How Blue Is The Sky?

The Sky Turns Every Shade of Blue

Dying Cottonwood Tree at Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

City Daily Photo Bloggers are answering the challenge this month to show what the color blue represents to them. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the sky. It's always above me, I see it every day, and it's been every shade of blue I can imagine. For any regular reader of this blog, it's no secret I'm a sky watcher. The sky is what I photograph most often.

In the photo above we see a light blue transitioning into a darker blue. It provides a contrasting background to show off the dying cottonwood tree at Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles.

A Deeper Blue

Blue Sky Over My Rose Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

I often photograph the sky in from my own yard -- especially as sundown approaches. I took this shot from the rose garden in my backyard. I'm guessing I took it in late afternoon. I liked the way the clouds were making a horseshoe around that patch of sky.

The photo below was taken before a rainstorm. I also took this one in my backyard. It was taken after our late afternoon meal on a November day. The blues are lighter with tinges of gray in places. I consider clouds part of the sky.

Sky Just Before a Rainstorm, © B. Radisavljevic

I took this next shot while walking the Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk. Together the clouds and sky provide many shades of blue.

Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk in May, © B. Radisavljevic

Blue Sky in My Zazzle Wall Art

 Morro Rock, Fishing Boats and the Embarcadero Canvas Print Poster: Tree against cloudy blue sky. Poster

Birds Love the Sky

I find it hard to catch birds in flight. They are usually too quick for me. Here's one I did catch in a very blue sky.

Bird in Sky Over Paso Robles Wine Country, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a crow I caught in flight.

See the full story behind this photo. © B. Radisavljevic

Usually I can catch birds high in a tree or on a wire. The shade of blue is a bit lighter in this photo of the bird at the top of this oak tree.

Bird at Top of Oak Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

This one is on a high wire.

Bird on High Wire, © B. Radisavljevic

Kites Also Belong in the Sky

The sky was very blue when we found this family flying a stunt kite at Moonstone Beach. I'd never seen a dual-string kite before and loved watching this.





I hope you've enjoyed our sky trek. There are more views of the blue sky in these related posts. Enjoy!

See how other City Daily Photo bloggers posted to this theme. 


Related Posts

Sky Journal with Day of Sporadic Showers: This past post shows everything from deep blues to grayish blues in the sky.

Down by the Station and Welcome Sunshine: This shows how the sky changed from late morning until sundown in several spaced shots on the day after a rainstorm. Lots of deep blue in these shots.

Old Wives' Tale Disproved: Have you bought into this folklore?

Magnolia Flowers Like High Places

Magnolia Flowers are Blooming at City Park

As I was driving past Paso Robles City Park a few days ago, I noticed the flowers on the magnolia trees, but had to hurry home and couldn't stop. I went back yesterday in the late afternoon to photograph them. I couldn't help but notice that most of the flowers were near the top of the tree.

© B. Radisavljevic

Most of the magnolia trees were next to the parking area on 12th Street. Here are a couple that were next to each other. You can see that most of the flowers are at the top or on the outer edge of the tree, close to the light. As far as I can tell, these are Southern Magnolia trees (Magnolia grandiflora.)

These evergreen magnolia trees are one of California's most widely cultivated street trees. The trees around the park aren't as tall as those I found on Oak Street two years ago. (See them here.) On those larger trees the flowers were more evenly distributed. The park trees also have some flowers on the lower branches but they seem to prefer to grow at the edges.

© B. Radisavljevic

The flowers seem to want to get as close to the sun as they can. One on the tree below actually got above the roof of Pappy McGregor's Irish Pub, or so it appears from this camera angle.

© B. Radisavljevic

A Bird Fell

It was as I stood on the park side of Pine Street between two parked cars shooting the picture above that I felt something fall lightly against my leg. When I looked down, this is what I saw.

© B. Radisavljevic

I have no idea where the bird came from. I was not standing under a tree. I never saw the bird in the air. I just felt it hit me. I didn't see it until I looked down where it lay on the street. It was alive and could move its tail to fan it out, and it also spread its wings a couple of times. Its actual size was smaller than this photo. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I left it there, hoping it would recover and move before something hit it.

A Closer Look at the Magnolia Flowers

It was hard to get a clear close-up shot of the flowers because they were not only high in the trees, but they were also facing the sky. I had no way to get a shot of them from the top where one could see their faces best. Below you can see the white edge of a flower near the bottom right edge of the photo. When only partially open like this it somewhat resembles a very large tulip.

© B. Radisavljevic

In the photo below, taken in front of Pappy McGregor's Irish Pub, there are two visible open flowers . The open flower at the top right gives you an idea of the flower's size, even though you can't see its face. You can see the face of the open flower near the center of the photo close to the bottom. The flowers are eight to ten inches in diameter and are very fragrant.

© B. Radisavljevic

Do magnolia trees grow near you? Have you enjoyed their fragrance during the summer?


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Watching a Crow Decide Whether to Stay or Fly Away

I Found the Crow First on a Power Line

I'm trying to get back to walking again to get stronger, so after I got attached to my Holter monitor this morning I walked all over Posada Lane and behind MedWorks to a drainage ditch. I took almost 300 photos, some of which you will see in future posts. But today I will show you the crow I followed. I first saw it when I had walked over to Las Tablas Road toward the hospital to get a shot of where they are rebuilding a medical complex that burned down a year or two ago. Then I heard some cawing and looked up.  That's when I saw it.

Crow on a Power Line. Will it Fly Away? © B. Radisavljevic

It appeared that the crow couldn't decide whether or not to fly to the tree. Eventually it made a decision and flew away. That was almost the end of the story. Until I walked back around the corner to Posada Lane.

My First Introduction to Crows

I've seen crows around all my life, but I first learned a bit about what they were like when I read Blacky the Crow by Thornton Burgess.  I highly recommend the Burgess animal stories for getting children acquainted with nature in a fun way.

I Find the Crow Again

I was almost back to where my car was parked when I stopped to take this photo. I had never noticed this tree before. The color resembled a sycamore at this time of year, but the leaves were wrong. A woman walked by, saw me with a camera, and asked me if I were taking a picture of the hawk. I told her I was taking a picture of the tree and was trying to figure out what it was. She said, "It's an oak." I knew the leaves were the right shape, but I'd never seen oak leaves so big. 

Red Oak, © B. Radisavljevic

This is my go-to book when trying to identify my local trees in San Luis Obispo County. It's written by a professor at Cal Poly.


There are some cheaper copies at eBay if you prefer that to Amazon.

As I found out later, she was right about the tree, but wrong about the "hawk." It turned out to be my elusive crow, or its friend. There were two of them. This is the one that stayed in one place long enough for me to get a shot. 

Another crow began to circle and call and it flew to the next tree. Finally this bird decided to follow. 

Crow in Flight, © B. Radisavljevic

I think being among the birds and the trees had a healing effect today. How often do you take nature walks?

What is your favorite way to interact with nature?

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Celebrate Birds Every Day

How Will You Celebrate Bird Day?

I celebrate birds every day. Do you?

Here's why I celebrate birds.

1. They fill our world with song. 
2. They eat insect pests in our gardens. 
3. They are fun to watch in the wild and in our yards.
4. They give us eggs.
5. They hunt rodents that damage our gardens and crops.

Some Ways to Celebrate Bird Day

Do some birdwatching.

Take a walk and see how many different kinds of birds you can spot. Try to capture them on camera. Make a video of their songs. I personally use two cameras. Both give me half an hour of HD video if needed. My Canon PowerShot SX410 IS features a 40X optical zoom. That is very important when capturing birds that go high in trees. I also use an obsolete Nikon CoolPix that's smaller and will fit in a pocket. Fortunately for me, both cameras fit nicely in the shoulder case featured in the PowerShot bundle below. It's really handy to always have both cameras and extra batteries and SanDisks along, and they all fit in the bag with my ID and other small things I need.

If you aren't a photographer, you may want to take along binoculars. A good pocket field guide is also nice to have along.

 Bushnell Falcon 133410 Binoculars with Case (Black, 7x35 mm) Nikon COOLPIX B700 20.2 MP 60x Optical Zoom Super Telephoto NIKKOR Digital 4K Wi-Fi Camera (Black) + 64GB SDXC Memory & Accessory Bundle Canon Powershot SX410 IS 20 MP Digital Camera with 40x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video (Red) + NB-11L Battery & AC/DC Battery Charger + 9pc Bundle 32GB Accessory Kit W/ HeroFiber Cleaning Cloth Fvstar Kids Binoculars Pocket Size Compact 8 X 21 for Bird Watching Watching Wildlife or Scenery Lightweight Waterproof and Fogproof (Blue) The Bird Watching Answer Book: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) Bird Watching Record: Bird Watching Log Bird Watching for Kids: Bite-sized Learning & Backyard Projects Sibley Backyard Birding Flashcards: 100 Common Birds of Eastern and Western North America

Do Something Creative with Your Bird Photos

Use an editor like Fotojet or PicMonkey to make a collage. Both have free versions. I use the premium versions of both because I think it's worth paying for the extra features they provide. 

I also like to make products at Zazzle for fun and profit. Here are some of the gift items I've made that feature birds. 

 Night Heron in Tree Jigsaw Puzzle Wall Decal: Bird on Bare Tree Limb Wall Sticker Water Birds Swimming at Morro Bay Large Mug Gull on Pier at San Simeon State Beach Jigsaw Puzzle

Put Up a Bird Feeder

I confess I haven't done this yet, but I want to. Many of my friends love watching the birds flock to their backyard feeders. Some even keep a special camera to watch them and play back the video later. If you don't have a bird feeder yet, the selection may overwhelm you. Here are a few of the most popular. 

 Perky-Pet 365 Antique Copper Lantern Feeder First Nature 3091 16-Ounce Hummingbird Flower Feeder Pennington Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

Get a Bird Bath for Your Feathered Friends

Birds appreciate water. Sometimes when I've been working in the garden with the sprinkler on the birds fly through the water just as children run through sprinklers. Birds need water, and it's not always easy for them to get during a hot summer. I've wanted a bird bath for a long time, but so far I haven't found the right place for it. I do admire those my neighbors have when I walk by them. So do the birds.

 Smart Solar 34222RM1 Gray Weathered Stone Country Gardens 2-Tier Solar-On-Demand Fountain, Designed For Low Maintenance and Requires No Wiring or Operating Costs Smart Solar 20633R01 Acadia Solar Birdbath, Olive Green Finish With Relief Of Cat Tails And Frogs Playfully Climbing The Pedestal, Requires No Wiring or Operating Costs Birds Choice Rocky Mountain Ground Level Bird Bath with Dripper Tube

How Will You Celebrate Birds?

However you do it, get the whole family involved if you can. Whether you watch birds in the wild or in your backyard, enjoy them. Learn to recognize them by their looks and their calls and songs. Feed them if you are so inclined.

As you can probably tell my photos, I like to watch birds in and around the water. I see many other birds, but the waterfowl are the easiest for me to photograph because they aren't always moving. Even if they are moving, it's usually in the water or on the ground -- not flitting from branch to branch as you are trying to focus on them.

I hope I've given you some new ideas on cultivating the birds in your environment or reminding you of something you've wanted to do but not done yet. Maybe today is the right time.

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Photos of a Wet North County

What's Wet in the North County?

North San Luis Obispo County, California, is not known for its frequent rain. Most of the year non-irrigated land is not wet. Sometimes even our lakes and rivers are dry. Currently the sun is shining brightly and no rain is expected soon. But for City Daily Photo Bloggers, this month's theme is "wet" and this is the day to illustrate it. To do that I have have looked back to my rainy season photos.

Atascadero Lake, January 28, 2017

Atascadero Lake

Atascadero Lake is one spot in the North County that usually contains water, but even it was dry in 2014 during the worst of the drought. I'm happy to see it full again. See Atascadero Lake at its best and worst here. The birds are happy to see it full again after the winter rains. We all hope it stays that way. 

Waterfowl at Atascadero Lake, 1-28-17, © B. Radisavljevic

The Salinas River

The Salinas River is sometimes wet, but most of the year it is dry. For more wet season photos, see The Salinas River in Paso Robles: Now You See It. The photo below was taken in February at sundown. The recent rains had been good to the river.  I'm hoping it will stay visible and wet until at least the end of April, but that will depend on getting some April showers. 

Salinas River at Sundown, 2-26-17,  © B. Radisavljevic

Since I love seeing the river full and flowing, I've made a lot of my photos of the river into products at Zazzle. Here are some of them.

 Salinas River Flowing through Paso Robles, CA Canvas Print Bench Looking Toward Salinas River: Miss You Card Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles Salinas River, Paso Robles, January Postcard Salinas River from Vineyard Bridge, Templeton, CA Jigsaw Puzzle

The Cow Parade at Halter Ranch

In February I went on a search for cows in the Cow Parade, an international event. Businesses sponsored artists who made life-size cow sculptures, and the cows were scattered over many locations in our county. I wanted to find all I could in the North County. I found this one on a rainy day at Halter Ranch Winery. It's titled Cowvee Alice. It was created by Jack Foster and sponsored by Halter Ranch. Many of the cows from the cow parade have been made into collectible figurines you can find at Amazon

Cowvee at Halter Ranch, 2-19-17, © B. Radisavljevic

 It was not easy to get this photograph. When I arrived in front of the tasting room, the cow was surrounded by people with umbrellas. They weren't moving. I discovered they were all part of a tour of the winery and were gathered in front of the tasting room (and the cow) to listen to the tour leader speak. I decided to join in and learn something. When the tour moved on to the winery, I snapped my photos and then followed the tour. Find out more about this tour here. I recommend it.) If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the sidewalk around the cow sculpture is wet. So was the cow, but it's hard to see that. The vineyards and grounds were also wet. 

Puddles Near the Park

On January 9,  I walked to Larry Moore Park to check on the river after the rain. I took a short cut from the J.C. Penny parking lot across a vacant lot to a back park entrance. On the way I passed many puddles. This is one I liked because of its reflection of the trees near it. It was quite a large puddle and the ground around it was so wet I sloshed as I walked.

Puddle Near Back Entrance to Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

The Sunken Gardens In Atascadero

I took this photo of the fountain at the Sunken Gardens Park on a very windy day after the rain. It was wet in many places around the fountain because of the wind's splashing. Of course, the fountain is wet, too. 

Overflowing Fountain  after Rain in the Sunken Gardens, Atascadero, © B. Radisavljevic

My Own Backyard

Until last winter, I had never seen my yard this wet. Usually the rain is quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground. After several rainy days, the ground was not so thirsty anymore. Thus the puddles appeared. The white streaks are the falling raindrops.

Which photo illustrating this month's Wet theme do you like best? 



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