Red-Shafted Flicker

Click on image to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Red-Shafted Flickers are the most common woodpecker in our area, and, to me, one of the most gracefully formed & beautifully marked birds of all. They are year 'round residents here.

I took the photo this image is made from back in mid-December, re-discovering it last night while Peggy and I were going through some photo files.

I played with it in Photoshop a bit to come up with this etching-like image.

This male Flicker is on a branch in a small Jeffrey Pine just above the naturally formed bird-bath in our giant boulder.

March Marsh Majesty

Bald Eagle 3-7-09 Click on photo to enlarge -© 2009 jim otterstrom

Peggy and I encountered this gorgeous bird perched at the east end of Stanfield Marsh last Saturday at the beginning of our 10 mile walk. I moved in as close as I dared for a decent full-zoom shot (560mm) and then backed away when the eagle gave me 'the look', not wanting to further disturb its morning fishing expedition. The bird was still perched there when we came back through several hours later.

The Full Worm Moon

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

The last full moon of winter hangs over Big Bear at 8:50 last evening.

Robins are seen during the day searching for worms which are again moving up through the warming earth.

The picture was shot from our deck on March 10, 2009 at 8:50 P.M. with a Canon Powershot SX10IS.

Manual mode, full optical zoom/560mm, 1/100th sec, f /5.7, ISO 80, hand held.

Transitions - Seasonal and Otherwise...

Click on image to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Ice on the lake cracked, buckled, and melted this year, like always, even as world credit markets remained frozen solid.

The lone Bald Eagle circles intently above the marsh, fishing, unconcerned with the global financial meltdown.

A pair of finches cheerfully weave their nest into the first 'a' of the pharmacy sign, as if Rite-Aid was expected to survive another quarter.

Tilted toward the vernal equinox, the frosted earth warms slightly; wild onions dispatch eager shoots skyward, heedless of greenhouse gases or climate change.

I imagine myself standing in a bread line, during the first Great Depression, finding cheer in tufts of grass growing from broken concrete.

I envision a Final Great Depression, and eventually, masses of lovely wildflowers blooming among the skeletal remains of Wall Street, and the Pentagon.

Spring is on the wind, General Motors is bankrupt, and Peak Oil is upon us.

Take heart, friends of the earth.

Change is in the air…