Favorite Spot To Photograph Elk; Point Reyes National Seashore

Tule Elk Cow, Tomales Point Elk Preserve, Point Reyes National Seashore

I took this photo during the last hour of the day on the side of the road just before the Pierce Point Ranch complex.

The mile or so before the ranch complex is my favorite place in the Seashore for the end of the day.  The reason for that is that I can usually find some elk crossing from the west side of Pierce Point Road to the east side of the road then.  It’s easy then to position your car close to the elk and with the car between the setting sun and the elk.  The backgrounds are usually clean also.  Close-up photos like the above are easy there then.

Ten Mile Beach and Ranch Lands, Point Reyes National Seashore

Ten Mile Beach and Ranch Lands, Point Reyes National Seashore

Ten Mile Beach is a popular subject to photograph from Point Reyes itself.  This photo was shot from the opposite direction.  The foreground is comprised of Kehoe Ranch grazing land.  The photo was taken around sunset.

Sandpiper, Point Reyes National Seashore

Sandpiper, Point Reyes National Seashore

When I go out to Point Reyes to photograph wildlife I usually concentrate on the ranch lands and other open lands of the Seashore.  One day last month I stopped at Drake’s Beach and watched some sandpipers and marbled godwits hunting for food as the waves retreated.  Things were pretty quiet (few people) so I grabbed my gear and headed down there.  Unfortunately for me, some people walking the beach came a little too close for most of the birds and they flew down the beach.  However, a few remained.  This guy came closest.

Limantour Beach is known for shorebirds.  Pat Ulrich has had a lot of success there.  It’s a long way from my usual areas, but I’ll have to check it out.

Best Photos of 2011

I learned about Jim Goldstein’s blog project some time in 2011.  To learn more about it click here.  Basically, you do a blog about your best 10 or so photos of the year and Jim will link your blog to his list of blogs that participate.  I recently looked at some of the 2010 participants’ “Best 10″ blogs.  It’s a great way to find good nature photographers you weren’t aware of.

I photographed a lot at Point Reyes National Seashore in 2011 so I decided to use Point Reyes wildlife photos that were in my blog in 2011.  I want to say at the outset that I never really photographed much at Point Reyes before 2011 and I was very surprised at how good wildlife photo opportunities are there.  I’m a big fan of Yellowstone, but Point Reyes is almost the equal of it and in some ways it’s better.  For example, I’ve never seen a single bobcat in Yellowstone and hardly ever fail to see one at Point Reyes.

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite Point Reyes wildlife photos that were in my blog in 2011.

Long-tailed Weasel, Point Reyes National Seashore

Long-tailed weasels are one of my favorite animal subjects at Point Reyes.  Unfortunately, they are hard to find.  I saw four last year in Point Reyes, but this guy is the only one I was fortunate enough to get close photos of.

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

Bobcats are a lot easier to find, especially in the winter. This male lived on one of the ranches along Pierce Point Road.  I saw him a lot last winter, but he disappeared in the early spring.  I’m not sure what happened to him, but I think a pack of coyotes got him.  I saw them pass through the open area he used to hang out on.  I think he could have held his own with one coyote, but I doubt he could do so with two or more.  There were no trees or other means of escape anywhere near where I used to see him.   I photographed him a lot and miss him.

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes has a healthy population of coyotes.  Like the bobcats, they are easiest to find in the winter when they spend more time out during daylight.

American Badger, Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes has a good population of badgers, but they are somewhat hard to find because they are such nocturnal critters.  In 2011 I photographed two single adults plus two females in the spring with two cubs each.  This is one of the single adults.  I found this individual a couple of weeks ago.

Tule Elk Bugles, Point Reyes National Seashore.

Of all the wildlife Point Reyes has I think the species people think of first is the tule elk.  They are fairly easy to find and photograph at Point Reyes.  Needless to say, this photo was taken during the rut.  With his angry-looking eyes and wide-open mouth he looks pretty fierce.  Every time I see how big his mouth is I picture four canine teeth in there and wonder what life would be like if elk had canines.

Peregrine Falcon, Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes has some resident peregrine falcons.  They are often seen from Chimney Rock to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.   This one decided to dine in ranch country.

California Quail on Post, Point Reyes National Seashore

California quail are quite common in the Seashore.  When things are slow they can save the day.  I think the peregrine above was feeding on a quail.

Osprey; Tomales Bay, California

There are several ospreys that live and nest in and around the Seashore.  This one decided to perch on a dock in Inverness which is just over the ridge from the Seashore.

Red-tailed Hawk, Point Reyes National Seashore

Red-tailed hawks are common at Point Reyes, especially in the winter.  They are probably the raptor seen most often in the Seashore.

Great Horned Owl, Point Reyes National Seashore

Great horned owls are also common, although you don’t see them as often as their numbers would suggest because of their nocturnal ways.  Find any good sized clump of trees, though, and odds are good that you will find one or more great horned owls in there.  Pound for pound they are about the most deadly bird in North America.  While they normally prey on mammals and birds smaller than them, they have been know to prey on such things as house cats, canada geese and even bald eagles.  Field Guide to Owls of California and the West, Hans Peeters, at 191.

There are a lot of other wildlife species at Point Reyes , many of which I blogged about, but it’s time to stop.  If you’d like to see some more images from Point Reyes or elsewhere you can continue viewing my blog or you can visit my website, www.jimcoda.com.

Happy New Year to All, and thank you Jim Goldstein.

A Wolf Howls, Yellowstone National Park

A wolf howls in the Lamar Valley.

I put a “Season’s Greetings” at the end of the elk post yesterday.  After I posted it I decided I needed to come up with something more “Christmas-like” and I removed the holiday greeting.  Here’s what I came up with.

I photographed this wolf in the Lamar Valley in February of 2008.  I’m not sure, but it may have been #302M, also known as “Casanova,” who died in October of 2009.    He was the star of Bob Landis’ film, “In the Valley of the Wolves.”

Happy Holidays.

Bull Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore

A 7-point bull on the D Ranch.

I photographed this bull the day I photographed the badger.  I’ve seen and photographed him before.  He’s one of the Limantour herd that uses the D Ranch as part of its habitat.  What’s nice about these elk is that they are often on the east side of the road to Drake’s Beach in the late afternoon.  The light is usually pretty nice then.

Badger, Point Reyes National Seashore

A badger wakes up from its sunbath.

After lunch today I decided to go out to Point Reyes.  I’m anxious for the coyotes and bobcats to return to their winter ways of spending more time out during daylight hours and I hoped I’d see some today.    I had barely gotten inside the Seashore when I  saw a lot of badger diggings on a hillside.  They looked fresh, although it had rained last night and I wondered if the wetness of the dirt made them look fresher than they were.   I scanned all the diggings and the one that was highest up the hill had a brownish lump on the side of the digging.  It was partly obstructed by vegetation.  I grabbed my 7X binoculars and took a look.  They weren’t powerful enough to be certain, but it looked like brown fur and it wasn’t moving.  I assumed it was a badger and that it was asleep.  I grabbed my lens and tripod and  decided to move slowly up the hill to try to get close enough for a good photo.  I used a telephone pole between us as cover.

I got to about 40 to 50 yards from what I knew by then was a badger and was about to shoot a few frames when out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of movement.  It was a a coyote and it was running straight up the hill on my left.  I have no idea why or how the coyote did that.  I think it may have been sleeping somewhere to the left of the badger and me and I startled it.  I started shooting the coyote as it ran, but it topped the hill quickly.  I re-focused on the badger and, no surprise, it was no longer asleep.  It was staring straight at me.  I’m sure the coyote caught its attention first and the noise from my shutter got its attention next.  I fired off several shots and the badger went down the burrow it had dug.  It quickly popped back up to take a longer look at me.  After a few seconds it had seen enough.

A badger takes a peek.

After a bit, I circled around the burrow hoping he’d come up again and, not seeing me where he expected me to be, he’d come out.  It was not to be and after about 30 minutes I gave up.  It was a good start though.

It turned out that that was the high point of the afternoon.  I did see another coyote later.  I also had one bobcat cross the road in front of me.  I also saw another critter for a second or two before it disappeared into a swale.  I think it was either a bobcat or coyote.  Things were pretty slow elk-wise on the Tomales Peninsula.

I then headed over to Drake’s Beach hoping to see some elk on the way or maybe something at Drake’s Beach itself.  On the way I saw a burrowing owl that my friend Jeff told me about just before the turnoff for Drake’s Beach.  There was also a big 7-point bull elk on the east side of the road to Drake’s Beach.  Drake’s Beach itself was dead.  I then headed back to Pierce Point.  It’s often pretty good for elk late in the day.  Not today.

Things seem to be getting better at Point Reyes in terms of seeing bobcats and coyotes.

Tule Elk Cow, Point Reyes National Seashore

Tule Elk, Pierce Point Ranch Area

I drove out to Point Reyes recently.  Things look a little greener in places.  Red-tailed hawk numbers have increased.  The Pierce Point Ranch area was free of fog for a change.  This cow, along with some others, was grazing near the ranch.  I don’t particularly like the background (or foreground) in this photo, but I do like the expression on her face.  She is wondering what my intentions are and why she failed to see me until now.   Now if I were a mountain lion ….

Sunrise Point at Dawn

Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon National Park

I’m happy to say that I’m done upgrading the images on my website, www.jimcoda.com.  Landscapes were the last part.

This is one of my favorite landscape photos.  I was at Bryce Canyon for a long weekend a couple of years ago.  I didn’t have the time to cover it all.  Sunrise Point was my favorite spot of those that I visited.  The breadth of the view there is incredible.  It’s hard to decide what to photograph.  I shot various portions of what I saw there, but my favorite was this image which covers a very small part of the scene.

Western Bluebird, Point Reyes National Seashore

Western Bluebird, Point Reyes National Seashore

I’m almost done upgrading my website.  Having to search for the master file for every image on my website so I can enlarge it has caused me to look at nearly all the images I have and that has taken a lot of time.  It’s been very beneficial though because I’ve found a number of images that I should have put on my website when I took the photos.   This little bluebird is one.  It has everything I look for in a good wildlife photo.  It has an appealing subject, good body position/pose, good light, good color and a clean, out-of-focus background.  No distractions.  It’s now on my website.  To see the upgraded/larger image click here.

I’ve added a number of other overlooked images as well.  The tule elk portfolio is a good example.  I’ve added about 10 new images to that portfolio.  I’ve also removed several.

One thing I’ve realized doing the web upgrade is that I’ve not been paying enough attention to my website since I started doing this blog.  I’m probably not the only photo blogger doing that.  Keeping current with my website seems like a good New Year resolution.