Life and all in Redding California
I don’t know what kind of bird this is, but it really seems to want to come inside the house.
The red topknot folds down into a red spot when not in use.
Persistent bird has been tapping on the window for most of 2 days now. Click to enlarge.
Not getting much work done with bird tapping away. Maybe that’s okay.
Butch the cat votes for letting persistent bird in. I’m afraid his vote doesn’t count.
Persistent red topknot bird. It’s ReallyRedding.
I’ve heard that bit of Redding lore. If true, our backyard oaks are telling us to buy a new coat, and stack another cord of wood. Acorn production this season has become overwhelming.
We’ll collect these and put them out back for the wildlife that depends on the oaks. Native people would know what to do with this year’s abundance, but I don’t know any good acorn recipes. What wine goes with acorn?
They haven’t even finished falling!
Longtime readers will recall images I took of a squirrel harvesting our oaks. But this year, we’ve seen few squirrels. As for Winter, we’ll find out soon enough. Mornings are now quite brisk. A sure sign of the season’s approach.
Strolled about Shasta Dam with a few others yesterday evening, and took these interesting images illuminated by the light of the Harvest Moon.
Stone. Water. Sky. Moon. Life. It’s Really Redding.
Waterfalls are magical, always. Ask any keen traveller and fan of nature and they will probably tell you that Iceland goes down as the best place to visit to witness stunning waterfalls, which is understandable when you consider it is home to both Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. If you have never heard of them, take a moment to find some pictures online. You won’t regret it, as they are simply incredible. The best time to visit Iceland to witness these natural wonders is September – particularly if you want to see the Northern Lights as well (find out more on https://www.rent.is/blog/best-time-of-year-to-visit-iceland/). But, despite Iceland’s famed waterfalls, we have somewhere local which is just as much a must-see.
Nearby Burney Falls has no equal as the most magical of all local waterfalls. Water springs forth from the earth itself, only to fall to mist from a beautiful basalt cliff. With Summer’s tourist season over, but before new snow falls, you can enjoy the pristine magic of Burney Falls State Park almost to yourself.
Click to expand. Certainly, one of the most photographed of local landmarks. It’s only just about an hours drive from Redding. So in some way the familiarity makes it easy to forget. But the magic beckons.
A few hundred yards upstream, the creekbed is dry at the surface. This water gushes from a lavabed aquifer to an azure pool 129 feet beneath. And then it goes on to fill Lake Britton.
Fall. Magic. Solitude. It’s Really Redding.
Redding has a fish ladder at the dam for Lake Redding that serves to divert water to the Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation canal. It allows salmon and other species to get upstream when the dam is up. At the ladder are a few windows into their watery world. Structures such as these are vital in the effort to sustain the salmon population. Without structures such as these aiding salmon to swim upriver in order to lay their eggs, it could lead to the decline of the wild salmon population ultimately eliminating it as a food source. With the ever growing human population, food sources such as salmon need to grow as well in order to provide enough food for people, both wild and farmed. The demand for fresh fish has led to practices such as salmon farming in order to keep up with the demand, however, these practices are not always sustainable as farmers attempt to get a bigger yield each season. There have been strategies put in place as a way to cap these practices, sites like www.globalsalmoninitiative.org/en can show efforts that have been taken to preserve the salmon population throughout the world by many fishing farms.
Of course viewing fish is like any kind of fishing expedition. Sometimes you get skunked.
No matter.
You know what they say about the worst day fishing being better than the best day working.
Visual fishing. It’s ReallyRedding.
Scott at Sleakphotography is an amazing photographer. You can tell he puts a lot of effort and skill into his images, so visit his website for more. Here’s a video he posted from last night’s 4th of July celebration in Redding. Our city’s annual free fireworks display, courtesy of the McConnell Foundation.
Scott really has a good eye, but great photography is a complex skill set made of technical knowledge, planning and preparation, and an artistic drive. I met a great many photographers during my career with Kodak, and Scott’s work is clearly among the best at his vocation. He’s developed a style of his own, which is rather like finding your voice in writing. A defining talent. You can also follow Sleakphotography on Facebook, where I look forward to his frequent posts. This image below looks great because of planning, exposure, experience, time, and effort. Nice shot.
Of course it never hurts that we live in an area of such great beauty. It’s Really Redding.
