New Year's Day, 2021

I decided to spend New Year's Day right and drove up to my sacred spot to spend the afternoon. Like many sacred spots across the country, they are being increasingly invaded by humans due to the covid bug.

I get it, I don't own the land and we all have to share. But I have had SJWA and my own valley pretty much to myself for the last thirty years and this is apparently the year that people decided they needed to be outdoors. 

The preserve reminded me of Yellowstone yesterday with all the cars. Crazy. Anyhow there wasn't much I could do so I decided to put my tripod up and see what flew through my frame. The loop is closed due to mud from the recent rainstorm so we were all pretty much packed together.

There was a peregrine sitting in the field, along with a female harrier and I decided to wait it out. This particular spot an unusual place for a falcon, at least in my years of seeing them there. 

So I waited and waited, for over an hour and nothing happened. It never moved. "You win," I finally said. Would be one of those days.

Still hard to bum out in a place so magnificent. Not like I didn't nail great falcon pictures last week, all humility aside.

A male harrier flew by. I was unfortunately still at stationary speed and I missed him but not by much.

It was really a gorgeous day. San Gorgonio and Mt. Baldy glistened in the background as a result of the recent snowfall. I got another crack at the male, this time at a better shutter speed. I think they are very beautiful.

I hope that you had a nice New Years Eve. We did. Leslie made a seafood pasta with shrimp and scallops.

I listened to the Grateful Dead New Years Eve at Winterland, 1978, a concert I attended forty two years ago that night. I was very lucky to catch them in what I consider the glory years.

I thought the fun would never stop. It did.

Anyway I left the peregrine and drove around. Missed a lot of shots. Didn't care.

Caught a couple.

The Walker Ponds were not so great either, no yellow headed blackbirds, no eagles this time.  But I did run into another falcon, a larger female. Although it lacks a cere its larger size leads me to believe that it is a female. And if I am wrong, I know an expert will tell me.

And I had a somewhat obstructed view of a red shouldered hawk munching on a frog.

I drove back to the main section and caught yet another peregrine falcon on a branch. It was a good day for falcons. I appreciate it. The sun was quickly disappearing. I stuck my wide angle lens on and took a few snapshots.

I don't get out there enough in the evening and it is the best.

Get why I love this place?

Hitched up the wagon and headed for home.

I just noticed that I forgot to copy write and watermark these shots. I did forget but I haven't created a 2021 watermark either. All these particular shots are copywritten, just so you know, but feel free to use and share them if you wish.