A Willow Ptarmigan surveys her summer home.
I didn’t believe the hype about ptarmigans, so when this ptarmigan bum-rushed me as I walked by on the trail, I only had myself to blame. We eventually made a compromise where I took glamor shots and she briefly stopped trying to knock me over.
A fun fact about Yellow-Bellied Marmots: They’re so chonky, that if you listen carefully you can hear loose talus rocks go “clunk” as the marmots walk by. Fortunately, the marmots aren’t ambush predators, so this doesn’t hold them back very much.
Miles Chonkington, the world’s widest Yellow-Bellied Marmot, briefly started at right guard for the San Francisco 49ers. He was released after he hibernated through most of the regular season.
I have returned from a four day expedition to the Desolation Wilderness in the northern Sierra, where I discovered Miles Chonkington, a truly thick Yellow-Bellied Marmot. Miles enjoys long strolls on the talus, snacking on wildflowers, and long cozy naps.
A Coyote hunts along the edge of a road. Roads can be very attractive to wildlife. They’re efficient thoroughfares for travel. When hunting, they provide easy access to brush and a silent approach. Unfortunately, they’re also filled with distracted drivers and irresponsible speeders.
I was pleased to see a US Park Ranger pull over a speeder just a mile down the road from this spot. He was parked on the side of the road at a popular tourist attraction, appearing to the casual observer to just be another park visitor. As the speeder blew past, he flipped on his lights, did a U turn, and wrote a ticket. Maybe he’d been studying the ambush hunting approach favored by some of the park’s wildlife.
If you sit still enough for long enough, the reclusive Wrentit might just pop out of a bush and pose for brief a portrait session. This Wrentit’s coat is looking a little scruffy, but maybe if they came out a little more often it wouldn’t be necessary to take portraits while they’re molting. Just a thought for the local Wrentits to ponder.
A Great-Horned Owl peeks out through a cloud of glowing bokeh balls as the sunset filters through its roosting tree.
A Red-Tailed Hawk clutches a freshly caught Long-Tailed Weasel.
This year is the third year that I’ve been working on this panoramic shot of a California Quail in front of rolling hills. The shot I’m working towards has a few key elements: A quail standing tall, rolling hills in the background, and green grass. This is only possible for about a month every year. Too early in the year, and the quail are staying on the ground. Too late, and the grass turns brown.
I feel like this shot is almost there. I wish the sky had a bit more color, but at least the clouds are interesting. The quail didn’t end up positioned ideally. It’s cramped a bit by the line of the hill above its head. And the layers on the left intersect displeasingly. But this is the closest I’ve gotten! Maybe next year everything will come together.
