Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Burney Falls

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park is a beautiful place to visit. Lake Britton is great for swimming, boating, and fishing...
Lake Britton California
And Burney Creek separates the falls from Lake Britton... 
Burney Creek California
But the real jewel here is Burney Falls...
Burney Falls California
  This 129-foot waterfall simply takes your breath away when you are standing in front of it.
 Burney Falls California
Behind the falls is one of the few known nesting sights for the black swift.
Burney Falls California
 We didn't see any swifts during our visit, but we did see this nest high above the falls...
nest Burney Falls California
 It looks like it might belong to an osprey, or maybe even a bald eagle.
Burney Falls California

 No wonder the falls were called "the Eighth Wonder of the World" by Theodore Roosevelt!
Burney Falls California

Burney Falls California

Monday, September 26, 2016

Ed's Pond

This is Ed's Pond at the Llano Seco Unit of the North Central Valley Wildlife Management Area...
Ed's Pond Llano Seco Unit

Ed's Pond Llano Seco Unit
 Isn't it pretty?
Ed's Pond Llano Seco Unit

Ed's Pond Llano Seco Unit

Ed's Pond Llano Seco Unit

Ed's Pond Llano Seco Unit
There is also a viewing platform down the road, but there wasn't any water around when we were there to take photos. Hopefully, the next time we visit we'll see the Sandhill Cranes that the area is known for!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Pressing Pause

bald eagle klamath wildlife refuge

Hello, my fellow birders!

If I don't post anything for a week or two it's because I'm hunkered down in my writing cave, working on putting the finishing touches on my next book. It's a sweet story about young love and never giving up and I hope to have it ready for release sometime this fall. Until then, I'm focused more on what's going on in my fictional world of Red Valley than what the birds are doing outside my window.

When the weather cools down (soon, hopefully), I'll take a much-needed trip to the wildlife refuge and snap some more photos to post. I've mentioned before how the refuge is my favorite place to go between books and recharge and gather up another dose of inspiration before I start on the next one.

For more info on my writing endeavors, visit my website here.

Talk to you soon and happy birding!

dahlia mendocino coast botanical gardens

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Mystery Sparrow

Sparrows might be the most difficult birds to identify--at least for me they are. Then again, I seem to have trouble identifying a lot of birds!

Anyways, I think this might be a Savannah Sparrow...
wings and daydreams


rachelle vaughn

san francisco

wings and daydreams

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Western Kingbird

New birds sure have a way of popping up in the backyard when you least expect it! I'm pretty sure this is a Western Kingbird and I'm happy to add him to my Big Year list...
rachelle vaughn

rachelle vaughn

Friday, September 2, 2016

Dove Love

Out of all the birds in my backyard, I think I like watching the Eurasian collared doves best. While the finches and hummingbirds are all in such a magnificent hurry, the doves peck around on the ground like they have all the time in the world. They seem so calm and gentle, much like their call. They methodically pick out the seeds they want and meander around to find more. And then, when it's time to fly away, they flutter away with the wind whistling through their wings like they're in a hurry after all.
rachelle vaughn

rachelle vaughn

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Lassen Gems ~ Part 3


Lassen is my new favorite place to go when it's too hot to go to the wildlife refuge...
Mountain Chickadee




lassen volcanic national park
Juvenile Great Blue Heron

lassen volcanic national park

lassen volcanic national park

lassen volcanic national park