Few people on this planet have not heard the guitar work of Robert Willie White. Until a few years ago I was among the multitudes of fans who had no clue about who he was. He was a member of the Funk Brothers, a group of musicians who played on more No. 1 records than … Read more
Before reading on, listen to this clip: I’ve always loved the snappy electric guitar in Neil Diamond’s original recording of this song. These riffs continue throughout the entire recording, but I could never find out who played them. Remove the guitar from this recording and the song would suffer. A year ago, a web search … Read more
In the past couple months I’ve been occupied with projects in preparation to sell my home and begin an extended ‘traveling lifestyle’ in my small RV. I’ve not been able to do much to gather fresh images to share. I’ve been photo blogging since 2005, but most of those stories were lost when I changed … Read more
One day a year I enjoy the mere act of counting birds. It’s not for ego. It’s not done to call attention to myself. It’s not for an ‘I got more than you’ motivation. It is the Christmas Bird Count, a citizen science endeavor, where the birding community pulls together to survey the birds present … Read more
I took a rare day off from projects around the house and drove to the La Jolla Cove with my nephew Chris to take pictures. I wanted to try out some new equipment and techniques. Last week I had LOTS of warblers chasing flying insects at my house and I tried chasing them with my … Read more
There is a small corner of Torrey Pines State Park in Del Mar that does not get the attention that the bluffs get. It is understandable though, the bluffs above the beach are breathtaking. However, on the north side of the Penasquitos Valley, between residential developments, is a 200 acre reserve annexed to the state … Read more
About a mile east of my house, along Poway Creek there is a hotspot for birds in winter. As a flood control measure, the City of Poway mows the creek bottom late in the fall. Cattails, bulrushes, willow, mulefat and other plants will reach 10-12 feet high after one year of unfettered growth. It is … Read more
One Wednesday morning I spotted an Osprey perched on the utility pole in my yard. It was dining on a fish caught at my neighbor’s nearby ponds by Beeler Creek. Raptors often use this pole to survey the western slope of the small hillside west of my house. Red-Shouldered Hawks are the most common occupants, … Read more
If one reads my blog and scans for “Santa Rosa Mountain” they might get the idea I love going there … and they’d be right. I’ve been visiting this place since the early 1970s, long before my interest in birds and photography. The contrast between the deserts below and the pine forests atop this sky … Read more
I headed south on a Saturday morning to the beach at Border Field. One cannot go further south along the Pacific Coast unless one wants to go into Mexico. When I reached the beach, I took a left turn and rode south to the border fence and visited the terns, gulls and shorebirds loafing on … Read more