Birds on Arroyo Del Valle Trail (Part 3) - Pleasanton, CA

Hello guys! If you followed me here in the past, you would know I used to walk on Arroyo Del Valle Trail in Pleasanton, CA all the time, but I've neglected to do so for at least a year or two now. I have went back walking on that trail on a new segment I have never been before, so I hope you enjoy the shots! As for new guys, Arroyo Del Valle Trail is a really long walking trail here in Pleasanton, CA that stretches a great distance. Many locals go there to exercise and take daily walks. It is also a trail filled with photographic opportunities as you will see in the coming blog posts. The photos will be split into several blog posts, and will also be split into scenery and bird photos. I have also shot many bird photos while on this walk. I really hope you enjoy.

Full Resolution Photos: If you want to see full resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To view my best Pleasanton, CA photos for 2015, use this link. To view my best 2015 bird photos, use this link. To see all of my 2015 Pleasanton, CA photos, use this link.

Arroyo Del Valle Trail Scenery: Part 1 | Part 2 | 
Birds on Arroyo Del Valle Trail: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 

Remember the overpass you saw in the previous blog posts with the scenery? Under one of those support beams I saw a bunch of wildlife. There were a whole bunch of Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) nests, a House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) nested with the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) nests, and Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) nests. In this blog post I will continue with the photos of the Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) and show you a few photos of the Rock Pigeons (Columba livia). Some of the photos below was shot with the help of my Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Speedlite to help freeze the birds in flight (the flash is very strong, it does flash that far!). You can click on the first photo to start a slideshow.

 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

 While shooting, I saw something move in the hole above me in the overpass. I quickly noticed that they are Rock Pigeons (Columba livia). While it was dark in there, it was no issue for me as I had my Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Speedlite. I decided to shoot some photos of them. 

Black and white process of the photo above.  

Here is another photo of the Rock Pigeons (Columba livia). 

 Black and white process of the photo above.

 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

These are all the photos for today. Next time I will continue with more photos from the trail. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Arroyo Del Valle Trail Scenery: Part 1 | Part 2 | 
Birds on Arroyo Del Valle Trail: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 

Xi Men Ding (西门町)/Wildlife/Taipei MRT - Taiwan (台湾) 2011 (Part 2)

Last year, I made my first visit to Taiwan, R.O.C. I was very busy after I got back and never got a chance to look through them and pick out the photos I'm going to post. I finally took out enough time to finish, so... Here they are! I did not take many photo there as the tropical weather made me very sick. I will be splitting them into a total of 8 parts. I hope you enjoy them!

我去年去台湾旅游了一次。我会把这些照片分成八章文章。


Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To see my best Taiwan photos, use this link. To see all of my Taiwan photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 

I got some photos from the Xi Men Ding (西门町) area, and some wildlife photos. I hope you enjoy viewing them!

I think this is the statue of one of Taiwan's past leaders. I am not sure. Just a wild guess. XD 

This one and the next few photos is from the Xi Men Ding (西门町) area.

Xi Men Ding (西门町) is one of the tourist attractions of Taiwan. The area is usually more alive at night than during the day time. You can do a lot of shopping there. There are also movie theaters as you can tell by the Harry Potter move ad above. That was how long ago I was in Taiwan. :P The ad is for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Part 2". 

Another photo of the Xi Men Ding area.  

 The red building in the background is the Red House Theater (红楼剧场). The Chinese translated is actually Red Building Theater, but close enough. Red House Theater is the most commonly used translation. This is also a tourist attraction in Taipei, Taiwan. The building is located in the Xi Men Ding area. As the name says, it is a theater. They also sell snacks and drinks inside.

The Taipei World Design Expo statue.  

This is away form the Xi Men Ding area. If you saw my previous post, this is the presidential building.  

There are guards standing guard 24 hours a day. Their jobs must be hard. So much clothes for 100° F. 

This was in a near by park somewhere. I needed a rest from such a hot day. As I mentioned in my previous post, the tropical weather made me very sick. :/ Hey look, Taiwan has the same pigeons as the US. These are Rock Pigeons (Columba livia). In my opinion, American pigeons are fatter. LOL 

Water fountain! I wish there was more of these in the US, but I guess in the US the wilderness is usually protected better than other countries...

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Turtles! The ones in the pond is probably released by pet owners. 

Rock Pigeons (Columba livia)

Rock Pigeons (Columba livia)

Another photo of the park.

One of the main streets of Taipei. Photo of downtown. 

Taipei MRT (Similar to BART of the SF Bay Area)

This is the Taipei Main Station. 

Another photo of the Taipei Main Station. 

Another photo of the streets. This is outside one of the MRT stations. 

That is all for today! Next time I will have photos from one of Taiwan's national parks. Make sure you check back! I got baby parakeet photos too! They are very cute! :D Please share this blog post with your friends! I hope you have enjoyed it! I also hope it has helped you if you are planning on going to Taiwan. See you next time!

Next Part >>
<< Previous Part