Category: the birds and the trees

These posts describe encounters with the natural world

Hiking in the Eastern Sierra

June 10, 2022 a-roving the birds and the trees
Last week, we took our last trip in the camper before selling it. We headed out to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains and revisited two of our favorite spots: Rock Creek Lake and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains.  Last trip in the camper…

Flower power!

March 7, 2022 a-roving take a picture the birds and the trees
In mid February, with the vernal equinox still weeks away, spring was already in full flower here in Northern California: almond blossoms in the Central Valley, plum trees in the wooded hills, and cymbidiums at the Pacific Orchid Exposition. So we went exploring…  Spring has been bustin’ out all over…

Kindred

December 6, 2021 a-roving take a picture the birds and the trees
This is the fourth in a series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  Chimpanzee habituation Kibale National Park in western Uganda is home to a large population of chimpanzees, and they offer guided chimpanzee experiences to tourists. When I made our booking,…

The birds and the bees

November 29, 2021 a-roving take a picture the birds and the trees
This is the third in a series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  The bee-eaters Bee-eaters simply beg to be photographed! Not only are they exceptionally colorful and beautiful, but one of this bird’s strategies for attracting the bees and other insects…

Reigning cats and dogs

November 19, 2021 a-roving take a picture the birds and the trees
This is the second in a series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  When people think of safaris, they tend to think first of the big cats: lions and leopards and cheetahs, oh my! Alas, no cheetahs did we spot in the…

The fisher kings

November 15, 2021 a-roving take a picture the birds and the trees
This is the first in a planned series of posts featuring photographs taken during our trip to Botswana and Uganda in August 2021.  Pied kingfishers The first stop on our Africa trip was Maun, Botswana, where we spent a day and a half recovering from a more-grueling-than-necessary journey, before heading out…

Birding in Africa

November 12, 2021 a-roving take a picture the birds and the trees
As you will know if you’ve read my posts from the past year, Craig and I have gotten interested in birds in recent months — okay, very interested. So although we didn’t go to Africa specifically for the birds, it was natural that birdwatching should end up being a significant…

Seeking the solitary shoebill

August 30, 2021 a-roving the birds and the trees
Once you see a shoebill — or even a picture of a shoebill — you never forget it. This unusual bird looks like a cross between a stork, a pelican, and a dinosaur, both fearsome and comical. I had seen the pictures. Now I wanted to see one in the…