iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 03/10/2026

We had an actual drinking light last night.

Photo of a small kerosene lamp between two cocktails. The cocktail on the right is in a journal glass and has a straw. The one on the left is in a tall-ish rocks glass. Both are sitting on orange napkins. The background is a dome with a center column. It's a dark, sort of speakeasy feel.

Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 30/09/2026

Caught the CalFire C-130 taking off from Ramona on Sunday before it headed over to Miramar for the Marine Corps Air Show. #photography #aircraft

Photo of a large, four engine turboprop plane in flight. The plane is painted red and white, and has the words "Cal Fire" on the side. Exhaust trails are visible from behind each engine, and the door to the landing gear in the nose is only partially retracted.

On the one hand, I wouldn't mind seeing this big sucker do a slurry drop. On the other hand, I don't mind not being near somewhere that needs a drop!

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 28/09/2026

Photo of their prices from this morning: still $8.999/gal for regular. I doubt even the airport car rental stations are this high.

Photo of a Shell gas station sign with prices. Regular is $8.999 per gallon, Plus is $9.199, V-Power is $9.399, and Diesel Number 2 is a whopping $9.999 per gallon. Date of photo is September 28. 2026.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 01/09/2026

Oh hey, I totally have something for this!

A flag hanging on the wall of an office. It's navy blue with white letters that read, "We do this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy."

It's the unofficial motto of my department.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 25/07/2026

Better view, bar service, and much less sweaty than the Tube at the moment. Well worth the money if you're going between Vauxhall and Greenwich.

Photo of the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel) from inside a boat. The sky is a nice textured gray, but there's still sun finding the Eye and the building behind it.

Photo of a very fancy bridge, complete with a pair of Towers and a bunch of iconic red buses crossing it. Much larger than I'd expect for your average Lego set, honestly.

Photo of some dapper looking birds and a nice looking tree. There's a giant clock tower in the background, but I'm sure no one is interested in that.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 14/07/2026

No grebes at Dixon that I know of, and fairly limited waterfowl in general. It's a small lake, even compared to Wohlford: I've walked around it and back in a morning. Could be fun from a boat, though...

Landscape photo overlooking Dixon Lake. There's some brush in the foreground, leading to water reflecting the clouds and blue sky, without a single swimming pool liner in sight! The water trails off to a dam, with some low mountains in the distance.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 02/07/2026

I've been hearing some of our local parrots around the neighborhood all week, and I finally saw them in good light while I actually had my camera handy! This flock of red-crowned Amazons was enjoying a local fruit tree. #birds #wildlife #photography

One of the San Diego parrots in flight. Mostly-green bird, with a red cap on its head just between its eye and its beak.

One of the San Diego parrots in flight. Mostly-green bird, with a red cap on its head just between its eye and its beak. The bird has wings spread against a blue sky.

One of the San Diego parrots in flight. Mostly-green bird, with a red cap on its head just between its eye and its beak. Its wings have blue and red patches too.

One of the San Diego parrots enjoying a fruit snack from a tree. The bird is bending down, and has a red fruit in its beak.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 30/06/2026

Welcome back! The hypno-acorn missed you on 4/20 this year, but is glad you're in a good place (and so am I!)

A very wide-eyed acorn woodpecker Photoshopped onto a hypnotic tie-dyed background, ala the Hypno-toad from Futurama. The bird is staring off into space, and one pupil is quite a bit larger than the other.

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-ACORN!

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 19/06/2026

A house finch hanging out in Balboa Park this morning. He was having a lot of fun on top of that rosemary bush. #wildlife #birds #photography

Photo of a house finch on a rosemary bush. The finch has some red feathers on its head, interspersed with the usual brown-grey of the rest of its body. The rosemary bush has a few light blue flowers, and the background is a soft green blur.

The finch's head is cocked to the side, his wings are up and back a bit. He's looking lustfully at the foliage, in much the same way as I look at a pastry from Michi Michi.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 13/05/2026

He might enjoy a trip to the Rijksmuseum, too.

Photo of a sculpture in the Rijksmuseum. It's strikingly phallic, with a flared base, and looks very much like something that would get your Kickstarter banned.

Display tag for the sculpture pictured. It's in Dutch, then English.

"Plastiek
Jacob Bendien (1890-1933)
messing, 1933

Jacob Bendien en Jan van Deene, beiden Amsterdam-mers, raakten in 1912 in Parijs bevriend met elkaar. Ze vonden allebei een atelier in het stadsdeel Mont-parnasse en maakten daar hun eerste abstracte schilderijen. Twintig jaar later maakte Bendien in dezelfde stijl een abstracte sculptuur: een omhoog wijzende vorm die zich van zijn voetstuk lijkt los te willen maken.

Sculpture
Jacob Bendien (1890-1933)
brass, 1933

Jacob Bendien and Jan van Deene, both from Amsterdam, became friends in Paris in 1912. They each found a studio in the Montparnasse district and made their first abstract paintings there. Twenty years later, Bendien created an abstract sculpture in the same style: an upward-pointing form that seems to want to break free from its pedestal.

Aankoop uit het Knecht-Drenth Fonds/
Rijksmuseum Fonds, 2016
BK-2016-36."

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 05/05/2026

Excited to share that my entry "Come Into My Lilacs..." was accepted to hang in the 2026 Mission Trails Photo Contest show! The opening reception is 5/21 @ 6pm at the MTRP Visitors Center; it's free, but you need to register in advance at mtrp.org. #invertebrates #photography #wildlife #spider

Photo of a white-banded crab spider hanging out in a bunch of purple flowers (Ceanothus, known locally as Ramona lilac). The photo has a watermark for M. Nies Photography in the lower left-hand corner.

Crab spiders are huge fans of wildflower season, as they wait in flowers for breakfast to deliver itself.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 29/04/2026

There's a schedule of notification in the order. It looks like they have about another week to email all of us. They're re-opening the objection/exclusion window too.

Schedule of events for the lawsuit being discussed in the thread. Deadline for class notification is May 7th, 2026.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 28/04/2026

"That's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it works out for them." --Momma Peregrine, probably.

Photo of a female peregrine falcon thwacking a brown pelican on the head. It looks like she's grabbed him on the noggin and is dragging him out to sea.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 28/04/2026

Seriously. There's so much stuff out there that hemoglobin would rather hang onto that I'm kinda amazed we've managed aerobic metabolism all these years.

Distracted boyfriend meme where the boyfriend is hemoglobin, his girlfriend is oxygen, and the woman in the red dress he's lusting after is damn near anything that isn't oxygen.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 27/04/2026

Speaking of CHP, they'd also like people to stop playing in traffic.

Screenshot of a Facebook post from the official California Highway Patrol account, pleading with people to not be heroes in freeway traffic. TBD whether it actually works.

"✨🚨 Public Safety Announcement 🚨✨
If you see debris on the freeway, do NOT stop in traffic lanes to try to remove it yourself. Instead, call 9-1-1 and report it.
Today, an officer educated a driver who stopped in the #3 lane on northbound SR-2 just south of I-210 and got out of his vehicle to try and remove a bag from the roadway. At the time, vehicles were traveling at average freeway speeds.
Stopping in lanes and getting out of your vehicle puts you and every other driver at serious risk of a traffic crash. What may seem like a quick good deed can quickly turn into a dangerous situation.
Our officers are trained and equipped to handle roadway hazards safely.
Your safety comes first. Let law enforcement handle it. 🚔
CHP - Altadena
#CaliforniaHighwayPatrol #SafetyServiceSecurity #RoadHazards #PSA"

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 22/04/2026

All my ducks* in a row! #birds #wildlife #photography *geese, but close enough. Best I could do with the local wood ducks not wanting to work on a Sunday.

Photo of 2 Canada geese floating with 4 goslings close at hand. The goslings are all in a row, and one of them looks like its whispering to a parent. There's a mallard out of focus in the background, doing mallard things.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 11/04/2026

More peregrine on pelican action from yesterday. Don't come into her house: she'll drag you out by the nose. #birds #photography #wildlife

Photo of a peregrine falcon about to teach a brown pelican an important life lesson: keep your distance from the cliffs at Torrey Pines in the spring! The peregrine's talons are out and her eyes are locked onto the pelican's beak. The pelican has its wings extended and is banking away, but that's like a minivan trying to outmaneuver a Lotus: ain't gonna happen.

Photo of a peregrine falcon grabbing a brown pelican by the beak with her talons. The pelican is not a fan of this game of "Got yer nose!" and is banking away. Fortunately the falcon is far enough out that most of the impact force will glance off and the pelican can keep flying.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 11/04/2026

Getting a message that the #birds feed is down and to contact @daryllmarie.bsky.social. Is there a Refresh button I need to hit or anything?

Screenshot of the error message from the Birds feed: "Message from server: feed unavailable"

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 11/04/2026

It's peregrine nesting season again, and the Torrey Pines north pair are back at it again. The female is enforcing the "No Pelicans" clause of her NOA* to great effect, as she does every year. #birds #photography #wildlife

Photo of a brown pelican in flight with a peregrine falcon close behind. The falcon is defending her nest from birds that fly too close, a mistake the pelican just made.

*Nest Owners Association

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 15/03/2026

I stopped at Point Fermin to meet the local peregrines yesterday, too. The female was sitting on her perch, waiting for her mate to get back with dinner. When he showed up she took off in a dive. Many thanks to @banditelli.org and @dptbirder.bsky.social for the info! #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a peregrine falcon on a perch doing a BIG STRETCH while she waits for her mate to get back with food.

Photo of a peregrine falcon diving off her perch. Her beak is open as she calls to her mate, probably wondering what took him so damn long to get back with dinner.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 15/03/2026

I stopped by Huntington Central Park yesterday. Had a great time and saw some cool birds. Huge thank you to @banditelli.org and @dptbirder.bsky.social for suggesting the park! #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a female western bluebird sitting on a branch, looking to her left.

Photo of an American robin in front of a fallen log. The robin is looking up, and is in dappled light.

Photo of a pair of western bluebirds, sitting on a branch looking at each other. The one on the left is either a juvenile or a female, while the bird on the right is male and a very vibrant blue. The bird on the left looks like it's giving serious attitude to the bird on the right.

Photo of a Swinhoe's white-eye on a cherry tree.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 12/03/2026

I started on my phone then moved to my calibrated monitor. Some colors were easier than others, and all of them benefited from being in the middle of the screen and moving my head back and forth. www.keithcirkel.co.uk/whats-my-jnd...

Quiz result that reads, "Your JND [is] 0.0026. You're seeing differences that most colour scientists would call noise. If you're not already calibrating displays for a living, you're leaving money on the table."

There are buttons that read "Share result" and "Again, I can do better."

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 05/03/2026

I shot one of my favorite family portraits ever with a setup like that!

Photograph of a family silhouetted against a fiery sunset. There are palm trees on either side, similarly silhouetted. Even the ocean is a pool of bright orange.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 25/02/2026

If you can see this, post what you're watching instead of the State of the Union:

Screenshot from my Lightroom Classic. A handful of images of from the Salton Sea are at the bottom, all flagged as Picks (meaning I like them and want to work on them). The main image is of 5 birds in flight over water. The water has a gradient color that goes from a gentle pink at the bottom to a soft blue at the top.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 22/02/2026

What do you do while you're at a photography happy hour and a peregrine falcon lands next to you? You grab your camera of course! This murderbirb was completely unbothered by us as we hung out snapping photos. #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a peregrine falcon sitting on a building. The bird has some feathers out of place, but seems entirely unbothered by that. It's looking off to the right, and a mountain rises behind it in the distance.

Photo of a peregrine falcon taking off from a building. Its wings are up and very pointy, and it's dropping behind the building quickly.

Photo of a peregrine falcon taking off from a building. Its wings are stretched out straight, pointing skyward, while the bird is starting its dive down to pickup speed.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 17/02/2026

Pair of desert lilies from Anza-Borrego Desert State Park today. Lots of flowers still blooming in the desert if you go looking for them! #flowers #photography #nature

Photo of a desert lily surrounded by purple and while wildflowers. The sun is rising in the background, partially obscured by a bush.

Photo of a desert lily in the foreground, against a blue sky with wispy white clouds. The spindly arms of an ocotillo rise in the background too.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 14/02/2026

Biblically accurate Brandt's cormorant wishes you a very happy Valentine's day! #birds #nature #wildlife #photography

Photo of a Brandt's cormorant putting on a mating display. His wings are out, tail is up and splayed, and head is looking up to display his bright blue gullet. This is the Brandt's cormorant equivalent of "Please notice me from across the bar!"

Thanks to the blue pattern in his eyes, they appear doubled: like there are 2 on each side.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 14/02/2026

It's baby seal time! This little one really wanted its mom to wake up and play, but mom really just wanted to sleep in for once on a Saturday. #photography #wildlife #mammals

Photo of a baby harbor seal flopped on the sand, looking very kitten-like. It's has Dalmatian-like spots.

Photo of a baby harbor seal lifting its head off the sand and scratching its face. It is extremely cute.

Photo of a baby seal rolling back on its back and winking at the camera. Still not beating the "they're kittens of the sea" allegations.

Photo of a baby harbor seal giving it's mother a kiss.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 02/02/2026

I'm sorry Martin, that really sucks. Pumpkin sends purrs and KittySnores

Photo of an orange cat on a red couch. The cat is asleep, tucked into a spot between two couch cushions, contorting herself in a way that only cats and a few non-Newtonian fluids can.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 16/01/2026

One of my very first bird photos where everything came together: eye in focus, nice pose, background separation, the whole enchilada. #birds #nature #photography #bushtitoftheday #birdoftheday #shortbeak

Photo of a bushtit sitting on a toyon branch. Bushtits are fluffy, twitchy little bastards, and this remains the only decent photo of one I've ever taken.

Bird is looking off its left shoulder, with the light iris ring on full display.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 16/01/2026

Mmmmhm. One of my very first bird photos where everything came together, but gave me unreasonably high expectations for getting more shots of these twitchy little bastards.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 27/12/2025

I'm in the Virgin Islands for a bit of family vacation, and found room in my luggage for my camera and a couple lenses. These are two bird portraits from the Phantasea Botanical Gardens on Christmas Eve: a bananaquit and a green-throated carib. #birds #photography #wildlife

Photo of a bananaquit with split lighting, thanks to where the sun was coming from. The right side of the bird is well lit, with the features of its face and beak fully visible. The left side is in shadow, leading to a rather menacing look, as its looking directly into the camera.

The bird has a yellow body, dark brown/gray wings, a gray neck, black mask around its eyes, and white stripes on its head. It's sitting on a branch.

Photo of a green-throated carib. It's a very iridescent hummingbird: mostly green, including a striking green head, with patches of orange and blue on parts of its body. It's perched on a branch, with its head turned to the right to look directly into the camera.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 13/11/2025

Couldn't find the Mandarin at Santee Lakes yesterday, but had some fun with the Northern shovelers anyway. Weird duck season approaches! #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a female Northern shoveler taking off. The morning sun is giving her a nice glow-up, and there are water drops flying off as she flies.

Photo of a male northern shoveler floating by in perfect morning light. The duck has a green head, and a white and buff body.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 01/11/2025

By popular demand (& inspiration from @banditelli.org / @gettoknownature.bsky.social) we have a new Birds Feed prompt: birds & cursing! Share an angry bird & the curse you feel it embodies. I'm getting "Really, dipshit?" vibes from this acorn woodpecker. #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of the most judgemental acorn woodpecker I've ever seen. It's the bird version of a tuxedo cat with a bright red cap, looking directly into the camera through some pine needles.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 27/10/2025

What started as a cold, misty, and moody morning with the coots at Santee Lakes brightened up into a beautiful day of belted kingfisher and green heron time. It's not quite Weird Duck season here. Yet. #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of an American coot swimming directly at the camera. The photo overall is dark, the water mostly still except for a single line coming from the bird showing motion. It has a somewhat ominous and foreboding feel.

Photo of a male belted kingfisher with a bird in his beak. He's flying over a white fence with wings outstretched.

Photo of a male belted kingfisher with a bird in his beak. He's at a bit of an angle to the camera, his wings are mid-beat, and he's flying over grass with what looks like a barn in the background.

Photo of a green heron, wings outstretched for balance as it walks up some reeds. The bird had just landed and was trying to find a good way up to a higher perch.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 21/10/2025

Vibes are off. Pull out and post your duck picks. #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a male wood duck floating on the pond. There's a few circles in the water from the duck moving but not many, and its reflection is mostly intact.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 20/10/2025

Photos from an early morning walk at Lake Hodges last month. That was one of the most cooperative killdeers I've met in a long time. #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a large egret-type bird standing in the water shortly after sunrise. There's a faint mist rising in the background, the water is completely golden, and the bird is silhouetted. I can't remember what species this is, but guessing its either a great blue heron or a great egret.

Photo of a killdeer running along the shore at sunrise. The water is golden and the bird is in silhouette, mid-stride.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 16/10/2025

Shame that their form doesn't accept image upload!

A still frame from The Exorcist. A priest is holding a cross that has the seal of the State Bar of Texas overlayed. The priest's eyes have been replaced by kiwis, and the caption reads "The power of spite compels you!"

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 14/10/2025

More photos from my trip to Ottawa. Some of the most cooperative Small Flitty Birds I've ever met! #wildlife #birds #photography

Close-up photo of a white-breasted nuthatch looking at the camera. It's a small grey and white bird with a black nape and headcap, seemingly black eyeliner, and a very judgy look.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 08/10/2025

Pumpkin and April send you their best.

Photo of 2 cats sitting on the back of a red couch. The cat on the left is a tuxedo, and is pressing her head into the face of the orange cat on the right, in hope of getting some kitty kisses. Orange Cat on the right, and is looking mildly unamused at Tuxedo Cat's antics, as though Orange Cat has never tried the same thing with her humans and their laptops.

Tuxedo Cat is sitting in loaf pose, while Orange Cat has draped herself on the back.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 07/10/2025

I'm in Ottawa for a few days for work, and spent Sunday with Tony and Nina from alwaysanadventure.ca. I had a great time looking for photos of Ontario's many birds, and got many great ones thanks to my excellent guides, but starting with this white-throated sparrow! #birds #wildlife #photography

Photo of a white-throated sparrow peaking out from among the bushes. It's a small, mostly light brown bird perched on a branch. The bird's head is in partial shadow, with its right eye and side of head in morning sun. Its beak is yellow and there's a black stripe that runs through its beak and eye. As the name implies, there's a distinct white patch on its throat.

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Mike N., MSN, RN @mniesphoto.com · 23/09/2025

Yeah, I never appreciated just how little distance you actually need to safely run a shotgun range until I went to Triple-B Clays. Hope the club leadership here responds appropriately and yeets whoever's responsible ASAP...

Screenshot from Google Maps, with a distance measured. The screenshot is of the west side of the CA-60 and Rosemead Blvd. intersection. At the bottom is the LA Clays Shooting Park, 343 meters north is the freeway, and everything past that is a public park. I've shot there many times, and it's entirely safe. There is a service road visible on the map that rings the entire shooting park, which means anyone shooting trap or skeet is shooting directly towards that road and the freeway beyond it.

As it happens, this facility will host the shotgun events for LA 2028.

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