Recent Outdoor Joys!

By Robert Bernstein

The Isla Vista bluffs are my favorite place to practice my music for the Santa Barbara Early Music Ensemble as well as more contemporary pieces. I was honored that passerby Baxter Mercy took this photo of me there not long ago:

Here are the rest of his photos. It is a wonderful vantage point for many observations.

I looked up recently to see these rabbits feasting on the nearby vegetation:

According to my bird watching friend Ann Lawler the birds around the rabbits are White Crowned Sparrows. On Sunday January 24 as the storms moved in, it was a superb opportunity for these wind surfers:

This guy even caught air:

Not far from there I recently strolled the North Campus Reserve with my friend Martin. We saw this heron up close. Notice how its head stays still as it moves forward.

I will add one more recent video of outdoor joy. Merlie and I hiked the Cold Spring loop in Montecito on January 21 on a beautiful clear day. It was a vicarious thrill to watch so many paragliders circling on the ridge above us:

This view was our reward at the top of the loop: