We drove through the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge near the Oregon border today. The area comprises nearly 49,000 acres of lake, swamp and meadows. It is on the Pacific Flyway and is teeming with avian and insect wildlife. These tiny damselflies were everywhere. They are about as wide as a toothpick and about twice as long. I don't have a macro lens for my 5D, so this is heavily cropped. Two other versions are shown in the first comment boxes below. (thanks to Nicki for the correct id - I thought they were dragonflies.)
www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/tulelake/tulelake.html
Tags: Tule Lake Tulelake CA Siskiyou Modoc County National Wildlife Refufe Refuge Klamath Basin 4B4A9958 blue bug insect 365: the 2013 edition 365:2013 Day 203/365 Day 203 22-Jul-13 damselflies damselfly
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Mt. Shasta is the 5th tallest mountain in California at 14,179 feet and is located in the Cascade Range, part of the vast Pacific Rim of Fire. We are accustomed to seeing it from the west side when driving on highway 5. From the east side, seen here from the Tule Lake National Wildlife Reserve, it is a looming presence on the horizon throughout this entire region, and has much more snow and ice in the middle of July. I suppose the west side melts faster. From here, it's probably about 100 miles away.
These fields of grain are maintained primarily for the benefit of the millions of migratory birds that pass through the Tule Lake area.
Two other views are shown in the top comment boxes below.
Tags: Tule Lake Tulelake CA Siskiyou Modoc County National Wildlife Refufe Refuge Klamath Basin http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/tulelake/tulelake.html 4B4A9966 Mt. Shasta volcano volcanic glaciers snow snowy peak clear day blue sky
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We came across a huge squadron of pelicans on sump no. 2 at Tule Lake National Wildlife Reserve. I've never seen so many pelicans at one time, nor in such an orderly group. They dove, swam and fished nearly in unison. Now I know why the official word for a pack of pelicans is a squadron !
Tags: Tule Lake TUlelake national wildlife preserve reserve park sump white pelicans pack bunch fishing swimming formation squadron _MG_2173
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