I am not sure what this fellow is although I am reminded of an Ibis. He is focused on this tide pool and could care less about the volleyball action on the beach. Update: A blog follower has informed me this is a Whimbrel. The Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland.

This is a migratory species wintering on coasts in Africa, South America, south Asia into Australasia and southern North America. It is also a coastal bird during migration. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season.

Major discovery on the way back to my tent this evening. I found a beach with dozens of volleyball nets and some serious players in action. The caliber of play was quite high and I will have to tune up my game a little if I want to join play on a future trip.

I woke up at 4:20am this morning, left for the airport at 4:30am, boarded my flight at 6am, arrived in LA 6 hours later, drove 90 minutes to Santa Barbara, worked from noon till 5:30, made camp, did a little photography, and 17 hours after my day started I watched the sun dip into the Pacific ocean. I then dipped into my tent and slept like a log.

I believe this is a Snowy Egret and he is hunting for dinner about 10 feet from where my tent is pitched. In New England I drag 20 pounds worth of camera, telephoto lens, and tripod through the marshes for hours to get this close. In California I use my 8 ounce point and shoot camera after an exhausting 12 step expedition. No wonder the folks here are so laid back.

Once again I have decided to forgo the comforts of a hotel and will fall asleep listening to the waves crashing on the beach. I go to bed as soon as the sun sets and wake up refreshed at 3am local time. A quick drive has me to the office where I enjoy a hot shower and several hours of uninterrupted work time.

 
On the drive from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara I spotted an entire hillside covered in cactus and could not resist making a quick stop for a photo.

In two weeks I will be hiking through red canyon country instead of flying over it. As luck would have it my flight to Los Angeles this morning flew directly over the portion of southern Utah and northern Arizona where I will be taking a solo photography camping adventure. Click on the photo for a better view of the insanely beautiful landscape.

I found myself with 6 hours of total solitude this afternoon and was able to complete our federal and state tax filings in one sitting. It was an unusually complex tax year with the job change and a lot of stock and options transactions but the latest software really makes the whole thing pretty straight forward. Jeanine and Maya drove with Kyle today to NH for the remaining two matches of the Seacoast Soccer Tournament. Kyle’s team won both matches while Maya sold Girl Scout cookies to the half frozen spectators. Nico joined me at CCHS where I had a soccer scrimmage against Lexington early this morning. It was a good workout and we came away with a 1-1 tie. Unfortunately I injured my left thumb rather badly during a collision with another player. I leave for Santa Barbara at 4:30am tomorrow and may not post again until I return on Thursday.

 
Kyle and Chloe enjoy the spring like afternoon honing their archery skills. Earlier in the day I drove with Kyle up to New Hampshire for the first round of the Seacoast Soccer tournament. From my perspective, Kyle’s was the stronger team but a single defensive lapse led to the deciding goal of the game. We stopped in Newburyport on the way back hoping to see some eagles but had to settle for a nice lunch in town.

Frequent visitors to this blog realize that the arrival of spring is generally accompanied by an increased number of bird photo postings. This evening after work I captured the extremely elusive One-legged Fearless Nutjob perched high in one of our evergreens. This flightless species is quite rare because the male birds frequently fall to their deaths from high nests before having a chance to mate. It will take a skilled eye to spot this black feathered, white faced bird against the dark pine needles. Click on the photo if you need a magnified view.

The weather was nice today so I decided to go for a walk on my lunch hour. The Boston Museum of Science is less than a 15 minute stroll from my office and I really should make a point of checking out some of the new exhibits. Click on the photo for a more detailed view.

I was very busy with work today and had no time for a photo. In light of yesterday’s post I went to the archive for a look back at Nala as a puppy.

Nala poses inside the exercise pen she used as a puppy. It is another one of the items going to Craig’s List. She seemed a little annoyed to find herself once again caged after having graduated to a free run of the yard.

We took advantage of gorgeous weather and had a family work session this afternoon. We emptied the entire contents of the garage, cleaned it thoroughly, and placed everything back in an organized way. Any item with no future in our family makes its way to Craig’s List. The weld holding the front wheel of Nico’s electric scooter to the platform and rear wheels gave out and is beyond repair (not a phrase that comes easily to my lips). I placed it under the Free Items category and in less than ten minutes had as many offers for a new home. This scooter served Nico well and will be missed.