What's New!

The Old Homeplace - Judith Sparhawk

Rainy day play today--had fun making this composite, combining various elements. Not sure if I'm done with it, but I had to stop at some point. Among other things I found an old letter in my mother's things, from an unknown person, dated 1880, and it referenced Women's Rights and female radicals. Had to include it, naturally. ;-) 1/18/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Tree Climbers - Judith Sparhawk

This is the sister and brother kittens from my neighbor's house. They had climbed up about 20 feet or more up in the olive tree. It was the only shot I got of both of them together. I finally met the third kitten of the litter, one that looks almost exactly like the light one. with just slightly different markings. 1/17/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Pretty Kitty - Judith Sparhawk

The neighbor across the walkway recently had two kittens born from her cat. This is one of the kittens that comes to visit me now and then. The other day I was outside with my camera, and took a few shot of both of them as they played in the grass and climbed up into the olive tree. I must admit, this one is my favorite of the two--she is so pretty! 1/16/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Dragon of Many Colors - Judith Sparhawk

This colorful glass dragon was in the gift shop on my trip up the coast last September. It is the last glass art piece I'll be sharing at this time. For this one I created a gradient background to place it on, to better show up the details. I love glass as an art medium, and enjoy how many creative ways it can be used. 1/15/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Glass in the Window - Judith Sparhawk

Inside Harmony Glassworks gift shop, this is the window in the back door, filled with colorful light catchers. I liked the way they looked with the palm fronds beyond the door. 1/14/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

A Peek Inside the Shop - Judith Sparhawk

I started this series showing the windows of the glass gift shop, including the open top of the French door. This view is looking through the upper part of the door, peeking in. Don't worry, I won't show you everything inside the shop, just maybe a couple more pretty glass items. www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Blue Wave - Judith Sparhawk

Here is another glass art piece from the Harmony Glassworks gift shop. This was taken on a visit to the small community of Harmony, California, population 18. It's a beautiful shop and I always stop when I'm nearby on a drive up the coast. 1/12/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Orange Swirl - Judith Sparhawk

Yesterday I posted the pic of the glass shop windows, and several people mentioned that they wished they could see inside the shop. I will be showing a few glass art pieces taken there. This image is an abstract created by a close-up view of a glass vase. There were many different beautiful pieces to choose from. 1/11/2022 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Harmony Glassworks - Judith Sparhawk

Looking back at a trip up the California coast, I ran across this shot from Harmony, the little community with a population of 18. One of the businesses there is Harmony Glassworks, a glass- blowing studio and glass-based gift shop. It is in a rustic building, and I've always liked these windows from part of the shop. 1/10/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Rock Wren - Judith Sparhawk

When I was birding down at Salton Sea recently, this Rock Wren was hopping around on the rocks near the water. I was mostly there to see the gulls and ducks, but this little guy kept distracting me with his antics, playing hide-and-seek until he sat still long enough for me to get a couple of shots. 1/9/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Egyptian Geese - Judith Sparhawk

These two Egyptian Geese were hanging out at Glen Helen Regional Park the other day. They were actively grazing on the grass, as can be seen on the closer one with grass caught in his beak. 1/8/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Mallard in Golden Glory - Judith Sparhawk

I just went birding at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, CA. There are several lakes there, and even though it's January, some of the surrounding trees were in brilliant "fall" color. I don't usually shoot Mallards, as they are so common, but I couldn't resist, with him swimming in all this glorious color! We finally had some pretty chilly weather, and some of the trees were brilliant, even some deep red. I know I've been just showing bird pics--I have spent the first week of the year birding every day, working on my new year list. I'm now up to 104 species for the year! Can you tell I've been having fun? Now I need to get going on some other projects that I've been ignoring...sigh... 1/7/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Belted Kingfisher - Judith Sparhawk

When I was birding at Yucaipa Regional Park in Yucaipa, CA the other day, this female Belted Kingfisher flew from one perch to another, giving her loud rattling call each time she flew. You can tell she is female by the rusty ring of feathers across her chest--the male has the blue, but not the rust color. 1/6/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Abert's Towhee - Judith Sparhawk

This Abert's Towhee was photographed during my recent trip down to the Salton Sea. That is my go-to place for finding this species for my list each year. This is the desert species of towhee in the southeastern tip of California, the southern tip of Nevada, and southern Arizona. It has a characteristic black facial area on an otherwise "towhee" look. It tends to scratch around on the ground and skulk secretively under bushes. 1/5/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

American Wigeons - Judith Sparhawk

When I was birding down by the San Diego River at Christmas, I was surprised to see hundreds of these American Wigeons. This image is of two males with their flashy green head patches. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many there before. 1/4/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Redhead - Judith Sparhawk

When I was at the North Shore of Salton Sea the other day, this beautiful Redhead duck was swimming around with a few hundred Blue-winged Teal and Bonaparte Gulls. He really stood out with his golden eye and bright red plumage. 1/3/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Mr & Mrs Wood Duck - Judith Sparhawk

While in the San Diego area I birded at Lindo Lakes in Lakeside, CA. It was quite birdy (even though I never found the bird I went there for!), but I was able to photograph these very pretty Wood Ducks, as well as some other good birds. I haven't usually seen the blue feathers on the female, which showed up nicely in this view. 1/2/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

A Toast to the New Year! - Judith Sparhawk

This photo looks a lot more festive and exciting than my New Years Eve was! I hope everyone celebrated safely and are having a good start to 2022! I look forward to sharing another year with my SM friends. 1/1/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Number 300! - Judith Sparhawk

This may seem like an odd "last day of the year" shot, but there is a story behind it. Each year I keep a list of the bird species I have seen that year, always hoping for a big number, of course. What with travel limitations and all, this year's list was shorter than I'd hoped. About a week ago I needed 13 more birds to get to a nice round 300, and I realized no way I would get there in the time left in the year. While in San Diego I managed to add one here and two there, etc. By the time I got back from San Diego, I needed 5 more birds...maybe I COULD do it, if I work hard at it, and I'm really lucky! I birded some local areas, and was happy to add a few more. By yesterday I had gotten to 299! Looking at my list, I realized I'd not yet seen a Bonaparte Gull. Aha, I should be able to see them at the north end of the Salton Sea. So I jumped in the car and headed out--88.4 miles later, I was standing on the shore looking at a hundred or more of these pretty little gulls. So I had my 300th bird for 2021--not my best year, but at least I got to 300! Now on January 1st I get to start a whole new list and even the common birds are fair game! Looking back on this year and looking forward to the new one. May all of your years end on a happy note! 12/31/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Reading at Sunset Cliffs - Judith Sparhawk

Back from the holidays in San Diego. The forecast had promised rain every day, but most days I was able to get out and "run between the raindrops". This view is of Sunset Cliffs, just out of Ocean Beach, California. I liked the look of this woman reading by herself out on the cliffs above the ocean. 12/30/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

Waiting for Santa - Judith Sparhawk

Meet Bonnie & Maisy, my daughter's two Westies, as they sit waiting for Santa. I know they'll be waiting for a couple of days yet, but this will have to act as my Christmas greeting to all of you, as I'll be away from my computer for a few days. Despite being cute as can be, this image makes me a bit sad, as I have not been able to visit the pups (or their humans) for over 2 years now. Someday, I'm hoping, this Covid will be a memory of the past, and families can again be together. I hope you all enjoy your Christmas in your favorite ways. Thank you for another year of sharing and friendship. 12/23/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com

The Little Village - Judith Sprhawk

When wandering in World Market, I noticed this little village made from laser cut wood. I took a quick shot of it, then changed the background color. I thought it could make a fun holiday card, and made it in red and green as well. 12/22/21 www.sparhawkphotography.com