Escape is Sweet

A rainy dull light day. Not a day to write or read. Not a good day to photograph. We had to get out in the storm. To feel the cool wet freshness of the air. Equipment to test and learn to use. A new camera body used with new to us lenses. Are we ever going to learn how to make magic with them. Let's give it a try? We are looking for waterfowl west of Lincoln where few have been seen this year that is so dry. But there are a few. Our new camera gear should make sharper, crisper wildlife images. That is if we ever learn to use them. A lot of driving and very little shooting so lets go to Lincoln for a Chinese lunch.

We had seen a bi-winged crop duster off in the distance over the Feather river and beyond.We had almost forgotten about him when up ahead he flies across our road to land on a paved farm strip to re-load. Shirley loves to photograph airplanes. The road we are on is deadly. Little traffic on the road but what there is is high speed, with few places to park. I zoom into a spot in front of a gate. The gate is where the air-strip comes to the road we are on. The only place to park. The airplane is loaded and ready to take off within two minutes. There is a steel gate between us and the runway. We should be safe? The aircraft is at full throttle and moving toward us when I think he looks overloaded. His wheels are still on the ground when within 100 yards of us. Pull up! I almost can feel the stick in my hand and my feet on the rudder. Pull up!! Shirley says "my god" is he going to make it?

As the airplane roars over us I have taken my last photograph of him and turn and ask Shirley " did he go below the telephone wires just above our Jeep? The roar of the huge radial engine and the prop wash as he went over buffeted the Jeep and we both hung on. Maybe it was a good day to read and write?

LIFE AND DEATH IN THE WILD

BY JIM AND SHIRLEY WHITE

LIFE AND DEATH IN THE WILD

By Jim and Shirley White

I heard the screaming first. High pitched, not too loud, more like a frantic alarm or maybe a call for help. Then two black shapes, one larger than the other flashed in front of me, not twenty feet away, from right to left. I noticed the sharp pointed pair of wings silhouetted against the very bright sky. My brain on auto-reflex said “A falcon for sure”. The shapes did a tight 180 and spiraled down to the ground of our pasture, less than fifty feet away. The prey was still fluttering and screaming on the ground. The falcon bit down on the smaller bird and held on. The fluttering stopped. I started to scream out “hay you…stop it!” I could see the very red eyes of the falcon as he had now seen me move. He tilted his head watching me, maybe wondering what to do? The falcon was very dark blue above over a soft deep dark reddish chest. The top of the head was very black. A small bird and not a Peregrine.  A Sharp- Shinned Hawk?

  How could I have such a childish impulse to interfere after all these years of wildlife work? Then I wondered where my camera with the long lens was? I wanted to see better. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the binoculars from the table, and then back out on the deck. Then my logic took over and I realized I had just witnessed nature in action. That is why I was sitting on our deck watching all the birds nearby anyway.  A falcon had just made a kill. The glasses told me it was a Yellow Crowned Sparrow that was killed.  Nature at work I know. But, it was so breathtaking to see something die so quickly right in front of your eyes. My heart was beating so fast and I felt breathless.   

This is not the first time this has happen in almost the exact same spot. The last time it happened even closer to the deck. I was sitting at the kitchen table, heard the screaming and the thrashing in the bushes under the Live Oak tree. I grabbed the camera and ran out under the tree. The first thing I saw up in the tree was the eyes, starring down at me. The killer in this case, a Coopers Hawk, was clutching its kill and sitting on a large limb up in the tree.  The hawk starting tearing his kill apart with his beak right away. Feathers were flying with the red blood colored meat easily seen in his beak.

I have watched a number of other wild animals die from a predatory attack. Coyotes killed a fawn, with my son Randy watching too. I asked him what we should do. He thought about it and said “nothing”. He was only 13 or so and I was very proud that he understood. Then there was the Mountain Lion in the early cold morning light, walking softly down the hill in the thick timber following a group of does and fawns that had just passed by. I saw the lion for maybe 30 seconds or so. Then he was gone. But I knew where he had gone when I heard the screams from the deer off to the right and up the hill a few minutes later.

 In the wild, some die so that others can live. Makes sense and I understand. In the “civilized” world people die violently all the time for reasons no one understands.

IT'S FOR THE BIRDS!

Howdy bird lovers:  The other day we had about 16 Eurasian Collared Doves show up at our box-type seed feeder. We really thought that was something, since we had never seen a Collared Dove until 2 years ago. This last Friday we had maybe 30-40 doves show up at the feeder. There were so many doves they had to wait in line up in the Mulberry trees above the feeder. We were gone yesterday ( bird photography) but the feeder was empty when we got home last night. I put about 1/2 gal of mixed seed in last night, at 0830 this AM we had maybe 50-75 doves come in and empty the feeder in about 20 minutes.  Does anyone know where I can get a deal on mixed wild bird seed by the 50 lb. sack? I have got the place posted as a wild bird sanctuary but I think maybe I will apply for a Licensed Game Bird Club? What do you think? I did see an ad for a Rape seed farm for sale in Alberta. But it's really cold up there right now.     

ROYAL GORGE OF THE AMERICAN RIVER

By Jim and Shirley White

Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Richard Bigelow saddled up his horse at Emigrant Gap, mounted, and headed south for Westville on the Foresthill divide to investigate a report of a large forest fire burning near Michigan Bluff. It was 5 A.M. on August 1, 1909. Ranger Bigelow had given orders to the trail crew at Mumford’s Bar on May 18^th, to build a trail from Mumford’s Bar on the North Fork of the American River to Emigrant Gap for just this kind of emergency. He had a report that the trail was completed and now was the time not only to inspect the trail job, but to use this new trail to lend a hand in fighting this important fire.

One hundred and four years later, on November 30, 2013, Shirley and I headed south in our jeep, along this same trail to photograph the Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American River. About ten miles of this trail is now a road and paved. Near the ten mile marker we turned east off the old trail on forest road 19, headed for the abandoned site of the Big Valley Bluff fire lookout. To the East and 2000 feet below is the Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American River. This year we could see at least a mile of the river was dry, with only a hidden flow of water below the river gravel.

In late July, 1955 I had visited with Bill Watson, Forest Service lookout at Big Valley Bluff lookout, who told me of seeing several Golden Eagles flying below his lookout on some days. The old trail to the lookout was only a jeep road part way back in the 1950’s, and I had to hike about one half of a mile to get to this outstanding view. Parts of the old horse trail to the lookout are still visible to this day.

On the recent trip to the lookout the weather was perfect. Not a breath of air was stirring, and a few clouds made the scene special. We photographed the Gorge from a number of promontories to the east of the lookout always looking below, hoping to see an Eagle. After a couple of hours it was time to go and we reluctantly headed up along the sharp ridge out with one glance back down the canyon. And there they were! There were two Golden Eagles, with fixed wings, gliding below us. I let out a yell, stopped the jeep, grabbed the D-7000 with the long lens, and drew down on the birds below. The auto lens would not focus! The target was too small, the lens was not fast enough to focus, who knows what went wrong? We missed the shot. The birds apparently landed below the point of the cliff where we could not see them. Who knows how long they were going to sit below us? We missed the shot and it is just part of the game.

Ranger Bigelow rode his horse down into the American River canyon 2000 feet below and then back up 2000 feet to the road at Westville where he ate dinner. After dinner he received a message that the fire had jumped over Deadwood Ridge. He saddled back up and was on the fire line by 4 PM.  He supervised the fire fight till midnight, slept on the line waiting for daylight. He then worked on the fire line the next 3 days and established a camp to feed the fire fighters.  After this fire was out Ranger Bigelow rode his horse up Ralston Ridge, to French Meadows and three days later arrived back home in Nevada City.

While sitting on the cliff at Big Valley Bluff and looking down on Mumford’s Bar, we talked about Ranger Bigelow and his epic horse trips throughout the Tahoe National Forest. I have a copy of his diary, but I really wish he had had a camera. As they say, they just don’t make them like that anymore.

GREEN EYES WATCHING

by

Jim and Shirley White

We were staked out west of Dutch Flat, watching the Union Pacific Railroad tracks for the late afternoon down- mountain freight; hoping for a photograph of a snow encrusted engine with its yellow headlight pushing thru the late evening snowfall. I had four-wheeled thru the frozen crust making a sound like breaking glass to park along the tracks on a seldom used dirt road. There were no dwellings for miles on this road, but somehow two large Newfoundland type dogs ran out of the snow-covered woods across the tracks and barked at us like we were unwelcome intruders into their icy domain. Our cameras are ready and the windows are down so we can hear the approaching train.

I poured two cups of steaming coffee and we munched on our Kashie bars and tried to stare down the barking inferno across the tracks. Earlier I had shot at high speed straight into the setting sun at U.P. # 6933 eastbound near the Dutch Flat diggings. One shot was not bad with a star effect had on the sun behind the engine .Now we are ready with the camera all set when a train comes around the curve up-stream with the setting sun behind our backs. The barking finally stopped and the dogs across the tracks went back into the woods.

Time to put the thermos and energy bars away in the back of the truck; no need to spill hot coffee when the train rushed around the corner and I started shooting like a demon trying for that great train  picture. I stepped out of the truck and walked to the rear to open the camper door when 30 yards away something big and black glided out of the woods on the left side of our access road and stopped in the snow on the road with a solid stare that made me hold my breath and check the holster on my belt. I strained to see, but this beast had a 2 inch tail that stuck straight out and ears that stood straight up, with maybe tassels on the ears. The body was really dark and thicker than it should be. The light was poor and I really needed my binoculars left on the front seat. He paused and then glided into the very thick snow covered manzanita, and then stopped. I could feel the stare coming from just below his ears .A faint beam of sunlight refracted off the snow struck his face and one eye went bright green. I could see the outline of his thick black body thru the brush. As silent as he came, he glided away into the thick snow covered jungle.

The train picture did not seem that important now. We waited 15 minutes more and gave up. We drove over the tracks of the unknown, unable to tell what it was from its tracks in the too hard snow.

It is the next day now and as you can tell, the thoughts of those green eyes are still with me. With more than a half century of wildlife observations in California behind me, I am not sure now what I know about wildlife in California. I do love photography.

A WALK IN THE PARK......

A WALK IN THE PARK

...is no normal stroll. We leave the house in the morning at the first sign of daybreak. Five minutes later this is what we see where we park.

We walk 2 miles in 50 minutes. That is if we don't run into some wildlife activity on the lake which requires us to stop and watch.

This is our pond in our park. On any given day we may see, River Otters, an Egyptian goose native to Africa, Kingfishers, Green Herons, Great Blue Herons, all kinds of ducks and geese, Cormorants, various other Shore Birds, Mud Turtles, Hawks, Beaver, Wild Turkeys, Grey Squirrels, all kinds of native birds....and in the Fall, color enough to knock your eyes out!

Along with all this wildlife and natural color we meet friends. They are as crazy about being out here early in the morning as we are. Of course we stop and talk and compare notes as to who has seen what. It seems like there is always something new to share. Some of our friends will have their dogs. I usually have a treat for each of the dogs. We can see the tails start wagging when they are at the other end of the pond. Nice to have a friend who lets you know a mile away that they like you. What a way to start a day. It just makes you feel good all over.

The weather forecast for the upper Sacramento Valley is for high winds 30 to 45 MPH with some clouds! Just what we have been waiting for to photograph the first of the northern birds in large numbers this year. We are having breakfast at Tommy's Market Street grill in Colusa this early Sunday morning in November and I can't wait to see the conditions at the refuge. Wind, dust,few people and millions of waterfowl, restless and moving around. Just what wildlife photographers need.

First the Snow Geese. Noisy and restless. There is only 3 or 4 large groups we can find. Lots more to come later. A scattering of Ross Geese mixed into the Snows. You can tell the Ross because they do not have the "Grinning Patch" the Snow's have. We shoot a few shots of the geese and then move on to young Red Tailed hawk sitting on the ground. He looks at us like he has never seen a person before. Maybe?

The best part of this day is the ponds on the last part of the auto tour. Lots of trees around these ponds and for some reason the birds feel safer here. We park 50 feet away from a packed house.

I single out a few Mallards. Pictures of a few Mallards taking off or landing are very commercial and hard to get. We keep trying.

It's been a good day. Time to get home and watch some football. When we get some rain we will get some more birds and we will be back. I wonder what time Tommy's opens?