This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
I like and enjoy seeing all wild birds. Okay, I’ll admit that I like some more than others. Take today’s photo for example. It’s not a bald eagle. It’s not a peregrine falcon. It’s not a great gray owl. It’s a red-winged blackbird. Still, I was happy to have the opportunity it gave me to photograph it and to try to create an attractive image.
This is a view of Fort Cronkhite from a ridge to the south of it. Fort Cronkhite was completed just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The wood-framed buildings were considered “temporary” and housed barracks, mess halls, kitchens etc. They’re still very serviceable. The western portion of Fort Cronkhite has been preserved as an historic landmark. A portion of Rodeo Lagoon is visible between the beach and the buildings.
This male northern harrier looks like he’s getting fed up with something — maybe me. Birds seem to look that way sometimes. It reminds me of the mad duck image I posted here. Maybe it’s more like: “Oh no, not you again.” It’s funny, herbivores often look like they are smiling. See my post on the bison calf below. Also, the cow elk here. Carnivores seem to have more of a poker face, but even with them I’ve seen what looked like a smile. I’m thinking of this one wolf that seemed to be smiling. See this link. Of course, I should mention the always-smiling porpoises and dolphins. And then there are the chimpanzees who not only smile, but laugh. Maybe I need to spend more time doing landscape photography.
This is one of two Columbia blacktail bucks I saw at Point Reyes yesterday. They were feeding in this tall grass. It’s just a matter of time until this lush grass dies and turns brown. I’m not sure how his ear got split, but I’m assuming it got caught between his horn and that of another while fighting. Ouch. His coat has changed, or is changing, into the darker summer color.
This bison calf looks like it is smiling as it runs off some pent-up energy. Bison are the first of the ungulates to give birth in Yellowstone. Bison management in Yellowstone is difficult and controversial. Some of them migrate north out of the park in winter looking for forage. That puts ts them in the crosshairs of the State of Montana which feels the brucellosis some of them carry will infect livestock. The most common management solution is to shoot them.
If you continue driving a short distance from where yesterday’s photo was taken you get a closer view of the Point Bonita Lighthouse. It has been in continuous operation since 1855.
Most people who photograph the Golden Gate Bridge turn around when they are done and leave the Marin Headlands. However, if you continue west, there are some other nice views. One is of Point Bonita. The Point Bonita Lighthouse is out near the end of the point.
