Jim Coda Nature Photography

December 27, 2023December 27, 2023Historic Landmark

Old Saint Hilary’s Church, Tiburon, California

This is a photo of Saint Hilary's Church with a more nocturnal look. — This is the same photo that I posted yesterday, but it has been processed to look more nocturnal. If this post has been shared, and thus is not shown together with the earlier photo, you can find the original image here. Of course, what the “original image” was is subject to debate in the digital age of photography and even back in the film era. For a good instruction in developing night scenes, see this.

December 26, 2023December 26, 2023Historic Landmark

Old Saint Hilary’s Church, Tiburon, California

This is a photo of historic Saint Hilary's Church, Tiburon, California with Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Skyline in the background.

Here is a view of Old St. Hilary’s Church at dusk with Angel Island, Alcatraz and the San Francisco Skyline in the Background. I took this photo in 2011 and I’ve been meaning to re-process it for a while.

When I took this photo the Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest building in San Francisco at 853 feet. Salesforce Tower became the tallest building in San Francisco at 1,070 feet when it was completed in 2017.

Technically, Old Saint Hilary’s Church is now Old Saint Hilary’s Landmark. The Catholic Church built a larger, more modern church years ago and was going to demolish Saint Hilary’s when a group of citizens bought the property from the church to preserve it as an historic landmark. It is a popular site for weddings and other events. The property is administered and maintained by the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society. You can find it here.

The grounds adjacent to the building contain a large wildflower area named the John Thomas Howell Wildflower Preserve.

December 20, 2023Bald Eagle

Immature Bald Eagle, Homer, Alaska

This is a portrait of an immature bald eagle.

I was looking through some bald eagle photos from about 15 years ago when my Photoshop skills were a bit more limited. I decided to try to improve this one a bit.

December 10, 2023Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle, Homer, Alaska

This is a photo of a bald eagle on a branch at Homer, Alaska.

Bald eagle on a driftwood tree limb. I don’t recall if it was landing or taking off – or lifting its rear to relieve itself. It was 2009 and I was at the famous Jean Keene’s (“The Eagle Lady”) place on the Homer Spit.

November 22, 2023Cheetah

Cheetah, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya

I’ve noticed that in my photos where a cheetah is walking, its ears are often pinned back. I don’t know why that is. Is it because it’s near me? I don’t think so because when I photograph them sitting or lying down their ears aren’t pinned back. FWIW, I googled what that means with our domestic cats and it can mean fear or aggression. I googled cheetah ears and found that cheetah is unique among the cat species in that its large inner ear helps it keep its eyes locked on prey even when sprinting. But they are walking, not running, when I see their ears pinned back. I have one possible theory. Maybe it makes them a little less visible, especially in tall grass. Any ideas?

November 11, 2023November 11, 2023elephant

Elephant and Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli National Park, Kenya

This is a photo of a bull elephant walking toward Mount Kilimanjaro.

One thing about Mount Kilimanjaro is that you never know what you’re going to get. And if it’s looking good, it’s even better when you have an elephant in the viewfinder.

October 30, 2023October 30, 2023Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron, Point Reyes National Seashore

This is a photo of great blue heron hunting for minnows at Point Reyes National Seashore.

There is a lot of algae blooming in this newly-created lagoon at Drakes Beach. I hope the Park Service removes the algae before it leads to eutrophication of what is otherwise a benefit to the seashore.