Archives for Wildlife category
Now that I’ve got your attention…
For those sitting on the fence contemplating joining in on my Sea Otter Photo Tour this September 7th and 14th there’s no time like the present to register. Sea Otters are incredibly good photography subjects and are entertaining to boot. Opportunities to photograph their playful antics and unique feeding behavior doesn’t get better than this. Spaces are filling up so don’t delay much longer.
Technorati Tags: sea otter, enhydra lutris, photography, stock photo, workshop, photo tour
Photographed below is an Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) at Moss Landing. Birding isn’t my primary focus when it comes to photography, but the red eye of an Eared Grebe is a tough subject to pass up. The red eye of this bird is truly an eye catcher. Sorry I couldn’t resist the pun.
Have a great weekend everyone.
If you’re interested in capturing photos like this consider joining me on my Sea Otters of California Photo Tour for a day of great nature photography.
Technorati Tags: Eared Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, California, Monterey, wildlife, photography, stock photo
Looking forward… I cannot wait until early September. The prospect of photographing Sea Otters again is keeping me going these days. The act of photographing a landscape or nature subject has always been a meditative experience for me. Add to the mix a cute furry critter like Sea Otters and you have a magical combination that adds up to a relaxing and fun time. Only 62 more days to go…
Join me on my Sea Otters of California Tour for a day of great nature photography and you’ll know what I mean.
Technorati Tags: Monterey, California, Sea Otter, wildlife, stock photo, photography, Enhydra lutris
Photographing bears, particularly Grizzly Bears, is always a rush. These animals are truly awesome. Their natural behavior, raw power and characteristic look make for great photography. No matter where you photograph these awe inspiring creatures, the wild, zoos or wildlife refuges, they always deserve your respect as you never know what they might do. With a little luck someday soon I look forward to the opportunity to photograph Grizzlies on the Katmai coast amongst many other places.
Technorati Tags: Grizzly, bear, Ursus horribilis, stock photo, photography
California Sea Otters certainly have an air of relaxation about them. As relaxed as they seem they’re actually quite active eating 20% of their body weight in food per day. Their constant pursuit of food is a reflection of their fast metabolism that helps them survive in the frigid northern California water. Their diet includes mostly invertebrates such as sea urchins, mussels, abalone, clams, scallops, crabs, sea snails, chitons, octopus and squid. You might say they have similar taste to humans. Sushi anyone?
California Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Technorati Tags: California Sea Otter, Enhydra lutris, photography, wildlife
This fall I will be leading (2) two California Sea Otter photography tours near Monterey, California and you’re invited!
From the comfort of a pontoon boat those in attendance will have the ability to photograph the natural behaviors of California Sea Otters and potentially other species including Harbor Seals, California Sea Lions, Cormorants, Pelicans, Grebes, Surf Scoters and many other shore birds. Each tour will be limited to 5-8 people to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get great photos and interaction with my assistant and I.
Learn more about the September 7th, 2008 and September 14th, 2008 California Sea Otter Photo Tour. See you there!
California Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Technorati Tags: California Sea Otter, Enhydra lutris, photography, wildlife, tour, workshop
Sea Otters are one of the more interesting wild animals in Northern California. From their playful interaction to their use of rocks as tools to eat their favorite food it’s hard to get enough of them. Photographed below is a wild Sea Otter in Monterey, California who kept his paws are on his ears while basking in the sun
Sea Otter fur is unique and the main reason they were hunted so aggressively in the past. They have the thickest fur of any animal with 850,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles per inch! Their two coats, outer and under coat, traps air close to their body insulating them from the chilly ocean water. In this photo you can see the fur around the head freshly groomed and dryer than the rest of his body. What I find fascinating is the contrast between the look of the dry and wet fur in this photo. If you look at the stomach you’ll see the Otters reflection on his wet belly.
Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Learn more about Sea Otters via the Marine Mammal Center
Technorati Tags: Monterey, California, wildlife, photo, photography, stock photo, sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Recently I’ve been reading a lot of news stories demonizing Coyotes coming into suburban environments. It wasn’t that long ago that two coyotes were killed here in San Francisco and I thought I would post a photo of a typical Coyote encounter.
This Coyote like most others was very shy and was waiting to come down from the hillside early one morning only when it saw no one else around. Very skiddish it was only interested in hunting small rodents and birds in a near by meadow. As soon as I became visible this Coyote was quick to run off back into the safety of the dense foliage in the near by hills.
The problem I have with the demonization of Coyotes or other predators by the press is that they portray human-animal interaction in a very one-dimensional fashion. Seldom is there any note of how humans impact and condition animals to become acclimatized to us. The build up of our trash, people feeding wild animals, etc. all contribute to these animals losing their innate fear of us. Unlike Raccoons, Skunks, Possums or other common urban wildlife that we often ignore, if not accept as denizens of our neighborhoods, Coyotes like many other larger predators, get the short end of the stick and pay the price of such acclimatization to humans with their lives. There aren’t too many advocates for these animals, but one day I hope to see that we hold people accountable on some level for their part in these common and increasing human-animal conflicts.
In the case of Coyotes they get a double whammy when it comes to conflict with humans. The lack of predators in our neighborhoods results in a booming population of prey that initially draw Coyotes into our neighborhoods. When not hunting natural prey they become acclimatized to foraging in our trash or hunting small pets. it’s a tough balance for Coyote and humans, but sometime in the future I hope better civic and state policies are identified and put in place to minimize the killing of these predators and increasing public respect for local wildlife.
Technorati Tags: coyote, urban, wildlife, photograph, photo, stock photo, Canis latrans
