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Brandt's Cormorants Bill Play - Judith Sparhawk

On the cliffs above La Jolla Cove in San Diego, the Brandt's Cormorants nest every year. On Thanksgiving I noticed that they have already begun making nests on the cliffs, were displaying and these two were engaging in bill play, a type of interaction that is part of breeding behavior. They have already stated getting the white breeding plumes and the skin below the bills are now bright blue. It was too early for any eggs, and most of the nests were just beginning, but although it seems early, it clearly will soon be "the season." 12/7/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Full House - Judith Sparhawk

On Thanksgiving morning I visited La Jolla Cove in the San Diego area. I was amused by the big pile up of sea lions on this rock. I especially liked the smiling expression on the one at the bottom right. A couple of the males (raised heads), were bellowing loudly, making quite a commotion--I could hear them from my parking space a couple of block away! 12/6/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Gate at Old Town - Judith Sparhawk

I am always attracted to gates, doorways and windows, and their suggestions of what may lay on the others side. Wandering around in Old Town San Diego, I kept finding great little corners with picturesque places. I liked this old gate that led somewhere, and the old look of it. 12/5/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Black Phoebe - Judith Sparhawk

This Black Phoebe was sitting on a bare branch over the ocean at La Jolla Cove, San Diego, CA. He is such a common bird here, and as many years as I've been a birder and photographer, you would think I would have had numerous shots of him. I think this is the first time I've been lucky enough to get the light just so, and get the detail in his plumage. Thanks little guy! ;-) 12/4/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Green Ladies - Judith Sparhawk

When wandering in Old Town San Diego, I ran across these "ladies" made up almost completely of growing succulent plants. They were about 6 feet tall, and were quite striking. I couldn't resist grabbing a couple of shots. I used textured backgrounds rather than leaving the very distracting background elements of the nearby restaurants and shops of the town square. 12/3/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Mural at Old Town - Judith Sparhawk

This mural was on the same building as the one I posted a couple of days ago. It depicts Old Town San Diego from an earlier time. The church is still there, still in use, Church of the Immaculate Conception. The cornerstone of the church was laid in 1868, but the church was not completed (for a variety of reasons) until 1917. The style and subject of this mural is so different from the one on the right side of the building, I am assuming it was painted by a different artis. 12/2/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Not-So-Spotted Sandpiper - Judith Sparhawk

While shooting the Black Oystercatchers on the rocks at La Jolla Cove, I noticed this much smaller sandpiper bobbing around behind the rocks. It finally came out so I could really see it, and recognized it as a Spotted Sandpiper. In the lens finder I couldn't tell that it still has the vestiges of its spots showing faintly--they are much darker and larger during breeding. Usually in winter they are gone, or maybe they are still there but not obvious until you get a good close look. In any season, they bob along as they walk, a characteristic behavioral trait. 12/1/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Black Oystercatchers - Judith Sparhawk

On Thanksgiving morning, well before the festivities began, I drove out to La Jolla Cove, hoping to see some of the great birds reported there the day before. I saw plenty of birds, though not most of the rarer ones from the previous day. I did manage to watch a pair of Black Oystercatchers feeding on the rocky shore, dodging the waves as they came in. It's hard to believe that November is drawing to an end! 11/30/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Mural in Old Town - Judith Sparhawk

Back from a Thanksgiving trip to San Diego. One afternoon I stopped by Old Town, which is the area where San Diego began. It is now filled with restaurants, shops, historical buildings and other things of interest to lots of tourists. This was a mural on a building on Congress Street. I think it was an event venue, but I'm not sure. I liked all the bright colors and the nod to Dia de los Muertos, although it seemed to be a permanent mural rather than a seasonal one. 11/29/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Littlest Elephant - Judith Sparhawk

Sunday afternoon I wandered up and down State Street in downtown Redlands. I ran across this cute sculpture of an elephant in the window of a fancy jewelry store. I liked his look, so grabbed a shot of him with my cell phone. I will be away from my computer for a few days, so won't be posting or commenting. Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving, and will catch up with you after the holiday. 11/23/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Lines & Curves - Judith Sparhawk

In a recent visit to our local mall, I was quite taken with the facade of one of the stores. I only had my cell phone with me, and I tried several angles and points of view. I ended up liking this one best. 11/22/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Catnip Teaparty - Judith Sparhawk

You may recognize this a a different version of a composite I posted weeks ago. I entered this square version in a 6"x6" show, where all of the entries were just 6 inches square, in any medium. There was a wonderful variety of entries, in oil paints, acrylics, pastels and many other media. There were only 3 photographs, 2 of mine, and one other. Much to my surprise, I won first place! In my experience photos seldom win in mixed media art show competitions, so I was both surprised and happy to hear the results of the judging. (Big smile) 11/21/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Double Queens - Judith Sparhawk

These are two Queen Butterflies that I photographed in Arizona last summer. I was birding in Canoa Ranch preserve, and saw SO many butterflies--some were the yellow sulphurs, but most were these Queens. They were all over the place--I loved it! 11/20/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Mushrooms Galore - Judith Sparhawk

Seeing Pascale's mushroom shots reminded me of a shot I got in Arizona last August. It was monsoon season and they had had a lot of rain. I had seen several interesting mushrooms, some of which I posted here at the time. I never did post this one, however, of an old stump at a bird sanctuary in the small town of Patagonia, Arizona. I liked the mix of colors and shapes of the mushrooms, all in one place. 11/19/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Moonrise Over Morro Bay - Judith Sparhawk

Back into my pics from the September coastal California trip--one evening we dropped by "the Rock" close to sunset, and this moon was rising in the golden-pink glow. 11/18/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Other Side of the Story - Judith Sparhawk

Just for fun, this is a shot of the other side of the building I posted yesterday, from the little town of Harmony. At the time I took it, I was really concentrating on the cow on top of the building, and believe it or not, I didn't even notice the painted mural until I had it on the computer! If I had noticed it at the time, I could have done a better job of capturing it. It is a painting of some of the rustic old buildings in Harmony. 11/17/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Ol' Rusty Trusty - Judith Sparhawk

Dipping back into my pics from the September trip up the California coast, this image is from the small "town" of Harmony, population 18. The old truck was by the Harmony Creamery, one of the local businesses, which makes excellent ice cream, by the way! The cow on the roof may be one of those that makes the cream for all those yummy desserts! The whole place has a great rustic feel about it. 11/16/21

One More Christmas Card - Judith Sparhawk

OK, I promise I'll stop with the Christmas theme--we'll have plenty of that in the near future. This is another card image I created for this year's collection. The door was from a home I saw a couple of years ago, and the cats were inspired by a friend who has three black cats. I've made several versions of this, personalizing it with photos of specific cats--my sister will get one with her cat Louie, my niece with her cat Jingle Paws, and I even did one with two little white poodles. No, I won't show all those, this is just another sneak peek at what I've been up to. Now I'll move on to something else! ;-) 11/15/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

A Very Meowy Christmas - Judith Sparhawk

I know, I know, it's way to early to be doing Christmas-themed images, but I'm getting ready for making cards to send and sell. That means creating a few options. As I've mentioned, somehow the cats keep entering into the pics, and it's been a lot of fun using different cats in different ways, and my Smug friends are getting a sneak preview. Once I've finished them all I can get on with other things! Sorry Wayne, I know you are allergic--I hope these won't bother you! ;-) 11/14/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Hanukkah Cat - Judith Sparhawk

After all my traveling here and there for the last 3 months, I have to face that the holidays are coming, and time to prepare for my new holiday cards, to send and to sell. I have family members that celebrate Hanukkah, and that means new cards each year. With it coming early this year, it was time to get busy. For all my holiday cards for some reason I couldn't seem to get away from cats this year (my apologies to those who can't stand cats!), so here is my new Hanukkah card image. What I like about it is that the Menorah and other items make this a very formal, proper Hanukkah scene, and right in the middle of it, the cat! The incongruousness of it appeals to me. Just wait til you see my Christmas cats! 11/13/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Flying Out - Judith Sparhawk

Getting ready to leave Arizona for home, I realized that the Gilbert Riparian Preserve was only a few miles from my motel, so decided to do a little birding before getting on the road. Walking around the 6 or 7 lakes, I ran across a flock of American White Pelicans. These were two that flew up and out of the lake, in the early morning light, while I was there. 11/12/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

In Honor of Veteran's Day - Judith Sparhawk

I made a visit to the Veteran's Park in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It has many sculptures and other monuments to the various armed services. To me, one of the most touching was this sculpture of soldiers from a specific time and place during WWII. Thank you to all the veterans who have bravely served this country, in and out of wartime, in so many places in the world. 11/11/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com