Taken at San Jose Japantown February 2022. Photograph was taken by using the rear-curtain sync setting from my camera and flash (flash fired after shutter is released so you only see the lights of passing vehicle)
Painted by Roan Victor, a painter, muralist, educator, & cat lover
This photograph was taken in front of the Dancing Cat, an open and cage-free environment of formally homeless adult cats that hopefully find a new home with families. The Dancing Cat is a non-profit organization cat adaption lounge based in downtown San Jose. It’s purpose is to find homes for at-risk adult cats from the San José Animal Care Center in a cage-less environment where they can socialize with people and other cats and eventually find a new home. When visiting you only need to pay $10 for one hour to socialize with the cats. The Dancing Cat is mostly run by volunteers and generous donations in the community.
Turkey Vulture photograph taken on the Alviso Slough Trail at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso (San Jose) August 2021.
Turkey Vultures are fairly large birds with long, broad wings. Their colors are dark brown with a featherless red head and pale bill. They are graceful but unsteady soarers and fly low to the ground and have a great sense of smell. Turkey Vultures are scavengers and can be seen at roadsides, farm fields, countryside, and landfills. They help clean the environment by eating flesh off dead animals before they decay. Researchers have noted that turkey vultures can travel 200 miles a day. Their life span is up to 24 years old and they live in Southern, Canada, North America, and South America.
Song Sparrow on the Mallard Slough Trail at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso (San Jose)
The Song Sparrow is a very common sparrow in North America and are seen in people’s backyards. Their colors are often russet-and-gray with bold streaks down its white chest but in California they have a more darker tone. The Song Sparrow’s length is from 5.8 to 7.5 inches. You can see the bird living in fields or near water. They eat mostly insects or seeds and forage on the ground. One of the oldest known Song Sparrow was 11 years old.