Nature Gallery

All photos were taken by John or Virginia Rudzinskas.

Photos from our neighborhood, surrounding area and trips.

1. Animals

A bobcat in our side yard.

Three otters swimming.

A harbor seal in the Noyo River at Ft. Bragg, CA.

A bison in Yellowstone National Park.

An emu in Australia.

A kangaroo in Australia.

A koala having some lunch in an eucalyptus tree in Australia.

The fearsome (not really) Tasmanian Devil in a Tasmanian unzoo.

A wallaby on Phillip Island, Australia.

A couple of wombats in Australia.

A beaver out for a swim.

A muskrat.

Turkeys in our back yard.

A young muskrat.

A coyote in the distance.

A buck running onto our driveway.

Sideview of young muskrat.

A mom and her fawns under our trees. John would cut branches for them.

A muskrat in the water.

Squirrel.

Jackrabbit on our land.

Four otters crossing the path that goes around Cameron Park Lake.

Close-ups of the four otters.

A muskrat about to swim over a turtle.

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2. Artistic

A little local artistic flair from Folsom.

This one's not so local but artistic for sure!

Artistic shot of our bush.

Blue Agave in the snow.

Front evergreens in the moonlight.

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3. Birds (Look below the bird photo to see what kind it is.)

A snowy egret with her early morning catch at Cameron Park Lake.

A great egret takes flight.

A bald eagle we saw at Jenner, CA.

A beautiful Belted Kingfisher.

Brown pelicans.

A common loon.

Common mergansers.

A Cooper's Hawk spotted at Cameron Park Lake.

A female Northern Flicker.

A Great Blue Heron finds a nice tree perch above the mouth of the Russian River.

A Northern Harrier.

An osprey.

A Peregrine Falcon.

A Peregrine Falcon.

A Red-tailed Hawk.

A Red-tailed Hawk.

A red-shouldered hawk with prey.

A green heron perches in a palm tree.

A spotted towhee.

A group of American white pelicans.

An acorn woodpecker with the characteristic dazed look.

An Australian Darter drying his wings in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia.

An Australian pelican on Phillip Island, Australia.

A black-necked crane in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia.

A breeding male mallard displaying his courtship colors.

A cliff swallow performing aerial acrobatics.

A comb-crested jacana in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia.

A hermit thrush momentarily comes out of hiding.

A mischievous kea on the South Island, New Zealand.

A Little Penguin on Phillip Island, Australia.

Fishing buddies. A belted kingfisher and an osprey at the Noyo River, Ft. Bragg, CA.

A white-faced ibis at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area near Davis, CA.

A yellow-rumped warbler at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, CA.

A pair of cockatoos in New Zealand.

A Lark Sparrow.

A golden-crowned sparrow.

A lesser goldfinch.

A California quail.

A Canada goose poses in a tree at Cameron Park Lake.

A majestic bald eagle in flight.

An osprey surveys the water.

A juvenile red-shouldered hawk basks in the morning sun.

A duck contemplates his reflection in the water.

An American robin.

A black-crowned night heron.

A white-breasted nuthatch.

A trio of white-faced ibis.

An Eurasian collared-dove.

A lesser goldfinch.

An oak titmouse.

A Nuttall's woodpecker.

A red-shouldered hawk.

A red-tailed hawk.

A mute swan.

A bald eagle captures a drone :).

A gull we saw at Jenner, CA.

A red-shouldered hawk.

A red-shouldered hawk in flight.

A red-shouldered hawk in flight.

A cinnamon teal duck.

A red-tailed hawk atop a pine.

Look at me! A turkey in our back yard.

Our local black swan with his mate at Cameron Park Lake.

Three cormorants in a tree at Cameron Park Lake. We see them on our daily walk.

Cormorants on the rocks in Cameron Park Lake.

A bufflehead swimming in Cameron Park Lake.

A white tailed kite flying at Rassmussen Park.

A swan sitting in her nest on Cameron Park Lake.

Some geese and ducks at Lumsden Park, Placerville, CA.

A mourning dove in our back yard.

Beautiful little Western bluebird.

A rare sighting of a pelican on Cameron Park Lake.

A colorful mallard duck on Cameron Park Lake.

A western bluebird posing for us on a fence.

Warring woodpeckers.

A killdeer at the water's edge.

A mute swan coming in for a landing.

A hummingbird having breakfast.

A great egret and her catch.

A pied-billed grebe sitting on her nest at Cameron Park Lake.

A pied-billed grebe with her baby.

The pied-billed grebe with her baby chick on her back.

A Golden-Crowned sparrow.

The California thrasher.

The Great Blue Heron.

Birds at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

An eagle at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

A great egret at Cameron Park Lake.

A hawk at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

A peacock at Daffodil Hill.

A few turkeys in our back yard.

A vulture peering down at his lunch.

A noisy grackle.

A mallard and his mate.

Coots swimming in Cameron Park Lake.

A duck family.

A Canada goose with her goslings.

A green heron

Canada geese in flight.

Canada geese in flight.

"Alright children, stay in line".

A rock pigeon.

An acorn woodpecker temporarily sits on the ground.

A mute swan and cygnets at Rassmussen Park Pond.

A white-tailed kite high in the tree.

A lesser goldfinch foraging in our side yard.

A pretty little tree swallow taking a break from chasing down flying insects.

A black phoebe.

A pied-billed grebe.

A gallinule.

Several house finches.

A grackle painted with the light of sunset.

A pair of American Wigeons.

A Black-headed grosbeak.

Two male California Quail.

A Hooded Oriole.

A Northern Mockingbird.

This is a red-tailed hawk.

This is a White-breasted nuthatch.

This is a California Towhee.

This is a Hooded Merganser.

This is a Cormorant up close and personal.

This is a bird in our back yard.

This is a red-shouldered hawk.

This is a red-tailed hawk.

This is a couple of swans making a heart with their necks.

This is a Western kingbird.

This is an Ash throated flycatcher.

This is an immature scrub jay.

A Lark Sparrow.

An Anna's Hummingbird, a housefinch and a black-headed grosbeak.

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4. Flowers and Trees

A striking flower we found along Rassmussen Park Pond.

Endangered mules ears that grow all over our back yard.

One of many redbud trees that grow natively all over our land.

Daffodils at Daffodil Hill.

Another picture of a gorgeous flower at Rassmussen Park Pond.

Agave century plant in our back yard with a rainbow behind it.

Agave century plant in our back yard at sunset.

A mushroom that popped up in our side yard.

A couple of our beautiful roses in the front yard.

A wildflower from our yard..

A pretty purple flower on a "weed".

California Poppies.

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5. Insects

A delicate looking dragonfly we saw at Rassmussen Park Pond.

A blue dasher we saw at Rassmussen Park Pond.

Another dragonfly we couldn't resist photographing.

A damsel fly (bluet).

A striped bee burrowing for nectar.

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6. Reptiles

A moss encrusted turtle at Cameron Park Lake.

A typical lizard we saw at Cameron Park Lake. They're everywhere!

A king snake we encountered while on our morning walk through Rassmussen Park.

A red-eared slider turtle staring back at us at Cameron Park Lake.

A turtle catching some rays at Cameron Park Lake.

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