from the archives: backyard nature: ca.

I lived for many years in a city in the Central Valley of California. Here are a few backyard (and front yard) nature shots from when I was still in CA.

We didn’t often get skies like this! I took this photo and the second one while standing in the front yard (not on the same day). The others I took in the backyard.

A Cedar Waxwing. They arrived in winter. Beautiful birds! I haven’t seen any in Boise, which is too bad. This photo is a bit blurry because I was using a small point and shoot camera with only a 2X optical zoom. This bird was up in a tree across the street. I had to use the digital zoom to get close enough. I snapped the photo at right about sunset.

I spotted this mockingbird while I was in the backyard grilling up some burgers. I quickly ran into my room, grabbed the camera, and took the picture just at the right time. I cropped the photo to show the bird in better detail. Not sure why I made this one black and white..

Here’s the original photo:

We had a very small backyard back in CA, but it was quite pleasant. I appreciated looking at the sun on the wood grain of the fence, the foliage, and the shadows.

I still miss that little backyard!