Bears in Sequoia NP

Searching for Black Bears in the Sequoia National Park!

The last week, I had the chance to join Photographer Brent Paull ( www.amwestphoto.com) at the Sequoia National Park in search for black bears.  Brent knows the park very well and has photographed bears in the park many times.  So I had high hopes to see and capture bears, maybe even a sow with cubs.  We set out early in the morning with first light and made the 1-hour track into the park on Generals Highway – including 50 switchbacks and an impressive elevation gain - up to the Crescent Meadow area.  Setting out with camera, long lenses and tripod, we started hiking in this lovely area dotted with green meadows.  Although the California hills are pretty golden with dried grassland at this time of the year, it was astounding to find these meadows full of lush grass and colorful spring flowers, a perfect setting for bears searching for food.  I wondered how these meadows stay green even in the summer’s heat?   

                 Early Morning under the giants (Sequoia Trees)

Scanning the landscape, the granite rocks form ‘bowls’ surrounded by higher ridge, and when the winter’s snow melts the water collects in the ‘bowls’.  Over the years sufficient sediments collected to give enough ground for the meadows to establish.  With no outlets for the water other than evaporation, these areas stay moist all summer long providing great areas for grass, flowers and berry bushes to flourish.  It’s not only the black bears who find juicy grass in the spring, pine cones in the summer and berries in the early fall to satisfy their hunger, but these meadows are also great for seeing marmots, chipmunks and other small critters, deer as well as a rich bird life.  In some of the meadows, small ponds form at the lowest points offering bears who love to swim a place to cool off in the summer’s heat.

Purple flower at the edge of the small pond

Hiking in the higher elevations of the park, these meadows can be reached by hiking over the ridges through the open pine and sequoia forest. 

During my 2 days in the park, we visited 4 different meadows, one prettier than the next.  Starting out early at sunrise, we were the first day hikers and were surrounded by quiet only broken by bird calls and the sound of crunching sticks and needles under our boots.

Reaching the second meadow on the first day, Brent stopped and in a hushed voice pointed to a bear in the meadow.  With the grass quite high and the bear in quite some distance, only its head and ears reaching over the meadow’s green.  We watched for a while how his head dipped up and down in a peaceful rhythm, eventually disappearing into the forest.  I love being out in nature, being able and privileged to witness wildlife away from the hustle and buzzle of daily life.

At the edge of a meadows, the roots of fallen trees make perfect dens and lookouts for marmots.  This young marmot enjoyed the warmth of the early sunshine eyeing us with little interest.

Very well camouflaged, a doe rested in the root base of an enormous sequoia tree.

Around another bend we found a cinnamon black bear deep in the grassy meadow much closer to where we were hiking at the forest edge.

She looked at us and quickly moved on into the deeper meadow ….

Leopard Lillly

Visitor searching for nectar in the little purple flowers

The next day, again setting out at sunrise, another bear crossed our path, looked up and - unfortunately for us - very quickly disappeared into to the forest.

But birds, marmots and flowers offered rich photo opportunities:

Western Tanager in breeding colors (orange head colors)

Adult marmot on the lookout

Marmot warming in the morning sunshine

Tiny but beautiful - flower on the forest floor

Valley and Ridges - structures of the pine tree bark

Afternoon in the Meadows and Forest

The days at the Sequoia National Park proved again how fortunate I am living in California, a state with so much natural beauty from the ocean to the mountains to the desert, such a diverse natural landscape rich in flora and fauna – a photographer’s paradise.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into just one corner of our lovely state.

Til next time,

Meggi

The Effects of Drought

The Effects of Drought in California

Will California's wine growers have a good wine year?

It is mid-October, and I am searching for fall colors in the Napa wine country.  Early in the morning, I expected sun filtering through the mist over the fields of vine stock.   

Fall colors

Instead the sun rose to a crystal clear day, it is already quite warm with mid-day temperatures expected in the upper 80ties F.  It is a beautiful day for cruising and I enjoy the quiet of ‘hinterland’ away from the busy highways in the Napa and Sonoma valley.  But for the wine makers, these hot days seem to be detrimental to the harvest.

Stopping at a field expecting the grapes either already harvested or ripe and plumb to be picked, I was saddened by so many fields that were neither.  The grapes had shriveled on the stock never to be picked.  

In another field, the red grapes are still hanging from the vines.  However,  most of them are not plumb and full of juice but look dried out.

The leaves on the vines look dried and most of them have gone from green to brown, few sport the beautiful fall colors of red and yellow seen in other years.

Shriveled up before harvest?

Few grapes looked like this!

Drought – yes, we all have heard much talk and have read many stories how the lack of water is effecting the agribusiness in our State.  But seeing the devastating effect I wonder whether the year of 2015 will be remembered as a year in which the crop did not yield a stellar wine for the Napa and Sonoma – or for all of the California’s -  wine makers?

Four years of drought have left us wondering what will happen if the rains don’t come this winter.  The warming ocean at our Pacific coast have brought anchovies much further north than they ever were and with it we enjoyed humpback whales and even a blue whale feeding in our waters.  There is much hope that the warmer ocean temperatures will have the effect that is called ‘El Nino’ that in the past has brought a very wet winters.  This year we all are hoping for ‘El Nino’ to work as expected and we are hoping for rain.

For my readers in colder wetter climates, this must sound strange to hope for wet weather, but we need it or otherwise our communities, our State is in deep trouble next summer if the drought continues.  California’s agriculture is producing much fruit and vegetable that feeds the Nation.  The State is the prime almond producer for the world.   Our water comes from as far away as the Sierra Nevada from the snow pack in the winter.  During the last winters, the snow pack was far below average and our water reservoirs are frightfully empty.

So not only for the wine makers but for all of us in California, we are hoping for rain so that the next year’s crop of wine will be plentiful again.

Storybook Bear by Jared Lloyd, Wildlife Photographer

Before I go, I want to share with you a wonderful story written by biologist and wildlife photographer Jared Lloyd.  I have traveled with Jared and learned so much from him: not only many tips of making better images but also about the environment where to find wildlife.  As a biologist he researches the locations where wildlife is typically found but also knows what their food is during the various seasons of the year.  With that knowledge, targeting areas where food sources are plentiful will give the wildlife photographer a much better chance to see and capture great images. 

Jared is also a great story teller:  In one of his recent blogs, Jared describes a wonderful encounter with a bear sow and her cubs.  Observing this bear mom and her cubs play, Jared gives us a deep understanding into the lives of wildlife and nature as you read the unexpected outcome of this encounter.  I so agree with Jared that we as humans are not the only beings that have feelings, experience joy and grief as has been documented for elephants and orcas.  Having just been in Yellowstone with Jared in search of bears, how I would have liked to encounter what he describes so eloquently.  I share this story with you, my readers, since I know that many of you will never have the opportunity to be out in nature with the wonderful wildlife to experience it for yourself.  Jared's story may help you see another side of our environment that is precious and needs all our help or preservation.

Please click here to read Jared's Storybook Bear: 

http://jaredlloydphoto.com/2015/08/25/storybook-bear/

Enjoy!!

Til next time,

Meggi

Mono Lake, CA

Amazing Storm over Mono Lake, California
Amazing Rain Storm over Mono Lake, CA

Mono Lake, Tufa Area

Last month is spend a weekend in the Sierra Nevada visiting Lake Tahoe and the Eastern Sierra, Mono Lake.  As I have traveled to Lake Tahoe quite frequently in May, I was not surprised by the late season snow fall that blanketed the higher elevations (>6700 ft) with fluffy new snow.

From there I drove to the Owens Valley in the Eastern Sierra to visit the Ghost Town Bodie and then Mono Lake.

Today, I want to share some amazing images made at Mono Lake late in the afternoon when a storm passed over and 'got stuck' over the northern part of the Mono Lake Basin.  Heavy rain made for curtains of rain visible from the shores of the Lake at the Tufa Area.
Needless to say that my plans for star trails over Mono Lake were foiled but what a great reward to be able to capture these amazing images!

Heavy rain on the other side of the Lake

Storm clouds over the Sierra

The rain clouds just never made it over the pass at the northern end of the Lake

A Glimpse of Sunset over the Eastern Sierra

Finally, a bit of light over the eastern end of the Lake before the clouds turned around heading for the southern shore.

Although I had come to capture the stars in the sky, I was not disappointed with my evening at Mono Lake.  What a fantastic storm!  When the rain-laden clouds moved over the southern end of the Lake, it was time to leave.  Most of my fellow photographers, and there were quite a few,  packed up trying to avoid being soaked.  The small community of Lee Vining close by offered a late meal and a well-deserved glass of beer!

Cheers!

Til next time,

Meggi

Searching for Spring

Searching for Spring Wildflowers

 

The weather has been unusually warm and everywhere the flowers are sprouting.  The roses in front of my home were starting to bloom at least 3 weeks earlier than usual.  Although officially, Spring is only starting March 21, here California it definitely looks and smells like Spring.  The daffodils are long gone even in the higher elevations.  The Daffodil Hills Ranch in the Foothill of the Sierra closed their doors this week but 2 weeks ago it was in full bloom and a delight to see.  It was quite crowded the afternoon I visited and seeing the profusion of yellow and white was for sure delightful.

 

McLaughlin Ranch, an old working ranch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Closer to my Palo Alto home, Gamble Gardens and Filoli Gardens are a-wash in tulip blooms – a colorful palette of reds, pinks and white and all colors in between.

An inviting place to sit and contemplate.

 

 

A visitor on a forget-me-not

 

 

With the weather almost like feeling like summer, I continued searching for poppies and wild irises spending a day on the coast around Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes and was rewarded to find the wild iris in full bloom.  The coastal hills were lush green with the occasional poppy [probably in full bloom in a week or so] but lots of yellow mustard along the road.

 

 

Pierce Ranch

 

 

Heart's Beach

 

 

 I ended up photographing the abandoned boat on Tomales Bay and stayed into the late evening/night capturing the north star above the boat.  There I met Lauren, a young photographer who wanted to try her hand with astro-landscape photography and star trails.  It is always nice to share the night and have the time go by faster than being alone.  Lauren, this image is for you!  I hope you got something good out of your efforts to capture the beautiful scenery!

 

... and a beautiful night it was!

For those of you who are still living with snow and cold, don't despair - Spring will come to your area soon.

Til next time,

Meggi

[Technical Note:  all images except for the night image were taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M10, a mirroless micro 4/3 that I am evaluating with pleasing results.]

All images:  Copyright M. Raeder-Photography