For a small pond of about an acre, Nance Pond has a large watershed and stays full year-round. There is always a family of creatures there. Before the 2018 Camp Fire we even had black bears. I visit at least once a week to see who is around, take photos, change out my gamecam chips,Continue reading “Visiting Nance Pond in May of 2022”
Tag Archives: photo
The Heart of the Paradise Sky
Blustery weather in Paradise today – an ever changing vista shaping itself overhead. Three vultures soared above the canyon, and the sun broke out into a perfect heart. Please enjoy these six pictures: 🙂
Hummingbirds and Rain
Our cold rain continues (51F now), with the hummingbirds unperturbed. They make themselves known to me when I step outside, flying nearby and making a loud hum with their wings. A russet-colored hummingbird, with an imposing brown beard showed up a week ago too. Please enjoy these five photos of the birds and wet weather:Continue reading “Hummingbirds and Rain”
One Hundred Seconds of Sunrise
The stunning colors of the sunrise often come and go so quickly – I notice, grab my camera, find a good vantage point, click away, and done. Less than three minutes, start to finish. The sunrise was briefly spectacular this morning. Please enjoy these seven pictures from Paradise:
A Day of Pictures, September 9, 2021
Today we began having some clouds, and a chance of rain tonight. A sunny day with many opportunities for pictures, including a late summer rose, and a brief roost by a turkey vulture in a large snag nearby. Please enjoy!
Saturn, August 26, 2021
My pictures of such a far away planet are slowly improving. This is the best clear orientation of the rings I have achieved so far. Enjoy!
Milky Way and Satellite, August 26, 2012
The cooler weather and reduction in smoke are allowing me to get much clearer sky pictures. I took this one last night as a satellite was transiting past the Milky Way. The yellow in the atmosphere is from the Caldor Fire, near Lake Tahoe. Enjoy!
Discovering a Family of Blacktail Deer Near Nance Pond Today
I was walking near the pond down in the canyon today, and decided to explore a small stream that runs from the pond. This area was impassable before the fire, and now has a far lower profile of mostly berry brambles. As I approached the stream, a family of blacktail deer emerged from a copseContinue reading “Discovering a Family of Blacktail Deer Near Nance Pond Today”
Just Picked Yellow Cling Peaches
Here is pretty much our entire crop of yellow cling peaches, picked just now from our dwarf tree – the first time in six years we have had fruit from this tree. Works out to half for us, and half for the critters. The sky looks tan and smoky today, but it doesn’t smell badContinue reading “Just Picked Yellow Cling Peaches”
Saturn and Jupiter Last Night
The smoke in the atmosphere can be useful when photographing distant planets, as it filters out the glare. Here are Saturn (800M mi/1.3B km) and Jupiter (450M mi/745M km) from last night. Jupiter has three obvious moons showing, though it looks like the outermost one may be two, orbiting close together. Enjoy!
Dixie Fire Smoke This Morning
The wind shifted to the north last night for 12 hours and pushed a lot of smoke back at us. It is clearing again though it was smoky early morning. Please enjoy these four snaps:
Midnight Skies, and a Little Rain Just Now
The Dixie Fire effects are no longer felt here, just west of Paradise. We have had steady winds to clear any haze, and about an hour ago we had a light rain – unheard of in July! Please enjoy these six pictures, beginning with a beautiful full moon from last night:
Smoke and Sun
There are high smoke clouds today from the Dixie Fire, though clear air on the ground, making for a cooler summer day. The clouds and sun can interact in beautiful ways. Here are four favorites of mine. Please enjoy!
Happy Guru Purnima 2021!
All glory to His Holiness Sri Brahmananda Saraswati, Guru Dev today! Here are two photos, one of the full moon last night, and one of the full orange sun as it rose this morning. From fullness to fullness. Please enjoy!
Fire Season in Paradise – A Close Fire Today
We received an evacuation warning this afternoon from the Butte County Sheriff, due to a 15 acre fire about a mile away, in the next canyon over to the east. It was moving fast in our direction, so they brought in an air tanker and helos to dump retardant and stop the spread. Success! AllContinue reading “Fire Season in Paradise – A Close Fire Today”
Nature Remains Calm During the Dixie Fire
Fortunately the Dixie Fire has grown away from us, with a steady southern breeze to ensure it. I cannot see any evidence of the fire this morning to the east, though there continues to be a thick band of smoke to the northwest. I also can’t fly my drone for at least a month asContinue reading “Nature Remains Calm During the Dixie Fire”
Dixie Fire Night Panorama Northeast of Paradise
[July 19, 2021] The fire has moved far east of us tonight – no smoky air – calm, with a southern breeze here. Coyotes were howling in the canyon last night. Tankers are flying overhead now, refueling at Firebase Chico, and then back into it. Downtown Paradise can be seen lower right of the fireContinue reading “Dixie Fire Night Panorama Northeast of Paradise”
The Dixie Fire Night Sky in Paradise
It is both smoky and clear tonight. The Dixie Fire has grown to nearly 20K acres, though the southern wind has kept the smoke away from us. Here are three pictures of the sky tonight. The red light in the second and third pictures is from the fire:
Nance Pond Today, July 17, 2021
Nance Pond can be clearly seen from the back fence now – All the burnt brush from the 2018 Camp Fire, including most of the snags except for the tallest ones, has been pushed down and broken up, for fire safety and erosion prevention. As I was moving up on a jackrabbit inside the fenceContinue reading “Nance Pond Today, July 17, 2021”
Summer Fire Season in Paradise 2021
Some haze this morning and a smoke smell. The Dixie Fire continues to grow, nearly 10K acres now, but away from us, up into the high country. As the day goes on we should again have a consistent wind from the southeast to blow the smoke away. Here are six pictures from yesterday, including anContinue reading “Summer Fire Season in Paradise 2021”
Mid-Summer in Paradise
Cooler today and normal temps for this time – 74/23 now, rising to 96/35 later. The Dixie Fire is smudging the sky near the horizon and I may have smelled a whiff of smoke, though it is really not an issue. Here are four pictures, showing the smoke smudge today looking west, a few ofContinue reading “Mid-Summer in Paradise”
Like Walking On The Moon
A particularly clear crescent moon at dusk tonight. Enjoy!
Our Fire Season 2021
A much calmer time this year, though we have our first sizable fire in the county now, The Dixie Fire. Started yesterday at 60, then 500, now 1,200 acres. Burning in a wilderness area with low population. The wind is blowing from the SSE here, perfect to keep the fire and smoke out of Paradise.Continue reading “Our Fire Season 2021”
Happy Tuesday From Paradise
Please enjoy this picture of a moon ring (taken late last fall):
Happy Monday From Paradise
Cooler today and clear. Thankfully the smoke from the fires up north is heading away from us. There are no fires in our county. Please enjoy this picture, and even Monday!
Visiting The Botanical Garden On Hawaii, The Big island – 2015
A psychedelic lizard!? Please enjoy these eight favorites from the Garden:
Showing Off the Prize
Yesterday afternoon I saw this scrub jay with a huge peanut in its beak. I am finding this is not uncommon behavior, and have seen other birds too, flying about with an abundance of worms or insects in their beaks before feeding. As if to advertise their hunting prowess. Here are two pictures of theContinue reading “Showing Off the Prize”
A Western Tiger Swallowtail Photo Session
I swear the butterfly was posing for me! Please enjoy these five pictures:
A Late June Storm
We had a rare late June rainstorm last week. Quite gentle, without lightning. Here are seven pictures of the developing storm, the rain, and huge skies. Please enjoy!
Happy Saturday!
Please enjoy this recent picture of a full moon, rising:
Evening Clouds in Paradise
It is an endless treasure to have a vast sky often painted with active clouds, light, color, and contrast. Here are five examples from yesterday evening. Please enjoy!
A Squirrely Saturday!
These little creatures are so active. Here are photos from the back meadow cam showing this one jumping about. Please enjoy these five photos, and your Saturday!
A Strange Light In The Woods
Today I pulled the picture card from the camera facing the back meadow, and was very surprised by a sequence of photos taken two seconds apart. In the first, a deer is exiting the frame to the right, and a very bright and focused light appears on the ground like a beam of some sort,Continue reading “A Strange Light In The Woods”
Late Triassic Visitor
I rebuilt my small rock tower in front of the house and the lizards love to perch there. This one hung out for several hours. Enjoy!
3:00 AM in Paradise, California
The moon is growing full now and a thirty second time-exposure at night makes it look like daytime. Enjoy!
In the Skies of Paradise – A Pictorial
The Sandhill cranes are migrating, and came over yesterday. Please enjoy these four images of the recent skies of Paradise.
Leaning Towards Spring in Paradise – A Pictorial
Snow in Paradise (A Pictorial)
It began snowing last night, wet and heavy. I took some pictures, including one of the dawn yesterday and another of the approaching storm in the afternoon. The wind was very strong last night and we have also “warmed up” by a few degrees, so heavy rain is falling now. We are just on theContinue reading “Snow in Paradise (A Pictorial)”
Near Sunset in Paradise – October 8th, 2020
All of our evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted in Butte County, and the nearby North Complex West Zone fire is about 90 percent contained (not out, though no longer growing). The skies are much clearer and we have even had the windows open all day – haven’t been able to do that sinceContinue reading “Near Sunset in Paradise – October 8th, 2020”
My First UAV Night Flight
Last night the moon was nearly full, and forming a triangle with Saturn on its left, and Jupiter on the right. So I decided to take the Mavic Pro 2 up to 390 feet (just below my maximum ceiling), hover, and take some pictures. Here are three photos, moving from southwest to southeast. The photosContinue reading “My First UAV Night Flight”
Lake Almanor and the Cascade Range
I went for a 200 mile drive today into the Cascades, to Lake Almanor (4500 ft.) and through the Lassen National Forest, and took 199 pictures. Here are my favorite seven. Please enjoy! 🙂
The Milky Way, Meteors, and Jupiter
Just as here on Earth, the Heavens have been quite lively lately. Here are four photos from last night; a video-still of a meteor streaking in, and three exposures of the Milky Way. Every time I step outside during these clear nights, I see several meteor trails. The video-still image is one exposure of aContinue reading “The Milky Way, Meteors, and Jupiter”
A New Resident, the Golden Eagle
After the Camp Fire in November 2018 our landscape changed, with fewer live tall trees and a shift in the bird population, adding several species I hadn’t seen here before. Our most prized new arrival is a golden eagle, seen hunting in the canyon and also perched in the burned pine tree in our lowerContinue reading “A New Resident, the Golden Eagle”
Cloud on Clouds: A Wet Day in May
Some very unusual rain for this time of year. The clouds are formed of layers and I took pictures of them yesterday. Here are my best seven. Enjoy! 🙂
Clouds and Sky
The Eastern sky is particularly expressive here in Paradise, possibly because of the Sierra-Nevada in that direction, and a hot valley to the West, creating many air currents. Taken with my Nikon P900, set to ‘Auto’, or ‘Night Landscape’. I ran this last photo through the editor a few times to bump up the colorsContinue reading “Clouds and Sky”
A Trip into the Sierra-Nevada Today
The nearest road into the mountains around here is called Skyway. We took it east today, driving up to 5,000 feet or so. Please enjoy these few pictures:
Divinity descends
moonrise mid-October 2019
Fire Moon Crescent – Halloween Night 2019
I ran for my camera (Nikon P900) when I saw the moon setting this evening. The red orange color of the moon is produced by sunlight moving through the fire and smoke produced by a large wildfire near the coast, about 90 miles away: