Jim Coda Nature Photography

April 25, 2012May 26, 2018Landscape

Views from Inverness, California

I went out to Point Reyes yesterday, something I haven’t been doing too much of this year compared to last year. The forecast said there would be fog, but thankfully it was a no-show. Moreover, the light was fantastic thanks to lots of clouds varying from almost pure white to very dark. The sun shined through in spots on occasion. I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife; just the usual ho-hum critters (quail, songbirds, hawks, elk and deer) plus one coyote just before sunset. I had lunch with a friend who said he saw four bobcats before our lunch. Another friend told me he saw two badgers there yesterday. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m losing my touch in spotting wildlife because I haven’t been spending much time looking for them this year.

I was feeling uneasy all day because I only brought my wildlife gear and I sensed there would be some good landscape opportunities at sunset given the good light and the clouds. Shooting landscape photos with telephoto lenses is, needless to say, limiting. One thing I’ve been meaning to photograph is Black Mountain, which is a large coastal hill/mountain completely covered in grass. It is very green this time of year. I’ve also heard it referred to as Elephant Mountain. I made a mental note to stop in Inverness on my way home to see how it looked. I knew it was one landscape scene I could photograph using a telephoto lens. This is how it looked when I arrived in Inverness. The green grass of Black Mountain has been turned to gold by the setting sun. The water in the foreground is Tomales Bay. The green hills in the midground are not part of Black Mountain. I don’t know why it’s called Black Mountain.

Photo of Black Mountain from Inverness. — Black Mountain at Sunset

As I stood there in Inverness, I looked at the rest of the east horizon and saw a nice looking ridge well north of Black Mountain that was also bathed in the last light of the day. I don’t know the name for it, assuming there is one. There are two large structures at the top of it, unfortunately.

Photo looking east from Inverness, California — View to Northeast from Inverness

I was somewhat lucky yesterday which counterbalanced my poor planning in not bringing some landscape lenses. I was lucky in the sense that I made it to Inverness with about 5 minutes to spare before the sun’s golden light left these mountain tops.

April 19, 2012May 27, 2018Tule Elk

Spring at Point Reyes National Seashore

It's Spring! — Tule Elk Cow in Mid-April

I was out at Point Reyes a couple of days ago. Everything is nice and green. It’s been that way for a while, but recent heavy rains will ensure that things stay that way for a while longer. This cow elk looks to be in good health. She has shed most of her light gray winter coat and is now mostly showing her darker, reddish summer coat. I saw one cow which seemed to be suffering from some health problem involving her digestive tract. I’ve seen other elk with the same apparent problem. I assume it’s Johne’s disease which causes severe diarrhea, usually (always?) resulting in death. The disease has been a problem for the Point Reyes elk since the early days of their reintroduction to the Tomales Peninsula. Virtually all ruminants, including the deer, cattle and goats in the Seashore, are susceptible to the disease. Johne’s disease occurs throughout the world. For more information click here.

Photo of bull tule elk in velvet. — Tule Elk Bull in Velvet

The bulls are sporting new antlers. This bull is part of the Tomales herd. The Limantour herd seems to start new antler growth earlier than the Tomales herd. In fact, it seems to start everything earlier than the Tomales herd. I’ve heard elk calving has started and I’d bet that it started with the Limantour herd. Newborn are kept hidden by their mothers for a while after birth, but the early-birth ones should start appearing with their mothers soon if they haven’t already.

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.

March 26, 2012May 26, 2018Landscape

Point Reyes, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of Point Reyes from the Tomales Peninsula. — Point Reyes

Have you ever been out on the coast on a foggy day when some cracks in the fog let the sun shine through? This was one of those times. I was driving back from the Pierce Point Ranch area just after lunch when I saw these sunspots on the ocean.

Addendum: As I posted this WordPress informed me that this is my 200th blog posting. I started this in May of 2010 as I was leaving on a trip to Yellowstone. I didn’t know then if I would manage to keep doing it for very long. I still don’t know. Twenty two months isn’t that long, but it is a milestone of sorts. We’ll see how long it goes.

March 18, 2012May 26, 2018Eagle

Bald Eagle Banks Left

Photo of a bald eagle turning left. — Bald Eagle; Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Shortly after I retired in 2007 my friend Bob Gay invited me to join him and some friends in photographing bald eagles at Homer, Alaska. I took Bob up on his offer and I’m sure glad I did. The photography was astounding. I returned in 2008 and 2009. In 2009 I also took several boat trips across the bay from Homer to photograph bald eagles there. Thanks to the abundance of eagles there I have never photographed a species as much as I have bald eagles. Those trips were experiences I will always remember.