Long-billed curlew showing some ‘tude at Ocean Beach.
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Tule Elk With Unshed Antlers
This was meant to be a fun photo of a tule elk poking its head above the grass. But, notice anything unusual?
I took this photo Memorial Day weekend, and the elk still has what looks like last year’s antlers. The rest of the bulls were already starting to grow new antlers in March, and they’re now sporting large racks of velvet antlers that will harden in late summer. This bull still has hardened and very worn-looking antlers, which must be a year old.
I couldn’t find any references to this happening with other elk, but there was at least one known case of a deer that didn’t shed. Biologists’ best guess was that it had some kind of endocrine disorder that caused high testosterone year-round. Normally testosterone levels drop in the winter and that prompts the antlers to shed.
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Surprise Badger
American badger popping out of a den at Point Reyes.
I’d like to pretend that a great deal of skillful detective work and understanding of animal behavior went into this photo. Honestly, I pretty much stumbled onto the badger. From the look on its face, we were equally surprised to see each other. I dropped to the ground to get an eye level shot. The badger didn’t hang around very long.
Now that I know what badger habitat looks like, hopefully my next sighting will be a bit more planned and a bit less traumatic for everyone involved.
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Snowy Plover Sandstorm
I headed out to photograph plovers in what turned out to be a driving sandstorm. The 20 mph winds made for a bit of an extreme photography experience, but also created striking sand drifts on the beach. The snowy plovers were hunkered down, using the obstructions that created the drifts as shelters from the wind.
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California Quail Peekaboo
California quail peeking out of the coyote brush.
I took this photo back in February. We were at Abbotts Lagoon and could hear the quail calling, but none were in evidence. I had a nice session with a common goldeneye, but the day was otherwise pretty much a bust.
As we were heading out, I stopped to photograph a sparrow “just to see if I can still feel something.” I was attempting to line the sparrow up to work around a busy background when I heard an quiet but urgent “Jacques! Over here!” I looked over, and Emily was pointing out a California quail couple hiding in the bush right near me. The female was too well hidden, but the male was kind enough to pop its head out, framed nicely by the greenery.
Now that it’s May, the quail are back up on their stages, belting out “chi-ca-go” calls from their favorite bushes and fence posts.
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Panoramic Coyote
Coyote roaming the rolling hills of Point Reyes.
It took me a while to post this photo. Something never quite felt right for me, until someone pointed out it really wanted to be a panorama. A more square aspect ratio detracts from the wide open feeling you get walking the fields of Point Reyes, looking for wildlife.
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Long-Billed Curlew at Stinson Beach
The setting sun reflected really nicely in the stream running across the beach as this friendly curlew posed in silhouette.
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The Friendly Kestrel
By any objective measure, American Kestrels are the most adorable non-owl raptors. They’re also the most common raptor in the United States, with a population of 2.5 million (4 million globally), although their numbers are declining. Unfortunately, they’re fairly shy and I’ve struggled to get any kind of photograph of them.
Thanks to a tip from Daniel Dietrich, I was able to track down a very tolerant American Kestrel. It was happily perched on a fence as I pulled up. It registered my presence, but quickly went back to scanning for prey. Eventually, I was even able to get out of the car and creep even closer without disturbing it.
This shot was taken in full sun about 3 hours before sunset, which is harsher than I would usually work with. But, for the cutest raptor, I’ll make an exception.
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Coyote and the City at Fort Mason
I photographed this Coyote last fall. I loved this image, but wasn’t quite happy with the edit. I finally figured out that it’s possible for images to be too warm, even if the warmth comes naturally from the sunset. This looks a bit more natural than what the auto white balance produced. and there’s more of a contrast with the blues in the background.
