BushBlog

Color, Color & Color with Red Flowers & Yellow Birds

2009-05-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes serendipity is the best way to see great things in nature. Driving into this fine County Park to drop off Jeanne to her Pastel Class, it was impossible to overlook these trees. With a marine layer (fog!) affecting the coastline (it was sunny only 1/2 mile away) the colors were also very saturated, rather than the reflected colors seen on a bright day.

The trees - Erythrina coralloides or Naked Coral Tree - were planted years ago to separate a parking lot from the street. And wow. What a good decision. As I was driving out of the park, slowly now through the parking lot, I realized that their was ANOTHER color in the red flowers - Hooded Orioles. In these photos, they are all mature males, dressed up in bright yellow/orange and their best black.

The Hooded Orioles feed on the nectar produced by the flowers. I did not observe long enough to learn if they might be a good pollinator, as this is known as a 'humming bird tree'.

You can now see more clearly (now that those distracting bits of yellow are not in the photo) how this erythrina obtained the 'naked' part of its common name - blooming with NO leaves!

In confirming my identification of the tree, I found an informative link on one of my most favorite 'plant links' - the UBC Botanical Garden in Vancouver, BC Canada. There is more information about the Hooded Oriole at the Cornell website for birds.

So When is a Blue Grosbeak NOT Blue?

2009-05-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

How about "When it's BROWN???" Yep. This is a brown Blue Grosbeak. It happens to also be female.

Actually quite a handsome bird, I think. Darker color on the crest is a nice touch, and wow, you sure can tell that bill is something powerful - and useful in cracking open hard seeds.

And these fellas are just so darn colorful - yes, the BLUE in Blue Grosbeak is for the males. In birds, blue is NOT a pigment! It's a reflective/iridescent physical quality of the feathers - NOT a 'true color'. [Meaning if you mushed up the blue feathers, you could not make a blue dye from it.]

Where did these guys perch before barbed wire came along?

Many more photos and info on my Flickr site, with the link to this set here. Once you're at the set, you can see in the upper right part of the screen a link to make a 'slideshow' if you like.

Jesusita Fire, Day 2 - Santa Barbara, CA

2009-05-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Damn. Here we go all over again. This is the THIRD MAJOR fire in less than a year and the FOURTH in less than two years: Zaca, Gap, Tea and now Jesusita. Starting on the Fourth of July 2007, the Zaca Fire burned completely in the 'back country' consuming only one small shed and hurting no one. It became the second-largest wildfire in recorded California history. The Gap Fire above Goleta started a year later and caused many evacuations, yet in burning more than 10,000 acres did not burn any structures. In early November, 2008, the Tea Fire in Montecito erupted suddenly with 90mph 'sundowner' winds and burned over 200 homes and severely burned two people trying to flee from their home.

This photo was taken only 20 seconds after the photo above. Note how FAST this fire was growing - especially the smaller plume on the right. These two photos were taken from the east of the fire, creating backlit smoke that became almost mahogany in color.

Forty minutes later at about 4:40pm, I took the above photos and the ones following - from the western side of the fire - near the Public Library in Goleta, actually from the house & overlook within the organic farm, "Fairview Gardens". At a distance of about eight miles, those flames must be more than 50' high.

This and the following photo were taken 20 seconds apart.... also showing how fast the fire was still burning.

As I write about 9pm, reports state that over 20 homes have burned, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has sustained damage, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History was threatened. Staff were busily placing the most valuable specimens in their fireproof vaults. Over 12,000 'reverse 9-1-1' calls had been made for mandatory evacuations, all the way to State Street, Santa Barbara's "Main Street".

Here at El Cap State Beach, about 20 miles west of the fire, the winds are still gusting, although not nearly as dangerous as those of the mid-late afternoon.

One of the very best local sources of news - especially breaking news is NOT the daily SB News Press (i.e. News Suppress), but the weekly 'Independent'

More photos with details on my Flickr site - you can connect to the Jesusita Fire set with this link.

SNOW BUNTING in SoCal???

2009-05-03T23:05:00.001-07:00

Not much of a bird, from my first view of a SNOW BUNTING, eh? This oddly out-of-place bird would likely rather be in the northern plains or tundra, and instead?

She was behind the right-field fence of Mike Evans Field in Ross Field Park in San Diego, CA.

Apparently content with finding seeds in the outfield, the Snow Bunting was found on Saturday morning, and has caused quite a stir among Cali-birders - and non-birders. With this post, birders began showing up from around the region.

Subject: Female snow Bunting, San Diego
From: Stan Walens
Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 13:32:49 -0700

I'm out the door in 10 seconds.
A female snow bunting, i.d. confirmed by Paul Lehman, was found today
at Robb Field in San Diego.
This is near the San Diego River.
It is there now.

Stan Walens
SD

I was on my way to San Diego on work(!), preparing to stay with friends. On a short break at a rest stop south of Camp Pendleton on the Five, I connected on the web to see if anything was going on in the birding world of San Diego.... Yikes!

I found the park, after wandering around several interchanges - knowing all the time I where I wanted to be.... I just couldn't "get there from here", and ran into two birders who had just seen the Snow Bunting.
Aimed in the right direction, I was finally flagged down by yet another avid birder from Carlsbad, who finally pointed me in the right direction. In the above photos, our bird has hopped through the fence, and is seed-hunting in a dirt parking lot. NOT the activity usually associated with such a first-time bird for San Diego County.

Back on the right-field fence, the Snow Bunting has officially been tagged as the "500th" bird recorded in San Diego County - more than any other county's total in the ol' USofA. And hey, I was there!

It was seen on a ball-field, right? Here she is, rounding third, and I hope - headed for home!

[You HAD to see that one coming, didn't you!?!??!!]

MORE photos (how many Snow Bunting photos are enough?) on my Flickr Site.

Western Tanager & Chestnut-backed Chickadees at El Cap

2009-05-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

While marine layer (read FOG!) can create some great views - here the Santa Ynez Mtns from the beach at El Capitan State Beach - the fog is not so fun for taking BIRD PHOTOS.

However, this morning's fog would prove to come and go. Here I was given a modest view of a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

This is a bit clearer - the brown color is quite evident on the bird's back. While mostly known from north of Santa Barbara County (I have seen them every time I've been to Oso Flaco Park in southern San Luis Obispo Co.), this small colony has apparently become established at El Cap only in the past ten years or so.

The fog did it's work, allowing for good color saturation - if you can find the bird.... Like the chickadees, the Western Tanagers were feeding on small green caterpillers (worms) that in turn were feeding on the Western Sycamores - leaving them with holes akin to a lacey handkerchief.

Ahhh, yes the fog can be photographed!

See many more photos of this walkabout - with many other birds on my Flickr site.

Endangered Species Yin 'n Yang at El Cap State Beach

2009-04-28T15:40:00.001-07:00

Southern California coastal areas are EXTREMELY diverse. Not only for the 'Left Coasters' who live here, but for the wide variety of animals and plants. I set out on a walk this morning from El Capitan State Beach, where El Capitan Creek enters the Pacific (above).

The beach is rocky at the outflow, and a popular 'surf break' - Refugio State Beach's point is evident in the center of the photo, about two and a half miles to the west.

As I said, it was an EARLY start, just at sunrise (6:15am) and with a 'minus tide', sun to my back, great for taking photos - like an old gunfighter, gaining any advantage. [I learned this from my birdin' buddy, Adam Lewis.] The beach is quite sandy for the next mile or so, and the ravages of winter storms' removal of sand has been nicely reversed this spring.

Nearing half-way to Refugio, exists outcroppings of rocks forming 'tidal pools' - habitat for small fish, crustaceans, insects and this Great Blue Heron. Most notable however, for the purposes of this post is the background of this photo. Notice the floating seaweed? It's kelp. We'll see it again in a few more photos.

While I saw many small-ish birds (Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Sanderling, Semi-palmated Sandpiper) and other shorebirds (Willet, Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel), it was the bird above that stood out to me - a Snowy Plover.

The Snowy Plover is quite well-known locally as it's presence - for breeding purposes - can shut down public beaches for months at a time.

Like the Snail Darter or the Spotted Owl, this tiny (one to two OUNCES!) bird is also protected by the Endangered Species Act - as Threatened. Perhaps less than 1,500 exist along the western coast and only 10 nesting sites.

Entire beaches are closed during the nesting season to protect these threatened birds from inadvertent trampling (the eggs are very hard to see) and human disturbances. Vandalism is not unknown.

Literally moments after taking photos of the plovers, THIS showed up! And very close to shore - at a very low tide. Remember the kelp in the heron photo? Yep. This Gray Whale is INSIDE the kelp zone! And at 50,000 pounds PLUS, this 40+' endangered mammal clearly out-weighs its feathered brethren on the beach.

Gray Whales are the winners of the 'Long-distance Mammalian Migrating Award' - making a round trip each year from the cold Pacific Ocean & Bering Sea of Alaska to the welcome waters of the northern Gulf of California - a total round trip of over 12,000 miles!

In the warm and shallow waters of the Gulf of California females breed one year, and calve in the next. Above there are two 'spouts' visible, a confirmation that this is a female Gray Whale with her calf, returning to Alaskan waters at the walking speed of 3mph.

This photo shows the blowhole of the calf, born tail-first at 12' long. Note that it is clear of any marks or parasites.

Mom, however, shows some of the wear of time. Typical, ain't it?

Again here is mom in the lead, and always to the ocean-side of her calf - running interference and protecting her precious contribution to a shrinking gene pool from the ever-present predators. Even now at 20' long, the calf is very susceptible to attack by Orcas. The Gray Whales' only other predator? Humans. You know, Homo sapiens - the WISE species of Homo...

Moments later, mom and calf headed around this point and steered up the coast. Next passage? Refugio Beach State Beach - only another mile ahead. And then another. And another.

More photos and information on my Flickr site with this slideshow.

Downed Pilot Remembered

2009-04-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, it was all about the emergency responders - professionals working quickly and surely as their training guided them to swift action.

However, by Monday, it was about the family. And on Tuesday the Birch Family & Friends came to El Capitan State Beach to think, feel and to breath a bit of the air over the Pacific where Steve Birch last flew. (Family Photo)

Jim Rydell, Steve's brother-in-law contacted me as he was approaching El Cap on Tuesday noon. He was grateful for the photos and information I had posted previously and wished to introduce me to other family and friends that had also seen my postings. By the time we reached the beach, the Family had already been hard at work, setting stones in the sand to cherish their thoughts of Steve.

This photo overlooks the special stones and the 'aerial acrobatic box' where Steve had been flying.

My wife and I have lived as Camp Hosts at El Capitan State Beach for eight months last year and now six months this year. During that time I have become very fond of the rock cairns that seemingly sprout like mushrooms.... and often arrive just as they are needed. This one appeared on Sunday late afternoon, bringing with it a particularly splendid sunset. The rock cairn in the lead photo of this posting appeared on Tuesday morning, just prior to the Family's arrival...

Additional photos and information regarding the Birches and El Cap can be found on my Flickr Site. You may click on the photos or chose a slideshow in the upper right corner.

Emergency Search at El Cap State Beach

2009-04-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday evening, as my wife Jeanne Miller and I were headed to the beach at El Capitan for our nearly-ritual sunset watch, we ran into many emergency responders. Above, State Parks Supervising Life Guard/Ranger Al Fimlaid is at the controls while Life Guard Dion Von Der Leith provides support on the State Parks watercraft. I'm sure all were pleased to see calm seas with a near-glassy surface.

The local State Parks Rangers and Life Guards were joined by the Santa Barbara County Fire Search & Rescue.

Here the first of two County watercraft jet skis were launched in search of a reported downed small plane. I noted that all were very business-like and well-prepared. Check the 'raft' above - with many rope-loops for hand holds for both a rider or many hangers-on. After gearing up with wet suits, lights, fins and other equipment, each person then wore a bright yellow top t-shirt with agency ID.

Iris King, California State Parks Ranger prepares the State watercraft for off-loading. These folks are pros - from Ranger suit to wet suit in just a blink - all equipment necessary seemed to be well at hand and its proper use well-understood.

I found it curious that the sunset was one of the best ones of the spring season so far... and with an anonymous camper's rock cairn a fitting tribute to the downed pilot.

More photos and info can be seen at my Flickr site:

Now a BALD EAGLE Over Goleta???

2009-02-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

YES! Amazing how birders network these days. And with a lot fewer birds about than when J.J. Audubon or even R.T. Peterson were birding - it's a good thing or we'd never find these neat birds before they 'flew the coop'.

This morning at 10:30 I had seen a post on 'SBCoBirding' or the local listserv for birders (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sbcobirding/) that my birdin' buddy Kyle had seen a BALD EAGLE over Goleta Beach and that he had seen it fly to a large Eucalyptus at the UCSB Eastern Entrance. The post was made because the original spotter, Kyle had made a cell-phone call to another birder asking him to post this interesting news.

Even in the middle of our much-needed rain (one inch so far!) birders were coming to see a Bald Eagle in Goleta. About noon, while the rain was pounding down, I got a call from another good birdin' buddy Adam. He was at the Euc and was watching the bird with yet another birdin' buddy Roger - and the bird was sticking around in the drizzle. Who knows where the Eagle would be by the time Kyle had gotten home and called several people on a land-line ala 1980 or so.?.

Now Eagles are special. First of all, they are HUGE - and while they are found this time of year 'nearby' - that 'nearby' is across the Santa Ynez Mts. in the Santa Ynez Valley in and around Lake Cachuma. This is about twenty-five miles (as the Eagle flies) over mountains about 3,000' in altitude. So Eagles are quite unusual here on the this part of the coast (Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA). Most Eagles seem to stay rather near the lake, where I saw this mature Bald Eagle with my wife Jeanne and my birdin' buddy Adam:

Two views of mature Bald Eagle near Los Olivos, CA on 13Jan09

So as crazy as it sounds - driving nearly 15 miles (one way) in a heavy rain to see an immature Bald Eagle when I had just seen a gorgeous one also in Santa Barbara County - it is crazy. And wonderful. Birds are great survivors in our World - and are a bonus to have around - besides their important role in our ecosystems. And raptors - Eagles especially have a great presence and spirit about them. It was well worth the ride and the 20 minutes standing in the rain.

Turns out this Bald Eagle, A-46 is a 'celebrity eagle' as he was sponsored by Stephen Colbert of the Report fame. Yet another birder, Nina had posted that tidbit of information! I suppose this wet, tawdry-marked bird is worthy of Stephen Colbert and his 'reporting' on our National Economy - which is also rather tattered and sodden.

"Stephen Colbert, Jr." getting an education at UCSB, Goleta, CA 6Feb09

Goshawk Over Goleta??

2009-01-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

Well... yes. And not actually. This bird is most certainly a Northern Goshawk, and I did take this photo yesterday on the UCSB Campus near 'Area K' behind the Campus Police complex, so it would be accurate to state that there was a Goshawk over Goleta yesterday.

And isn't it a GLORIOUS animal??? By now you can tell that there is more to the story. This is quite clearly a falconer's bird, due to the leg straps or jesses and the long slender antenna of the transmitter.

If you're a rabbit or a duck, you could also be toast! What an intense focus.

The Northern Goshawk belongs to Dave, of Carpinteria, whom I met him while out birding and offered to let me tag along for my own amusement and photo-ops. And yes, I asked. He has A SLEW of licenses, certificates, and the proper authority and training to keep and handle these wild species. He has had the Northern Goshawk for nine years, and the Prairie Falcon, below, for about two years.

Dave is 'holding' the Prairie Falcon, as the bird is mostly simply perching on his hand.

The falcon waits until the breezes are understood and correct, and when the time is right, he spreads his wings...

.... And flies away!

Being a true falcon, the Prairie Falcon is great in the air, as are Peregrine Falcons and American Kestrals - which we also find in Santa Barbara County. The goshawk while an accipter (like our smaller Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks), hunts much like our own Red-tailed Hawk, from a perch or pole as seen in the first photo.Hunting on the wing, the leg straps (jesses) and transmitter are visible trailing behind.

I heard Dave use a whistle, and he also swings a leather pouch holding small pieces of dried meat as a lure. He said that the falcon can see him swing that lure from several (10?) miles away and return in seconds! So much for me thinking I'm 'sneaking up' on a raptor for a photograph from only 25 yards away...

2008 From End-to-End in Two Pictures

2008-12-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

First Light of the New Year - 2008; Sunrise El Capitan State Beach 1Jan08

The Year 2008 was like most years in many ways: some good weather and some natural disasters, politicians being politicians, the Santa Barbara mountains, ocean and islands remained startlingly beautiful, friends continue to be wonderful and supportive, birds and plants continue to amaze and inspire me, and the love of a good (great!) woman is a wonderful thing.

However, 2008 also saw changes from the 'norm': The BIG change is the ChangeMasterObama himself, bringing me a true sense of hope after feeling like an alien in my own country for nearly eight years. 2008 also had an extra day - something that Leaps out at us only every four years.

The Summer Olympics were also different from a normal year, following in each Leap Year - with Michael Phelps making us all feel like underachievers, as well as being too short and too fat.

Continuing my search for our 'next adventure', I traveled to Bozeman, Montana, Decorah, Iowa and TWO visits to Singapore.... which is becoming very appealing! Many friends and all family remain sequestered on the East Coast, while we continue to find new friends on the Left Coast. Birding became a focus; I was able to devote enough time to it, and I got to know Adam, a very good new friend in birding, sports, and life.

I paid $4.69/gal regular (ALWAYS seeking the lowest price!) in early July and now find myself paying $1.77/gal. Now I'm NOT complaining, but what's up with THAT price range? Didn't you find it odd that eight years ago Dick Cheney convened a secret/private meeting with oil ambassadors to consider his administration's new 'energy policy'... and during the Bush/Cheney years the price of oil topped $150/barrel - only to be 'done in' by their complete lack of financial regulations which put our economy in places where the sun don't shine, dragging the price of their oil with it...

So, what will 2009 bring? Who the heck knows??? Who could have predicted anything or much of anything about this year? At least I am able to ring in the New Year with my Sweet Darlin' Baby Doll who is at least as healthy as I am, and know that we will be GREAT, no matter where our adventures take us.

Oh, the year in only two pictures? That was much easier than sorting through the nearly 30,000 images I took this year and finding the best. Hopefully, they will show themselves here on my 'blog' in the coming weeks and months. And the "First Light" photo at the top won a FIRST PLACE Award in the Carpinteria Valley Arts Council's art gallery's (855 at the Arts Center) show titled 'Atmosphere, Wind and Shadows' and juried by Thomas Van Stein! Thomas OBVIOUSLY knows quality when he sees it!!!

While the year 2008 ended photographically within a fog bank at El Cap StBch, I remain hopeful that I will have sunny days and sharp shadows for 2009.

Happy New Year.

Mike

Last Light of the Year 2008; Sunset El Capitan State Beach 31Jan08

Surf's Up at Hendry's!

2008-10-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

A change in the weather has made the leaves fly all over town, folks are digging for that blanket they put away in April and surfers have headed into the water. A quick sunset look at Hendry's Beach/Arroyo Burro County Park at sunset Friday evening showed decent waves and a dozen or more surfers in the water.

As you can see, the waves were large enough to have some fun, although they didn't appear to be too predictable or regular to me - a non-surfer.

The waves provided enough fun to turn this surfer board-over-teacup - or some other equally cool surfin' lingo-speak....

This wave had a size and shape to attract more riders than it could hold. Surprise, here we all are!

Now who's gonna ride and who's gonna watch?

Well, maybe we both watch...???

All's well that ends with a grin.!.

This guy had some nice rides!

I found him on several waves.

Just another grand day on Hendry's....

Update on the Theory of "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"

2008-10-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Devereux Slough November 8, 2007. The fall rains have filled the Slough to about 80% capacity. The Slough will 'break through' during the occasional heavy winter rain as high water builds up against the back of the Pacific shore and dunes. This break through will allow the Slough to become tidal for a period until a another storm moves enough beach sand to re-create another 'plug'.

I've found birding to be so unpredictable - which adds to the charm, adventure and amusement. Even with today's cell phones, Yahoo Groups (that can be instantly checked while in the field with your connected cellphone) and Google Earth, the birds just may not be there when you are.

Earlier this summer I was birding at Devereux Slough - a remarkable piece of coastal estuary - altered by many years of development and still functioning reasonably well. Owned by UCSB and protected, it is also under 'renovation' by many local groups, including the Santa Barbara Chapter of the Audubon Society. Agricultural run-off and expedited siltation are the major culprits, and new native plantings plus eradication of non-natives will go a long way to relieving both run-off and siltation.

This rich environment attracts many shorebirds, ducks, geese, swallows, kingfishers, pelicans, cormorants plus herons and egrets. In fact the most dependable 'good bird' of the summer was a juvenile Reddish Egret. This bird was seen more often than not for the months of July and August, 2008.

Reddish Egret in a calm moment.

The feeding/hunting habits of the Reddish Egret involve much activity, bouncing around the shallows as if fueled with amphetamines and having a serious case of 'ants in the pants'.

This hunting behavior is very engaging to witness and can be quite amusing to watch.

The sudden movements and flapping of wings as it chases fish make it identifiable at a distance from other more sedate herons and egrets.

In speaking with a friend this summer, she stated that "finding this rare bird (only the fourth Reddish Egret recorded in Santa Barbara County) was just too easy!"

Usually birds - and the egrets and herons below are a great example - can be "here" one moment and "somewhere else" the next. I was birding with a small group of similarly afflicted friends in the morning of 12Aug08, hoping to see something unusual at Devereux. What we saw was quite amazing. The normal summer dry period had begun to seriously dry up the Slough, creating smaller and smaller areas for fish to hide. The herons appeared to be pretty good at finding those places and gathered in numbers totalling nearly a hundred.

Mixed group of Great Egrets (larger w/yellow bills); Snowy Egrets (smaller w/black bills); and a single Great Blue Heron (at far left) at 9:30am.

Same spot of Devereux Slough as above, 11:00am.

Another earlier view in a nearby location within the Slough - 9:30am.

Again, the same view as above, just an hour and a half later, 11:00am.

So, when your buddy calls and says, "A White-bellied Fish Eagle has been seen at Devereux" you either need to know he is foolin' you - or get down the Slough PRONTO!

First SoCal Rain of the Season!

2008-10-04T19:21:00.001-07:00

Chase Palm Park with the Wharf hiding in the mist

Fall has come to the Central Coast. Today was the first 'rain' I'd seen since the end of April. And that's normal! Growing up in the Tampa Bay area of Florida - one of the Planet's Thunderstorm Capitals where there can be up to 100 thunderstorms in a year - the idea of rain was a regular one. Here in Southern California, the Mediterranean climate results in virtually NO rain for six months, and then when it does rain, thunder and lightning are a rarity.

Ice Plant covering the misty dunes at East Beach - the Wharf is there - somewhere!

So when the first rain does come, it can be a big deal. Rain = Storm in California. Officially, this 'rain' was little more than a daylong off-again, on-again mist with light rain. No wind. No lightning. No thunder. But enough moisture to use the wipers! However, I NEVER got higher than 'three clicks' (of five) on the intermittent wiper setting, and that was on 'the 101' at 55mph. Yet in a short drive to a favored beachfront restaurant for breakfast, I observed THREE bizarre driving occurences. One car passed me on the right along the waterfront, almost clocking a parking car, another purposely broke loose the rear axle around a turn, then spun tires at the next light and the last one simply spun their tires in the rain. Locals say "Stay home!" during rainstorms.

Colors are super-saturated on a sunless and moist day, as seen in the 'cool colors' in the garden of friends where we are house-sitting in Santa Barbara.

While some good birdin' may be found when the weather changes, the light is not so great for long-distance photos, and the contrast is nearly nonexistent. Yet the colors are fantastic!

With similarly cool colors, enhanced by the weather, the Society Garlic makes a nice focus in the garden.

Remember, this 'rain' was officially a trace, although I bet a least one local/weekly paper will call it a storm. Heck, the 'rain' didn't even bring the little kids off the street in my neighborhood!

Kids in the street in the rain.

And upon closer look, the 'rain' didn't even penetrate a rather sparse Coast Live Oak along our driveway. You can see the dry pavers and soil in the center of the photo. So you see? Our first rain was more of a 'mist event'.

Dry pavers and soil under half-leafed out Coast Live Oak

One of the unfortunate happenstances of the rainy season's onset is the subsequent polluting of nearshore waters. All the oil drippings, transmission fluid drops, coolant overflows, and gas station topping off-overfillings lay around on the asphalt all summer waiting for rain to move them downhill - and into the ocean. So today when I parked at the 'honor-pay' parking lot enjoying the views at East Beach, I took a look around.

East Beach with the Pavilion in the mist - I promise!

The following view of the wet parking lot (with a support team for a local 'walk-a-thon' that was not deterred by the mist storm) shows how the water begins to collect on the pavement. The continuing photos show the water as a carrier for road-borne oil and dirt.

East Beach parking lot with accumulating water

The water collects and begins to show telltale signs of the summer's oil accumulation.

The water runs downhill, towards the ocean, through the curb-cut and collects in the sand - still bearing oil.

As you can see above, this collecting polluted water doesn't have far to go to reach the ocean. And that's not too bad unless you prefer to have life in your oceans and on your beaches - oh, and use them for recreation as well.

Oil - so far we can't live (well) with it, and we can't live (well) without it. Yet another reason to find a balance of energy sources to sustain our standard of living and power our transportation so that we can live with a lighter footprint on our Planet, the WATER Planet.

With the mist storm about most all the day, and having enjoyed the beach views in the morning mist/light rain/haze, the only thing left was to get to your little house and have your best buddy nearby.

Carbon allowing her dog, Cody to bunk down in her Little House.

When is Vermillion NOT Red???

2008-09-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I can tell you that when it comes to the Vermillion Flycatchers that I have seen - there ain't nothin' red!

The Vermillion Flycatcher is one of those birds that I have really looked forward to seeing. Growing up in Florida, I was certainly exposed to some great birds - like the Roseate Spoonbill - that looks sorta like a small flamingo with a lot of beak that got flattened by a steamroller. Pretty crazy to be able to see such a bird where I worked - along Sarasota Bay at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

However, NO Vermillion Flycatchers were to be seen. I read books. I've seen pictures. And the Vermillion Flycatcher (VF in birder-write) is a spectacular bird. Apparently as red as one of my very favorite birds, the Northern Cardinal, (why it's 'Northern' Cardinal when seen in the Heart of the Ol' South..??) the VF adult male has a brilliant red cap, throat and 'underparts', contrasted with very black eyeline/mask, nape, back, wings and tail. Sheesh! What a bird to see! And now I live in the southwest USA where the VF live. Cool.

So when I read on the local Santa Barbara, CA 'bird alert' group that a Vermillion Flycatcher had been seen only 30 miles up the coast at Gaviota State Beach, my wife and I headed out. After a dry run and literally no birds at Refugio State Beach, we zoomed ten more miles up the coast to Gaviota State Beach. Jeanne quickly spotted a 'new bird'. She's quite good at this. Not only does she see birds very well, she is also able to quickly discern if we have seen the bird before. Handy to have around!

Sure enough, in a struggling Western Sycamore, planted at Campsite #29, we had found our bird! Sound the drums! Here is the bird I had been waiting for!

Nooooo???!!! How can this be? Where's the freakin' Vermillion? With the mask?

So I have officially seen a Vermillion Flycatcher. Simply turns out this one is a juvenile bird (likely a female), with typical coloration(for a VF juvenile female). There will be more. This one can't be the only one in a vermillion. Guess I'll have to go back and keep lookin' for a MATURE MALE VF that will actually be RED!

Vermillion Flycatcher (juvenile female) on introduced/escaped Nicotiana.

Blog or Blob? Gotta Get Goin'!

2008-09-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

You must read to the end for info on this one!

Birds I Have Seen Lately

Finding myself in a sudden and early retirement 18 months ago, I find I enjoy having much more time to look at birds. Now eating is still a good idea, so I'm not so sure just how long this 'retirement' might last - so I'm grinnin' with each birdin' opportunity. To get myself back on a bloggin' track, I have decided to post photos of birds that have made a reasonable image in my digital camera lately. While I'm 'proud' of the quality of some of the photos, others are simply for 'documentation' that both the bird and I existed at the same moment in time, occupying a nearly identical space.

On Friday 5Sept08, I took a look at Devereux Slough on the UCSB Campus, and while the dabblers were a long ways away, they seemed different than the Mallards that have inhabited the Slough all summer. My binoculars are fairly decent and 8x, yet really weren't sufficient to bring in the birds from the distance at the far western edge of the Slough. I took this photo at 500mm with my DX digital camera, equalling 750mm of reach. With the average human eye working at approximately 50mm, this totaled 15x. Then when I got home, I enlarged the image. If you don't have a scope, or the $$ to get one, then you have to do a LOT of steps to get any sort of an identification of distant birds - and then only if the birds are the size and coloration of these Cinnamon Teals. Peeps? Forget it! WAAY too small at that distance.

These Greater Yellowlegs were much closer.

Red-necked Phalaropes do nothing at less than warp speed. While my long lens has good 'reach' it is slow to focus, so I was fortunate to catch these zippy little birds at all.

These Wilson's Phalaropes were at Devereux Slough on 12Aug08. Twenty percent larger than the Red-necked Phalaropes, Wilson's Phalaropes seemingly do not partake of the caffeinated crustaceans as much as their relatives.

Occasionally I remember to LOOK UP! And am often rewarded. You'd think I would do it more often. In this case I was fortunate to have this raptor circling quite low, as I didn't have my long lens, and was limited to 200mm. If you're having difficulty recognizing this very large eagle, it was also new to me - a White-bellied Fish Eagle! And no, this is actually not just a post about Devereux Slough - remember? These are birds I have seen lately! I visited Singapore in late July and saw this bird circling overhead. It is a widespread bird from India through Malaysia to Australia. While mostly feeding on water-based animals, they also eat carrion, and have been know to take birds as large as swans. Look out, Fifi.

While watching the White-bellied Fish Eagle, I noticed another raptor-looking bird circling overhead as well. Turns out this is a Brahminy Kite, another common raptor with widespread distribution in Southeast Asia. Not as large as the WB Fish Eagle, this individual looks like it came out second in a fight.

Now THIS bird may look familar, as it is related to our own Brown Pelican. This is an Australian Pelican, seen in the Singapore Zoo. Somehow, just not as 'dignified' as our Brown Pelican, do you think?

Well, dignified may be not quite the right word here.... Brown Pelican at Devereux 12Aug08.

Last fall, when I was first 'into' looking around Santa Barbara, CA at birds, the Black-crowned Night Herons covered the tamarisk trees at the south end of the Slough (near the renowned Bridge-to-Nowhere - this is an old wooden bridge with the distal portion removed - not to be confused with the as yet unbuilt bridge noted all-to-frequently by Sarah Palin.) On 12Aug08 there were three back in the same tamarisks.

No, this Southern Cassowary did not pop out from behind a jacaranda tree on Foothill Road. A native of New Guinea and New Zealand it is a rainforest bird second (at 150lb+!) only to the Ostrich in size among living birds.

WHOA! Now THIS bird just looks like it has been hitting the double espressos! Again at the Singapore Zoo, the Saddle-billed Stork is native to much of Africa from Sub-Saharan regions to South Africa. Just waaay too colorful and amazing to leave out of this eclectic post.

Oh, and the very FIRST bird in the post? It's a Victorian-crowned Pigeon, also from the Singapore Zoo, and just too fancy for belief!

Three Blue Birds but only One Bluebird??

2008-05-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Who knew?

Bluebirds are not equal to blue birds!

On a recent late April bird outing along Farren Road on the mountain side of 'the 101' in Goleta, CA I was not only able to find three different blue birds, but also catch them on digital files. [Wasn't it easier when you could say "catch them on film"?] The tall and invasive yellow-flowered Black Mustard, Brassica nigra so favored by birds (above), was in full bloom, coating the foothills with a dash of lemon.

This long-distance photo of a Blue Grosbeak shows just how bright their value of blue can be when contrasted to the surrounding landscape.

This view from a utility wire shows the chestnut-colored wings and demonstrates again just how bright their blue can be. In this photo, there is no contrasting color - simply the remarkable blue of Blue Grosbeak against a California spring sky.

While the above photo is far from 'calendar quality', it's the only suitable photo I have (so far) of the Lazuli Bunting. Another new spring bird for me (along with the Blue Grosbeak) the Lazuli Bunting takes the color blue in a different direction- turquoise.

The last two photos of the Western Bluebird were taken the on the same day as the Blue Grosbeak and Lazuli Bunting photos & sightings, making it a true 'triple-header' of blue birds. As the photos indicate, the Western Bluebirds were much more approachable, allowing for more detailed photos.

Why not add the blue-colored Western Blue Jay? Or Barn Swallow? I was simply so smitten with these three very blue birds, all seen within ten minutes of each other, I want to share just them.

Good Birding!

Bullock's & Bonaparte's by Bush as Biodiversity Samples at El Cap State Beach, CA

2008-04-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Moving from the East Coast two and a half years ago, I am continually amazed at how compressed my new world in the Central CA Coast appears to be. I've seen snow on the tops of the Santa Ynez Mountains while standing under palms along Cabrillo Blvd in Santa Barbara. I've driven forty miles in one hour in July and seen the temperature drop forty degrees from 102 degrees in the valley to 62 degrees at Pismo Beach.

So perhaps I should not be surprised to find a dose of Bullock's & Bonaparte's all in a day's casual birding at El Capitan State Beach. Walking the 'Nature Trail' this morning, I again saw (for the third day in a row) Bullock's Orioles high in the Western Sycamore trees that occupy the low ground and grow along El Capitan Creek.

Besides being so twisted they remind you of a Tolkein passage, the sycamores are also tall - I'd estimate over sixty feet. And they are wide, taking a minimum of two people to reach around any of several grand old specimens.

The Bullock's Orioles have been feeding in the top third of the canopy, hardly staying still more than a few seconds at a time.

This afternoon, a camper-friend called me and relayed, "There's a gull-like bird on the beach with very orange legs and an all-black head."

And sure enough, there was a lone Bonaparte's Gull strolling and feeding on the recently-sandy beach. [March storms have brought much sand to cover the previously very rocky beach.]

Scared away by beachcombers in my first attempt to photograph, patience rewarded me as the gull returned not too much later.

As luck would have it, the beachcomers turned around, and headed back towards me - this time 'herding' the Bonaparte's Gull more closely, allowing for a better look than I anticipated!

And then, like all good beachcombers, totally unaware of thier surroundings, they finally put the Gull to flight one last time.

Drama of place is important to my enjoyment of life - El Cap State Beach is a great example of several habitats being compressed into one small area - a beachbound Bonaparte's Gull was found six hours later and 200 yards away from the woodland Bullock's Orioles!

Good Birding!

Rock Cairns: Art on El Capitan State Beach

2008-04-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Specifically and uninterestingly cairns are: an artificial pile of stones. So much for the romance of the tactile artifacts I find on El Capitan State Beach.

Often these stones appear to be set with care and passion, as balance points are difficult to find in odd-shaped stones.

Working until nearly past dark on this past New Year's Weekend this artist of ephemeral piling of the stones placed more than five dozen cairns.

Some more creative 'cairns' have branched out and include bits of driftwood. This approach leads to a feeling of fragility and a short, but dramatic lifespan.

I entered this favored image of mine into a juried art show of the Carpinteria Valley Art Association, in Carpinteria, CA. The show was themed: Man/Woman. The title of this photo? "She Always Liked the Stong, Silent Type". The juror awarded my photo with an 'Honorable Mention'!! Having a professional evaluate my work and deem it worthy is a gas.

The stony spirits of El Cap State Beach hold court as the last rays of light of 2007 disappear over the Pacific.

Mixed-up Mutant Mallard?

2008-02-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

This morning my wife and I were pleased to walk Lake Carneros (Santa Barbara, CA County Park) with Joan Lentz' birding class. Arranged through both Santa Barbara Community College and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the class is an amusing amalgam of folks interested in learning more about birds - at 8am on a Wednesday!

Following class at Lake Carneros we decided to check one of our favorite spots, the Goleta Slough/Atascadero Creek outlet to the Pacific. Jeanne, the ace-bird-spotter of the two of us, saw an odd black & white bird across the slough-mouth.

While the duck appears to have great affinity for mallards - after all it was hanging with a male mallard and another couple - it sure doesn't look like any mallard I've ever seen.

I'm aware that there are also 'domestic mallards', primarily grown for harvest, yielding 'Peking Duck' among other delicacies. However, I've never seen such a domestic duck either.

And while it doesn't appear to possess the 'warty face' of muscovy ducks, it does seem to have the black & white coloration that I recall from 'back in the day'. Perhaps the above photos will allow for some level of identification among those who are more experienced? Post here if you like.

Oh, Happy Birding!

Hail YES, We Have Weather in California!

2008-01-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Earthquakes. Mudslides. WildFires. Tsunamis. Floods. Pestilence (okay, likely no worse than anywhere else). All Biblical-type horrors for which California has worked hard to earn proper title. Even snow. BIG resorts around Tahoe and Mammoth, and even in the San Gabriels above LA there is enough snow to ski. [Isn't that just the best? SKI resorts so close to SURFING?!!?]

But HAIL??? Which requires THUNDERSTORMS??? Hardly ever ever in California. Locals will find conversation in a thunderstorm for days.

Yesterday, 24Jan08 I was dead asleep in the very early morning hours, and was snapped awake by one of those lightning flashes that pierces your eyelids - followed a second later by a sharp loud and CLOSE clap of thunder. Peeking outside at 1:45am and thinking I would see who-knows-what...

THIS is the exact 'real-time' view from the door of 'The Bunkhouse' (our name for our 1966 14' Aristocrat Traveleer-more on that in a future post).

While this may look like snow... it is HAIL. About the size of peas.

This is the shed where we store firewood for sale to campers. The white dots in the photos are falling hail.

Grabbing my camera the next morning, I left the chilly (48 degrees) Bunkhouse and was surprised to see so much hail still on the ground seven hours later.

The views over the water at El Capitan State Beach (where we live) were stunning. Ice. Fire. Water. = Hail. Sun. Ocean. Powerful stuff.

Double-Crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans gathered more closely to shore than usual, perhaps taking in the view of the 'white stuff' themselves!

Not too many people using the great picnic facilities that morning - and they missed a great view.

The hail even piled up in wind-blown drifts like snow.

The hail also stayed frozen in puddles - and this was about eight hours after it fell - so it was still chilly by SoCal standards.

These are the pellets themselves - lying on a picnic table bench.

Arriving back at the Bunkhouse about 8:30am, I found that some hail pellets had begun to take residence on our canopy - and the thermometer registers 40 degrees!

By the time I hit the road to see 'snow-on-the-mountains' above Santa Barbara, the clouds had settled back in, covering up much of the earlier sun-lit drama. However, for snow to appear here, the 'snow level' has to be at 2,000' elevation or lower. For snow to form the air must be quite cold for 'Sunny Southern California' - something you are not likely to discover in any brochures from our wonderful and local Chambers of Commerce!

Many thanks to the the Canyon Market gang at El Capitan Canyon for sharing their great WiFi that allowed for pleasant production of this post. I can also vouch for their moist & tasty carrot cake! This environmentally sensitive upscale cabin, yurt & safari-tent resort is located just across 'the 101' from El Capitan State Beach.

This is the view I had of El Capitan Creek and Western Sycamores (complete w/laptop at right) from my blogging seat inside the Canyon Market & Deli.

California Condors & Gray Whales!!

2008-01-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

Birthdays - who needs 'em - and what in the world do you ever get someone for a birthday present? And not having any expectations for gifts myself - just about anything might be a surprise. Well, my birthday was yesterday, and I received GREAT present(s), and other than some travel-time today, there was not a cent involved!

Living at El Capitan State Beach, I have been very interested in trying to view whales from shore. While it may be much more satisfying to take a 'whale boat' (not the ones from Japan that are dodging 'green' ships in the Antarctic Ocean) and have professionals guide you to see these mammoth marine mammals, finding them yourself is just more satisfying. And saves $80 - each.

Yesterday, while walking along the picnic area above the beach, I saw a young family looking out to sea - and quite intently given that there were very young kiddos involved. Mom had spotted a whale, and they were all waiting for another 'blow'. I weaseled my way over and inquired as to their focus, and they kindly pointed me in the right direction. So Sunday morning, before the NFL Conference Championships, I had my first whale sighting from land. A gray whale, headed south to the Gulf of California for the annual winter gathering. I'm told by the lifeguards here who have a GREAT viewpost, that I can expect to see many more gray whales beginning in mid-February when the moms come northward, closer to shore, keeping junior shore-side while she provides some protection to the roving white sharks and killer whales. I might see several dozen Gray Whales a day!

I am quite fussy about the quality of photos that I post on this site. However, I am pleased to offer the big lump that represents a mature Gray Whale:

So, what does one do on the day following the Gray Whale-from-the-beach adventure? How about trying to see a California Condor? Having seen Reed Smith's posting in the Ventura County Birding site stating that he had seen CA Condors that very day, Jeanne and I decided to give it a try.

Lake Piru is about 80 miles to the east and north of the Santa Barbara area and is located in Ventura County. In spite of clouds and a chance of rain, we headed to Lake Piru. Arriving about 9:45am, we stopped as outlined in the posting at the pull-off just above the dam. Moments later, Kirk and Luke from Malibu stopped in, also having read Reed's post - looking for CA Condors. We looked together, both pleased for the good company for nearly a half-hour, while Kirk bottle-fed Luke (Luke is a budding birder at four months old).

Coming up empty, we both headed to new overlooks, with Kirk and Luke going on ahead into the $8/car Lake Piru Management District. Jeanne and I decided to forego the extra $8 and return to the first overlook - and were rewarded for our thriftiness! Jeanne has become an excellent "bird-spotter" and spied the soaring birds over a ridge to the west. While far from being right overhead, and moving farther westward, I was able to take some photos. Again, while not 'quality photos', they do CONFIRM that we saw California Condors at Lake Piru!

Now that's a great 'back-to-back': 45 tons of Gray Whale on 20Jan and the 9' wingspan of CA Condors on 21Jan. Now let's see... what shall we look for tomorrow???

Strong white coloration on the leading edges of the underside of the wing, plus a white spot in the center of the underside of the tail are diagnostic. [Turkey Vultures are about half the size of CA Condors and have black leading edges & white secondary feathers.]

This view shows that the head is without feathers and has red skin.

We saw a pair.

Typical dihedral shape of California Condors - disappearing to their Sespe feeding grounds.

A New Year at El Capitan State Beach

2008-01-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

The beginning of a New Year can't happen until the old one is finished. This year finds Jeanne and me still in Santa Barbara County, thirty miles west (northward on the 101) of the Rincon where we were so fortunate to 'over summer' in an apartment of most-generous friends, our 'housing benefactors' as I described them to others.

We are now official State of California Campground Hosts at El Capitan State Beach - and still seeking our next adventure - and being certain to enjoy THIS adventure in the meantime! More on the search in another posting.

Always a bit of 'a naturalist' since my youth without television in St. Pete, FL, my work over the past twenty years has taken me more inside the office and in front of the computer. Over the past ten months I have had much more flexibility to be in nature and have reveled in that opportunity. I hope I do not lose that natural connection to a new adventure.

This photo shows the very last flash of sunlight on the very last day of 2007. Looking westward over the Pacific on El Capitan Beach, the foreground is busy with the 'cairn work' of holiday campers. Sort of Stonehenge-like, I think.

Now looking to the eastern sky, the 'rock people' welcome the very first light of 2008 at El Cap State Beach. These celestial bookends celebrate a coming and a going of time at the turn of a New Year.

The Mae West of Trees?? Well, close...

2008-01-16T14:47:00.001-08:00

Seems to me like Mae West would be VERY proud to be associated with this Floss Silk tree - or the Kapok tree. Both are very large, very showy and can surprise you with thorns! The flowers are brightly colorful, and appear as the leaves are dropping at the onset of the dry season (fall in the warmer parts of the Northern Hemisphere).
The brilliant flowers are large, to nearly 5" across and can carpet the ground when in full flower. In the same Order as Hibiscus, the Bombaceae or Bombax Family is mainly a tropical and Southern Hemisphere group of plants, with some trees of bizarre shapes and sizes.

There are many 'cultivars' of the Floss Silk Tree that include several different colors. This unusal tree is located on property once owned by Sumida Nurseries in Santa Barbara, California and is not only an older tree, it was grafted with at least three different flower types! In the news today, the Sumida Nursery Property is undergoing changes of its own. Let's hope the developers respect the most superior of Sumida plants.

But back to Ms. West... and the connection to this odd tree. You may recall a type of life vest used in the first half of the 20th Century? First used at the time of Ms. West's prominent career, sailors wearing this bulky vest felt they immediately had added girth above the waist to match the shape of the legendary Mae West. It is the silky fibers in the ripening fruit or pod that were used in making the flotation vests. These fibers were naturally coated in an oil and encapsulated the air within the fibers. Only if the cover of jacket was punctured could it fill with water and fail. This type of flotation was later superceded by much more dependable foams.

Flower closeups

And just where would the 'thorniness' occur? Varieties have been found or selected for use in landscapes that have very few if any thorns - for obvious reasons. This variety is nearly thornless a few feet above the ground.

Small thorns can be seen near the ground, as well as a carpet of fallen flowers.

THIS is why thornless varieties are popular in personal landscapes! Personally, I very much favor the striking (ouch!) look of the thorns of Chorisia speciosa. The thorns are very much a part of the tree's character and identity.

Can you see the nickel slipped in next to a large thorn? That will give you some idea of the size of the thorns! These are some SERIOUS thorns! The bark itself is also unusual in that it is green - an adaptation that allows for some photosynthesis to occur even after the leaves have fallen. Clever, eh?

In every way but ONE, this would be a great climbing tree. However, that ONE way is truly the end of that idea!

So thanks to the fibers in the fruit of a tree native to southeastern South America, lives have been saved at sea, snuggly wrapped in the embrace of Ms. West!

Zaca Fire Out, and the Effects Linger Still

2008-01-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

When I last wrote about the Zaca Fire 16Sept07, this huge fire was contained, and not yet out. While today's heavy rains, in addition to 2"+ of rain of two weeks ago has the fire out the fire is still causing problems.

Many of my friends in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria have reported huge amounts of Zaca Ash being deposited on their homes, patios, decks and cars. The culprit? Sundowner and/or Santa Ana winds. These strong winds pick up the ash on the ground left from the Zaca Fire and can deliver it for dozens of miles downwind. From my new home in El Capitan State Beach 15 miles west of Santa Barbara, I could see the dark cloud extending into the Santa Barbara Channel all the way past the Channel Islands - 25 miles to sea to the south.

The photo above was taken a bit closer than El Cap State Beach, from Goleta near Atascadero Creek overlooking a remnant patch of agricultural land. Streets in Santa Barbara have looked like the "Old West" with dust being kicked up by passing cars. Today's rain should settle the dust, and wash it out to sea.

Beach Houses AVAILABLE on the Rincon!!

2007-11-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

YESSIRRRREEEEE!!! Step Right Up! Waterfront Beach Property!! Build up Sweat Equity. Choice of Lots. Innovative and 100% Green for the Planet. Building Materials already onsite - free!

No, NOT those common ol' fully finished homes set waaay back from the beach. We're talkin' ON THE FREAKIN' BEACH!

Be sure to get in on the ground floor in this popular development between Rincon @ the 101 and Rincon Point County Park. Some new homesteaders have already made impressive starts.

Others a more modest beginning.

Or maybe this is just planned to be a weekender?

Or a cabana!

Now these folks are well set up for a good time on the Rincon!

However, the Rincon Beach House is nearly eligible for 'Landmark Status' and has been used for years. Sited pleasantly close to both the Parking Lot and the Cove it is a favorite of Rincon Surfers.

Here this venerable and most desirable property is modeled by a local Beach House Bum.

Rincon Skies -- a recurring series -- #First

2007-11-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Our planet is made of rock, water and air - the basic ingredients for life as we know it. I feel that we all are connected - whether we choose to be an active participant or not - to these three elements. Many of my "Rincon Skies" photos will feature all three: above is the Pacific Ocean at low tide, exposing rocks and in the air are particles from the SoCal fires of late October. The late afternoon sun - still a couple hours before 'sunset' causes the particles to refract the light in exciting ways... an ironic byproduct of the horror known by too many in Southern California. Above, a surfer enjoys the shape of the water, avoids the rocks and hopes the air in his lungs is not too unhealthy.

The photo above was taken a day earlier (21Oct07) from the others in these first five photos (the other four were all taken the same day, 220ct07). Early effects of the soot from the SoCal fires have already reddened our sunsets. Carpinteria is located in the previous link in the eastern edge of the northernmost swirl of smoke. The closest fires to Carpinteria were the ones in Ventura County, and located about 45 miles to the east and a bit to the north.

With the soot and ash and smoke settling in, these photos show true reds of the afternoon of 22Oct07.

After displaying a glowing red sun for several hours, sunset approaches.

This photo was taken earlier in the afternoon about the same time as the very first photo. The sun will still not 'set' for three hours.

Not ALL of the "Rincon Skies" series will be particularly colorful. The darkness in mid-afternoon is also the result of a fire - this summer's huge Zaca Fire. Although the fire was contained by mid-September07 - as I wrote earlier in this blog, it was only declared controlled on 29Oct07. At the time of the photo (12Oct07) it was still burning. However, the black in the photo is a result of 'sundowner' winds similar to santa anas that were strong enough to pick up the burned ash and blow it 25+ miles over Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands. The dots on the horizon are oil rigs, five miles+ offshore.

This photo and the four following are all mostly 'natural' in that there was little extra particulate matter blowing around from the soot of fires months ago, or the smoke of current fires. Just nature: sun, water vapor in clouds and the Pacific to make a picture - oh, and the Mexican Fan Palm, Washingtonia robusta just to add a semi-tropical flavor.

The mouths of local creeks form sloughs where fresh/brackish water stands for long periods - even through our long, long Mediterranean-climate summer. During the wet season (Coming up anytime soooon? As of today, there has been very, very little rain this fall. Less than 1/2 inch.) these creeks run right through the beach sand and empty into the Pacific. During the dry season wave action piles up beach sand and closes the creeks, forming standing water. This is Carpinteria Creek in Carpinteria State Beach, where I have recently seen Eared Grebes, Black-crowned Night Herons, Coots, Mallards, Gulls by the score, Snowy Egrets, White Herons, Great Blue Herons and a Northern Shoveler. The quiet brackish water seems to suit them.

Sunset from the bluffs above Carpinteria State Beach, near the Oil Pier that services the oil rigs.

Setting the tone for "Rincon Skies", I want to be sure that skies other than sunsets are expected as well!

Sulfur Fungus III (& final installment, I promise!)

2007-11-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

About four days after my last post on the Missing Montecito Mushroom.... I spied yet ANOTHER Sulfur Fungus! This time about 12 miles eastward, down the coast in Carpinteria - in fact at Carpinteria State Beach. This one appeared to be growing directly from the ground, as evidenced above. Note my key and 'clicker' for a hint of how big this sucker has grown.

This side view gives you an idea about the layers invovled, and you can see that this specimen is showing its age - with scuff marks from branches falling from above and the darker, clearer orange below.

In fact this is a MOST SPECIAL Sulfur Fungus. It's being featured as a landscape planting in the median! And you must admit, it's the most colorful and interesting form of life in sight!

My sleuthing has determined that in fact this fungus is also growing on eucalyptus - just like its Montecito brethren. Only this eucalyptus died long ago, leaving only the stump below the soil line - yet the remains are more than enough to sustain an actively growing Laetiporus gilbertsonii.

This individual apparently is well past the 'chicken of the woods' phase as the roadway that it divides connects the main camping areas at Carpinteria State Beach - and with all those cooking fires and hungry local surfers, you'd think it would have made it into a stew pot. Or not.

Sulfur Fungus "Missing in Montecito"?!?

2007-10-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

UPDATE!!!

Case of NO FUNGUS AMONGUS; Or perhaps FUNGUS INNUS?

Driving past the site of my previous blog (below) just four days later, the entire bowling ball sized Sulfur Fungus was oddly missing. Another quick turnaround, and closer inspection revealed that the entire mass had been removed from the tree - likely headed to the kitchen of an alert driver on East Valley Road in Montecito.

While these pieces on the ground were all that was left, along with a few 'hangers-on' on the tree itself, it hardly seemed enough to make another meal, so I returned to the car empty-handed, amused that someone had some good 'shrooms in 'em (innum?)

Fungus Amongus in Santa Barbara

2007-10-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

This bright yellow and orange shelf fungus caught my eye at 30mph on earlier today about a mile and a half east of San Ysidro Rd. on East Valley Rd., Santa Barbara (CA-192). As big as a bowling ball, and about a foot and a half above the ground, the Sulfur fungus, Laetiporus sulphureus has likely been growing in the large eucalyptus tree (one of a long line along the road) for a very long time - perhaps as many as forty or fifty years. [October 16: Daniel Mosquin of the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden publishes a great feature, "Botany Photo of the Day". He has provided additional information regarding our fungus and identifies it as Laetiporus gilbertsonii. Thanks, Daniel for the updated ID and for accepting my photo/info at BPOD. I read "Botany Photo of the Day" every day and recommend it highly!]

Upon closer look, you can see the small, bulbous lumps of regrowth that have covered many old wounds. And growing so close to the edge of the roadway, there are many opportunities for wounding. Once the wound is inoculated by a tiny spore, the fungus grows throughout the heartwood, and only matures to this 'fruiting' phase after many, many years.

Darn! Something this brightly colored looks like candy! Although apparently it tastes more like chicken. As with all fungus/mushrooms, double/triple check for identification and suitability prior to eating. Even if edible, some people have reactions to them - so only eat a small piece the first time around. One way to prepare shelf fungus (and only collect when fresh, not old and brown) is to roll pieces in beer batter and fry them up - and with that recipe, you can even make shoestrings taste good!

Rincon Winter Swells, Day2

2007-10-11T14:20:00.001-07:00

Surf is still SWELL on the Rincon! I had a peek at 7am and many surfers were already taking advantage of the early winter swells. Early some of the waves were definitely over the head. This set of photos is from the noon-hour.

You can see that the action is good and the participation plenty!

Even below the 'river mouth' the action is busy.

West of the point, above the 'river mouth'.

More action on the point.

The great conditions have brought out watchers, too - in fact at noon, BOTH the upper and lower parking lots on the Rincon looked very, very full.

They wait for the next great set.

Rincon is SWELL!! (from the SW)

2007-10-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

And they marched in - with a sudden set of swells upon Rincon.

By 3:30pm there were at least 70 surfers in the water, and more arriving... as it was still before 5pm, they could have been arriving as Patagonia employees, who can always take off work for good surf - for others maybe there was a case of "Surfer's Flu"? An odd anomaly that comes upon people as the swells come upon the Rincon!

By 5pm, there were more than 100 in the water - or at least tooo many to count. I saw surfers, wetsuit on, but the top flapping around the waist - RUNNING with their board to get into the water. You go, guys!

While the 'river mouth' was a smooth and popular entry, surfers put-in among the rocks nearest the point as well.

Dozens of new arrivals paddling out.

People gathered on the shore to watch their 'faves' try the new swells.

Crowded conditions between the 'river mouth' and the point.

And also crowded at the point!

Two up.

Best swells yet this season?

If not the best so far, at least they put grins on lots of faces!

Mendocino & Ft. Bragg, Northern California

2007-10-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Twisted Chimneys, Cloverdale, CA

I have been without work since I resigned my job in Santa Barbara effective 23Mar07 - just over six months ago. Our journey to find our next adventure has taken us several places - most recently to northern California (NorCal) and the Mendocino Coast area. Located about a three hour's drive north of San Francisco through some great wine country, redwoods and ocean views, the Mendocino area has charm and natural beauty. We spent 2-5Oct07 on a trip for me to interview in Mendocino. We overnighted on the road north of San Francisco in Cloverdale - where we turn off "the 101" onto CA 128 toward the coast. However, we stayed in the Cloverdale Super 8 (very nice one, too!) and NOT the interesting building above with the twin twisted chimneys.

Traveling through the Anderson Valley west of Cloverdale, vineyards begin to come into view, and with them, Central California's 'fall color'. Other varieties of grape vines turn red, orange and purple.

Passing from the open valley, the road runs through previously logged redwoods. These trees have all grown up from a time when originally logged around the 1880's to the early 1900's. The roadway is quite dark even in broad daylight.

As large as these trees are, you can still see the original stump among the very large re-sprouts. Me next to one of the large, original stumps. So, you want to go into the "stump-grindin' business"???

Passing through about fifteen miles of redwoods, the road opens very quickly to the Pacific and the PCH or Pacific Coast Highway, CA1. This area is typified by very rugged coastlines

and protected inlets that are actually the 'mouths' of creeks and rivers.

This is the town of Mendocino, and in the foreground the mouth of the Big River. Mendocino is situated on a short and broad peninsula and lists a population of less than a thousand.

Continuing northward just a couple miles from Mendocino is the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse and the very small town of Caspar. These are the support buildings for the lighthouse - and the effects of the strong ocean winds can be seen on these Monterey Cypress trees.

The lighthouse itself is a simple building, much shorter than I had anticipated, having seen the much taller lighthouses in North Carolina.

Weller House, 1886

Fort Bragg, CA is only about ten miles north of Mendocino - and yes, I was confused with the name of the town, too. Having lived in NC from 1993 - 2005, I was very much aware of another Ft. Bragg. However both were named for the same Confederate States Army officer Braxton Bragg. The fort in California was very short-lived as there was no true threat to the coastline.

We stayed two nights in the Weller House, a completely remodeled B&B in Fort Bragg, the only building in town to be on the National Register.

The water tower of the Weller House is the tallest structure in Fort Bragg! Now that municipal water has long been available, onsite water storage in town is no longer needed - so there are now two bedrooms, a hot tub room and a roof-top deck in the tower.

From the tower you can see across town

and in the other direction across a couple blocks and then to the open ocean.

The town of Fort Bragg has about 7,000 residents and while a three+ hour drive to an airport (Oakland or San Francisco), there is just about anything one would need right in town - except for Trader Joe's. For that a drive into Santa Rosa is required: about two hours away, back down the beach, through the redwoods, past the vineyards, turn in Cloverdale, then down "the 101" for about a half-hour. Fort Bragg lists three basic attractions: Glass Beach, the Skunk Train and the Garden.

It's important to always face the ocean while collecting, as the shoreline is rugged and the surf can surprise you at any time. When a large wave comes ashore, and is channeled between the rocks, it can make a wave into a BIG WAVE!

Glass ON the Glass Beach! Once the site of the official Town Dump (1949-1967) tumbled glass remains long after the original cleanup some forty years ago.

This is some of our 'loot' from Glass Beach.

The Skunk Train at a crossing very near the Weller House. For me, this adds a dimension of entertainment, history and transportation. The train can travel as far as the 40 miles east to the town of Willits on "the 101".

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden began as a commercial nursery and garden in the early sixties, and was purchased by the California Coastal Conservancy in the early '90s. The garden leases the 47 acres for $1/year from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District. In spite of the land connections, the garden has NO operating connections with any governmental agencies and is not supported by tax dollars. There are about 20 staff, 150 volunteers and the highest attendance of any North Coast facility - 60,000++/year!
Heaths and heathers - require full sun and cool temps all year long - NOT what I could grow when I worked in Oklahoma, Florida, Bermuda or North Carolina!

A path to the ocean - MCBG is the only botanical garden in the USA to have ocean frontage.

On the drive home, we were treated to some very special Central California Skies. Enjoy them here and perhaps later in a painting by Jeanne Miller!

An Amaryllis for DRY Summers!

2007-09-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Southern California dry summers, so typical of a Mediterranean climate place special constrictions on living organisms. Like plants dropping leaves in the very cold winters of the more northerly portions of our hemisphere, plants have also adapted through dormancy to avoid the rigors of annual droughts in Mediterranean climates. This year in Santa Barbara, there has been no rain since early March - now six months ago! And it may not rain for another six to eight more weeks. This is NOT 'global warming'. This is simply one of our planet's oddest climates.

Growing up in the Tampa Bay area of the central Gulf Coast of Florida, it is weird for me not to feel raindrops, hear thunder, smell the rain nor see the lightning for so many months at a time. However, the plants and animals native to this region (and many other Mediterranean climates) have it all sorted out.

A plant native to the western Cape in South Africa, another Mediterranean climate provides a showy blast of color each mid-summer. Amaryllis belladonna begins growing foliage just after the onset of the rains in the fall. With the drying spring and summer, the foliage begins to brown and die off, neatly matching the available rainfall (none).

With the foliage 'missing', the plant disappears from sight - until the bloom spikes start appearing like erect tenacles from a buried octopus in mid-summer. In full bloom with flowers in shades of pink and white, they earn their amusingly genteel name 'Naked Ladies'. [In the Carolinas if they were up to no good, they would be 'Nekked Ladies'.]

Santa Barbara is treated every summer to a huge blast of pink from the Clark Estate - a mysterious ocean-front estate at the end of East Beach. Gardeners there have supported mass plantings of Naked Ladies that slow traffic.

Once the blooms have dried and fallen, the bulbs lie dormant until the fall rains begin again. Clever, eh?

Naked ladies can tolerate some frost - however appreciate good drainage and very little (if any!) water in the summer. They are available in many shades of pink and white - just look around as these great old landscape plants qualify as 'pass-a-long' plants as the bulbs are easily shared once the blooms drop off. Randy Baldwin and San Marcos Growers here in Santa Barbara offer a great selection.

Zaca Fire Now Contained, NOT Controlled!

2007-09-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Zaca Fire was started on 4July by two ranch workers repairing a water line in a remote area of the Santa Ynez Valley. Sparks from a grinder got away from them and 240,207 acres and two months later, the fire is contained - encircled and not likely to expand. The photo above was taken in August during a flare-up. At 375 square miles, it is the second-largest fire in California fire-fighting history. Amazingly, the Zaca Fire burned in an area TOTALLY UNPOPULATED!

Imagine - in the country's most populous state, a fire burns for two months and chars 375 square miles (5.5 times the size of Washington, DC) and only burns one storage shed! Yes some hard-working firefighters were hurt, none too severly and no one died in the fire. Based on my earlier analogy relating to the size of the fire, at 375 square miles, it would equal an area of 15mi x 25 miles with a perimeter of eighty miles! Even if this were 'neighbor hood streets', it would take someone about nearly THREE HOURS to drive the perimeter! However, this area has the shape of an amoeba on acid - and is located in an area with 3,000' mountains.

However, even now, two weeks after "containment", the fire will not be "controlled" (completely out) until the rains finally arrive in our Mediterranean climate - maybe as early as the first half of October!

The two workers and the ranch they work for were charged with felonies regarding the fire's start. Best advice? Get that fire extinguisher -- and learn how to use it!

Trees & How They Are Appreciated by Their Communities

2007-08-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have an opinion that in general, trees belong to all of us. I like trees. They feel good to me. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, I learned very early in my driving (and parking) career to seek the 'shady spots' in parking lots. Now that I've been driving a long time, I'd hoped that the parking lot builders would have gotten the picture by now.

Heck, I'd hoped people would have 'gotten the picture' by now! Certainly some have, and celebrate the value of our trees. For others we have Tree Ordinances - at least in enlightened communities - because city leaders must have agreed with me that trees belong to no one person, they belong to all of us and the trees (and us!) need to be protected from those that would rather not rake leaves or pick up downed fruit or object to having a branch fall or don't like pollen or roosting birds....

While I am certain I will extoll again and again regarding my feelings about trees, this one instance proved just too good to ignore.

I'm presently living in Carpinteria with my wife while we are sorting out our next adventure - and have wonderful friends who have made their garage apartment available to us for most of the summer, "housing benefactors" I call them! We have spent quite a bit of time in "Carp" (nicknames for towns are another topic opportunity!) and I drive past a glorious pine tree nearly every day on some sort of errand or another.

The town has chosen to celebrate this particularly robust specimen with its own lot and identification and placard.

And let me tell you - this tree is HUGE. While our State Redwoods and Douglas Fir are certainly much larger, this tree can hold its crown high and not be in anytree's back seat! This large surface root is as big around as my arm - and grows 30' from the trunk.

How can I properly show scale in a photo? I lay on the ground to take the photo and used my own feet!

While not truly native to the site in downtown Carp in the current biological sense, Torrey Pines (Pinus torreyana), are only known to grow on Santa Rosa Island and at Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego. This tree was grown from seed collected on Santa Rosa Island and planted at this very spot in 1888. Now it is over 130' tall and 30' in circumference! This tree has truly found a spot that suits it.

Montecito, another local community here on the Central Coast, is an unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County that prides itself as being "semi-rural" and trees cover much of the community, although not as much today as last week. All I can say is that if you enjoyed sipping your "low-fat soy chai latte vente de-caf" at the outside tables of the Starbucks on Coast Village Road - and part of your enjoyment was the nicely shaded patio - you're toast. And if the sun comes out and heats up, that could well be literal(!) as the very large California Sycamore that shaded the entry patio to Starbucks was cut down late last week.

While I can't fathom why, I also didn't choose to ask - certainly the hardworking coffee-jocks behind the counter don't have purview over landscape decisions that affect the entire community. Oddly, this strip of Coast Village Road is actually within the City of Santa Barbara, so there may well have been a successful permitting process - or perhaps the City ordered it removed for it is very close to the sidewalk and may well be within the City 'Right-of-Way'.

Whatever the reason, and whether or not the removal was properly permitted, removing a tree of that size in an area that several thousand people saw on their daily cruise on the CVR and that shaded many people in their leisurely pursuit of caffeinated happiness just doesn't seem to be sensible. Without being socialistic about it, I think there are times that trees just belong to us all.

In this one instance, Carpinteria celebrates a large tree, and Montecito removes one.

Carpinteria 1

Montecito 0

Carpinteria Salt Marsh

2007-08-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

After driving by the Carpinteria Salt Marsh for nearly two years, I actually walked through part of it today. At 230 total acres, it is a remnant following a hundred years of agricultural and urban development. In fact, the entire reserve is completely surrounded by urban warehouses, trailers, apartments, streets, homes and beach homes.

Today the incoming tidewater was clear - and the Santa Barbara ChannelKeepers have worked effectively to obtain cooperation from local nurseries and greenhouses that were found to be discharging irrigation runoff (fertilizers & pesticides) into channels that led directly to the marsh. While a very serene setting, long-term disturbance is easy to detect as only about 1/2 of the plants growing in the marsh are actually native to the site. The rest are all escaped exotic weeds or ornamentals. There did not appear any evidence that controlling such invasive plants was a current priority.

A large portion is managed by the University of California Natural Reserve System - primarily for research purposes. Access is strictly limited - other than one nature trail.

I was 'art support' for my wife Jeannie who was participating in a local 'paint-out' organized by SCAPE (Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment). She required a super-size ice tea w/lemonade from MickieD's, so I was able to gain entry to a normally-locked access by way of the SCAPE activity and gain much-needed 'kindness points' in the process!

Local artist Chris Chapman led the pastel paint-out. Even her stash of pastels looks colorful!

Green Heron on a mud flat.

And in flight over a channel.

Evidence of the marsh's 'megafauna' - a raccoon.

And a shorebird had walked the trail before me.

A crab hangs out on the edge of the mudflat/channel boundary.

Dodder, a member of the cucumber family has no chlorphyll and is a generalist parasite - and this one is Salt Marsh Dodder, Cuscuta salina v. major.

See? It even has flowers - looks just like pumpkins? No?

The yellow-flowering shrub is a member of the aster family and grows on higher ground between the channels where tidal flooding does not occur. Santa Ynez Mountains in the background, average 2,000'+

Hummingbirds Are Attracted to Red!!?

2007-08-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

This blue agave (A. fransozinii) with the arched nine-foot leaves and the 25' inflorescence with yellow flowers would not likely be a good target for hummingbirds. Correct? Red flowers = hummingbirds. Well, there may be some truth to the color red attracting some hummingbirds. However, with an abundance of energy-rich nectar produced, the hummers will show up!

Look closely and try to count 'em! And this is only one section of the flower spike. The much smaller specks are bees feeding on the same flowers. I tried to count the hummingbirds around this inflorescence - and as you can imagine, it was tricky. Best as I can figure there were 50 or 60 birds in view at any one time - and who knows HOW many more in the shadows, waiting there turn? In North Carolina, the folks at the Hummer Bird Study Group felt that for every Ruby-Throated Hummingbird seen around a feeder, there were at least 5x that many in the very nearby area!

Closer inspection reveals these hummers to be Anna's Hummingbirds - quite common here on the Central California Coast.

Like most hummers, they are very territorial - even with such a huge resource of food! You can see a bee below the lower hummingbird.

It was like observing a three-ring circus watching these hummers feed and dance. All it took was one good agave, about 30 years of good growing, 25' of flower spike and nectar dripping from each of hundreds of yellow blooms.

Carpinteria, CA - Overlooked?

2007-08-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

I am summering with my wife Jeannie in Carpinteria, CA, just south on 'the 101' from Santa Barbara. Confusing to most, including me from time-to-time is while the main direction of US-101 is north-south, here in this part of Santa Barbara County it runs east-west. This section of coastline oddly runs east-west on an overall greatly north-south Pacific Coast of California (and Oregon and Washington). So the main street in Carpinteria, Linden Avenue (above) runs north-south and wonderfully ends at the beach in the Pacific Ocean!

Linden is a very pleasant tree-shaded and pedestrian-friendly street, with all sorts of shopping and eating readily available. It is much less than a mile walk from the center of the shopping areas to the beach!

In summer the beach is well-used yet not overly crowded, although I tend to stay away on weekends. Also very popular is Carpinteria State Beach, also at the ocean-end of Linden Avenue.

We've camped there with our fun 1967 Aristocrat Travel Trailer and had a grand time and close access to great views from INSIDE the camper! As you might suspect, reservations are a must.

And along the short walk on the way to the beach is the spot for lunch. Actually, it is The Spot - long known for great burgers and shakes. In the summer I try to arrive by 11:30 am on The Spot, or lines can be long! The Spot is also popular with campers, as it is a close walk for them as well.

Interested in Southern California and can't afford the virtually $1,000,000 minimum housing costs in Santa Barbara? Try another community close by - that might save money, right? Guess again. This is a very close-to-downtown neighborhood in Carpinteria.

And at the corner there are two houses for sale - one a rather ordinary-appearing duplex; one unit a 3/2 the other a 2/1.

The second home is much more charming, a craftsman-style bunglow, also a 2/1. The combined lot size is 10,000 square feet - less than a quarter acre for three living units.

And while my photo of the handout might not be easily read, trust me. It's a good deal. Live in one and rent out two. $1,630,000 - Heck, that's less than $550,000 per dwelling! Where else could you share a house with another family for only a half a million dollars - each.

I like Carpinteria - it has nourished my life this summer as we search for a next adventure. There is always something interesting on the beach, and being in town just feels "right". Folks are folksy and tourists are well, tourists. If I could find employment sufficient to match my housing needs (actually very modest), Carpinteria could well be my next adventure. Alas... our budget for housing is somewhat south of $550,000 - even in a town where north-south and east-west get so confusing.

Mendocino, CA and its Water Towers

2007-08-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Mendocino lies on a 'peninsular bump' about three-plus hours north of San Francisco, and is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Remote and charming, Mendocino is a collection of bed & breakfast properties, shops and galleries. Established in the mid-nineteenth century, it began as a lumber town settled by people from New England - and the architecture shows it.

With scarce drinking water and low-producing wells, townspeople erected water towers. Not just one for the town, but nearly one for each house! Some are very simple. Yet others, having 'invested' in the cost/effort of its construction, chose to enclose them and make use of the newly found interior spaces.

These towers create fun vertical elements and add greatly to the charm of this 'California New England' town.

Fun Stuff in Fort Bragg, CA

2007-08-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple days recently in Fort Bragg, CA - a small town of nearly 7,000 people along the Northern Coast of California, about halfway between San Francisco and the Oregon state line. While not as 'charming' as its neighbor, Mendocino, I found it pleasant, quite likeable and 'normal' - meaning real people with real jobs and real lives live there.

Having moved from a mill-town (textiles) in North Carolina less than two years ago, this mill-town (lumber) had a kindred resonance. Here the lumber mills are completely closed. In North Carolina the mills are simply nearly gone. I did see some amusing sights amongst the 'normal' town life in Fort Bragg, CA:

1. A "Glass Beach"?? Seems the town dump had been situated over a bluff into the Pacific Ocean! While dumping was stopped decades ago, the beach is filled with 'beach glass' or 'sea glass' - broken pieces of glass bottles dumped and broken and then tumbled for decades in the grit sand and tossed up on the beach.

Glass Beach

Glass Beach up close

2. Ever have an important possession that was just a bit 'too big'? A favorite notebook that wouldn't quite fit into your locker in the 7th Grade. Or a set of speakers that wouldn't quite fit onto your bookshelf? Heck, you may have even had a BOAT that wouldn't quite fit into your garage!

Normal Garage?

Look closer...

3. Giant redwood trees in California are not news. However the fact that some still remain may be news to some. A 'drive-thru tree'? I recall photos from my mom's trip from New York State to California in 1942 - where they drove her dad's Model A thru a redwood tree. You can STILL do that! Just outside Leggett, a very small town about 45 miles north of Fort Bragg and inland over the mountains about 20 miles there are signs directing you to "Famous Drive Through Tree" - and the signage is very 'park-like'. However, once you arrive, be prepared to pay $5/car to drive thru! And it's worth it. The 'Chandelier Tree' is simply huge. The opening is 6'9" high and 6' wide. My 2002 Explorer only needed the wing mirrors folded-in to slip right through.

Chandelier Tree

BIG Tree! 315' tall, 21' diameter!

Successful 'Explorer thru tree trick'

4. Now being a 'plant guy', I couldn't resist stopping a a place called:

As seen on Hwy 1

Sure enough, filled with all things fuchsia - plants, gifts, cards, refrigerator magnets, shirts - you name it, and it was there in fuchsia.

California Has LOTS of Open Space!

2007-08-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

In a search for my next adventure, my wife Jeannie and I took a four-day trip to the Mendocino Coast area and stayed in Fort Bragg, CA for two nights (not to be confused with one of the nation's leading combat-ready military installations in Fort Bragg, NC). We chose to drive 'the 101' northward through San Luis Obispo County (above) and connect with the PCH - Pacific Coast Highway, CA-1, north of San Francisco (below).

Considering a move to the Central California Coast from North Carolina 20 months ago, my general perception was that California was the country's most populous state (true) and that the State was crowded and highly over-taxed with people, buildings, suburbs, cars and freeways (partly true).

Turns out that yes, the major population centers of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento ARE highly congested - however, there are MANY, MANY areas that have NO people or very few - with some very intriguing towns/small cities to boot. One of my favorite towns - so far is Morro Bay. Situated on a perfect harbor on the Pacific and guarded by Morro Rock, (below) the town is part commercial fishing and part tourism.

More of the type of 'open space' (below) found in valleys just across the coastal range from the Pacific - dry in the summer - and the fields are golden, taupe, buff or sienna (never brown!).

Wine-making and grape-growing are BIG Business in California and the Central Coast is no exception. Popularized in the movie "Sideways" Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County have large tracts of vineyards - and vintners, too. These are typical south-facing hills (below), although the vines appear to grow very well on 'the flat' as well. The vines in the rear of the photo are covered with a bright green netting to allow a harvest undiminished by local birds. It's odd to me that there is such panache surrounding the production of wine. Apples? Almonds? Citrus? Hops? Strawberries? Veggies? Wheat? Even when literally 'feeding the world' farmers are regarded as just that - farmers. However, grow a few acres of grapes, ferment the suckers and you're a celebrity! Or will attract them. But be sure you grow winegrapes. Tablegrapes just don't cut it, either! Much more on the local wine business another time.

Zaca Fire Update

2007-08-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is a very nasty fire. Still burning in the remote areas across the Santa Ynez Mountains from the coastal communities in Santa Barbara County, the fire has now grown to 101,000 acres and has cost $70,000,000 so far.... There are nearly 3,000 people working on the fire at this time.

The plume above rose about 1:30pm Tuesday, 14Aug07. The photo was taken from the Clark Bird Refuge near East Beach in Santa Barbara, CA, looking nearly due north.

Sea Lion for Brunch on the Rincon

2007-08-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

My wife and I have been so fortunate to be able to spend most of the summer on the very point at Rincon, about 15 miles east of Santa Barbara. Meaning "corner" in Spanish, Rincon is very much a point and has been favored by surfers for decades.

I have seen much wildlife in and on this corner of the Pacific this summer. It is a rocky point and attracts seals, porpoises, birds of many kinds and a sea lion.

One overcast morning in late July I saw a sea lion on the beach - and it was being very active with something. Slashing this thing all around in the air, and throwing it on the ground, much as an active retriever would play with a tug-toy. S/he was also much the focus of attention by several local gulls, just waiting for flying sushi. Whatever it was didn't have any 'umph' left and was not going to escape.

Upon a closer look at my photos later, apparently the sea lion had caught a 3' leopard shark, eaten the head and was dealing with the rest of the carcass on the beach. This 'playing' with the shark went on for several minutes, until some beachwalkers came past and the sea lion headed out to sea, still grasping the shark carcass in its mouth.

Swimming 50yds+ offshore, the sea lion was STILL playing with that shark, displaying a wildly flopping carcass as it entered deeper water. Can you imagine the 'great luck' the gull in the second to last photo must have felt seeing this large piece of dead shark bouncing on top of the ocean... only to find it was still attached to a sea lion? Ahh, brunch for the sea lion only - the gulls will have to wait.

Zaca Fire 85,000 Acres & GROWING!

2007-08-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

Seasons in Southern California are somewhat different from much of the USofA.

Mudslide Season - happens in normal winter time, and would be called 'Rainy Season' by some. However, only 15" of rain would fall in a normal year. Growing up in St. Pete, FL, we've had that much in a week!

There is also Fire Season that happens mostly in a normal summer time, and would be called 'Dry Season' by others. And it is VERY dry. NO rain this year since mid-March, and we can't truly begin to expect our next rain until October. It is still amazing to me to live in a climate where it is normal not to have a drop of rain for seven months. But as Mrs. Sawyers in 7th Grade Geography would explain, "It takes cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers to make a Mediterranean Climate."

On the 4th of July a repair was being made to a water pipe on a remote residence in the backcountry of Santa Barbara County near Zaca Lake. As you might imagine, these guys were working on a major U.S. holiday, trying to get much-needed water to a family. Sparks from their grinder set off a small fire that quickly grew, and as of five weeks later 'The Zaca Fire' has burned 85,000 acres. I suppose the lesson learned might be to be sure to celebrate holidays - yet the larger lesson here is CARRY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER! If you don't have one in your vehicle - go buy one. Now. Whatever it costs. This scary fire has now cost $65,000,000. Your new fire extinguisher is a great investment at $25.

While major population areas have not been affected (yet!) the effects of the fire can be seen and felt nearly every day. While the fire is across the mountains from the coastal cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria, smoke can be seen billowing thousands of feet in the air. This photo shows smoke from downtown Carpinteria, about twenty miles away.

Ash has also fallen quite frequently, depending on winds, of course. While mostly a nuisance for most, it can be a health hazard for the very young, infirm and with breathing problems.

Beyond the horrible aspects of the Zaca Fire, it is hard to overlook the sunsets - smoke and ash have created some very colorful work.

People here understandably take Fire Season very seriously. Fire Stations all have 'fire alert status' signs and the local media are quick to remind during particularly likely periods. Right now, at 85,000 acres, it is huge. This is equal to 130 sq miles - the size of the entire City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, PA.

How can I properly identify just how large 85,000 acres actually covers? I don't have a ranch with acreage in the tens of thousands... nor do any of my friends. The above analogy for Philadelphia likely works for only a few. However, if this fire were a more regular size, say 10 miles by 13 miles, it would form a rectangle with a perimeter 46 miles long. In normal city-traffic of mixed 30mph and 45mph, stops, etc, I feel that would take nearly TWO HOURS to drive! THAT'S how big this fire is, you couldn't drive around it in two hours.

The new prediction for 'containment' for the Zaca Fire is 7Sept - nearly nine weeks after it started. Who knows how many acres it may cover at that time. However, 'containment' is different from 'out'. The Zaca Fire will burn until the rains return - hopefully as soon as sometime in October.

Sunset on the Rincon at Carpinteria Gallery

2007-08-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Who knew that a botanist would have a successful entry into an art show in the artsy area of Santa Barbara? My wife Jeannie is an artist of western landscapes and has submitted material to shows in Florida, North Carolina and here in the Santa Barbara, CA area - with many successes. (She never calls them 'rejections' as they are simply one judge's opinion.) Me? I entered a photo in a show along with her entries about six weeks ago and learned about rejection - while she had a pastel accepted. However, this show her two pastels were not accepted, while my 'Sunset on the Rincon' was chosen!

We've certainly had some amusing moments... as I told her, it's great that ONE of the artists(!) in the family got into the show. And that Friday, 10Aug, we will go to "my" opening. Jeannie uses bold and bright colors and in our home in North Carolina, discovered that a wall in our 'dining area', painted purple was the perfect foil for her work.

While I have used Nikon film cameras for most of the previous nearly forty years (I started taking photos in the crib), I switched to a Nikon digital D70s about three years ago and have truly enjoyed it. However, the above photo was taken with Jeannie's little point n' shoot digital - a Casio Exlim EX-2750. All I know is that it has a large LCD Screen, has 7.2 megapixels, fits in my shirtpocket and has almost no hesitation at the shutter release - and took a photo of a quality to be juried into an art show.

Juror? None other than Arturo Tello, a person whom I've met at Santa Barbara and Carpinteria galleries and shows. Besides being active locally and being artistically productive, he is Gallery Manager at Palm Loft Gallery in Carpinteria. I've come to enjoy his pleasant demeanor and his art. He is also a member of 'The Oak Group' - twenty-four painters for preservation in California who contribute a portion of their special sales to environmental purchases in California. I am truly honored to have my sunset photo successfully juried by Arturo Tello.

If you'd like a cool visit (and the high temp has struggled to reach 70 degrees in Carpinteria this week) and see some fine art, come to "855 At The Arts Center" in Carpinteria - 855 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA. The Opening is Friday, 10Aug at 5:30pm, and the show hangs through 24Sept.