Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
A Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season to all!
Tag: photo
Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore
This 7-point bull is exhibiting the Flehmen Response with its head and upper lip raised. Certain species of mammals do this to increase their ability to detect and evaluate scent. It’s a common sight during the mating season, but it can occur any time of the year. This photo was taken in mid December, well past the end of the rut.
American Crow, Point Reyes National Seashore
Crows aren’t the most beautiful or colorful birds. The same holds true for ravens. However,they are both blessed with one attribute that would seem to be more important in the wild — intelligence. Studies have shown crows and ravens to be among the most intelligent of all birds. What I like about this photo is the effect from the eye’s nictitating membrane.
Mourning Dove, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California
This mourning dove let me get quite close. The coloring of these birds, with their black eyes, teal orbital rings and tans and grays of their bodies, is subtle, but beautiful.
Acorn Woodpecker, Marin County, California
This acorn woodpecker and its mate nested in this tree cavity next to my friend Jeff’s garage in Inverness this past spring. Jeff kept an eye on the nest, but never saw any young. That’s the way it goes sometimes.
They are colorful birds. Their habit of storing acorn nuts in the holes they create in trees, fences and anything else made of wood can make them unpopular when they decide to store their nuts in the wood siding of a house.
My Jackrabbit Friend
A couple of months ago I spent some time photographing birds in our garden. It didn’t take long before I noticed that a jackrabbit spent a lot of time there. I had never noticed it before, but when you spend hours in one spot, without moving, you start to see things that you wouldn’t see otherwise. I think it was a young jackrabbit because it loved to run back and forth across the garden, apparently full of pent-up energy. I remember acting like that myself on occasion, but that was a long time ago. My furry friend seemed very healthy. It had no ticks in its ears as rabbits often do. I haven’t spent any time in the garden photographing lately. I hope my little friend is still there.
Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore
I saw this bull on my last trip to Point Reyes. He was in the elk enclosure at Pierce Point. I think the rut was over, but he was with a half dozen females.
