Jim Coda Nature Photography

April 15, 2012Uncategorized

A Face with Character

Photo of a mule staring at the camera. — A Face Only a Mother Could Love; Somewhere in Idaho

On my drive to Yellowstone last September I saw several mules in a pasture. When I saw this mule I had to turn around and get a better look. At first I thought it was just an ugly gray (and red) mule. But the more I looked at it the more I liked its face. It had a lot of character. There must be an interesting story to that ear. Same for the scarred lines all over the nose. I’m not sure if that’s a brand on the neck or what it is. The other mules were of uniform color and had no such markings. I just found the whole face photogenic and had to photograph it.

I did a little research about mules when I decided to post this photo. I already knew a few things about them thanks to having been on a couple of pack trips. I knew they were the sterile offspring of a cross between a donkey and a horse; that they were sure-footed on mountain trails and, supposedly, stubborn. I also knew they had long ears (which caused mule deer to be so named). Here’s what I learned.

Mules usually have lighter areas around their eyes and noses than the rest of their faces, thanks to the donkey parent. I think most people know a mule is a cross between a donkey and a horse. What may not be well known, however, is that a mule is a cross between a female horse and a male donkey. When a male horse and female donkey are crossed the result is properly called a “hinnie.” Generally, though, the term “mule” is used to include both. Donkeys have 62 chromosomes and horses have 64, which results in mules almost always being sterile. There have been a few cases of female mules producing offspring, but there is no documented case of a male mule producing offspring.

Mules don’t sound like donkeys or horses. They sound like a bit of each with a hee haw preceded or followed by a whinny. Mules come in all different sizes. There are even miniature mules, which can be as light as 50 pounds. Due to their hybrid nature, mules can grow taller than either parent. Draft mules can top 1,000 pounds. Female horses produce larger mules than female donkeys.

Mules come in all different colors, except true pinto. They are reportedly more intelligent than their parents which many believe is due to hybrid vigor. They are reported to have more endurance than either parent for the same reason. While they have a reputation for being stubborn, they usually have a very good reason for not wanting to do something. This stubbornness is tied to their intelligence and has probably saved the lives of many mules and a few people as well.

April 12, 2012Uncategorized

Cute Kid

Photo of a young goat. — Young Domestic Goat (“Kid”); Petaluma, California

I took a drive yesterday looking for lambs to photograph and struck out again. I did see some goats, however. This kid was with its mother and two siblings. The kids moved away as I approached them, but the mother had no fear of me. She put as much of her head through the woven wire fence as she could, probably hoping for a treat.

Goats are closely related to sheep. They reach puberty as early as three months. While they have been used for their milk, meat, hair and sinew for eons, they have become popular as pets in recent times.

Goats are browsers, like deer, not grazers like sheep and cattle. They have a reputation for eating almost anything including tin cans and cardboard, but they are fairly particular about what they actually eat. They are very curious and that appears to be what causes them to eat the labels off of tin cans and to taste cardboard. Their curiosity and intelligence make them very difficult to contain. They will constantly test enclosures and often mange to escape. They are also very good climbers like their wild cousins.

April 7, 2012Uncategorized

Sonoma County Farm Country

Photo of a Miniature horse colt. — This foal is small enough to put in the passenger seat of my car.

I went for a drive in the farm country of Sonoma County (California) this morning looking for newborn lambs. I didn’t see any. However, I spotted some horses with young and pulled off the road. They weren’t just ordinary horses; they were miniature horses or ponies. I use the terms “miniature horse” and “pony” somewhat uncomfortably because there seems to be a difference, at least in the eyes of some, and I’m not certain whether these cute little creatures are horses or ponies, although I’m leaning toward horses. I also learned there is an overriding concern among breeders regarding dwarfism. These small horses also live considerably longer than full-size horses just like small dogs live longer than large dogs. (Does that apply to humans?) I’ll make another run at finding newborn lambs soon.

Photoof a weathered barn along Highway 116. — Weathered Barn

Across the road from the horses was this old, weathered barn. I don’t normally photograph landscape scenes with a 500 lens and a 1.4 tele-extender, but the combination came in handy this time.

November 27, 2011Uncategorized

Non-Native Bird at Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a Eurasian-collared Dove. — Eurasian-collared Dove, Native to India

As I go through my images taken at Point Reyes in upgrading the images on my website I’m finding some interesting photos I didn’t appreciate when I took them. I took this photo last February. I don’t think I had any thought about it at the time. When I came across it yesterday my first thought was that it was a mourning dove. But it didn’t look exactly like a mourning dove. Band-tailed pigeon? No. It’s a Eurasian Collared-Dove. It’s native to India. It seems they got started in Florida (like so many things) and spread from there. They compete with our native mourning doves. This got me to thinking. How many non-native birds are there in Point Reyes National Seashore (and/or Marin County for that matter)? The ones I see most at Point Reyes are brown-headed cowbirds and European starlings. Sometimes I’ll see a wild turkey there. There must be house sparrows. I think there are barred owls in the Seashore, which compete with Northern spotted owls. What other birds? I don’t know. Probably several more.

June 9, 2011Uncategorized

Review of Window Mounts

I do a lot of wildlife photography from my car using a heavy Canon super-telephoto lens as my main lens. A few months ago I read about a new type of window mount that is very light and inexpensive, so I ordered one. It’s called a Puffin Pad. Together with my Kirk Window Mount and my BLUBB bean bag I now have three window mounts. I use the term “window mount” loosely here. The Kirk is the only one of the three that “mounts” to the window, but I couldn’t think of a better term to cover all three. In any event, I’ve used all three now and I want to pass along my thoughts on them to those who may be contemplating the purchase of a window mount.

Photo of car window with three windowmounts on it or on sill. — Three Types of Window Mounts

I have attached all three of them to the driver’s side window area of my 2011 Subaru Outback. From left they are: (1) the BLUBB bean bag, (2) the Kirk Window Mount (which requires a separate tripod head) and (3) the Puffin Pad. By the way, when I mounted the Kirk I just lowered it onto the top of the window without trying to level it. It can be mounted so it’s parallel to the ground on a sloping window. Note the slope of the Outback’s window along almost its entire length and where it disappears into the door. (more…)

May 22, 2011Uncategorized

A Coyote Survives with Injury

A coyote hunts on the Tomales Peninsula. — Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

I’ve seen this coyote a number of times. He’s easy to identify because he has a slight limp due to some injury to his right foreleg. I first saw him around Pierce Point Ranch months ago. Later I saw him on the mid-peninsula. Lately, I’ve been seeing him at the south end. He seems to have found a home there. On the other hand, maybe he’s been a long-time resident there and I only first noticed him and his limping gait at Pierce Point. Maybe he was just traveling then in search of better territory or a mate or both. I wondered then whether the limp would affect his ability to survive. I watched him “mousing” at Pierce Point and the limp didn’t affect his ability to jump (and land) in hunting rodents. In fact, he was very successful. It seems to only affect his ability to run fast. Good news for the rabbits. He looks healthy to me. He’s making it.

May 21, 2011Uncategorized

California Quail in Strong Backlight; Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a male california quail. — Overseeing His Covey

I liked the lichen-covered post this guy hopped up on at the Pierce Point Ranch parking lot. I didn’t like the fact that I had to shoot into the sun though. That made for some tough backlighting.

I don’t know why male California quail always like to be perched on something above the ground while the rest of the covey remains on the ground. I’ve never seen a female on a post. Maybe the males do it to protect the females and young. That way they’re in a position to see anything dangerous approaching and can let out a warning call in time to save the others. Maybe they like being in a high place because it’s safest for them. I’d like to think it’s the former.