“Want to look for bluebirds at sunset?”
How could I resist?
Meandering along a trail, through endless meadows …
Golden Hour’s magic in plain sight.
Just behind the bend, a Townsend’s Solitaire appears.
Quietly, we approach.
Off he goes … and so do we …
Townsend’s Solitaire
Suddenly we spot them!
Up in the meadow perched on a lone branch
two bluebirds posing expertly.
Trying my best to not look human
I slooooowly, sloooooooooowly sneak closer
and closer,
avoiding the cow patties
while silently hoping the rattlesnakes
have gone home for the night.
Western Bluebird
The sun’s low in the evening glow.
Long shadows appear all around
not sparing the beetle on the ground.
In the gentle breeze, the golden glow
we spot a kite up in the sky.
Hovering above the fields
hunting for the day’s last meal.
In awe we watch him
hover … dive … and hover …
Time to rest for this white-tailed kite
before he flies off for the night.
We scramble down the path, down the hill
while birds all around us sing.
As we drive back to the house I quietly think …
How lucky I am
to have seen the bluebirds and solitaire behind the bend,
the magical golden hour glow,
all while rekindling a long-standing friendship of
sharing, caring, growing
together … and apart.
I recently went on my annual road trip to California. I was gone for almost two weeks, visiting friends, and also taking in some of the sights I never took in while living here. This bluebird walk with my friend Christine was just spectacular. Taylor Mountain is a fairly recently opened Sonoma County Regional Park. It’s on the east side of Santa Rosa, off of Petaluma Hill Road. The park is also used for cattle grazing. We did not however encounter any bovine sightings. If you ever find yourself in this area I hope you take a little time and visit this park, especially early in the morning or during the evening.
Where did you hike on your vacation?
Sabine
in cahoots with muddy boots 
Beautiful photos Sabine. Love them all 🙂
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Thanks Arlene! 🙋
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I was wondering where that was as it appeared so dry. Sneaking up on birds is a great skill for a photographer. You are excellent at it. Great photos.
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Thanks Marlene! Everything down there is tinder dry! I’ll reply to your email later! 😉
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Very beautiful pictures Sabine – I just hike around town, but it is not as beautiful as you have here. Strange that those beautiful blue birds prefer to perch so low to the ground. I’m worrying for them from afar after you mentioned the rattlers. Tell them to fly high like the kite. 🙂
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Hi Linda, I don’t think rattlers would bother with birds. But I really don’t know! Hiking around town is fun too as there are so many different things to discover! 😊
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That’s good – I was worried about them not seeing the rattlers. Yes, yesterday I was in a different Park and saw two deer. It made my day.
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Glad you had a nice walk! Deer are always nice to see as they seem so peaceful!
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I was surprised to see this large woodsy area and not a single squirrel or bird, then all of a sudden the two deer popped out of the bushes. They are peaceful Sabine – it made my day.
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Lovely, Sabine.
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Thanks! 😊
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Beautiful, Sabine. We recently hiked Falls Creek Falls outside of Stevenson, Washington. It was amazing as the creek tumbled through rocks from the falls. Tomorrow I’m hiking Shevlin Park with my daughter-in-law. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your time in Cali with family and friends!
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I’ll have to google the Falls Creek hike! Sounds incredible! I did enjoy my time in Cali since it always feels like coming home! Enjoy Shevlin Park Missy!
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You would enjoy the hike. It’s about 4 miles round trip with a fairly gentle path until you get close to the top. Even then the climb is fairly easy!
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Now I’m definitely curious! Thanks for the info!
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Amazing pictures 🙂
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Thanks! 🙋
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Superlative shots, Sabine! 🙂 A couple of the women that i used to work with, before i retired, were obsessed with bluebirds and would pack their fridges with live grub worms for them.
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Wow! They really were obsessed! I was just happy to get such a good look at them. Thanks for always stopping by Tom! 😊
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Beautiful shots. I especially enjoyed how you captured the beetle’s shadow.
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It was fascinating watching this creature moving across the path and see the shadow change. Thanks for reading and commenting! 😊
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Just now saw your blog. So very beautifully put together. That bluebird shot is remarkable. I almost feel like I was there!
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Christine, this will forever be one of my very favorite hikes/walks with you! I look forward to another one next year and hopefully you’ll have time to come up and go for a special hike here. I can’t however promise bluebirds and golden meadows! 😉
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Beautiful pictures! Next time you find yourself in the area you should check out North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park. There is a trail connecting to Jack London park about 8-10 miles round trip. Or for a smaller hike the views from the Umbrella tree are spectacular.
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Thanks for the hiking trip! I will google it and hopefully visit this park next time I’m down there. Thank you also for reading and commenting! 😊
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