"Both photography and art open my eyes to the infinite beauty of nature in her every detail."
~ Kim Moore
Sights of February 2018
February 28, 2018
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Art: I worked on a botanical style colored pencil painting of a blood orange. It was hard not to eat the subject matter before I completed the picture.
Insects and Spiders: It was cold this month, and I did not shoot many insects and spiders. I found a Red Admiral Butterfly ovipositing on the new leaves of stinging nettle (its host plant).
Birds:...
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Sights of January 2018
January 31, 2018
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Art: I tried a little printmaking this month. I like the process and you may see more to come. I find it more 'artistic' than my colored pencil drawings and nature journals. It will be interesting to see where it goes.
Insects and Spiders: I went to the nature center to help identify insects found under a a large piece of black plastic that was us...
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Sights of December 2017
December 30, 2017
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I love the light in winter. It makes for beautiful sunsets and golden colors. Our December was quite mild and I got out often. This is how I avoid some of the chaos and stress of too many ads, over consumption, and major commercialization of Christmas, not to mention political polarization of the season. I was successful. I enjoyed the company of n...
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Farewell 2017, you will not be forgotten. Hello 2018, what now?
December 29, 2017
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I just re-read my 2017 post and this could say almost the same thing. The big changes this year were the addition of a granddaughter, my husband retired, and we lost a couple of good friends. These life changes will be felt for many years to come.
This year I really upped my game at birding. I added to my life list and can id many more birds by si...
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Sights of November 2017
December 01, 2017
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Holidays, household maintenance, and a broken lens have slowed down my naturalist activities. However, there are still many lovely things to share. I started the month with an East Coast bird that showed up a little lost in migration. The Black-throated Blue Warbler posed for me! I found a couple of other 'rarities' in my local park and enjoyed oth...
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Sights of October 2017
October 31, 2017
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Locally, I did only a little birding. I gave a talk to a local gardening club on how to turn a garden into a habitat for birds. It seemed to be well received. I also showed some spider photos at the entomological society in honor of Halloween, although I didn't photograph them this month.
My monthly butterfly count had lots of Woodland Skippers an...
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Sights of September 2017
October 02, 2017
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At the start of the month it was so hot (and humid). How hot was it? It was so hot that I passed on my monthly butterfly count. That is something I truly hate to miss. I did make it to the monthly blacklighting survey in the same area. It is much cooler at night and at the end of the month. Some nice moths, a couple of California Mantises, and a Wa...
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Sights of August 2017
August 31, 2017
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Summer is slow for some birds, but towards the end of the month, the shorebirds and few warblers are showing up as they migrate south. I continued to see young birds. On the LA river I saw a young Caspian Tern begging its parent for food. The parent was not giving in as the young one was big enough to fend for itself. A young Osprey kept close to t...
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Nature Journaling
August 18, 2017
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"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein
About a year ago I started to use my nature journal more often. This has been most satisfying and has helped me both as a naturalist and as an artist. As a naturalist, I find I look more closely and ask more questions about my subject. I look at things from...
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Sights of July 2017
August 01, 2017
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Wow! What a great month for observing nature. I didn't expect much and went to a few local places, but there were bobcat, rattlesnake, hawk/kestrel fight, young 'cute' birds, and lots and lots of insects and spiders. And the topper (no photos here), our new granddaughter arrived at the end of the month. I can't wait to take her into the field!
Wit...
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"You look like sh*t"
July 21, 2017
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When someone says "You look like sh*t", maybe it's a complement. At least that's what some critters think.
What better way to hide from predator and prey. No one is going to eat you if they think you're a turd! These mimics typically rest on a leaf during the day. This mimicry is found in various orders of insects and spiders.
I have to admit tha...
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Sights of June 2017
June 30, 2017
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June Gloom and Record Breaking Heat
Cloudy gray mornings in the beginning of the month gave way to a heat wave. I was out of town for part of the month. While I had a chance to see some birds at the newly reopened Harbor Regional Park, El Dorado Park and Nature Center, and Santa Fe Dam (where I caught a whiptail lizard pooping!), I spent much of m...
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Sights of May 2017
June 01, 2017
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Birds, Bugs, Travel, Computer Crashes.
I saw some of the May migrating birds, but missed quite a few. Between my travels, my birding buddy away, and my major computer crash and subsequent new computer recovery, I just didn't get out to catch them during the short window of opportunity. But it was a lovely month anyway. Some bird highlights were an...
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Sights of April 2017
May 01, 2017
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So many birds, so many insects, so little time. I get distracted by everything all at once, so I had to visit some places twice: once to go birding and then again to look for insects. I went with a different group of people and different camera gear. Madrona Marsh, Sycamore Canyon in Whittier, Whittier Narrows Nature Center, Oak Canyon Nature Cente...
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"I wish I brought the other lens"
April 10, 2017
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As a nature photographer of birds, insects, occasional plants, mammals, and reptiles, it is hard to leave the house in the morning, because one big decision I need to make is what equipment to bring. Of course there are many factors that go into that decision, and I try to anticipate what I will see and what I want to do. However, inevitably, at so...
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All images © Kim Moore (contact for use)