2011.03 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar

A few days ago, I was privileged to catch this action at Reifel. A BC local had noticed the flock of chickadees and nuthatches enjoying seed, and thought to try hand-feeding as a lark.

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. ...To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

2011.02 Wallpaper Desktop Calendar

A few years ago, near Rexville, an intrepid group of birders wandered up to the local grocery. In back, a fair amount of snow and bird seed brought out some rather fascinating individuals, among them this little cutie, a Varied Thrush.

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

2010.09 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar

have to say it's been a long times since i've updated this page...  hmmm.  :)

2010.09 Western Tiger Swallowtail [ Papilio rutulus ] 67301c - Wenas

Western Tiger Swallowtail, photographed in Wenas last year, digitally-reimagined recently...

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

All rights reserved, © caren park, www.parkgallery.org/

2010.05 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

A single deer (of many) photographed munching on grass in the median near the Ocean Shores Sewage Treatment Plant.  While we were out trying to find birds in heavy wind, the deer were content to be the town's lawn mowers...

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

All rights reserved, © caren park, www.parkgallery.org

2010.04 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

April's Desktop Calendar Wallpaper is a White-breasted Nuthatch, located in Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, just a bit northwest of Palm Springs, California

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.


All rights reserved, © caren park, http://www.parkgallery.org

2009.02 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

Once again, it's time for your February desktop calendar wallpaper.  This month:  St Yves candles, located within the La Cathédrale St Tugdual, in the Bretagne market town of Tréguier...

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

All rights reserved, © caren park, http://www.parkgallery.com

OK. I'm mostly OK

... However, if someone wants to bring something easy for dinner tonight, I'll buy...

 

While I was photographing the dogs at Beaver Lake, I was part of a two-dog sandwich about 30 minutes ago: a boxer and a rather large mastiff. My left knee tried to go in three directions at once, managed two of them. My right index finger points well, but it doesn't bend much anymore, and has a fair bit of swelling at the knuckle. My head hit concrete, and has a good-sized knob now. The finger seems to have protected the camera; the lens collar, however, is toast. And, my right hip is starting to talk to me...

I'm buying dinner if you bring it. I'm going to be hopped on good drugs here in about 30 minutes, so email me to be sure I'm awake :)

Big Morongo, Tree, Moon

Not quite the photo I thought it would be, but not bad, either...  Begs the question:  how do those photographers get the moon so big in their pictures?  :)

Cutter and Radar

Two new (to me) dogs at the Beaver Lake Dog Park...

I was told Radar (an Australian Shepherd + Husky mix) was quite the jumper, that if he knew he could leap the fence, the fence wouldn't stand a chance... Well, here's a shot of him going after a tennis ball... :)

And Cutter is simply a cute Portuguese Water Dog...

Trip

Trip is an inquisitive and energetic Golden Retriever puppy, and the muddy fields of Beaver Lake Park were just too much fun for him...

Bridger

Bridger is a Golden Doodle.  This is the first time I've seen him at the park, and I hope it's not the last...

These photos are also Sunday shots at Beaver Lake...

Hailey

She keeps being photogenic, and you get to see the results :)

Photo taken Sunday afternoon at Beaver Lake Park...

A Few Changes to the ol' Home Page

Please take a look to the upper right of the blogspot gadget bar (where the time, "who the hell am i", etc, is located), and let me know if you see anything wrong about the Flickr Slideshow I set up earlier today. It looks fine to me, but I've also noticed that the logo in FireFox looks a LOT different from the logo in IE 8, so... :)

If things are odd, please let me know WHAT is odd, what browser and OS you are using, etc... Thanks!

2010.01 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

A few days ago, I wandered into Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for about an hour.  Among the more interesting findings:  a Northern Harrier lunching on an unfortunate rodent.  While s/he was deep in the brush, there was still a small window along the road from which to (morbidly?) watch...

S/he fed for about 5 minutes, ripping little bits and larger chunks, while watching the surrounding countryside and airspace for competitors...  It was a sight that was repeated several times during that hour...

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

All rights reserved, © caren park, http://RealistAtLarge.blogspot.com.

Ridgefield - An Early Assortment

On the front side of the auto route at Ridgefield, a Golden-crowned Sparrow, a Great Blue Heron (the most numerous of the large birds) eating what looks like a vole, a Bald Eagle (perched in a tree directly over the road), and a Northern Harrier privately enjoying lunch...

Ridgefield - Rough-legged Hawk

As promised, here are two shots of the White-tailed Kite light-morph Rough-legged Hawk seen at Ridgefield, just west of Rest Lake, on Tuesday afternoon.  One shot is the original frame, the second is the close crop...  S/he was NOT close to the road :)

I want to thank Truffles and her driver for spotting the Kite Hawk. Without their sharp eyes, I might have missed it entirely...

Ridgefield - Mystery Raptor

Does anyone know what species of bird this is? Size reminds me of a Red-tail, but I don't honestly see any red in the tail;  breast is mottled like a Cooper's, but my memory says it wasn't that small a bird.  Red-shouldered Hawk, perhaps?  Admittedly, the lighting is bad; s/he probably wasn't going to let me get out of the car and venture across the field to get a better look :)

Photo was taken at the 9th Street entrance to the River S Auto route at Ridgefield on Tuesday afternoon...

LATER: At the moment, the ID for this bird is vascillating between Red-shouldered and Red-tailed, the vote being split almost 50-50...

Poster # 76: Chirp, on Dogs and Cats

Chirp, always helpful, lets people know the difference between dogs and cats in a most succinct way... :)

Evening Grosbeaks

Just before leaving for the gym this morning, a small flock of Evening Grosbeaks (joined by the neighbourhood regulars) dropped in for a bite at my local seed feeder.  For a second, I wasn't sure they were really there...

I managed to get a couple of half-decent shots through the window (it was still -7C out there) before I tried to go outside and get something better.  Unfortunately, once outside, not a one wanted to come closer than the birch about 30 metres away...

Here are a few shots from those five mostly-freezing minutes:  a male Evening Grosbeak adjusting his too-large body to the feeder, and one of the dozens of Dark-eyed Juncos fluffed up against the cold...

Also had an Anna's Hummer flit in and around the crowd for about 30 seconds before buzzing away at speed...

Beauford

A gorgeous Bernese Mountain Dog, playing with everyone (including a fun Golden Retriever puppy) on a recent afternoon when the park was just a bit "dirty" :)