracle is that we found this burrowing owl today in the midst of Cape Coral, Florida; that it put up with as many as nine photographers with 500mm lenses shooting away continuously at it; and that I was able to put the 2X on my 500mm lens (2 x 500 x 1.6 = 1600mm!!) and was able to make this sharp image at 1/50 second. Image stabilization is a miracle too.

Anyway, Mary and I celebrated Dad's birthday today by taking him along on this bird photography class, where we spent the day watching spoonbills and laughing gulls and this owl. A great day.


Please take a look at today's photos on flickr.

Southwest Florida IPT, Day One

Brown Pelican
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Wow, very busy day. Venice Rookery, Venice Dump, lunch, frantic photo processing, then pelican flight shots and Captain Marian's boat trip, then dinner and more photo processing, now trying to recharge camera batteries and make blog posts and answer work email and why am I still awake! w00t.

See lots of flickr photos from Bill and from Mary.

Southwest Florida IPT, Day Zero

Earlier tonight: slideshow, talking about Photoshop

Now it's 10:20pm. Alarm is set for 4:20am, cars to form caravan at 4:55am, drive to Venice Rookery for pre-dawn shooting. W00t.

"2007 Wild Birds of the American West" available

I'm pleased to announce that my 2007 Wild Birds of the American West calendar is available for your holiday gift giving needs at my on-line store.

In it you'll find twelve of my best shots from the last year, taken during trips to New Mexico and throughout the Bay Area. Special thanks to spinnity for an excellent job of photo editing, I think you'll find each image has a particular relationship to its month.

Central Valley, day two

Q: Why did the pipit cross the road?
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

This morning we dodged the rain at Cosumnes River and several other spots around Lodi. The constantly changing clouds dramatic sunlight were fascinating overhead while all around us the birds of a northern California winter -- geese, cranes, and swans. My favorite subject was this Pipit, who demonstrates that there's food even in the middle of the road, if you know where and how to look for it.

See a few more photos at flickr.

Central Valley, day one

Snow and Ross's Goose
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Today we had an excellent time at Sacramento National Wlidlife Refuge and the county roads around Lodi. The geese and ducks were numerous and beautiful, and sparrows hopped around right next to the car. The light was very pleasant for shooting almost all day. What a treat to be out in the central valley in the winter, the sound of the swans and geese and cranes settling down at sunset is unlike anything else, you've just got to experience it for yourself.

see Today's photos at flickr

Penguin Jazz Quartet, House Concert, Sunday, Dec. 10th, 5-7pm

Penguin Jazz Quartet
Hohttp://beta.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifuse Concert / Charity Fundraiser
Sunday, December 10th, 5-7pm
University Church Rectory
1611 Stanford Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 95051
1-650-857-9660

Want to unwind with some great jazz this weekend while raising money for charity at the same time? The Penguin Jazz Quartet will appear this Sunday, December 10th, at a house concert in Palo Alto. A $15 suggested donation per person will go to raise money for both Palo Alto Urban Ministry's Opportunity Center and the University Church Rectory fund. Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Refreshments will be served.

Hope to see you there!

Greetings from Williams

hey y'all,

After a crazy day or two of trying to tie up loose ends, we're here in Williams on the eve of a planned day of birding and photographing here in the Central Valley. Ashok's scouting suggests that Colusa is not so productive right now -- too much construction. So, we're thinking heading directly to Sacramento NWR. At least the weather's supposed to be good. Well, gotta get some sleep, more news soon.

Fun with Gulls

Bonaparte's Gull at rest
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Ashok and I went to Venice Beach on Yamil's advice in search of a cooperative male Wood Duck. Although we didn't find the duck, we had a lot of fun hanging out with two fearless Bonaparte's Gulls, who swam closer than the 15 foot minimum focus distance of our telephoto lenses. Beautiful birds.

Gull photos here.

"Buy nothing / Bird everything" Day

Mary and her new friend
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Today we took our annual day-after-thanksgiving birding trip down to Ogier Ponds near Morgan Hill, where we found some very cooperative Osprey and Turkey Vultures. Too cooperative, really -- we filled up flash cards like there was no tomorrow, and frankly tried Mary's patience as the Vultures sunned themselves while allowing us to approach quite closely.

The most exciting birding moment was a very quick glimpse at, and one photograph of, a Green-tailed towhee. I've never seen this species in Santa Clara county before, so I was pretty excited to find him; unfortunately, I was unable to show the bird to either Mary or Ashok.

After winding up our Ogier Ponds stop with some very gratifying Osprey watching, Mary and I finished up the day at Calero Reservoir, which we found very conducive to (a) napping, and (b) visiting with friendly horses, who think Mary's clothing is really yummy.

You can see more Photos here at flickr.

Bill with the Laura Johnson Group this Sunday

Hey all,

If you're in the mood to hear the blues, or play the blues, come to J. J.'s Blues in San Jose this Sunday (November 19th) around 5:30 or 6pm to hear me with the Laura Johnson Group. We'll be hosting the Blues Jam Session featuring us and whoever else shows up. Should be a fun time. Bring yer axe!

Scouting Arrowhead Marsh

Clapper Rail
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

I got back home Wednesday night, and Thursday morning I was out in Oakland with Ashok, scouting for our Wild Bird Center trip. We had very cooperative Clapper Rails, the Virginia Rails were much more elusive, popping up for a second or two at a time. Photos here.

A Visit to Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

Skywalker, Red-tailed Hawk
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

At the end of our Wisconsin trip, we got to visit our dear friends Rick and Sherry in Milwaukee. Sherry is a dedicated volunteer at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, where she helps out with their raptor program.

We got a chance to go backstage and lean about how she and the other volunteers care for and train the birds. Sherry brought a few of the birds outside so I had a chance to make these portraits of them. Thanks, Sherry and Rick, for a wonderful visit!

Hangin' around Hamann's

Hamann's Variety Store
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We had a charmingly quiet day around Prairie du Chien today. One of the highlights was Hamann's, a honest-to-goodness Variety Store that still sells hair nets and flash cubes and cribbage pegs. Wonderful place. I posted a few more photos from today and the past few days. Tomorrow, we're off for a quick stop in Milwaukee before heading back west.

Rivers and Bluffs Birding Festival concludes

Bald Eagle
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Today we wrapped up Ric Zarwell's Rivers and Bluffs Birding Festival with a field trip to Minnesota (not as far as it sounds, only like 20 miles up from Lansing). We got great looks at Bald Eagle, and even found a Golden Eagle to go with them. Zillions of Tundra Swans and geese, beautiful weather, nice company, a wonderful day.

Greetings from Wisconsin

Bald Eagles on the Missisippi
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Hey everybody,

Just a quick note to say howdy from Wisconsin. It's coooold and overcast here, but we're having a great time birding along the river. I just can't get used to how many Bald Eagles there are flying around. Ric Zarwell's Rivers and Bluffs birding festival has been great so far. Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

Floor is done

New Floor
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Hey all,

The big news is that the floor in the living room and kitchen is actually done. Wow! It looks great. Thanks to Adam and Rebecca and Grant and Mel and David and Jordan and Dan and Susan and Jaime for help packing, moving, unpacking, and plumbing and painting, we couldn't and wouldn't have done it without you.

Mary, Ashok, and Bill's Excellent Adventure

Common Murre
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Saturday we set aside our preparations for floor refinishing (more on that shortly), and had an excellent day birding down in Monterey county. After some very cooperative shorebirds at Moss Landing State Beach, we checked out Elkhorn Slough by land before going out with Captain Yohn Gideon and Elkhorn Slough Safari to check it out from the water.

The Brown Pelicans are starting to get their breeding plumage on, and they're gorgeous. Most exciting was this Common Murre, who drifted right past the boat in decent. I seem to have recovered from a mysterious "ERROR 99" message on my camera's LCD screen in time to snap a bunch of images, of which this was probably the best. See more images at flickr. Thanks Mary and Ashok for a wonderful day.

Audubon trip to Hawk Hill

Cooper's Hawk
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Executive Director Bob Power took us to Hawk Hill in Marin for a great morning of hawk watching. As a veteran hawkwatcher, Bob was able to identify most of the passing raptors from literally a mile away, and teach us how to tell them apart. Thanks, Bob!

More photos here, including a Prairie Falcon and a Broad-winged Hawk.

Herons at the Slough

Black-crowned Night Heron
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Following a hot tip from Peter Latourette, Ashok and I went to Charleston Slough to try some duck flight shots. Although the overcast skies were not good backgrounds, the White-tailed Kites were highly cooperative, so we had a good morning.

More photos available here.

Floor Day Two!

The new floor, huzzah!
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Huzzah, all the new wood is in for the floor, as you can see here. Shy and retiring Arlie (upper right) is even willing to peek out and have a look. We're very excited about the look and feel of the wood, and looking forward to having it finished in about ten days so we can get our furniture back in there. More photos here

Floor Day!

Laying boards
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Well, a day almost ten months in the making -- FLOOR DAY. Today we had folks in the living room laying down the boards and nailing them into place. Tonight we walked around on the unfinished boards, and they look fabulous.

Also crucial, Russ stopped by and saved us from the horrible-looking piece of wire under the floor -- thank goodness it's not connected to anything, so we don't have to try to replace it. More photos here.

Santa Vlara Valley Audubon 80th Anniversary

Barn Owl
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Mary and I had a wonderful time at the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society's 80th Anniversary party. The party took place at Maison du Lac, a delightful redwood grove in the Santa cruz mountains.

The two big attractions were Executive Director Bob Power, Karen Hoyt's beautiful raptors, and a wonderful performance by Culann's Hounds. We also bid on an excellent wooden sculpture of an American Bittern, and ours was the winning bid. More photos here.

South Bay Morning

Great Egret
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Well, Ashok and I had a pretty slow morning at Sunnyvale Baylands and the neighboring sewage ponds. I did have a lot of fun borrowing his 2X teleconverter, and I even, in a moment of hubris, tried stacking the 1.4X teleconverter on the 2X teleconverter on the 500mm f/4L on the camera body with the 1.6 magnification factor, leading to the equivalent of a 2,240mm f/8 monstrosity. Thanks to the miracle of image stabilization plus the wicked tripod setup, I actually got some moderately sharp images with that setup. More pictures here.

I'm beta, baby.

hey all,

I just switched to the new Blogger Beta thingie. I really hope this works, and that all my content survives the switchover, and that the RSS feed still works.

Get Down, Get Down, Get Down

American Avocet
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

This morning Ashok and I went looking for shorebirds in Alviso, and ended up flopped on our bellies in the soggy pickleweed. For fun. On purpose.

Why? Well, turns out there's no substitute for getting down at eye level with these guys, it really does make the images more immediate, more compelling. I'm quite happy with this one here, it was sharp enough to warrant printing at 13" by 19", which is pretty rare in my experience for a 8MP DSLR.

Dances with Acorns

Acorn Woodpecker
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Saturday morning I had the opportunity to visit Guadalupe Oak Grove Park with Ken Briggs in search of cooperative Acorn Woodpeckers posing with acorns on beautifully lit branches.

The company was lovely, the weather was wonderful, the woodpeckers were around. We got very few shots, but had a fun time wandering around. We also had a nice chat with the Los Gatos Wild Bird Center folks who were in the Park for their weekly bird walk. It's a lovely stand of oak trees, highly recommend for birders and non-birders alike

Come see my cool bird slideshow!

Bringing our wild birds on-line: Bird Photography meets Photobloging
Wednesday, October 4th, 7:30pm
Bay Area Bird Photographers, Lucy Evans Nature Center

You’ve seen these birds before, but never quite like this: Black-necked stilts cross bills in the afterglow. An osprey lightens its load before take-off. An oystercatcher impersonates Dracula. In this talk Bill will present the beauty and strangeness of familiar birds, showing recent images made in Oregon, California, and New Mexico -- all published online via flickr, the photo sharing web site.

Bill's photography is an outgrowth of his passion for seeking out wild birds and sharing them with his community. He strives to show birds as an organic part of their environment, both visually and ecologically. This talk will feature lots of bird images and will also demonstrate how Bill uses personal and internet computing to pass along his enthusiasm for bay area birds and the best places to photograph them. Technology topics will include photo-sharing websites, blogging tools, and mapping.

Thanks everybody!

Bill at Wild Bird Center
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Hey, thanks to everybody who stopped by Wild Bird Center Los Gatos to support me and this excellent event. We all hope Freddie does it again!

Bill to exhibit at Wild Bird Center this Sunday

Here's some new about an upcoming exhibition at the Wild Bird Center in Los Gatos I'll be participating in:

We are very excited to invite you to an exhibition of photographs taken by 14 of our photographer customers at the Wild Bird Center’s 1st Photo Exhibition!

Each photographer is being asked to bring a maximum of three framed photographs which we will display on Sunday, August 27, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Wild Bird Center, 792 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos. Most of the photographs will be available for sale. Refreshments will be served. Come enjoy the event and see some spectacular photography.

It should be fun, I hope to see you there!

01SJ

City Hall
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

I have been having a fun time all week at ZeroOne festival in downtown San Jose. My favorites include Bill Viola's lecture about his video art, Jennifer Steinkamp's video installations at SJMA, my remote participation in the Chit Chat Cafe at C4F3, and Listening Post at SJMA's Edge Conditions. I highly recommend a visit to SJMA as soon as possible. See more pictures.

Bill with the Laura Johnson Group this Sunday

Hey all,

If you're in the mood to hear the blues, or play the blues, come to J. J.'s Blues in San Jose this Sunday (August 13th) around 5:30 or 6pm to hear me with the Laura Johnson Group. We'll be hosting the Blues Jam Session featuring us and whoever else shows up. Should be a fun time. Bring yer axe!

Owls at Shoreline

Burrowing Owl
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Ashok and I found the family of Burrowing Owls at their appointed post near Michael's restaurant in Mountain View. Although the abundant grass made photography somewhat frustrating, they were unfazed by our big lenses and really quite cooperative.

Return to Rancho

Western Screech-Owl
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

This morning Ashok and I decided to check out Rancho San Antonio. We were rewarded by looks at a lot of great residents, including the beloved owl and fabulous bobcat. Neither of them payed any mind to the hordes of joggers and walkers and RC airplane enthusiasts.

Some alert passersby drew our attention to what seemed to be two Wild Turkeys either fighting or mating. In a tree. Wow.


Anyway, not as hot as many recent days. What a great morning. More photos here.

Red Knot at Frank's Dump

Red Knot
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Ashok and I went out to Hayward Regional Shoreline today (affectionately known as "Frank's dump") and found an early Red Knot quite far away. As I'd never photographed this species, I took the shots anyway, and squeezed a barely-recognizable image out of the resulting RAW files.

Photos from KKUP

yours truly
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Well, we had a great time at the KKUP jazz marathon, both on our own and with Jennifer Lee as our guest vocalist. Mary and I both took some pictures, you can see them here.

Bill and the Penguins at KKUP Jazz Marathon

Come hear Bill and the Penguins at KKUP Jazz Marathon this Sunday. The festivities get underway at noon and run until 7pm, so bring your lawnchair and get ready for some great music

Location:
1241 Franklin Mall
Santa Clara, CA
95050


Schedule:
12:00pm - 12:45pm Gospel with Gary Lee, Eric Hayslette
1:00pm - 1:45pm Lara Price Blues Band
2:00pm - 2:45pm Kirk Tamura Trio

3:00pm - 3:45pm Penguin Jazz Quartet
4:00pm - 4:45pm Jennifer Lee & Penguin Jazz Quartet
5:00pm - 5:45pm Blue Monday with Special Guest vocalist Frankye Kelly

6:00pm - 7:00pm Eric Benson Trio

Bill with the Laura Johnson Group at J. J.'s tonight, Sunday

Hey all,

Correction: 7pm tonight!

If you're in the mood to hear the blues, come to J. J.'s Blues in San Jose tonight around 7pm to hear me with the Laura Johnson Group. My man Pat Smith on guitar is truly a blues master, you gotta check this out.

If you're in the mood to hear or play the blues, come back to J. J.'s on Sunday around 5:30pm for the Blues Jam Session featuring us and whoever else shows up. Should be a fun time. Bring yer axe!

Zip Disk + Quicktake 150 Photo Rescue

So. I thought, "hey, I've got a little time on my hands, I'll just fire up the Power Macintosh 8600, stick it on the network, and copy off this ZIP disk full of Quicktake 150 pictures to a more modern machine before the ZIP disk dies. What could be simpler?" HAH!

I was able to copy the files off the ZIP disk easily enough, and even downloaded an FTP client. Problem seems to be that Apple, in its infinite wisdom, used a custom Quicktime codec for these image files. So, now I'm putting sticky tape over the holes in the HD 3.5" diskettes to make it think that they are 800k diskettes, so I can install the Quicktake Software, so I can read the images on the old Mac. Then what? I guess then I somehow find ancient GraphicConverter (System 7.6.1, please) and convert them to JPEG's. Woo.

Back in the saddle again...

Cliff Swallow
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

After several weeks off, it was really nice to be out with Ashok taking pictures this morning. After our time at Charleston Slough I stopped by the rookery at Palo Alto Duck Pond, where this year's crop of egrets and herons are stumping around the palm trees looking for breakfast.

more photos at flickr.

We saw the owl!

Western Screech-Owl
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

On my third trip looking (Mary's first trip), I found the Western Screech-Owl everyone's been talking about. Thanks to Ashok and Yamil for their help in finding the bird, and thanks to Mary for getting up so early on a Saturday. See more photos.

Wings over Mojave, Day Four

Sage Sparrow
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

I got some quality time with this _awesome_ bird, the Sage Sparrow. We broke 100 species for the trip, field notes forthcoming. It was an awesome time, we are now back home safely.

Wings over Mojave, Day Three

Butterbredt Canyon Road
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We had an excellent time driving this very bumpy little "road" down into Butterbredt Spring from the mountains. Another very busy day. Sage Sparrow, w00t!

Wings over Mojave, Day Two

American Redstart (female)
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We had a very busy day. American Redstart! Woo.

Wings over Mojave, Day One

Swainson's Thrush
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We had a great day in the desert, checking out our big destination for tomorrow (Butterbredt Spring) and otherwise seeing a lot of cool birds for the first time this year. See trip list for more details. Must to bed now, as we are getting up _wicked_ early tomorrow.

Wings over Mojave, Day Zero

Well, we made it to our hotel in good time, despite shenanigans leaving the bay area. We arrived in Mojave to find 60-70MPH winds, which made unloading the car very exciting. Woah. Hoping the migratory birds have managed not to blow away over night.

Knitting and Birding Retreat in Carmel (day 2)

Sea Lion
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Well, we're home after an eventful three day weekend Carmel. Mary did a lot of knitting and some crocheting. I must have taken a thousand photos this weekend, and am frantically back home throwing them away. Happily, there are plenty of keepers, including this little guy having his nap. Which is exactly what I have to do now. More photos later! Zzzzzz.....

Knitting and Birding Retreat in Carmel

Black Oystercatcher
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We started the morning bright and early at Cross Hill, hoping to see the legendary Caracara. No luck.

After breakfast, I spent the morning at Carmel River mouth sitting on the sand waiting for birds like this Oystercatcher to come a little bit closer. It was really fun. I also drove up to Asilomar and worked my way back down the peninsula, grooving on my iPod tunes. Great day!

(Photos on flickr)

Greetings from Carmel

Warbling Vireo
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Today we had some excellent birding along Mount Madonna Road, where we had squirrley little passerines like this Warbling Vireo that didn't want his picture taken. I had great fun playing bird calls using my old iPod and a software package called birdPod.

And, I turned 40. A great day. More photos later, I have to get some sleep before going out early tomorrow in search of the wily Caracara.

McClellan Ranch and Stevens Creek

Western Bluebird
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Ashok and I were very pleased to have Mary along with us this morning. Ashok got a life bird (Oriole), and we had some fun photographing cooperative birds at the Audubon office bird feeders and in the community garden plots.

After Ashok left we went up to Stevens Creek County Park, where once again I tried to make a Cooper's Hawk into a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

(Photos at flickr)

Fun with Dunlin

Dunlin
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Following a hot tip from Ashok, I went to the Foster City pond near the radio tower before work in search of Dunlin, but had no interesting shots. Happily, I stopped by again after work and found excellent light and a willing, nearby subject. After all the rain, this was a really lovely evening.

I think that makes 293 ABA species photographed (Photos on flickr)

Birding with The Knitist

Song Sparrow
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We took advantage of a break in the weather to introduce our friend The Knitist to the glories of birding at Charleston Slough.

In Stevens Creek County Park, we walked from the Villa Maria picnic area uphill into Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. There, overlooking the abandoned quarry, we saw VAUX's and WHITE-THROATED SWIFT circling with NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. All three species were flying at eye level, affording excellent views. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was heard singing loudly from the bottom of the quarry. We found no dippers at the fourth bridge over Stevens Creek, where water levels were very high.

A breeding plumage BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER was seen from the observation platform at Charleston Slough, along with 28 BLACK SKIMMERS.

Two EARED GREBES in breeding plumage were seen from west the end of Shoreline Lake.

McClellan Ranch yielded many cooperate feeder birds plus a male WESTERN TANAGER in the sycamores above the creek, just at the entrace to the trail. A single WOOD DUCK flew rapidly overhead. Both BULLOCK's and HOODED ORIOLES were near the Audubon office building.

Grand total for the day -- 91 species. Pretty impressive!
(Trip notes at birdWalker, Photos at flickr)

Ashok and Bill visit Lake Merritt

American White Pelican
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

With a rare break in the clouds, Ashok was itching to get over to Lake Merritt in search of breeding plumage Eared Grebes. We found them, and a few other subjects as well, such as this beguiling American White Pelican.

Our second stop was Berkeley Aquatic Park in search of the elusive Tufted Duck. We did find a few Scaup, but none of them seemed to be tufted. (Photos on flickr)

Black-necked Stilts in love

Black-necked Stilts in love
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

I arrived a little early at Lucy Evans Nature Center for the monthly meeting of Bay Area Bird Photographers. Since there was still a little sunlight left, I decided to wander around the parking lot with my 300mm just as an excuse to be outside and stretch my legs.

On the eastern edge of the parking lot I sat quietly for a few minutes to see how close the feeding Avocets and Stilts would approach. I noticed one Stilt stop feeding and stand very still, neck stretched far forward, while the other bird methodically splashed the water first on one side, then the other. I suspected something interesting was about to happen, and I was right. This whole sequence took at most 30 seconds.

Goldfinches in my backyard

Lesser Goldfinch
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

I really don't have a good photo of Lesser Goldfinch in my files, but I do have a good collection of Lesser Goldfinches at my backyard feeder. Only problem is, they seem only to perch on (a) backlit sticks at the top of the tree or (b) the feeder itself, neither of which is conducive to a good wildlife photo. So, I decided to try to be like the pros and place a natural looking perch in an advantageous spot and wait for the birds to land on it.

I did get some decent shots of the Goldfinches, and I did see them land on the perch I had provided, but never both at once. Still, it's quite fun to sit very still in your backyard and watch the birds flit around. A very zen activity.

(More photos at flickr)

Ashok and Bill visit Foster City

Double-crested Cormorant
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Ashok arrived early at our original destination, Coyote Point Marina. By the time I arrived, he had already scouted the area and concluded we should look elsewhere. Ashok suggested we try his favorite Foster City park near Marlin street.

I noticed early in the morning that I'd accumulated a big glob on my sensor, and without thinking I decided to just blow on it. Do NOT blow out sensor dirt yourself, use your Giottos Air Blower. Trust me.

After returning to the car for some clean, dry air, I got the sensor back in working order and found some great subjects to photograph on the pond, especially when Ashok's swans came out and put on a show. I added a few shots of bird feet to my "bird parts quiz" collection. A very enjoyable morning. (Photos on flickr)

Surf's up!

Surfer
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We wanted to show our Milwaukee-based houseguests the coast, so we started up at Horseshoe Lake at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, drove down to Pescadero (lunch at Duarte's, mmmm), and thence to Santa Cruz.

I was looking for landscapes and birds to photograph (and we did find some Marbled Godwits making footprints in the sand), but honestly, the most exciting subject at hand were the surfers at Cowell's in Santa Cruz. With a 300mm f/4 lens and plenty of light, it was pretty easy to freeze the action, as I did here. (Photos on flickr)

Juncos at Foothills Park

Dark-eyed Junco
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

Ashok and I visited Foothills Park this morning in search of Wild Turkeys and passerines [Note: this lovely park is open to Palo Alto residents and their guests only, so be sure to bring a Palo Altoan with you]. We heard a few songbirds and saw a few ducks and grebes on the pond, but mostly things were quiet.

This Junco was far and away our most cooperative subject, and I was glad to add a few more Junco shots to my files.

Wings over Andrew Molera

Andrew Molera State Park
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

We had a great day birding with Steve Shunk (see field notes) at Andrew Molera today. I travelled light, carrying just the 300mm f/4 and my 17-40mm for landscape shots like this one. Partly, I was scouting the Carmel area for a weekend in Carmel at the end of April. I'm looking forward to that. I did manage to grab my first photo of Hutton's Vireo, bringing my ABA (*) lifetime species photographed list to 291. I hope to make it to 300 later this year. (Photos on flickr)

(*) Note: American Birding Association publishes each year a summary of various bird-watching records, including most species seen in one day and most species seen in one year. Among these records is the lifetime number of different species photographed in North America. See ABA's Big Day website for more details.

A few more portraits

Goose
Originally uploaded by Bill Walker.

With this shaping up to be the rainiest March on record around here, you have to sneak in moments behind the camera whenever you can. In this case, Charleston Slough is one of my favorite morning portrait stops because (1) the birds are accustomed to people because so many folks show up to feed the ducks; and (2) it's right between my house and my office. (Four photos on flickr).