Nora Lake, Shasta County, CA, 6/4/06

These photographs are from the afternoon of Sunday, June 4, 2006. I was able to break away from puppy duty for a short while and relax with some picture taking. (We recently got a 10-week-old miniature schnauzer as company for our two-year-old of the same breed.)

A pair of Pacific Forktails in wheel. The female is gynomorphic.

Pacific Forktails again, but this female is andromorphic. I don't recall ever seeing or photographing a female andromorphic in wheel before.

These are Western Forktails in tandem. The unusual thing about this pair is the apparent immaturity of the female, which has not developed any pruinosity. The below photographs are close-ups of this picture. This photograph was a real challenge to take. The forktails were close to the ground, and to get "head to tail" focus on both of them, I had to take an awkward and unsteady position. It turned out much better than I had hoped.

The male Western Forktail (rotated 90 degrees to the left).

The female Western Forktail. Her wings are a bit cloudy. Could she be a near teneral?

One of many butterflies at the lake that day.