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  • Online Since 2009
  • Riverside, CA

Animals and Nature

Snowy Egret in Riverside

May 12, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Not being a bird expert, I had no idea what kind of bright white bird flew over my truck a few days ago. After realizing it was hanging around a local storm basin that I drive past almost every day, I decided to try to get some pictures.

Snowy Egret in Riverside

After a few tries, I got some marginally decent pictures. I also consulted Google and found out that this bird is a Snowy Egret.

Snowy Egret in Riverside

The following quotes are from AllAboutBirds.org:

Snowy Egret in Riverside

“Among the most elegant of the herons, the slender Snowy Egret sets off immaculate white plumage with black legs and brilliant yellow feet. Those feet seem to play a role in stirring up or herding small aquatic animals as the egret forages.”

Snowy Egret in Riverside

“Snowy Egrets wade in shallow water to spear fish and other small aquatic animals.”

Snowy Egret in Riverside

Filed Under: Animals, Uncategorized Tagged With: birds, snowy egret

Double-Crested Cormorant and Green Heron

May 4, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Ever since we saw the bald eagles at Lake Mathews, my wife and I have been noticing birds. Here are some recent pictures of a few birds near Lake Mathews in Riverside…

Double-crested Cormorant - Riverside
Double-crested Cormorant - Riverside
Double-crested Cormorant - Riverside
Green Heron - Riverside
Green Heron - Riverside

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: birds, double-crested cormorant, green heron

Newport Dolphins

April 29, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Tried out a new superzoom camera out at Newport a few months ago…

Dolphin at Newport

Dolphins at Newport

Birds chasing dolphins

Filed Under: Animals, Uncategorized Tagged With: birds, dolphin, newport beach

Roadrunner Sighting

April 27, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Saw this today in Riverside.

Sorry, Mr. Lizard.

Roadrunner with a Lizard Lunch

Roadrunner with a Lizard Lunch

Roadrunner with a Lizard Lunch

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: birds, riverside, roadrunner

Belted Kingfisher, Red-Winged Blackbird and Osprey

March 14, 2016 by Ole 2 Comments

My wife has a knack for spotting interesting birds.

In addition to the bald eagles she found a few months ago, she has spotted a tagged turkey vulture and an osprey while driving over the Lake Mathews dam.

I had a camera with me yesterday when she pointed out some birds, so we stopped to take a few pictures. We aren’t bird experts, so please let me if I found the wrong names on the Internet.

Female Belted Kingfisher:

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Male Red-winged Blackbirds:

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

I took the pictures above with a point and shoot camera. Unfortunately, I didn’t even have that with me when we saw an Osprey last December.

Osprey at Lake Mathews

Osprey at Lake Mathews

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: belted kingfisher, birds, lake mathews, osprey, red-winged blackbird

Bald Eagle Sighting at Lake Mathews – Jan 20, 2016

January 20, 2016 by Ole 1 Comment

Driving by Lake Mathews today, my wife yelled, “There they are!”

She was referring to the bald eagles we have heard about that nest at Lake Mathews during the winter. Here is the iPhone picture I snapped when we pulled over:

Bald Eagles at Lake Mathews

We immediately turned around and headed home to grab our cameras.  When we returned, we were fortunate that this beautiful bald eagle was still hanging around enjoying a meal:  

Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews

Just as I was walking along the roadway to try a different vantage point, the eagle flew away…

Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews

Fortunately, the eagle landed on the Cajalco side of the dam. Although we couldn’t get close enough to get great pictures, we still managed to get a few that were decent enough to post:

Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews

Seeing our national emblem out in the wild was such a great experience.

“The Congress finds as follows: (1) The bald eagle was designated as the national emblem of the United States on June 20, 1782, by our country’s Founding Fathers at the Second Continental Congress. – From the American Bald Eagle Recovery and National Emblem Commemorative Coin Act

Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews

A few facts from The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

Distinguished by a white head and white tail feathers, bald eagles are powerful, brown birds that may weigh 14 pounds and have a wingspan of 8 feet. Male eagles are smaller, weighing as much as 10 pounds and have a wingspan of 6 feet. […]

Eagles mate for life, choosing the tops of large trees to build nests, which they typically use and enlarge each year. Nests may reach 10 feet across and weigh a half ton. They may also have one or more alternate nests within their breeding territory. […]

Bald Eagles may live 15 to 25 years in the wild, longer in captivity.

Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews

After watching this beautiful creature for a few moments, it flew away.

Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews
Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews
Bald Eagle at Lake Mathews

Filed Under: Animals, Sights Tagged With: bald eagle, birds, lake mathews

Hammerhead Shark Spotted Near Newport Beach Pier – Oct 19, 2015

October 19, 2015 by Ole Leave a Comment

A few tweets from the Newport Beach Lifeguards Twitter account…

Lifeguards ended Water Closure @ 4:30pm
A Shark Advisory in effect from Twr 10 to 44.
Will reevaluate Tues AM. pic.twitter.com/gZOXekbivU

— Newport Lifeguards (@NewportBeachLG) October 20, 2015

Lifeguards are currently monitoring the area and will reevaluate the closure midafternoon. pic.twitter.com/wKqhJ6XlhP

— Newport Lifeguards (@NewportBeachLG) October 19, 2015

At 11am today NB Lifeguards confirmed the sighting of a 8’ shark off the Newport Pier
Lifeguards have closed the water from 10th to 44th st.

— Newport Lifeguards (@NewportBeachLG) October 19, 2015

Filed Under: Animals, Sights, Uncategorized

Dog Daze at Corona Crossings – 2014

October 31, 2014 by Ole Leave a Comment

Here are a few pictures from the Dog Daze costume contest at Corona Crossings last Sunday. I didn’t know this was going on, otherwise I would have brought a real camera and taken more pictures of the costumed pups walking the red carpet.

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IMG_2006-c-20141026
IMG_2015-c-20141026
IMG_2010-c-20141026
IMG_2011-c-20141026
IMG_2021-c-20141026
IMG_2009-c-20141026
IMG_2016-c-20141026
IMG_2018-c-20141026

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: crossings at corona, dogs

Who wants to go on a hike?

December 2, 2013 by Ole Leave a Comment

Moreno Valley’s Recreational Trails Board will be sponsoring the following free hikes in 2014 (difficulty rated by Moreno Valley):

  • January 25, 2014
    Hike to Terri Peak (DIFFICULT)
  • March 22, 2014
    Hike to San Timoteo Canyon (MODERATE)
  • May 24, 2014
    Hike to Olive Mountain (DIFFICULT)
  • July 26, 2014
    Hike to Hidden Springs (MODERATE)
  • September 27, 2014
    Hike to Lake Perris (MODERATE)
  • October 25, 2014
    Hike to Box Springs M Trail (DIFFICULT)

We hope to attend as many as we can.

For more information, click here for details.

Filed Under: Animals and Nature, Hiking Tagged With: inland empire hiking, moreno valley

Riverside Animal Shelter – Nov 30, 2013

December 1, 2013 by Ole Leave a Comment

Even though we have more than our fair share of pets, we decided to head over to our local Riverside County animal shelter yesterday to see the dogs and cats. The only problem with going is that we want to bring them all home with us.

rivanimalshelter-20131130-6 rivanimalshelter-20131130-5

If you are looking for a furry companion, there are plenty of friendly faces waiting for you at your local shelter. Here are a few of them from yesterday:

rivanimalshelter-20131130-1

rivanimalshelter-20131130-7

rivanimalshelter-20131130-4

rivanimalshelter-20131130-3

rivanimalshelter-20131130-2

rivanimalshelter-20131130-8

Want to find a pet of your own? Visit www.rcdas.org to find your local shelter.

Filed Under: Animals, Uncategorized Tagged With: animal shelter, dogs

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