You were in my dream last night...

Actually, you probably weren't. But many people would feel very uncomfortable if someone told them that. I don't know why.

Man Sleeping on Field by Space Ship Galaxy Fantasy.

We dream about people we know: family, friends, work mates. Why wouldn't we? Except that I actually dream about lots of people I don't know, too. Well, I do know them in my dream, but when I wake I have no idea who they were. I have several repeat guest visitors to my dreams who I know only from my dreams.

I dream as soon as my head hits the pillow, usually entering the same dream I left off with the previous morning. That's often when I remember my previous night's dream, and the remembering sometimes wakes me back up.

Even people I dream about that I do know often don't stay that same person, morphing from one person to another, or are actually two people in one. For instance, my youngest daughter and my youngest sister are often the same dual-person in my dreams.

Last night I wasn't even in my own dream. Or I wasn't me. I was a mountain man or Clarence Birdseye discovering quick-frozen fish in the far north (thanks PBS!). A snow storm or avalanche (looking suspiciously like the dust cloud from the Dust Bowl, thanks again PBS!) was coming right at me. Whereupon a herd of bison and men with bison heads (some riding horses) came over the rise to escape the snowy disaster and were about to trample me. So I jumped in a hole in the ground that was also being used by hibernating cave bears.

Exciting for me. Boring for you to hear about. And don't bother analyzing it. Dreams don't mean anything. I often dream about something that happened during the day and whatever TV show I watched last before retiring. (Admittedly, though, I have no idea where the bison-headed horsemen came from.)

Besides being Clarence Birdseye, I have been a car in my dreams (thankfully with no singing or flying off into the sunset), a chair, and also Marlene's pillow (I gave her head a loving hug). I've even been... no, wait... that really would make you uncomfortable!

See you in my dreams!

A Duck Diving Goose

"Duck Diving" is a technique surfers use to dive through oncoming waves.

Well I've got proof that surfers aren't the first to use this technique. However, perhaps it should be called "Goose Diving" [Quick Internet search to make sure this term isn't already in use as something untoward... OK, good; it's safe to use.] This Brant goose in San Diego Bay shows particular adeptness at Duck Diving.

First: Face the oncoming wave.

Second: Dive head first under the wave.

Of course, the Brant doesn't have a surf board. And it's hard to get completely submerged when you float like a cork. But it is definitely the Duck Dive.

Silver and Black Sculpture: Common Raven

Photographing black-and-white birds can be a challenge. The camera does not have the dynamic range of the eye when it comes to the full range of brightness from very dim to very bright. Such contrasts on a camera often cause the white to be over-exposed, or the blacks to be too black, losing any detail. I have often been disappointed trying to capture Buffleheads or other black-and-white ducks against a high-contrast lake. This can also be true on all-white birds against dark backgrounds, or black birds against bright backgrounds.

That brings us to today's photo. It is lacking in several respects. The two primary failures are that the bird's head is turned and there is thus no face as the bird walks away. Faceless birds hardly ever work as a pleasing photographic subject. Secondly, the sun reflecting off the jet-black bird is completely over-exposed.

Common Raven. Ramona, California. January 2, 2016. Greg Gillson.

In spite of these flaws, I am really drawn to the highly-contrasting feather edges. The glossy plumage provides mirror-like highlights to the otherwise feathery blackness. It reminds me of a metallic sculpture of a muscle-builder. I think it would also work as a black-and-white photograph.

Yes, that's it.

This bird loses all such impression and pleasing contrast when it turns around and walks toward me.

Bath time for a Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal is one of the more uncommon ducks in the West. So, I'm always happy to see them. I encountered over a dozen at Robb Field at the mouth of the San Diego River on February 1. One particular bird was really enjoying his bath time!

Shakin' his booty!

Dip under and get covered with water.

Work all the water into the plumage.

Dip under again...

Oh, how do I put those feathers back? Bad "hair" day.

All done!

Red House Finch

A few weeks ago I posted "Birds to Know in San Diego: Backyard." It turned out that I didn't have a photo of the typical red House Finch in San Diego. Instead, I presented a photo of an aberrant yellow-colored House Finch. So recently, I made a point to photograph the common red variety.

House Finch. Imperial Beach, California. January 30, 2016. Greg Gillson.