It’s a nice 69°F outside in NorCal but the air quality is gnarly because of agriculture/large property owner pile burning. #CaWxThis image displays a PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) reading with two channels: Channel A at 143 and Channel B at 138. Below the readings is a PM2.5 AQI history bar graph, showing varying colors from green (better air) to red.


A (western?) toad left this dropping literally at our front door. It’s full of pillbugs (roly-polies)! A small, segmented brown animal dropping on a concrete surface with a human finger pointing at it for scale. The dropping is full of pill bugs.


Inspector Woodpecker was quite enthusiastic about this eucalyptus #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #NorthernFlicker #Fujifilm #SooCA black and white woodpecker is perched on the trunk of a eucalyptus tree, surrounded by green foliage.


Here’s to a fine Sunday morning flying an Embraer E-175 from KSEA to KPHX (Seattle to Phoenix). Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens loom large. #XPlane12 #XCrafts #E175 #FlightSim

An Embraer 175 in American Eagle livery flies past Mount Ranier with Mount St. Helens looming in the background. It's a somewhat overcast day but blue, sunny skies above the clouds.


At the refuge, the only newcomers are white crowns and white fronted geese. But I only photographed a Black Phoebe that just pooped and a rather brave squirrel. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #BlackPhoebe #Squirrel 🪶A small, Black Phoebe is perched on a barren, leafless branch against a clear blue sky. The branch extends across the photo and ends at the center where the bird is. A falling drop of bright white bird poop is barely visible below the bird. A ground squirrel standing on its hind legs next to a fallen Willow tree with branches, in a dry grassy environment.


XPlane 12’s boat update is fun but IMHO a sailboat just down SFO’s runway 28R is taking it too far #XPlane12 #BetaRelease #FlightSim A XPlane 12 simulated view from an airplane cockpit window showing an airport runway with taxiways and lighting, set against a background of mountains and buildings. The sky is clear with some scattered clouds. There’s a sail boat just down the runway.


It’s great that XPlane lets aircraft devs bypass native modeling but that means other native features may not work. The usual example is a broken native fuel & weight config dialog. A newer one for me is an inaccurate fuel flow data ref. But the model is quite accurate. #XPlane #FlightSimulation


For now, here’s an urban Black Phoebe #BlackPhoebe #Birds #BirdWatching A small bird is perched on a tree branch amidst dense green foliage. The bird has a black head, back, and wings with a light-colored belly. Dappled sunlight filters through the leaves.


Geese & White Crowns are back. Soon as the weather stays cooler, I hope to be out at the refuges on weekends. And that should mean photos to share! 🤞


Yikes. Dresden’s Carola Bridge collapsed in their early morning hours. Apparently a tram had just crossed it and no one was on the bridge. And soon floods may begin. Here’s the bridge back in 2009 with a tram passing over. #Carolabrücke A busy riverside promenade with numerous people walking and socializing. Several street lamps, a parking sign, and a no-stopping sign are visible along the cobblestone walkway. There is a river with the concrete pier Carola Bridge. A church is visible beyond the far shore.


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