Fresno County California Recreation Shutdown

Fresno County California Recreation Shutdown

Dale Matson

The 2020 Population of Fresno County is 986,542. As of 03-30-20, there are 43 confirmed cases of Corona Virus and no deaths due to Corona virus. This means that the confirmed infection rate is currently .000042 percent.

My question to those in charge is, “Why are so many outdoor venues being closed?” Every City Park has been closed to parking. Every County Park, Millerton Lake State Park and Kings Canyon National Park are closed. Even the snow parks on Highway 168 have been closed.

If the issue is lack of social distancing, how will closing these places help? People are simply parking their vehicles near the gates and walking into these parks. These draconian measures simply lead to civil disobedience.

Please reconsider reopening some of these facilities.

Note: 2 April. Millerton Lake State Park has been reopened to hikers, walkers and cyclists but there is no parking in the park.

Sitting Tight

Dale Matson

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Golden Guard

For the time being, everyone seems to be “sheltering in place” including the eagles in the several nests that I am keeping track of. At this point, I would say we are about 10 days out before the chicks begin to hatch out of their eggs.

I want to note a couple of things in my nest watching. The first thing is that the eagle nest is kind of a miniature ecosystem. There is all manner of small birds that seem to live in lower portions of the eagles’ nests. Maybe this is a kind of defense for the smaller birds. I’m not sure what the eagles get out of it.

The eagle pairs also “partner” in in sitting on the eggs. In particular we have noted that shortly after sunrise the eagle “guard” on top of the tree switches with the eagle on the eggs. We have noted this three times. In our three visits to the golden eagle nest in Madera.

Of course, once the chicks hatch, initially only the two nests that I can observe from above will I be able to see the chicks. Both of those nests involve difficult and long climbs for me.

Photo Of The Day Mountain Lion

Dale Matson

Steve Yeager is not just the “Sheep Whisperer” from Bishop CA, he is also a great photographer. He has the most photographs (and the best) of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep.

Steve Pointing At Some White Mountain Sheep

He has lots of connections being a 3^rd generation person from Bishop. He knows someone who tracks mountain lions and collars them for the CA Department of Fish and Game. Steve has lots of great mountain lion shots (I have none) and I wanted to share this one with the readers of my blog.

This is one of the best (and closest photographs I have ever seen of a mountain lion.

Steve By My Truck

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Six Bighorn Rams In The Eastern Sierra

Dale Matson

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Four Magnificent Sierra Rams

         This was an out and back course on a game trail in a canyon in the Sierra. I had pretty much given up looking and was headed back to my truck when I decided to sit and glass a portion of the hill across the canyon on the other side of the creek, one more time…and there they were. There were six rams high above me grazing. I must have past them outbound and just missed seeing them. These endangered sheep are crafty.

         It was one of those moments in time when the temperature was a mild 50 degrees and half way through my photo shoot, the sun came out too. I sat and photographed for one and a half hours hand holding my Sony 200-400mm lens with a 1.4X teleconverter plus I shot cropped with the A7R4 which still gave me good sized files. The rams would look at me from time to time but were not bothered by my presence. It reminded me of the close encounter on Tully Creek a few years ago.

         I wanted to move on to another location but resisted the urge since the sheep are where you find them. What a day! As it turned out, I would see no other sheep that day in the other two locations I usually go.

         I watched a single ram straighten up and stiffen. About three seconds later I could hear the clash of horns across the canyon. Although it is no longer rutting season, they still bash heads now and then.

         How blessed I am at age 75 to see such sights. It quelled my “sheep fever” for that day.

 Looking East

A Boring Time But A Promising Time

Dale Matson

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Golden On Top Of Tree Keeping Watch

This time of year, around here, the eagles are laying low. Half the eagles are on the nest and the other half are standing guard nearby. There is not much to photograph. The bird on the nest is barely visible, usually with only the beak, eyes, and tail showing.

This is in stark contrast with when the chicks arrive and the pair of adults are out hunting for food for the chicks. By the time the eagle chicks are ready to fledge, the adults are hunting much of the day.

I have a rule of thumb. For both the golden and bald eagles, once the bird is on the nest, I don’t do much photographing. Once the chicks are hatched, the adults rarely abandon a nest but until then, the adults have no compunction about abandoning a nest.

It will be another month or so until the chicks are hatched. Goldens take a week or so longer than bald eagles. So, I wait and I wait. I observe from long distance. For example, I observe the goldens across Millerton Lake on the Madera side from the Fresno side. Even so, I often see the bird through binoculars or my super telephoto lens looking across the lake at me. Their eyes have built in binoculars.

Two Goldens On Madera Side Taken From Fresno Side of Millerton Lake

I often think of Luke Skywalker on his “Speeder Bike” as the goldens glide swiftly through the trees on the hillside as they search for food. They are amazing acrobats and hard to follow even from such a great distance.

 Eagle's Nest Pine Flat Area

 One On Eggs While The Other Watches

 Bringing Material To Refurbish The Nest

 Golden Emerging From Nest In Fresno County

 Bald Eagle On Nest From Millerton Eagle Tour Boat Near Pincushion Peak

Two Bald Eagles On Nest In Sea scout Cove Millerton Lake