"Both photography and art open my eyes to the infinite beauty of nature in her every detail."
~ Kim Moore
Sights of November 2025 - Giving Thanks!
December 01, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
I am trying to lean into gratitude. While the world is very stressful right now, and I am sometimes overwhelmed by daily obligations, I am trying to be more mindful of all the wonderful people in my life, all the wonderful times I have had and will have, and all the good things. My husband and I just celebrated our 34th anniversary. I made a short...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of October 2025 - Local, Pelagic, EASTERN SIERRA again!
October 31, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
Who's a good bird! You, you are a good bird. Very close to home there was a Lapland Longspur on the River, and a Thick-billed Kingbird in the cemetery. Slightly further in Orange County were a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and an Olive-backed Pipit. The pipit is considered a Mega rarity. It should be in Asia or in far Western Alaska. This was only the thi...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of September 2025 - Unfocused
September 30, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
Throughout the month I've had many ideas of what I was going to write in my blog, and ideas for a theme. However, this month I had a lot of distractions. I spent a lot of time sorting out internet issues, and setting up and transferring files for my husband to his new computer. This has led me to be rather unfocused on my nature activities.
I gues...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of August 2025 - Psychology, Linguistics, and Birds
August 31, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
How Does Your Inner Voice Say "Plover" A friend asked me if I have an inner voice. An inner voice is your silent verbal stream of thoughts that helps you process information. Apparently not everyone has one. I do, but my husband says he does not. Some people think in images or patterns instead. Do you have an inner voice? My inner voice finds it ea...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of July 2025 - It's summer. Birds are headings south for Winter.
July 31, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
It's summer and it's time for dragonflies and butterflies. While I took some time to look for some at local parks and in my own yard, in general, it seemed that the number of insects is way down this year. However, one particular surprise was a Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata at El Dorado Park. While I have seen this species before in other pa...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of June 2025 - Cool Bees!
July 01, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
I was trying to decide what the highlight of the month was, the Swallow-tailed Kite (a lifer and LA county species 400 for me) or some cool bees. I chose the bees.
We're getting into the slow months for birding, but the Swallow-tailed Kite at Ken Malloy Regional Park gained a tremendous amount of attention from the birding community. Literally hun...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of May 2025 - Local, Yard, EASTERN SIERRA!
June 04, 2025
•
1 Comment
May always starts with good bird migration, and then tapers off with only the hopes of finding a late vagrant. A Black Swift was migrating over my house. Indeed it was a great find, especially for a 'yard' bird. I have a bad photo, but enough for positive identification. I caught the the usual complement of birds migrating through, such as the flyc...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of April 2025 - Spring again
April 30, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
April each year might just be my busiest month as a naturalist, and this year is no different. Add to that, tax season and home repairs, and I am ready for a rest. April ramps up for bird migration season, my garden blooms, insects start to come out, and animal courtship is in full swing. One needs to get out often to see it all, particularly at th...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of March 2025 - Furry and Feathered Fun...and Flowers
April 01, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
March whizzed by with rain, blustery wind, and ending with spring flowers, just as it should. I had local excursions and time in my yard. I particularly enjoyed watching the plants in my yard started to leaf-out, and buds turned to blooms. Blue-eyed grass was the first to bloom, but the Ceonothus, and Coral Bells filled in quickly. Finally, by the...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of February 2025 - Running Hot and Cold
February 28, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
February is a rollercoaster of weather with hot days, cold days, sunshine, rain, misty mornings, and clear skies. This also reflects my moods. I try to hold on to the sunshine, but the rain of the news keeps coming back. I always look to nature to brighten my spirit, but this month, a dear friend was birding in a popular birding hotspot when he was...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of January 2025 - The Pursuit of Happiness in Troubling Times
January 31, 2025
•
Leave a Comment
I started this blog post earlier in the month, but after my first few paragraphs were too depressing. I was addressing the California wildfires, the political changes, the state of the environment, and now the plane crash and it's politicization. My own moods have been stressed and depressed this month. I decided to erase it and start over. I seek...
Read the Full Post »
Sights of December 2024 - The End of a Year
December 31, 2024
•
Leave a Comment
As our calendar year comes to a close, it is always a time to look back and reflect upon the year. Sometimes it is hard to remember all that happened. This was the first year of my mother living with me, and three months of foot recovery. It is easy to think of these events that have taken a large part of my year on a different trajectory. However,...
Read the Full Post »
Bird Migration Timing Through Coastal Southern California
December 30, 2024
•
Leave a Comment
Roughly 40% of birds migrate. Not all species migrate the same distance, direction, nor at the same time. Migration is far more complex than I am stating here, but some birds migrate long distances, some short distances, some to different latitudes, and some to different altitudes. In some cases, males, females, and young migrate at different times...
Read the Full Post »
Seasonal Events of Coastal Southern California
December 28, 2024
•
Leave a Comment
Seasons and the Calendar (download pdf)
The seasons are determined by the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Because the Earth’s axis is tilted at 23 ½ degrees relative to the plane of the orbit, daylight and nighttime lengths vary with the seasons. In the northern hemisphere, on the winter solstice, the north pole is in darkness the full 24 hours. T...
Read the Full Post »
Zane Grey at Avalon for an Art Retreat
December 07, 2024
•
Leave a Comment
I needed a vacation. Although I had my share of staycations enjoying my backyard, it had been a full year since I had a proper getaway. After being at home with a broken foot and ankle, I needed a change of scene. Although my mobility was somewhat limited, I found the perfect getaway. My friend and I decided to make our own 3-day art retreat on Cat...
Read the Full Post »
All images © Kim Moore (contact for use)