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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Sycamore Leaves Everywhere

Many of my Neighbors Have Sycamore Trees

When I walk down to get the mail or even go into my own yard, there are sycamore leaves everywhere at this time of year. These were in a neighbor's yard.

It almost goes without saying that the sidewalks will be full of leaves. So are the gutters beside the curb.

Girl Walking Dogs on the Sycamore Leaf-Strewn Sidewalk, © B. Radisavljevic

The sycamore trees in the yards blow leaves onto and into the hedges and shrubs. You can see that below. They also wander onto the sidewalks and collect beside the curbs where the cars park.

Leaves under Sycamore Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

 I have a sycamore tree next door and another almost right across the street, so the leaves are always blowing into my yard. I had to get me a pair of these leaf grabbers to get them out of my flowerbeds. They go where my rakes can't.


See what I mean? A normal leaf rake would be too wide and need to scrape from the bottom. They are great for the lawn and sidewalks, but not not so great among the flowers and herbs.

Leaves around my Scabiosa Flower and Herb Bed, © B. Radisavljevic

Leaves around my Gazanias and Herbs, © B. Radisavljevic

I guess that's why some people get leaf blowers, but I hate the noise they make. They just blow the leaves somewhere else where they may make your neighbors mad, or they could even come back to you if the wind changes. If you don't care about all that and just want the convenience, this is a good one.


If you don't want to bend over and you don't like the noise of the power leaf blowers, this might help you. It reaches into those hard places and brings them out where you can get them without tromping on your flowers.


Not all leaves are as easy to reach as those Mother Nature lets land on top of shrubs and hedges, like this juniper.

Sycamore Leaves on Juniper Bush, © B. Radisavljevic

Juniper, holly, and some other bushes where leaves land can be prickly and not much fun to touch while you are getting the leaves off them and into your bag. Of course, gloves can also help with that. And you can use them when you prune your roses, too.


The grabbers are especially useful for grabbing sycamore and other really large leaves that tend to stick in the tines of rakes. You can also use them to drop leaves directly into a bag or can easily. I even use them on the lawn when too many blow leaves blow over from nextdoor.

It's Time to Tackle those Leaves, Sycamore or Not

I hope the tool suggestions above will help you if you've been using your old leaf rake forever and want something that works better. Since I hate the noise, I use the grabbers. They would help free this baby oak from the mulberry, oak, and sycamore leaves almost covering it.

Autumn Leaves Smothering Baby Oak Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

Rakes are useful in cleaning up the gutters beside the curb -- until you get to the parked cars.

Sycamore Leaves on Sidewalk and Gutter around Car Tire,  © B. Radisavljevic

Those sycamore leaves really do go everywhere.

Do you have a sycamore tree in your yard? Does a close neighbor have one? How do you deal with the leaves?


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Colorful Leaves Brighten a Rainy Day in Templeton

We've all experienced those gray days when it rains off and on and one would rather be inside by a fire. But often we have to go out, rain or sunshine, because we have commitments to keep.

Such was the late November day that I took this photo. I had seen the nurse practitioner to get a referral to see an orthopedic specialist about an injured knee. Although it was painful to walk, there was no place left to park at the medical building on Posada Lane. Instead I had to park across the street in another lot and walk almost a block back.

The walk made me a bit late, but as usual they were running a bit late, too. When I came out about an hour later, it was drizzling. As I walked toward my car in the parking lot, I saw the trees. In contrast to the gloom of the sky, they painted a wall of red, green, and gold between me and whatever houses and cars were on the other side of them. I'm thankful to whomever decided to plant the trees -- those in the lot and those on private property beyond the parking lot. I counted fourteen in this picture alone. Trees add such a dimension of beauty to our world.

To see more of my world of trees, follow Trees in My World | "Only God Can Make a Tree"

Meanwhile, here's one of my favorite photos, taken in Templeton, that I turned into a poster of autumn color. Just click the link to get it. If you'd like to remove or change the text, it's easy to do if you press the Customize button.

Poster: Trees in Autumn Colors
Find other Autumn Posters at zazzle.com

Related articles

• Late fall colors
• A Psalm Of Thanks for Everything - Bring Your Own Life Music If You Like :-)
• Sweetgum Tree with Two Years of Fruits
• The Trees are Changing Color for Autumn

Majestic Oaks at the North County Transit Center

Paso Robles literally means Pass of the Oaks, and it's obvious to even the most casual observer who walks our city streets that the name is appropriate. Although we enjoy a variety of other street trees, it's the oak trees that usually tower above them. Some of the tallest are downtown, and the ones you see in this photo are found in the parking lot of what locals call the train station. Please click to see an enlargement of this photo.

Oak Trees at North County Transit Center, © B. Radisavljevic

As some of the oak trees are losing their leaves, the Bradford Ornamental Pear trees are showing theirs off before dropping them. I don't know whether they outnumber the oaks or not, but they are the showiest trees in town. In spring their blossoms turn the city white, and during late fall and winter they turn it red. These are growing beside the Amtrak waiting room.

Bradford Pear Trees at North County Transport Center

Here are some of the Zazzle designs I've created featuring photos of the Bradford Ornamental  Pear leaves in autumn and the oak trees I see around town. The Rickshaw Messenger bag is large enough to hold everything important to carry with you. Its design is that of oak bark in a neutral color. The throw pillow features oak leaves with a colorful oak gall still on the tree. Click through to see product sizes and details. Most of these designs appear on many other products as well.

 Autumn Ornamental Pear Leaves Ceramic Ornament Autumn on an Oak Tree Throw Pillow Under a California Valley Oak Tree Ceramic Ornament Autumn Ornamental Pear Leaves Sandstone Coaster Paso Robles Train Station in Autumn Playing Cards Tangled Oak Trees in Paso Robles, California Jigsaw Puzzle Messenger Bag: Oak Bark Pattern, Courier Bag Paso Robles Train Station in Autumn Luggage Tag

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Related articles

• Oaks and Wires
• What Sort of Owl Is That in the Oak Tree?
• Just How Big Is That Oak?
• Odd Oak Trees | Trees in My World
• Looking at Deciduous Oak Trees in Winter
• Does Anyone Live in this Tree?
• Theme Day: A Simple Acorn #AtoZchallenge

Mother Nature Also Decorates in December

Mother Nature Decorates with Red and Green in December

Traditionally, we think of red and green as the Chrismas colors. Mother Nature loves them at this time of year. I took this photo a couple of days ago in front of the Historic Depot Office at the North County Transport Center. It's currently home to Anglim Winery and a law office. Do you see the red "ornaments" on the hedge and the rosemary bush next to it?

Rosemary Decorating with Bradford Pear Leaves

In this next photo, we see a different view of the same plants with the current Amtrak waiting room / office in the background.

Shrubs with Autumn Leaves
Amtrak Waiting Room is in Back

The cotoneaster plant with its green leaves and red berries are also on display during the holiday season. I have made coordinated greeting cards and stamps from my photos of cotoneaster should you want to use them for your holiday cards. You can find all my variations at Zazzle. There are four cards with this design: a blank greeting card, a blank postcard, a card appropriate for businesses to send, and a more personal greeting for friends. Of course, you can also add, change or remove text and even change the image to design your own card if you have one you like better.

 Red Cotoneaster Berries: Holiday season Greeting Card Holiday Postage Stamp: Red Cotoneaster Berries

Related articles

• T is for Trains

Photos of North County Transport Center Buses

A tip about where to find autumn color took me to the North County Transport Center on Pine Street today. I didn't find all the color I had hoped for, but I did see a lot of buses coming and going at Velta Circle. People were boarding the sleek white bus you see here, but it had no markings. I believe it is connected to Amtrak, which has buses that connect to trains that leave from here. It's style and coloring are Amtrak, but the name Amtrak is not visible on this bus.

Buses at North County Transport Center in Paso Robles, CA

This second photo shows some of the different bus types that use this center, which, of course, is also used by the Amtrak trains. You see the Paso Robles Express Shuttle bus, the SLORTA bus, and the white Amtrak bus.

Velta Circle in Paso Robles

In the photo above you can also see the magnificent oak tree in the center of Velta Circle. Like the other trees in this parking lot, it is losing its leaves. The sweetgum tree in the top photo has lost about half its leaves, and the colorful ornamental pear in the right corner of this photo is dropping its red leaves on  the sidewalk below it.

Have you boarded a train or bus here? Why not pick up a souvenir of the trail station at Zazzle?

 Poster: Train Leaving Paso Robles Station in Winter Poster Postcard: Paso Robles Train Station in Winter Postcard

Related articles

• The Trees are Changing Color for Autumn

Croad Vineyards at Harvest Time

A Quick Look at the Croad Vineyard at Harvest Time

Although it seems just like yesterday I toured the Croad Vineyards during the harvest, it really happened in 2011. The year before I had observed the pickers from my backyard, since I live next door. Martin Croad must have noticed, so in 2011 he invited me to come observe the harvest from his side of the fence. He explained all that was happening and turned me loose with my camera.

Croad Tasting Room, ©B. Radisavljevic, 2011

This is the time of year when all the hard work pays off and the grapes are finally ready to start the transformation to wine. See in photos and videos how the magic happens at Croad Vineyards

Croad Vineyard at Harvest Time, ©B. Radisavljevic, 2011

Here are some other views of the Croad Tasting Room and Vineyard you can keep.

Patio of Croad Tasting Room, Paso Robles Jigsaw PuzzlePatio of Croad Tasting Room, Paso Robles PosterTempleton Wine County in Winter T-ShirtPlate: Fountain at Croad Vineyards, Paso Robles Melamine Plate

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