Among other things.

Besides chasing birds around Rancho San Rafael park, there were air races to attend. This year the featured performers were the Canadian Snowbirds. They put on a terrific show and for formation flying these guys are among the best.

It looks like chaos but it ain't!

Besides the Snowbirds, there were other aerobatics.

David Martin goes low

Michael Goulian flew his ethanol powered plane.

Kent Pietsch wanted to do a carrier landing but aircraft carriers are rare in the desert. Sooooooo...

And the Smoke-N-Thunder jet car raced (and beat) an airplane in a drag race.

Of course there were fly-bys

Since it is the National Championship Air Races there's racing!

 

Who's a coot?!?!

I've been chasing this coot for a while. I spotted him at the local park but was never able to get close.

He'd swim around for a while, dive,

  
surface with a mouthful of  food,

Then swim away to a tree overhanging the bank

So I crawled through the brush and the mud and the duck sh whatever until I was close.

The miserable bird watched for a few minutes, the preened

and then nodded off on me.

After a few seconds, he woke up and had the nerve to yawn at me!

Twice!!!

Then he tucked his head under his wing and went to sleep.

So I crawled up real close and woke him with the camera flash.

 

American Coot 

Fulica americana