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Continue reading →: Beauty Is In the Eye of the BeholderI’m not sure what it is about vultures that makes them so appealing to me. It’s probably more than a little anthropomorphic that when I look into their eyes I see a gentle but profound wisdom. Their niche in the web of life is undeniably beneficial for its contribution to…
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Continue reading →: Eagle Nest Update: March 8, 2025When I made the trek up to the Benbow Bald Eagle nest watching spot last Saturday, I knew to keep going past the old nest-watching spot and look for activity around the new nest apparently still being built this year. A friend had snapped a picture of the new nest…
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Continue reading →: Goose on the LooseThe river was finally beginning to green up a bit after weeks of a rain-swollen cafe latte-colored flow. There was a hint of spring in the late February air and it seemed like a great day to have a nice long sit on the shore, and wait to see who…
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Continue reading →: Rare Bird Alert: White-Breasted NuthatchBecause I hear or less often see this bird not exactly infrequently, I do sometimes wonder why it’s locally considered a rare bird when I report it on ebird, the world-wide citizen science website for recording and tracking sightings of our avian friends. In 2024 I saw or heard this…
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Continue reading →: A Visit to Bear RiverEvery winter I like to take Monument Road west out of Rio Dell and go up onto Bear River Ridge where a well-maintained county road rolls over beautiful open country for about 12 miles until it T’s at the Mattole Road. A left here takes you on a windy descent…
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Continue reading →: Eagle Nest Update Feb 8, 2025Last Saturday I walked up to the Benbow Bald Eagle nest, hoping to see some action. I took it as a good omen that there were lots of birds along the trail on the 20 minute walk to the nest-watching spot. Acorn Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, American Robins, Hermit…
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Continue reading →: The Tao of Watching BirdsA good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. -Tao Te Ching The best birding days are like that. We may start with plans and expectations, as well as a strategy for fulfilling them, but the sooner those goals fall by the wayside, the more likely…
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Continue reading →: Robin RepastOn my last visit to the local eagle nest I saw no eagles. That may not mean they aren’t around, however, because it did look as though they’ve been tinkering with the nest. Two other highlights grabbed my attention, one a visual feast, the other only audible. The visual treat…
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Continue reading →: Taking RefugeI invite you to retrace my steps with me through the Salmon Creek Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. On an overcast afternoon last week a wide variety of birds were visible, from the tiniest to the grandest and some of them consented to be photographed. For that…
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Continue reading →: Eagle Nest Update 1/4/25I was thinking I wasn’t going to see an eagle near the nest this morning because surely the very high river must be unfishable and the birds are likely elsewhere looking for sustenance. The morning was drippy and gray and hardly any birds of any kind were around except for…
Welcome to Free Range Photography, a photo-journal of encounters with birds and wildlife, mostly in Humboldt County, California.
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