Pretty day at the river (BW warning)

[hal]

The weather is PERFECT! I can hike around all I like without sweating... Bright and sunny... I got out late so the light was very colorful...

I don't really care about ducks, but the water here is so pretty that ANYTHING makes for a nice picture... even when the duck is in shadows...


Can anyone estimate how old this cut off telephone pole is? Just curious - this was one that I just today discovered. I'm trying to follow the old lines. I suspect that this might be from the original electrical line coming down from Folsom Dam - this was the world's first long distance electrical transmission (22 miles) from the late 1890s. I also find a lot of that steel cable around just popping out of the earth here and there...


Whenever I see this in the wild I assume it's bear crap, but there aren't any bears around here. That's the tip of a size 13 boot for scale. Deer? Lots of them around. Can't be coyote - right? or Mountain lion - the only other large animals around here...


This is an adolescent heron - not sure which since they all look pretty much the same (to me) at this age. I suspect it's a Night Heron - he was hanging out near one when I saw him...


This is the night heron I just spoke of... He's a tiny one - just out of adolescence and the first of it's kind that I've seen down here at the river. Here he is in the wonderful last rays of the day's light...


Here he is in the same spot about 15 minutes later after the sun had set - BIG difference - eh?


Sunset


The most interesting visitors - Mute Swans... very pretty... haven't really gotten good pics yet - they are REALLY shy...

[Phy]

Beautiful pix! The swans are so regal and the heron so well-camouflaged after the sun set.

[cbelt3]

The scat looks like deer poop.

The photos are, as usual, gorgeous.

[srf1957]

Deer unless a herd of sheep came through. My lawn is covered with them. My aunt used to call them grass raisins.

[Tommie Milwaukee]

What kind of camera did you use for these shots?

[blooz]

Hal, I'm conflicted about enjoying your photos or envying them.
I guess i can do both.

[hal]

Tommie Milwaukee wrote:
What kind of camera did you use for these shots?

It's my handy dandy canon sx40. All of the bird shots at full 35x zoom. On the American River near Sacramento.

[mrlynn]

Nice shots. Love the last, which you could call "The Wake of the Swan."

/Mr Lynn

[space-time]

Tommie Milwaukee wrote:
What kind of camera did you use for these shots?

where have you been for the past 12 months or so since hal started posting these awesome shots?

[Rolando]

Grat pix to wake up to! Thanks!