substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: Bison get screwed, an update on the new album, and James McMurty with the song of the week.

open.substack.com/pub/bellij/p... My latest Substack: A look at Old Pacheco Pass Highway, Rebuking AI, and The Delines with the Song of the Week. Check it out!

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: San Joaquin Coachwhips, You Say Poop I Say Shit, Song of the Week: Paolo Nutini

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: To love the land, The downfall of Cap’n Crunch, Oreo psychology, Hayes Carll & Bonnie Whitmore, Song of the Week.

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: A prominent peak, Oreos, and the Wallflowers Song of the Week Check it out!

Young condor 1262 launches himself from the ground to the top of the observation blind at Pinnacles, my second home. Note the sound as he lands! Also, this window is one-way glass: I can see him but he doesn’t see me inside.

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: A hermit for the ages, Trump steps in it, Makin’ Records part 3, Song of the Week: Eleanor Rigby

open.substack.com/pub/bellij/p... A haven for red-legged frogs, Looking for condor #1308, Makin’ records part two, Song of the Week: Richard & Linda Thompson’s “Wall of Death.” Follow/Subscribe! (No MAGA, please)

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack! Read the April Fools post written by an OCD-adjacent biologist who’s spent a little too much time in the observation blind at Pinnacles…..

California condor #943 perches atop the flight pen in Pinnacles National Park, dwarfing the turkey vulture beside him.

Long-nosed snake, Pinnacles National Park

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: Getting scammed twice (!), A reflection on the world’s most obsessive art thief, The Monkees revisited.

open.substack.com/pub/bellij/p... My latest Substack: Where did all the swallows go/ The ShamWow guy resurfaces/ RIP Neil Sedaka/ Crushing on Suzanne Vega/ Mavis Staples Song of the Week

Two condors mating atop a boulder in Pinnacles National Park. Both are female and are part of a trio involving a male.

Four condors circling overhead at Pinnacles National Park.

Hello- I am running this 5K tomorrow and I’m soooo close to my goal of raising $5K for @hofoco.org. Even if you can’t donate a repost would be 😍. We rescue millions of pounds of good food about to be wasted each year and get it to those who need it. Help the environment and help fight hunger 🤝

substack.com/@josephbelli... My latest Substack: thoughts on California wolves, SOTU speech, a Road Trip to Redding (Part 1) and a live version of Suzanne Vega’s “Luka.”

open.substack.com/pub/bellij/p... I’m on Substack! My first post includes a tribute to condor #330, Trump’s gift to the coal industry, farewell to Chuck Negron, and a listen to Father John Misty.

Southern alligator lizard beneath a cover board on a cold winter day.

So cool to see Warrior’s Plume blooming on the property; the only ones I’ve ever seen have been in this patch of dense chamise. Note the soon-to-bloom Hound’s Tongue in the background.

Gorgeous mix of clouds and sunshine looking towards the Balconies in Pinnacles National Park.

Bush lupine already in bloom, Pinnacles National Park.

Milkmaids in bloom above some miner’s lettuce, Pacheco Pass.

Condor #1123 just hanging out in the High Peaks at Pinnacles NP.

Morro Rock from the beach in Cayucos.

Morning surf, Cayucos

Young condor #1261 landed in a tree just above me but evidently decided she didn’t like the company! (Pinnacles NP).

Pinnacles sunset.

open.spotify.com/track/3FBZSx... The last song on my album “Drowning on Dry Land,” a hopeful song about a relationship overcoming time and distance. Give it a listen on your streaming service of choice. (If you listen to the whole album I earn four cents!!)

open.spotify.com/track/2Rojad... The album concludes with a pair of sister songs about the effects of distance and change in a relationship. One of the songs is optimistic & hopeful. This is the other. Give the album a listen on your favorite streaming platform!

Dreaded tule fog creeping over the ridge to the east. Eleven days in a row with scant sunshine and sketchy driving conditions.

open.spotify.com/track/1736FI... A 50s/early 60s style song of heartbreak, but written with an adult perspective. Something Roy Orbison could’ve sung, with a great sax solo by Craig Chambers. Check out the rest of the album on your favorite streaming platform!

The first rays of sunlight hit the High Peaks in Pinnacles National Park

open.spotify.com/track/3rQMY3... A tale as old as time— you can’t go home again. The last track we recorded for the album, featuring a sweet guitar solo by Christian Davis and a nice orchestral arrangement. Check it out!

Noticed this Western toad in my headlights this morning as I left for Pinnacles.

open.spotify.com/track/3vfdJd... The title track to my album, a tongue-in-cheek look at the search for the meaning of life. Musically, it’s the White Buffalo meets Conor Oberst by way of the Indigo Girls. Sweet harmonica by Mark Fenichel; I’m on piano and organ.

Looking east near the summit of Parkfield Grade. Hardly a road or building in sight.

open.spotify.com/track/2qSRZG... A country song with a counterintuitive take on the worst part of being alone. Wonderful pedal steel (Steve French) & a duet with Stephanie Caldow. Give it a listen, & if you like it, check out the album “Drowning on Dry Land.”

Predawn sky this morning along Pacheco Pass.

open.spotify.com/track/2l1DwX... My album is out and available on numerous streaming platforms. I’m featuring a different track each week. This is a song about dealing with a faltering friendship. Acoustic Guitar: Christian A. Davis

open.spotify.com/track/5fESJC... My album is out, available on numerous streaming platforms, and I’m highlighting one track each week! This is “Walk Away,” about the need to leave a toxic situation. Just me and a piano.

Mist surrounding valley oaks this morning along Pacheco Pass.

Tonight’s sunset, Pacheco Pass

open.spotify.com/track/5uQ93U... My album is out! Here’s the second track, an old-school country song I wrote about the consequences of one’s choices in life. It features some sweet viola (Will Ehlert) and pedal steel (Steve French). I’m on piano & vocals.

My secret frog spot, a tiny pool in a shaded erosion gully below an earthen dam. It’s only 10’x7’ but it’s over 3 feet deep. There were a half dozen red-legs here when I scrambled down today.

A favorite patch of California fuschia in full bloom at Pacheco State Park.

open.spotify.com/track/48kW4C... Opening track from my album! Recorded at Tool Shed Studios, Morgan Hill Composer: Me Producer: Brian (BT) Gibbs Engineer: Junebug Luna Piano, MIDI Strings: Me Cover Art: Christina Baal

distrokid.com/hyperfollow/... My album is out on 10/10! Ten original songs, recorded at Tool Shed Studios in Morgan Hill. Sound engineers: Brian BT Gibbs, Junebug Luna. Cover art by Christina Baal

Clouds over Pacheco Peak following the first real rain here since spring.