distortions.net Profile Photo

distortions.net

Tech geek. GIS pro. Avgeek. California Native plant gardener. Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and X100V. Views are my own. Follow me on Mastodon: @rpmik@avgeek.social

    ∞

    Weather was nice today! Summer is waning and so I guess outdoor photography season can begin. Here are a few dragonflies enjoying an overcast and hazy day. #Fujifilm

    An in-flight green dragon fly against a blue sky.A long view to the Northern California Coast range. It's a hazy and overcast day. Oaks and rolling golden hills are in front of some rugged mountains.Within a muddy area with green algae, a stick juts out and a red striped dragonfly rests at the stick's end. The insect has red patches at the ends of its transparent wings.

    ∞

    This morning, House Finches were breakfasting on ripe elderberries in our backyard. #HouseFinch #BirdsOfMastodon #BirdWatching #Fujifilm Two house finches are on top of two bunches of ripe elderberries, feasting on them. The upper most Finch has a Elderberry in its beak. The lower most finch is on a branch, reaching up into a bunch of berries. 

    ∞

    Last weekend: just a taste of the views you can have at Pinnacles National Park, California, if you take the the High Peaks Trail. #PinnaclesNationalPark #Fujifilm #GeologyMakesThePhoto

    Pinnacles of rock jut out of a hilly landscape, with their northsides in shadow and southern sides completely lit up. Vegetation is quite green with a classic kodachrome blue sky and mountain ranges along the horizon.

    ∞

    Last weekend: in its most happiest habitat, predominantly here are Yellow Monkeyflowers within massive rocks at Pinnacles National Park, California. #MonkeyFlowers #PinnaclesNationalPark

    Sandwiched inbewteen massive lichen covered rocks are vertical stems of monkeyflowers showing bunches of yellow flowers. The rocks are kind of forming a small channel.

    ∞

    Sorry, I’m not selling my X100V. I’ve had it since Sep 2021, and I only had to wait 2 months to get it. It’s great.

    DPReview: “Can’t find a Fujifilm X100V? What are the alternatives?” www.dpreview.com/articles/…

    ∞

    Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 from ICN on approach to SFO on January 21, 2023. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #AviationPhotography #Fujifilm A mid-zoom of a Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 ICN-SFO on approach during a hazy day. There’s a silhouetted pier with somebody fishing at the very end if it. A hazy mountain is in the background.

    ∞

    What luck today. Photographed a juvenile Bald Eagle (second year?) at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. #birds #BaldEagle #Fujifilm

    A juvenile Bald Eagle perched up high. It is mostly brown with a developing, and so mottled, white neck and headBald eagle soaring off. Its white head and neck are clearer.

    ∞

    Last night an RV and car caught fire behind us. As far as I know, no one was injured. Here are better photos of the action. There was a really nice full moon last night, too, though thin clouds fuzzed it up a bit. #fujifilm

    A wide angle view of the RV and car on fire, in front of an overpass. Two fire trucks are parked in front of the blaze on a gravel lot with some ponding.Night time photo of the front half of an RV on fire along with a car parked right next to it. Flames are roaring out th front of both vehicles. An Orland Fire Department truck sits in front of it all.

    Fire fighter in full respirator equipment with a hose flooding the interior of the car that's on fire. Burning fluids drop below the car, like lava. The car is extremely charred.

    Sparks fly as a fire fighter cuts open the hood in efforts to make the burning vehicle safe.

    Nothing but a full moon and its glow. The darker seas of the moon are easily visible.

    ∞

    Red Tail Hawk from yesterday’s bird watching at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. It’s not surprising that they’re not easy to spot. Even rarer is the one that won’t fly off if you get within 100 yards. #fujifilm #birds #RedTailedHawk

    Red Tail Hawk perched in branches of a deciduous plant
    ∞

    Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California still has snow and seems it got a fresh coat.

    A mountain with a surprising flat top is snow covered beyond the golden hills. Skies are clear.
    ∞

    Spotted a Belted Kingfisher today! #kingfisher #birdsFemale Kingfisher looking down into a canal for prey. She has a patch of rust color on her belly. Her head is two-thirds dark gray and one-third white. Her back is gray. She has spiky feathers at the crest of her head.

    ∞

    Western Mockingbird foraging for raisins in our backyard.

    grey and white mockingbird under bunches of raisins
    ∞

    Gorgeous day today in Northern California. This is from the same place where we saw the Northern Flickers (and Nutall’s and Acorn Woodpeckers).

    blue skie with subs cliffs above golden grasses, a dead oak stump, and trees plus buttes on the horizon.
    ∞

    Back in September we visited Glacier National Park. We didn't take the Going to the Sun Road, but opted for the lesser traveled Snyder Creek trail. Here's a couple of fuzzy caterpillars taken with a Fujifilm X100V.A yellow fuzzy caterpilarBlack and orange spiky caterpillar

    ∞

    Beetle killed trees in Saxony, Germany.

    ∞

    Before our trip to Germany, I pruned the first big leaves off a sunflower because they were shading out a pepper. Now the sunflower has a flower near each prune cut. Great for attracting bees to our peppers!

    ∞

    Gray Hairstreak butterfly on one of our pepper plants.

    ∞

    June 6 in Munich.

    ∞

    Obligatory photo of surfers at the Eisbachwelle in Munich’s English Garden.

    ∞

    Eurasian Coots in the Pagodenburger See at the Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich.

    A nesting coot in the lake and a coot on the shore foraging for food.
    ∞

    A few more photos of the #EdwardFire in Orland, CA today. Fortunately our house was never in danger. Sad that this fire was likely preventable with mere common sense about mowing. A few homes were lost. #EFire

    ∞

    Elk at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. Last March.

    ∞

    Now in bloom in our backyard: cultivated California Wild Roses (pic 1) and Elderberry (2). Still gorging themselves: ladybugs. Everywhere in our front yard. They’re just decimating aphids. Ladybugs particularly love coyote bush (3) and sage.

    wild rose flower with white flower petalsyellow elderberry flowersbright orange ladybugs all over a coyote bush

    ∞

    Potatoe croquettes for lunch today. Great use of leftover mashed potatoes.

    plated golden brown croquettes with one cut open, revealing fluffy white potatoes and chives
    ∞

    From last Monday near Tomales Point in beautiful California, a genus Arctia moth caterpillar on lupins.

    red and black fuzzy caterpillar on slender pinnate lupine leaves.
Older Posts →