Shadow Cliffs 2020

Shadow Cliffs is another favorite of mine and the girls. There is an area where they can be off-leash, so that's a massive plus for them. They can run, and I can make images. That's the area where I make most of my images. The variety of birds is astounding and seasonal. Even the Eagles come here to fish. While they are here, the other birds stay close to their nests.

2020

Nikon D850 DSLR

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 G2 Tamron 1.4 x Teleconverter

Shadow Cliffs #2

This was a very bright day. Thinking I had enough light, I used my Teleconverter to bring the subjects in even closer. It seems I may have had a connection issue as quite a few of the images I made were out of focus. I've only included the ones that were sort of OK here. I captured a Coot, Mount Diablo, a pond reflection, a male and female Bufflehead, a Mallard, a Blue Heron, a mix of waterfowl in the lower pond, a Scrub-Jay, a lone Turkey Vulture waiting for something to die, and my very first Gadwalls - a male and female (I'd never seen nor heard of these before, so I was anxious to get home and look them up.)

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Shadow Cliffs #1

The rosy glow of a California summer sunrise always adds drama to a landscape. Add to that the residents of the park and you have a really nice shoot. From a Cormorant waking to a baby Heron calling for momma and then feeding, to a Caspian Tern fishing his heart out and a Red-Winged Blackbird calling to his mate, There is no better way to start a day for a photographer.