Hummingbird hunting

Just a Preying Mantis hunting for Hummingbirds. Not something I’d seen (or photographed) before.
hunting-hummingbirdsAfter posting this, I was sent an image of a successful capture. It was brutal looking, so I’ll spare you. Who knew these critters were so aggressive?

Have Kayak, will shoot

Shoot photos, that is. Redding photographer Jim Duckworth jumps in his kayak to get up close and personal with the beautiful scenery and wildlife to be found in the Northstate. Here are some samples of his work.

Duckworth Osprey

Duckworth Eagle2
Duckworth bird
Duckworth Pelicans2Duckworth young bird1

We are blessed in Redding in that we are located so near to so much natural beauty and wildlife. Several of these shots seen here were taken at Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, which is located about 80 miles east of Redding. Ahjumawi is not well known across the state, so you can find yourself some real solitude and glimpses of the natural world without much civilization.

Getting good results in wild places is truly challenging. It’s one thing to make the commitment to going where the subjects can be found, and bringing your equipment. Quite another thing to capture the moment with clarity and intention. Here, we see the high quality results speak for themselves. You can see more of Jim Duckworth’s fine photography at his Facebook page.
Self portrait Jim Duckworth
Thanks for letting me share these images here, Jim. It’s Really Redding.

Mouse in the pool

Redding mouse secures refuge on a makeshift island consisting of a pool sweep float.

Mouse in pool
As found this morning. Presumably it was an anxious night for said rodent. Click to enlarge and then see what you think is going on in it’s tiny mind. Skimmed out calmly, and set free to face the next mouse challenge.

Bear sighting creates a buzz

The bear photo I captured the other day from out my front door generated some local media attention. I was interviewed by KHSL TV Action News Now reporter Charlene Cheng.

I enjoyed chatting with Charlene as she worked. The life of a modern multimedia reporter is complex. You must master video and audio production along with journalism.
White balance, sound check, b-roll, good questions. And in the rain.
Impressive. Not at all just a talking head.
Charlene all-weather Cheng 1280“Bear stories are always interesting,” she tells me.
You can follow Charlene on Twitter @charlenecheng and catch her work at http://www.actionnewsnow.com/home/

I was also interviewed by reporter Clay Duda of the Record Searchlight, and my photo made the front page, below the fold.
RS article about bearYou can follow Clay on Twitter @clayduda_RS. It’s often fascinating to see Clay report the news via Twitter as it is happening. The tweets are somewhat cryptic, and then you can read the fleshed-out story later at redding.com. Or in the newspaper, as above.
Bear TweetsAn interesting (to me) Twitter side note.
I was pretty excited at 1:00 am when I snapped the bear photo.

I decided to tweet about it.

To my surprise, almost immediately I got a response from @jennyespino_RS, also a reporter for the Record Searchlight/redding.com.

This exchange of tweets took place almost immediately following the bear sighting, at an unexpected time of day.

Such is the nature of Twitter and our present culture’s near instantaneous news cycle.

Reporters sensed the bear story would be interesting to their audience.

It’s easy to see why that is true. Bear Spirit is well established in our species.

From SpiritAnimal.info:

“In the kingdom of spirit animals, the bear is emblematic of grounding forces and strength. This animal has been worshiped throughout time as a powerful totem, inspiring those who need it the courage to stand up against adversity. As a spirit animal in touch with the earth and the cycles of nature, it is a powerful guide to support physical and emotional healing.”

Also, Bear Stew. Bears are tasty.
“Recipe by Kyle”

“If you kill a bear, you better have something good to make out of it! This stew is delicious! Serve with a crusty bread!”

The duality of bear. Both Spirit and Entree. That’s Really Redding.

Bear visits north Redding

Bear wandered into my north Redding yard last night. I popped out my front door for the shot, and scared the pee out of it. Camera took a second to focus, and then it was gone. I have lived here many years and never seen a bear. The drought is having an evident impact on wildlife.
Bear
BearSm2
BearSmBear claws. And not the pastry kind. Wildlife is Really Redding.

Ono hummer

I captured this image while shooting an upcoming home listing in Ono.
“We’re gonna need a faster shutter speed.”
Ono humingbirdClick to enlarge, but not to speed up.

There’s a mountain lion in town

You may have seen this Mountain Lion image from a friend’s home on Pallisades in Redding. Some have commented that it was photoshopped, but we know it was not. The point being that you need to be careful with your pets and above all – if you have ever seen a big cat react to seeing a child I don’t have to tell you this – especially children. We live at the wildland interface in Redding, and here is clear evidence.
Mountain lion in ReddingThanks go to Kendra Murley for being handy with a camera that day.

Cedar Waxwings get a dry year drink

Before I learned they are Cedar Waxwings, I only knew them as birds with purple poop.
Of that, we can see much evidence. I didn’t know what they were, but I could guess what they ate. A small flock has been hanging around the backyard lately.
Click to slightly enlarge.
Purple poop bird1
Purple poop bird 2

Purple poop bird 3

Purple poop bird 4
It would appear they have no love for Robins.
Purple poop bird 5

I like this shot. Robin gets the Cedar Waxwing Stinkeye.
Purple poop birds. They’re ReallyRedding.