@magiamma
The bunches of vertical stalks in the field appear to be soldiers in formation, awaiting orders. Or maybe reshuffling for the next shot.

thanks for Friday POT

whoo hoo... photos ops

went drawing today here

caught a bird in this shot

more from the beach

@magiamma
That last shot looks like it could be a Ca. version of an Easter Island statue.

thanks for Friday POT

whoo hoo... photos ops

went drawing today here

caught a bird in this shot

more from the beach

@magiamma

Especially the one with the wood sculptures. They almost look like ancient totem poles. Nice shot.

thanks for Friday POT

whoo hoo... photos ops

went drawing today here

caught a bird in this shot

more from the beach

@The Voice In the Wilderness

With a high of -1
Wind chills of -50, not sure if that is day or night.

Minnesota comes to Illinois. Meanwhile, it's reported to me that Alabama is more like Illinois this winter.

Worrying about my new Harglow Apricot. This is far North for Apricots, but Harglow was bred at the University of Saskatchewan for commercial use in Canada. It's the newly planted rootstock that I worry about. the tree is just a baby.

No worries at all about the Cherry tree. It's also from U of S. A cross between a commercial sour cherry (routinely grow in Northern Michigan) and a wild Siberian cherry. Must be some cold rersitant genes there!

Re -50:
A friend of mine worked as a technician on the DEW line after leaving the Marine Corps after the Korean truce. He once told me that they used to pray for the temperature to go above -40. When I asked why, he said, "Because the airplanes' hydraulic fluid froze at -40, so the planes couldn't land. we were cut off like we were on the Moon. Any disaster, any problem, we were on our own.

@Daenerys
leading to the fountain. Think I was there, once upon a time. The background display is new. Thanks D

I ran across this photo from my first trip to New Orleans back in 2010:

The St. Louis Gateway Arch from another trip:

@Socialprogressive

I think mine are brown ones that hang around at the docks. Love the last one, but all of them are nice. Where did you take them?

Hey Bollox. I found your rooks.

I've experienced sub zero weather and can honestly say I really didn't care for it. Staying indoors where it's warm sounds real wise.

Some Brown Pelicans and Heermann's Gulls from La Jolla cove.

@Socialprogressive I love yer Pelican shots! The Heermann's Gull is great too. Heermann's Gull is in trouble, most of the population breeds in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). They move
north into CA after breeding and for the winter. About 3 of the last 5 years no juveniles came north with the older immatures and adults. Yours with the pure white head is an adult.
It is a fairly range-restricted species, and one of the most striking gulls of them all.

On the last pic, the bottom gull... That is a juvenile or first winter Western Gull in its first (plumage) cycle. They take four years or more to attain adult plumage.

I've experienced sub zero weather and can honestly say I really didn't care for it. Staying indoors where it's warm sounds real wise.

Some Brown Pelicans and Heermann's Gulls from La Jolla cove.

@dystopian
Wedged the door open enough to climb inside an igloo on four frozen tires. Darn engine started, shore enough (Honda). Turned on the heater / defrost cycle and proceeded to shovel-off the glaciers. Several shivers later, dug down to the windshield and notice a crack all the way across. Apparently, too much sudden temperature change cracks glass. Won't do that again.

Hey B.R., I thought your pic was the inside of a geode. Great pix Magi, S.D., and Daenerys.

I have birded in 20-50 below zero chill factors. But not for long. You don't stay out of the car long. I did a couple winters birding Long Island and one birding Mass. Once we had a Snowy Owl with blood on its breast from something it just ate, at point blank, and it was soooooo cold the camera would not fire, frozen up. Places where open water are good because you can scope from the car with heater on. I have heard of birders jumping out of their overly warmed car with the 2K Swarovski scope and the glass shattering in sub-zero. Keep scope and optics away from heat vents in car in coolest parts. You jump out to see or shoot a rare bird and yer stuff fogs up... or worse... oh what fun! Now I complain about the 20's.

@burnt out

The birds all look quite content and very personable. Especially enjoy the pecking order in the first image.

The Middle Earth pic reminds me of the inside of a Geode.

Not Minnesota weather here but still too cold for these old bones so haven't strayed far from the house lately. Get outside to fill the feeders and go to the mail box and that's been about it for the past few days. The only upside to this cold weather is it brings the birds in. If I can remember how to put photos in a comment I'll post a couple that I shot through the window a few days ago.

@burnt out
Do the same here. Will brave a snowy gale to keep the flitters fed. Fun to watch.

The Middle Earth pic reminds me of the inside of a Geode.

Not Minnesota weather here but still too cold for these old bones so haven't strayed far from the house lately. Get outside to fill the feeders and go to the mail box and that's been about it for the past few days. The only upside to this cold weather is it brings the birds in. If I can remember how to put photos in a comment I'll post a couple that I shot through the window a few days ago.

@burnt out
Now you make me want to put up a bird feeder in my back yard.

The Middle Earth pic reminds me of the inside of a Geode.

Not Minnesota weather here but still too cold for these old bones so haven't strayed far from the house lately. Get outside to fill the feeders and go to the mail box and that's been about it for the past few days. The only upside to this cold weather is it brings the birds in. If I can remember how to put photos in a comment I'll post a couple that I shot through the window a few days ago.

@dystopian

especially for the blood moon looking more like a peach.

Finally got a couple poor docushots of the Brown Creeper that has been wintering at my local park. I think Tree Creeper is the Euro version, along with a cryptic species that flew under the radar for a hundred years, Short-toed Creeper. They are just over 5" long, and hunt bark crevices for a living.

They use their spiky tail as a prop like woodpeckers. My what big feet you have.

This was my moon shot. Before the eclipse there was enough light for a fast enough exposure and low enough ISO to get an image. But once it got dark and I had to jack the ISO up to 'noisy' levels during the eclipse, exposure was too slow to freeze it.

@dystopian
that provided such great soft light for the Pelican shots I took Sunday morning were still around Sunday evening and ruined any chance of sharp shots of the blood moon.

This soft shot was the best I could get.

Finally got a couple poor docushots of the Brown Creeper that has been wintering at my local park. I think Tree Creeper is the Euro version, along with a cryptic species that flew under the radar for a hundred years, Short-toed Creeper. They are just over 5" long, and hunt bark crevices for a living.

They use their spiky tail as a prop like woodpeckers. My what big feet you have.

This was my moon shot. Before the eclipse there was enough light for a fast enough exposure and low enough ISO to get an image. But once it got dark and I had to jack the ISO up to 'noisy' levels during the eclipse, exposure was too slow to freeze it.

@burnt out No I don't ebird, but do look in sometimes to see what is around. I am past hardcore but am currently sedentary in so.cent. TX. Birded since I could walk. Led tours for L.A. Audubon Soc., co-compiled a Christmas Bird Count, wrote the bird column for a socal Aud. Soc., do some private guiding now on the side. Yeah it takes a special kind of OCD to get into ageing gulls, but living in the cold is what did it for me...where I had nothing else to see lots of the time. It is the last thing most learn. But once you figure it out, it adds a lot to understanding what we are seeing.

We get them here but only in the winter and although pretty widespread then they're never plentiful anywhere. We had our first of the season in the yard only a few days ago.

You sound like a serious birder, I salute anyone who can age gulls! Do you do ebird?

@janis b
Have a fresh baby ginger root in the freezer awaiting the next tonic experiment.

But they have to be dug out. They’re considered an environmental ‘pest’ here, while in Hawaii they are revered.

@Anja Geitz

I still love how I feel when I look at the San Gabriel mountains. All I would need is a log cabin in the mountains, a fireplace, a pot to cook in, and I would be very happy indeed. Well, except in the winter. That's when I would go to my fantasy beach house in Big Sur.

.

@Anja Geitz Is that the San Gabriel Mtns. of L.A. County in socal? Sure looks like them. If so... I spent a couple months worth of days walking around in them, birding and butterflying. Once said to be the fastest growing mountain range in America at 3" per hundred years. The Angeles Crest Hwy. (Rt. 2) along the spine is awesome 7000-8000' with Fir forest complete with Big Cone Spruce. Many Sierra Nevada nesting species nest up there.

I still love how I feel when I look at the San Gabriel mountains. All I would need is a log cabin in the mountains, a fireplace, a pot to cook in, and I would be very happy indeed. Well, except in the winter. That's when I would go to my fantasy beach house in Big Sur.

.