Jim Coda Nature Photography

March 7, 2011Uncategorized

A Great Egret Catches a Small Fish.

A great egret grabs a small fish. — Great Egret, Marin County, California

It’s been raining lately here in Marin County. I drove down the hill from my house and this great egret was standing in a seasonal pond. During the winter it is connected to a larger body of water called Rush Creek which has fish in it and which drains into the Petaluma River and then into San Francisco Bay. Fishing was good. The egret caught lots of small fish, one fair-sized fish and something that looked like a crayfish.

It is mating season as evidenced by the nuptial plumes.

March 4, 2011Uncategorized

Northern Harrier, Point Reyes National Seashore

A Northern Harrier finishes A snack. — Northern Harrier, Point Reyes National Seashore

I went out to Point Reyes yesterday for the afternoon. Unfortunately, the fog rolled in about an hour or two before sunset. That wiped out my hope of getting a good image of some animal lit by the setting sun. Fortunately, this male harrier allowed me to photograph him midday. He had just eaten a lizard and, shortly thereafter, decided there was no good reason to remain on the ground.

March 3, 2011Uncategorized

Cataract Canyon Waterfall, Marin County, California

This is one of the falls in Cataract Canyon. — Cataract Canyon Waterfall, Marin County, California

Marin County has several pretty waterfalls. This is one of many falls in Cataract Canyon. They are best seen in the rainy season.

March 1, 2011Uncategorized

Portrait of a Coyote

A coyote contemplates its next move. — Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

I like head shots of animals, but I don’t have many because the animals are usually too far away and getting closer isn’t feasible. I spotted this coyote when it was hunting rodents about 50 to 75 yards from the road. I pulled over and started photographing it as it was “mousing.” I stayed inside my vehicle and it seemed oblivious of me. I knew that it was likely to get closer because of the contour of the land. It’s other choice was to go down a steep ravine and come up the other side. It kept working its way toward me. It came fairly close and then stopped to scratch itself. That’s when I tripped the shutter.

February 25, 2011Uncategorized

Kestrel Hunts in the Rain

A kestrel sits on a post during a rain shower. — Kestrel, Point Reyes National Seashore

This female kestrel has just finished a meal and is looking for another. I assume she has better places to roost when it is raining, but it had been raining for a long time and she probably needed to eat.

February 22, 2011Uncategorized

Bobcats Are Special

A bobcat looks for its next meal. — Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

I enjoy seeing and photographing all wildlife, but some species are more special than others to me. Bobcats are one of those species, along with wolves, bears and eagles. I’ll never get tired of photographing them.

February 20, 2011Uncategorized

Killing Black Bears and Selling Their Gall Bladders

Photo of mother black bear. — Black Bear, Yellowstone National Park

Recently I wrote that the elk are dropping their antlers in Point Reyes National Seashore and the Park Service is busy picking up the antlers before the antler traders find them and remove them (which is illegal). I mentioned that while bad enough, at least the antler thieves don’t kill the elk for the body parts as happens with animals such as bears, tigers and elephants. The next day I opened my local paper to learn that someone in my city, which is located not more than 30 miles from San Francisco, was arrested while poaching a black bear in the Mendocino National Forest. More black bear parts, namely a head, five paws, a penis and gall bladder, were in his freezer at home. According to the article, black bear gall bladders sell for $5,000 on the black market. A bad as these killings are, the real problem is the demand by some in the Asian community for bear and tiger parts for their supposed value as aphrodisiacs. Tigers are nearing extinction due to this demand. I wonder if there has ever been any study to support or refute this belief.