Vasquez Rocks

Fuji Neopan 400
Canon Elan 7n
Rodinal 1:100 Stand Development

Vasquez Rocks is a part of a 905 acre natural area park located in northern Los Angeles County. If the rocks look familiar to you it's because they are a popular filming location in Southern California. Probably most famous for their appearance in the original Star Trek series, the rock formations have been used in episodes of Friends, Roswell, MacGyver, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and many others. Several feature length films have also used the rocks for location shoots including, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Short Circuit, Blazing Saddles, and the Austin Powers franchise. The formations even inspired the back drop of Radiator Springs in the Pixar movie Cars. 

The formation got its name from the notorious bandit Tiburcio Vasquez, who is said to have used the rocks as a hideout in the 1870's. This area may also have been significant to the native peoples of California. Rock art has been found in the surrounding formations that date back to 450 AD and have been attributed to the Tataviam tribe (a Shoshone speaking people). The area is also likely to have been occupied prior to the arrival of the Tataviam, most likely by people of Chumash origin.

Efke 25

Minolta Hi-Matic AF2

Rodinal 1:100 Stand development

The geology of the region is quite fascinating. Much of the rocks are made up of sand and silt sediments which eroded of of the San Gabriel Mountains to the south around 25 million years ago.  About the same time the North American Plate overrode the Farallon Plate and came in contact with the Pacific Plate forming the San Andreas fault system. The tectonic activity brought molten lava to the surface that formed basalt flows area. In the millions of years since repeated episodes of tectonic uplift and surface weathering have created the iconic structures. 

Vasquez Rocks are easily accessible from the Antelope Valley Freeway, CA 14 (See Google Map). It makes a great day trip for the family. The hiking trails are easy to traverse, and there are picnic tables and restrooms at the base of the formation. If you want something fun and outdoors the whole family can enjoy you should check the park out.

Kodak Ektachrome 160T

Yashica A

Arista C-41 Uni-powder kit

Fujichrome Velvia 50

Yashica A

Arista C-41 Uni-powder kit

Kodak Ektachrome 160T

Yashica A

Arista C-41 Uni-powder kit

Arista EDU 100

Holga 120S

Rodinal 1:100 Stand development

Fuji Neopan 400
Canon Elan 7n
Rodinal 1:100 Stand Development

Kodak 800 (Redscale)

Canon Elan 7n

Arista C-41 Uni-powder kit

The Great Backyard Bird Count is Almost Here

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The annual four-day event engages bird watchers in counting birds. Participants count birds for a little as 15 minutes, or as long as they want during each day of the event. The counts are entered and tallied to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are.

This year hallmarks the 16th annual bird count and the first international snapshot of avian populations. Traditionally checklists were accepted only from North America and Hawaii, but now you can participate from anywhere in the world.

Scientists can learn a lot from knowing where birds are. Bird populations are in constant flux. No single scientist or group of scientists could possibly collect and document the movements and distribution of the almost 1,000 bird species found across North America and Hawaii, let alone the 10,000 species found throughout the world.

Data collected by the GBBC can be viewed by anyone with internet access. Participants can explore data from their home town, state, or the entire continent. They can compare data from the current year with those from past counts. They can view top ten lists of the most numerous birds, the most frequently reported birds, as well as which regions reported the most species.

Check out some of my images from previous Backyard Bird Counts:

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)

Del Rey Lagoon Park

Playa Del Rey, CaliforniaFebruary 19th, 2012

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Huntington Beach, California

February 21st, 2011

American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Huntington Beach, California

February 21st, 2011