The Traveling Widower

Category: wildlife

  • A Birds of Prey Photo Workshop

    Close-up of a snowy owl with striking orange eyes and detailed feather patterns, set against a blurred green background.

    May 30th, 2026

    A few months ago, I had signed up for a three part workshop on photographing birds of prey (eagles, hawks, owls, etc) through a local camera store (Mike’s Camera). Part 1 was a live class (on Zoom) with an instructor who specializes in bird photography, followed up by a photo session at a local falconry organization – four hours photographing a variety of birds which were either rescued and rehabilitated, or were raised specifically for falconry. The last part of the worksho was another session with the instructor, to review our best images from the photo shoot. 

    The initial class was great – I learned quite a bit on the best camera settings for photographing birds in flight ( I have to stop using “shooting”, especially with animals and of course, people) as well as some features of my Sony A7R which I had not used yet. The live photo session was orignally scheduled for the following week, but was rained out – the birds don’t particularly enjoy flying in heavy rain, nor do any of the attendees want to stand out in the rain with their expensive gear. The session was rescheduled to May 29…yesterday. And it was worth the wait. 

    West Coast Falconry

    A fenced enclosure containing several birds of prey, including hawks, sitting on platforms covered with artificial grass and rocks. Water dishes are placed around the area, and a building with multiple doors is visible in the background.
    Bird pen with a bunch of hawks hanging around

    The falconry facility is located in the foothills east of Marysville, an hour or so drive north of Sacramento. Their website describes the organization as “a resource for a full range of hands-on raptor and falconry classes and services”, which includes educational opportunities to learn about the birds and falconry as well as workshops for photography groups. They are located in a beautiful wooded, hilly area, and have a variety of hawks, falcons and owls, all of which are well fed and maintained by the owner and staff. Some of these are rescue birds, some raised for falconry, and a few wild birds as well. The handlers are all experienced falconers, and manage the workshops so that the birds are never stressed or overworked. It’s all about the birds at this place. It takes a lot of time and patience to work with these wild creatures, and the handlers have gained the trust of the birds. That’s a good thing – the big birds have extremely large, sharp talons and can tear their prey apart with their beaks. Handle with care.

    Once our group arrived and set up their gear (lots of serious photographers), we were introduced to the owner and handlers, and did some static shots of a really cute, immature falcon. 

    A hawk perched on a hand wearing a black glove, surrounded by trees and greenery.
    A woman wearing a red hoodie stands outside holding a bird of prey on her gloved arm, with a 35 MPH speed limit sign visible in the background.
    Close-up of a falcon with a yellow beak and striking yellow eyes, set against a blurred natural background.
    Close-up of a young bird of prey with a brown and white patterned feather texture and large dark eyes.
    A close-up of a brown and white speckled bird with a rounded head and distinctive facial features, set against a dark background.

    We then headed off up a hill for a working session with a Harris Hawk – a big, beautiful bird.

    The handlers use food as the lure to get the birds to either perch somewhere for static shots, or to get them to fly up or down an open area on the hill side. The group then spreads out along the flight path, and does their best to try and get the bird in flight. You basically set your camera for the highest possible shutter speed, and frames per second, point where you want to start capturing and image, and then hope for the best. The Harris Hawk was pretty slow, but still hard to capture in flight and get a sharp image especially in relatively low light conditions (very cloudy). But it was fun either way.

    A person standing in a field with a hawk spreading its wings, showcasing its feathers. The background consists of grass and sparse trees.
    Close-up of a hawk with a sharp beak and intense yellow eyes against a blurred background.
    A close-up of a hawk perched on a wooden platform, showing its brown plumage and yellow beak against a blurred green background.
    A hawk in flight above a grassy field, with a wooden log in the foreground.

    The next bird they brought out was more of a challenge to photograph – an Aplomado Falcon. Beautiful bird, but really fast. The handler said the bird comes into their glove sometimes at 30MPH. 

    A bird of prey perched on a weathered wooden stump in a grassy field.
    A falcon in flight over dry grassland, showcasing its distinctive features and keen expression.

    The next three birds they brought out were for mostly static shots. The birds were tethered to a line, which allowed them fly a bit around the rock outcrop. First was a European Eagle Owl – unbelievably large, beautiful owl.

    A majestic owl perched on a rocky surface, showcasing its detailed feathers and striking orange eyes.
    A close-up of a white owl perched on a rocky surface, showcasing its striking orange eyes and patterned feathers.

    They followed that one up with my favorite bird- a little Eastern Screech Owl. We have the Western version in the nature areas behind my house – you never see them since they are tiny and blend in with the trees, but their call is this cute sort of chortle. My wife loved to hear them at night. 

    Close-up of a brown owl with striking yellow eyes and detailed feather patterns, perched in a natural setting.
    A close-up of a camouflaged owl perched on a moss-covered rock, with yellow eyes and feathers blending into the natural surroundings.
    A close-up of a brown and gray owl perched on a textured tree trunk, surrounded by lichen and leaves.

    The last “display” birds were another hawk, and some type of eagle….I think. Whatever…it was huge. I think I was getting tired of standing and holding the camera by then.

    A man in a hoodie stands outdoors, holding a golden eagle on his gloved arm amidst a wooded area.

    We wrapped up the day with selfie shots with one of the birds ($20…which goes to buy food for the birds). I chose the falcon. Less chance of having my nose torn off. 

    An older man wearing sunglasses and a blue cap is holding a bird of prey, a falcon, on his glove. The background features purple foliage.
    Me and a new friend

    Overall, a really enjoyable morning, and a great learning experience as well – most of my static shots and close-ups came out the way I wanted them. What did not work was getting crisp shots of the birds in flight – you need a fast lens if you are photographing fast moving objects in relatively low light conditions. I opted for travel weight when I bought the two long lenses, and you give up a stop or two for the lighter, less expensive lenses. Maybe I’ll invest in a really good long lens someday. And then hire someone to carry it for me. 

    One sad note on West Coast Falconry – they had a break-in recently by an animal activist group. The facilities were heavily vandalized, and they released eleven of the birds. Fortunately, most of the birds stayed close to “home”, and were safely retrieved. In my opinion, the activist  group does not seem to understand that most of these animals have never had to fend for themselves in the wild since they were bred in captivity. They are well fed and taken care of by the staff, and most live much longer that they would in the wild.

  • Keep On Keepin’ On

    “The only thing I knew how to do”
    “was to keep on keeping on”
    Tangled up in Blue, Bob Dylan

    May 10th, 2026

    This post started out as a personal whine about aging, and morphed into a composite of those strange thoughts that randomly bounce around in my head, along with some geeky hiking and photography stuff. Sorry, the blog is my replacement for having someone to talk to in the morning.

    Maybe I really should get a Golden Retriever. They are good listeners, as long as you have snacks in your hand. 

    A man sitting in a chair with a mug talking to a golden retriever in a living room, featuring comfortable furniture and a coffee table with books and candles.
    How did this guy and his dog get in my house?

    One of the problems with being ancient is that the damage from all the sports and dangerous activities we undertake through the years is cumulative. The human body was designed for hunting and gathering, and has not really evolved much beyond that in the last million or so years. Eventually, parts of our bodies wear out – knees can only take so much abuse from running, basketball, tennis and other fast movement sports. Shoulders are the same, especially for baseball and racket sports. How many tennis players do you know who have had one or two shoulder surgeries? I’ve had one, and I suck at the sport. Broken bones in various parts of your body  can lead to painful arthritis as you age. I’ve broken lots of bones, which complain most every morning, especially when the weather turns cold and damp. Hips wear out from a number of activities. Maybe sometime in the far distant future, there will be a sub-species or two – the current Homo Sapiens, sort of the generic person still limping along in their 70’s, a new and improved model,  Homo sapiens athleticus, and then maybe one at the other end of the spectrum, Homo sapiens couchpotato, sort of a cross between a human and golden retriever.

    The good news is that while our bodies may not have evolved, our big brains (for some of us at least) have come up with replacements for a lot of the parts that wear out – sort of like replacing worn out parts in your car – an Autozone for the over achievers in athletics. It seems like so many of the tennis and pickleball players out on the court have one or two replacement parts – knees, hips or shoulders. Heck, some people have replacement heart valves and are still motoring along. 

    I’ve done all kinds of damage to my body, but somehow or another, I have avoided having anything replaced so far. That’s not necessarily a good thing – I wish one of my knees was wrecked enough to replace. But with my usual bad luck, I’ve inherited a wonky nervous system from my mother, and have something that cannot be fixed with a replacement part. Nerves. 

    I was diagnosed some time ago with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, a condition where the long nerves in the legs degenerate (and arms too), misfire, and eventually stop working. I already wrote about this condition in a previous post, so I won’t bore you with details, just that the neurologists have no clue what causes it, or how to cure it. Lucky me. I currently have issues with mobility and balance, which are not going to improve, and will continue to get worse over time.

    I have to be extremely careful hiking, and have opted out of more difficult hikes on the last few National Geographic trips. The night time photo shoots in Arches National Park were a bit frightening for me, since my balance was way off in the dark, especially when we had to hike to rocky, awkward setups for our gear. I wound up holding on to the tripod most of the time, to have a point of reference. 

    This year, I should be OK with the remaining trips – only two have significant hiking, all of which are in the daylight and on flat terrain. Running away from the Kodiak bears might be an issue though.

    Next year may be more problematic as a few of the trips have some moderately difficult hikes. I have yet to book any trips for 2028 – there are quite a few I’d like to schedule, but I have to think about what my physical limitations might be in a few years. Bummer. Switching to Viking river cruises is not the answer for me. I’ve had to give up drinking wine and martinis – I’m not giving up on travel. My bucket list does not seem to be getting any smaller since I keep finding new, interesting places to go to. 

    But, there is a non-surgical, potential solution to my problem – not replacement parts, but body augmentation! I give you…..

    …..The Robo-Traveling-Widower!!!!

    An elderly man wearing an exoskeleton and hiking gear walks along a rocky mountain path with a golden retriever dog, surrounded by a scenic landscape of mountains and trees.

    I’m serious about this. There are a couple of companies which are developing exoskeletons and one or two are already available. One in particular, the Hypershell from a company of the same name (https://hypershell.tech/en-us), might be something I look into as the wonkiness in my legs progresses. It’s sort of like an electric bike – it provides extra oomph to your legs when you need it. The top-end version is light weight (carbon fiber), with a small battery pack, that can handle up to a 30km hike, which is much further than I walk/hike on a given day. For $1800, it would be worth it to keep me on the trails. 

    For now, I’ll just rely on my latest REI purchase for hiking stability, collapsible carbon-fiber hiking sticks from Black Diamond. Yes, I now have four sets of sticks (one was my wife’s). I’ve been jamming a pair of heavier, aluminum poles in luggage on most of my trips, and I’m  desperately trying to lighten my load for the next trips. The new sticks are like tent-poles – they split into 3 connected segments, and take up much less room. New toys from REI.

    Adjustable trekking poles with blue accents, placed on a textured gray surface.

    And while I’m on the topic of reducing my luggage weight, I was depressed the other day, so flipped a coin as to where I should go shopping – REI or Mike’s Camera. That always cheers me up. Seriously, I had been considering buying yet another lens for some of my upcoming trips. I currently rely on two lenses – the new 25-200mm Tamron lens for most everything other than wildlife (all the rose garden photos were shot with that), and the big 150-500mm for wildlife. But, there are trips where I don’t really need the reach of the 500mm – the Natural Habitat lead for the Kodiak trip said you only need a big lens if you want to get a picture of a bear eye ball. I decided maybe I need something in-between, like a 100-400mm lens. As it turns out, Sony has that lens, and Tamron has a 50-400 for half the price. Off I went to my favorite camera store (only one in this area) to compare the two. Fortunately, this also happened to be the day Mike’s Camera has their annual sale, and had rep’s from all the major manufacturers in the store. They brought out both lenses for me – the Sony was over a pound heavier, and was older technology. Easy decision to make. My camera closet is getting crowded with gear. 

    But now I’ll be a bit faster with less to carry, when I have a Kodiak bear chasing after me.

    A man running along a beach, holding a camera, as a large grizzly bear charges toward him. The scene is set against a backdrop of mountains and a forested area.
    Run Forest, Run!!!

    I’m so excited about that trip.

    Peace (I hope)