Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows of the Eclipse

 Photos from a long time ago (Spring 2012, oh yea). Most of this is from when I was doing Tree Swallow banding for a grad student last spring, which was one of the most fun field work I had done. Pictured above is a first year female Tree Swallow, ready to fight me to the point of discomfort to protect her eggs.

 This shot is from a very strange nest that was initially House Wrens, but was then taken over by Tree Swallows mid season. The white eggs are Tree Swallow and the brown speckled are left over from the House Wren. Of the three that hatched, two were Tree Swallows and one was a House Wren! Sadly, the house wren didn't make it to fledge this year. There was a storm soon after hatch and it did not survive.

The typical Tree Swallow nest. Quite the decorators.

Ready to leave the nest which means ready to be banded!

A shot from right before the eclipse in Spring 2012. The Barn Swallows were going wild above Putah Creek.

Deville Bomber Wheel Review

So, it's been quite awhile, but maybe i'll try and be better at posting a little more? I spent most of my summer without a computer so things feel a bit strange, but I figure with the raining months coming I can catch up on my backlog of photos...maybe. 

Regardless, here is a review I did before the summer started for Skateslate. Check out the goods on some slippy slide wheels by Deville. Review HERE.

Memorial Day Weekend

I will be getting lost in the woods with some friends. 

Dervish Sama Review

Hey guys, check out my review of the Loaded Dervish Sama on Skateslate! It’s a hell of a ride.

Scaly Friends

  Some of my scaled (some more than others) friends from when I was in Utah over spring break! Some really gorgeous specimens. I was on the lookout since my friend is really into that sort of stuff. I told her I would take pictures of anything I found so that she could ID. I held up on my end of the bargain and so did she. Phyrnosoma hernendesi (greater short-horned lizard) above.

 Coleonyx variegates (western banded gecko). 

Sonora semiannulata (western ground snake). Yay wildlife!

Paleofitness

I had never heard of "paleofitness" until I read an article on it. It was an interesting concept, but then it hit me that this is essentially what I already do. In fact, all of you have probably done it in one way or form when you were kids. It is essentially just playing with one stipulation: do it outside. And so now, whenever asks me what I'm doing while I'm climbing around in the Fig tree (pictured) in my backyard? Well, I can just say I'm doing some "paleofitness" and sound all official about it. Maybe I can even convince them to join me and play a bit. There aren't enough adult playgrounds.

Botanizing

 I was chastised for not posting that much lately. We'll, what have I been up to lately? Botanizing. Yea, I'm taking a class at the moment called California Floristics. Our textbook is the beautiful and massive Jepson Manual to the Vascular Plants of California. We are covering how to identify all the major families in California as well as many of the genera by sight identification. Oh man is it tough! I kind of wish we were learning some non vascular plants too, though. Moss is pretty cool.

Get your plant on!

Home-made Pottery

As it turns out, a few of the people in my house either spin their own pottery or have friends/family that do it. Either we, we end up with tons of gorgeous clay bowls, pitchers, platters and mugs and I'm loving it. I really need to try out the wheel again (since it has been years since I last used one). Hopefully, it will be in a place like this.

B-Gebz Backflip Sequence

Friend and Pro-slacker, Brenden Gebhart, sticking a solid backflip at the highline festival a few weeks back. This guy has lots of energy, but somehow comes off as an overall chiller. Don't ask how, it just works. I recommend checkin out his teas (if you're at interested in that sort of stuff), they're pretty rad, too.

I'm Ready for Some Highlining

This weekend!