Tag: marin county

Owl

Another Great Horned Owl Waits For Darkness

A great horned owl waits for darkness.
Great Horned Owl, Point Reyes National Seashore

It’s mid-day and this adult great horned owl has hours to wait until darkness.  In summer their hunting hours are much shorter than in winter, although they are busiest just after sunset and just before sunrise regardless of season.   They prey on whatever is available.  Hans Peeters, author of Field Guide to Owls of California and the West, states (page 191) that they have been known to even prey on house cats, bald eagles and canada geese.  Bald eagles?  Bald eagles weigh about 10 pounds.  Great horned owls only weigh about three pounds.  I wonder what they’d take if they weighed as much as an eagle?

Tule Elk

Yearling Elk Releases Some Steam

Photo of a young tule elk bull.
Yearling Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore

It’s not only the calves that need to run to release some pent up energy. This yearling needs to do it as well.  He has that crazy look in his eyes.  I can remember having that same need to run fast for no reason other than to just do it.  That was a long time ago.

Deer

“Hey Mom, What About the Ones With Only Two Legs”?

Blacktail Doe and Fawn, Point Reyes National Seashore
A blacktail fawn looks up to its mother; Point Reyes National Seashore.

“Can they run?  Are they dangerous?”  OK, deer don’t talk per se.  Do you ever wonder how animal parents teach their offspring how to survive?    The young learn a lot by just watching their mother and doing what she does.  That makes it relatively easy to learn what to eat.  Taste also informs them.  But what about things like the first time they see a coyote or us?  Is it pure instinct to go on alert?  I think so.  But I also know deer can vocalize.  I’ve heard it.  I know they also stamp their hooves when they are alerted to danger.  I’ve seen that.  I wonder what other ways a doe communicates with her offspring.

Elk

Elk On The Run

This is a photo of a tule elk calf running through tall grass.
Tule Elk Calf, Point Reyes National Seashore

One thing I like to see when I’m watching young animals is when they have more pent up energy than they can hold and they run around for a minute.   Sometimes they hop straight up in the air before they take off.  Ah, to be young again.

Tule Elk

A Lot of Bull

Photo of a bull tule elk among spring flowers.
7-Point Bull Tule Elk; Point Reyes National Seashore

This is the biggest bull I’ve seen on the south end of the Tomales Peninsula.  He’s probably the sire of all the calves in that area.  I’ve spent some time watching him and the other smaller bulls that  comprise this bachelor band.  One of the things I’ve noticed is how he constantly asserts his dominance in little ways.  His mantra:  “Out of my way.”  Come fall, all the others know that to mate they have to beat the one who’s always pushing them around.  Most won’t try.  I think this is common to all herding wildlife.  What I liked about this photo opportunity was the wildflowers (wild radish?) and the late afternoon light.

Tule Elk

A Tule Elk Calf Stands in Tall Grass

Photo of tule elk calf standing in tall grass.
Tule Elk Calf, Point Reyes National Seashore

This tule elk calf is big enough to run with the adults so it no longer needs to hide for periods of time.  It was the only calf with a group of 25 adults and yearlings.  Most of the cows with calves that I’ve been seeing are staying farther away from the road than the other elk.