This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
A friend and I were driving toward the Point Reyes Lighthouse last week when we saw this sow badger and her two cubs. They were very close to the edge of the road. For some reason she decided to build her den there. I hope she moves. If they stay there the chances are that one or more of them will be killed by a vehicle.
This photo was taken yesterday at Point Reyes National Seashore. It’s a great time to be out with a camera if you like to photograph wildlife. Members of the deer family are growing new antlers. Babies are being born, both predators and prey. I saw several elk calves yesterday. Wildflowers are also underway. If you look closely, you can see lots of douglas iris to go with the cow parsnip.
This is another photo from the same spot as yesterday’s photo. It was taken moments earlier and with a wider field of view. Historic Old Saint Hilary’s Church is in the foreground. It was built in 1888. Local citizens bought the property in 1959 after the Catholic Church deconsecrated it and was about to demolish it. It is owned now by the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society and is used for weddings and other memorable events. Between the church and San Francisco are Angel Island and Alcatraz Island. The area around the church is known for its wildflowers.
Two days ago I posted a photo of San Francisco taken from the town of Tiburon. It included a part of Tiburon, Angel Island and Alcatraz. I decided to go back last night to see what the scene looked like at night. This photo focuses more on San Francisco and Alcatraz.
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 photo of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco was taken from the same spot as the photo showing the Transamerica Building framed by the north tower of the bridge which I posted a few days ago. Note that the building is still framed by the tower in this image. This photo was taken on the same day as the other photo, but hours later, and it was taken with a 70-200 lens at 122mm, not a 500mm lens. The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most-photographed structure in California. Iwish I had a penny for every photo ever taken of it.
There are three things in the photo above that say it’s spring to me. The first thing is the flowers. The second is the change occurring in the elk’s coat from a warmer (longer), lighter-colored, winter coat to a cooler (shorter), darker, summer coat. The third thing is the early-stage growth of antlers.
During the winter season the Point Reyes tule elk shed their antlers. Almost immediately after shedding them they began growing new antlers. Under that velvet skin the antlers are engorged with blood. At this early stage you can easily see evidence of blood-rich tissue. Below is a cropped version of the above photo showing the blood-rich tissue.
