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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 19, 2013

Do We Need Photoshop?

“Do We Need Photoshop?” is the title of a recent blog post on Rob Sheppard’s Nature and Photography blog. There is much discussion and complaining among photographers about Adobe’s decision to make its Creative Suite including Photoshop a cloud based product costing $40 a month ($20 a month for Photoshop by itself). As many of us are using Photoshop less, there is serious doubt about whether to sign up for the new cloud based Photoshop.

Rob believes that most photographers can do be very satisfied by using a combination of  Lightroom,  the latest version of Photoshop Elements, and Nik Software Viveza 2. The Nik software package, which is now owned by Google and is available for $149 and includes all six nik plugins Viveza 2,Color Efex Pro 4,Dfine 2, Sharpener Pro 3,  HDR  2 and Sharpener Pro 3.  This is exactly the choice I have made.

Read what Rob has to say at:  Do We Need Photoshop? | Nature and Photography.

I would also suggest reading Michael Frye’s blog posts on Thoughts on the Adobe Creative Cloud and the new version of Lightroom with an improved Healing Brush Lightroom 5 Beta. Lightroom 5 is now out.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 18, 2013

Lassen Park Wildflowers 6/18/13

Lassen National Park posted the following wildflower update on its Facebook page:

bog orchid, is blooming in Mineral at park headquarters and should appear at the Brokeoff Mountain trailhead soon! Numerous other wildflowers are now abundant at the lower elevations in the park.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 18, 2013

Washington Wildflower Reports 6/17/13

Washington Trails Association has a number of new hike reports that mention wildflower bloom. Here are some brief wildflower excerpts that might give a rough idea of what is happening on the trails.

Annette Lake — Jun 17, 2013 — Snoqualmie Pass — Snoqualmie Pass
Wildflowers blooming along the trail, including -to my delight- glacier lillies.

Pratt Lake Basin, Lower Tuscohatchie Lake — Jun 16, 2013 —Snoqualmie Pass — North Bend Area
A moderate display of flowers greeted me along the Pratt Lake trail. Vanilla Leaf, plus some trillium, and yellow violets. I did find a blooming wild ginger on the way back.

Read More…

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 18, 2013

Plumas County Rock Creek Wildflower Report 6/18/13

The Plumas County Bloom Blog had a brief report on the Rock Creek area. Rock Creek is just off Bucks Lake Road just out of Quincy. (Please note this is NOT the Rock Creek area in the Eastern Sierra.)

The Sierra Fawn lilies and penny royal are really starting to show on the upside and wild roses, tiger lilies and azaleas are showing creek side.

See all reports at: Bloom Blog Wildflowers

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 18, 2013

Great Smoky Mountains Wildflower Update 6/14/13

The Great Smoky Mountains Association just published the following wildflower report for June 14th, 2013 for :

Gregory Bald -   Flame Azalea Progress Report

There are only a couple of Azalea Shrubs in full bloom, there are probably less than a dozen with a fourth to a third of their blooms open and many of the shrubs buds are showing no color at this time.

Layman’s estimate of peak of blooms – 10 days to two weeks from now although period of hot weather could shorten the time before the blooms peak.

Follow all of their reports at: Wildflower Updates | Great Smoky Mountains Association.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 18, 2013

BLM Opens 49,300 Acres Of Wildlife Habitat To Off-Road Vehicles

Plan puts Rare Plants, Endangered Species and Dune Habitat at Risk

Press Release from The Center for Biological Diversity

BLM’s New Algodones Dunes Plan Opens Up 49,300 Acres of Wildlife Habitat to Destructive Off-road Vehicles

LOS ANGELES— The Bureau of Land Management released a new recreational plan today for California’s Algodones Dunes that will open up almost 50,000 additional acres of land, including important habitat for rare and vanishing species, to unlimited off-road vehicle use. Right now ORVs are prohibited from those 49,300 acres. The plan is the largest conservation rollback in the California desert in more than a decade and conflicts with the BLM’s own goals of ensuring meaningful, enduring conservation of dunes to offset the impacts of large-scale renewable energy projects in the California desert.

“This plan pushes the rare plants and animals of the Algodones Dunes closer to extinction, robbing them of a huge part of their safe haven,” said Ileene Anderson with the Center for Biological Diversity. “I’m shocked that the BLM decided to adopt such a destructive, damaging plan — right when it should be carefully protecting these wild creatures and places to make up for vast energy projects that are being developed nearby.”

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 18, 2013

Oakland Adopts Bird Safety Building Requirements

Golden Gate Audubon reports that the City of Oakland just added a set of Bird Safety Measures to its building permit requirements Oakland is only the third major city in North America to adopt bird safety building standards. Collisions with buildings kill an estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds in the U.S. and Canada annually.

The measures require developers to:

  • Avoid the use of mirrors in landscape design.
  • Apply bird-friendly glazing to at least 90 percent of windows and glass between the ground and sixty feet above ground. Some positive glazing options include opaque glass, clear glass etched with patterns, and UV-pattern reflective glass (since unlike humans, most birds can see ultraviolet light).
  • Turn out nighttime architectural lights and avoid beam lighting during spring and fall migration seasons.
  • Install timers or motion sensors on interior lights, so they can be programmed to turn off between 11 p.m. and sunrise.
  • Minimize roof antennas and other rooftop structures that create additional collision risks.
  • Include bird safety in building management plans. For instance, building managers could ask employees to draw blinds at night during migration season and could schedule nightly maintenance before 11 p.m. to keep buildings dark at night.

Learn more at Oakland adopts Bird Safety Building Measures | Golden Gate Audubon Society.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 17, 2013

Yosemite, 395 and Sonora Pass Wildflower Bloom 6/17/13

Calphoto has a new wildflower report for Yosemite,395 and Sonora Pass:

Not great overall, as expected; here are the highlights:

  • Some showy stands of elderberry between Big Oak Flat entrance & Crane Flat.
  • Lots of lupine & madia in the burn zone above Big Meadow (between Crane Flat & the Valley).
  • Lots of milkweed in bloom in Yosemite Valley, and more to come (lots of buds). Field of gilia capitata between Curry Village and Yosemite Village.
  • Several showy displays of mountain pride along the Tioga Pass road, beginning a ways past the Tamarack Flat turnoff. Some of the best are on the east side of the pass, near the top of Lee Vining Canyon.
  • At Panum Crater, lots of sulphur buckwheat & evening primrose.
  • Plenty of wallflowers on the east approach to Sonora Pass.

See older reports at: calphoto : Where to photograph in California.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 17, 2013

Bees Good For Crops; Crops Bad For Bees

NPR wrote about the conflicted relationship between crops and native bees. An essential part of growing many food crops is pollination by bees. Native bees are an essential pollinator. However cultivating land for crops often destroys native bee habitat. Read more at: Wild Bees Are Good For Crops, But Crops Are Bad For Bees : The Salt : NPR

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 16, 2013

A Green 2013 Big Year

Mark Kudav, a teacher, naturalist, and gardener, who assisted with the “Birding Identification by Song” class I just finished is doing a Green Birding Big Year. A Green Big Year consists of trying to see as many bird species as possible using no fossil fuels.

This is Mark’s second big year. In 2011 and he saw 276 species while riding probably around 2500 miles. This year his goal is to see 300 species. As of today he has biked 1655 miles and seen 257 species.

Follow his progress at:  2013 BIG GREEN BIG YEAR-California.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 16, 2013

Eastern Sierra Trail Report 6/16/13

Parchers Resort posted the following trail report for the Eastern Sierra Bishop Creek area:

All that’s left is a 50 yard section of snow on the approach to Bishop Pass and it’s melting fast. The first JMT thru-hikers picked up their resupplies over the weekend and reported that the pass is mostly free of snow and it’s pretty easy going for this early in the year. All of the popular day-hike trailheads are snow free and wide open.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 15, 2013

Northern Sierra Birds, Wildflowers and Butterflies – updated

Update: Problems with photos have been corrected

I just returned from a six-day trip in the Northern Sierra Nevada. I participated in a Birding Identification by Sound Class at San Francisco State Sierra Nevada Field Campus taught by Jim Steele and assisted by   and did a number of wildflower hikes on my own. The areas covered included the Lakes Basin, Yuba Pass and Sierra Valley. The Sierra Nevada Field campus is located near Yuba Pass and has access to many habitats. including Sierra Valley, one of the top birding areas in California, Yuba Pass and Lakes Basin. In the course of five days we identified by sound and sight 117 birds. The highlight for the entire group was seeing a night-time trip where we saw and heard two Spotted Owls.

The Lakes Basin is also one of the best wildflower areas in northern California. Wildflowers were past peak in lower areas but were peaking with good displays at Yuba Pass and about one half mile up the Pacific Crest Trail on the trail to the Sierra Buttes.

Click read more to see a master bird list from the class and my lists of flowers, butterflies and daily birds found.

I have yet to identify all the butterflies but will post separate slideshows of butterflies and wildflowers. Below are a few bird photos.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 15, 2013

Lakes Basin Butterflies

These Butterfly photos are from the Lakes Basin Area from my recent trip to the Northern Sierra Nevada. No identifications on these yet.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 15, 2013

Northern Sierra Wildflowers

Here are wildflower photos from my recent trip to Yuba Pass, Lakes Basin and Sierra Valley.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 15, 2013

Yosemite Wildflower Bloom Report 6/14/13

Yosemite National Park  just posted the following wildflower bloom report

Even though the dogwood flowers have faded away by now, there are plenty more plants ready to continue the show as they begin to bloom throughout the park. A drive along the Tioga Road reveals more than the epic scenery of the high country. A small reddish pink flower commonly carpets the roadside and is so brilliant that it grabs your attention from the granite around it. This is the Pride of the Mountains (Penstemon newberryi) and it can seem like the domes are proud to be decorated with this showy flower.

Continuing on the Big Oak Flat Road toward Yosemite Valley, a large lupine species (Lupinus sp.) is blooming now along the road throughout the Big Meadow fire scar area near Foresta. These vibrant purple flowers grow in obvious spike-like clusters that stick up like dancers above a bright green bushy stage. There are at least 26 species of lupine that grow in Yosemite, but they all have palmately compound leaves and bilaterally symmetrical flowers.

Not to be outdone, Yosemite Valley is a great setting for flowers to support the performance of the lead actors. Of course, even the waterfalls and rock walls can be upstaged from time to time. El Capitan is just the backdrop to the Western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) blooming under the oak woodland to the west end of El Capitan Meadow. These shrubs feature fragrant clusters of large white flowers highlighted by a yellow splotch.

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 15, 2013

Western Field Ornithologists Conference August 22-25, 2013

The thirty-eighth Annual Meeting of Western Field Ornithologists will take place at Olympia, Washington, August 22-25, 2013. There are workshops, field trips and general sessions. Registration is now open. For full conference details and registration go to:  Western Field Ornithologists: Annual Conferences.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 14, 2013

Plumas County Wildflower Report: Spanish Creek 6/14/13

The Plumas County Bloom blog has a new posting for wildflower bloom along the North Side of Spanish Creek between Oakland Camp and Gibson Creek by Joe Willis:

There must be 50 or more species of flowers blooming and a rapid increase in the variety of insect and spider visitors. We also caught a gopher snake and some lizards. I’m just including the larger blooms that one can spot while walking fast or driving. If you crawl around on the ground or walk very slowly you’ll discover many more species.

To see plants in bloom with photos and older reports go to the  Bloom Blog Wildflowers.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 14, 2013

Henry Coe Wildflower Report 6/13/13

Henry Coe State Park has a new wildflower bloom update today at the Pine Ridge Association website. To see what is in bloom including photos of flowers in bloom go to: Henry W. Coe – Wildflower Guide.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 14, 2013

Central Texas Wildflower Bloom Report 6/12/13

Gary Regner Photography has the following wildflower report for Central Texas:

Central Texas UpdateSummer-time heat is here in central Texas and its taking its toll on spring wildflowers. Firewheels are rapidly waning and going to seed, and so are the Mexican hats, greenthread and other lingering spring wildflowers. Summer wildflowers, however, are beginning to replace them with sunflowers and horsemint now in full bloom.

See older reports at: Texas Wildflower and Bluebonnet Sightings Report : Texas Wildflower Hot Spots and Pictures by Gary Regner Photography.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 14, 2013

2013 National Pollinator Week June 17 to 23

Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by the Pollinator Partnership. Six years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown to be an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.

Pollinating animals, including bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and others, are vital to our delicate ecosystem, supporting terrestrial wildlife, providing healthy watershed, and more.

Pollinators are often keystone species, meaning that they are critical to an ecosystem. The work of pollinators ensures full harvests of crops and contributes to healthy plants everywhere.

  • an estimated 1/3 of all foods and beverages is delivered by pollinators.
  • in the U.S., pollination produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually

Learn more about National Pollinator week at: Pollinator Partnership.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2013

Bumblebees Respond To Flowers’ Electric Fields

Pollinators use colors, patterns and fragrances to find flowers and BBC Nature reports scientists find that Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) can detect flowers’ electric fields. Bees are able to distinguish between different flowers through awareness of their electrical fields. Adding detection of electrical field with visual and olfactory cues increases Bumblebees’ food rewards and results in improved flowers pollination and reproductive opportunities.

Learn more at: BBC Nature – Bumblebees sense flowers’ electric fields.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2013

New Birds-of-Paradise Website

The Birds-of-Paradise Project: a new website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that uses high-definition video to explore the science of these exquisite birds. Explore the site which features 35 videos, expert narration by project scientists, and sounds, slideshows, and downloadable lessons for educators. See the amazing colors, shapes, and dances of these birds.

 

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2013

Crossbreeding Birds

The New York Times reported that 10 percent of the world’s 10,000 bird species at least one time. The most common hybridization occurs between closely related species such as ducks or gulls. It is even possible but much less likely for a bird from one genus to mate with a bird from an altogether different genus.

Hybrids often die young. Those that make it to adulthood are often sterile or have trouble attracting mates.

Read more at:  Does Bird Mating Ever Cross the Species Line? – NYTimes.com.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2013

Free Ebook Of Great Smoky National Park

Photographer Matthew Cromer has published a free e-book of Great Smoky National Park. The images are high-resolution and suitable for display on a 1080p class device such as a 24 inch+ monitor or iPad with retina display. To get a copy go to: free e-book of images from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 11, 2013

White Wolf Wildflowers At Yosemite

California Wildflower Hikes has a detailed description for a wildflower exploration in the White Wolf  area in Yosemite high country. It includes flowers found, location directions, suggestions on timing, which is especially tricky this year, and photos. You can find the post at: Yosemite Flowers: White Wolf : California Wildflower Hikes. If you are going to Yosemite this year it is worth checking out.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 11, 2013

UK Plan To Bring Back Wildflower Meadows

The BBC reported on the UK’s plan to restore wildflower meadows. The program which is led by Prince of Wales and three wildlife and livestock organisations, will take seed and green hay from these designated meadows to recreate new ones. To date 60 “coronation meadows” have been designated as areas to collect seed with a plan to increase the number of collection meadows to 107 by the end of the year. The Coronation meadows will serve as “donor” sites, to provide seeds for other local meadows.

Wildflower habitats have decreased by 97% since 1930′s. Example of plant loss include:

  •  green-winged orchids, found in lowland hay meadows, have decreased by 50% over the last 50 years.
  • Lesser butterfly orchids and greater butterfly orchids have also declined by 60% and 47% respectively.
  • 67% of distinctively-patterned fritillaries, which grow in meadows, have disappeared in the last few decades

Read more at: BBC Nature – ‘Coronation meadows’ plan seeks to revive wildflower sites.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 10, 2013

Most-Visited National Park Data for 2012

Park Service Releases Most-Visited National Park Data for 2012

The National Park Service released its annual numbers on the most-visited sites throughout the park system in 2012. Though there aren’t many surprises in this year’s lists, it’s always interesting to see some of the most popular parks in the country and how these numbers compare to previous years. (You can find last year’s numbers on NPCA’s website.)

According to the agency’s press release, more than 282 million people visited our national parks last year, the sixth-highest year on record, and an increase of more than three million visitors from 2011.

The first list shows the most-visited places in all 401 units of the park system. The second list shows the most popular sites of only the 59 places officially designated as “national parks” (versus national monuments, national historic sites, national recreation areas, and other designations).

Most Visited Places of the National Park System

Park Site Number of Visitors

1. Blue Ridge Parkway 15,205,059

2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area 14,540,338

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park 9,685,829

4. George Washington Memorial Parkway 7,425,577

5. Lake Mead National Recreation Area 6,285,439

6. Lincoln Memorial 6,191,361

7. Natchez Trace Parkway 5,560,668

8. Gateway National Recreation Area 5,043,863

9. Gulf Islands National Seashore 4,973,462

10. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area 4,970,802

Most Visited National Parks

Park Site Number of Visitors

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park 9,685,829

2. Grand Canyon National Park 4,421,352

3. Yosemite National Park 3,853,404

4. Yellowstone National Park 3,447,729

5. Rocky Mountain National Park 3,229,617

6. Zion National Park 2,973,607

7. Olympic National Park 2,824,908

8. Grand Teton National Park  2,705,256

9. Acadia National Park 2,431,052

10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park 2,299,722

via NPCA’s Park Advocate » Park Service Releases Most-Visited National Park Data for 2012.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 10, 2013

Maybe Control Burns Aren’t Such A Good Idea

The New York Times reported on new research that questions if controlled burns are really a good way to manage our forests. The idea is that limited control burns help prevent catastrophic fires. New research is questioning the ecological consequences of preventing large fires. It is possible that large fires are ecologically necessary and that controlled burns may be decreasing biodiversity and diminishing ecological processes in the forests. Read more at the New York Times Forest Fire Research Questions the Wisdom of Prescribed Burns.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 9, 2013

2013 Crested Butte Wildflower Festival July 8 to 14

The 2013 Crested Butte wildflower festival is July 8-14 in Crested Butte, Colorad,o the official Wildflower Capital of Colorado! It includes

  • Over 80 hikes ranging from easy to technical
  • Yoga classes among alpine meadows
  • 4×4 Tours into the alpine backcountry
  • Garden tours of historic crested butte
  • Photography classes for all levels
  • Art & cooking classes
  • Medicinal classes using botanical ingredients
  • Gardening with wildflowers
  • Birding and butterflies

For more information go to:  2013 Festival | Crested Butte Wildflower Festival.

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 9, 2013

Healthy Garden Wildlife Feeding Tips

BBC Nature discusses what are healthy ways to support garden wildlife. Although gardens often naturally provide much food for birds and mammals, appropriate feeding can help animals through stressful times. Additionally, it can increase your wildlife viewing opportunities. In this article they discuss feeding tips and which foods are best for a variety of birds and mammals. Read more at: BBC Nature – What to feed birds, badgers and other garden wildlife.

 

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