Wildlife

White Pelican & Reed Reflections

A young American white pelican paddles through reflections of giant reeds in the creek. San Francisco Bay Area, California 27-SEP-2019

Napping Sea Otters

A female southern sea otter takes a nap with the rest of the sea-otter raft anchored in the tangled eelgrass. Sea otters lift their front & back paws out of the water to keep them warm. Monterey Bay, California 11-APR-2015

Hawk & Rainbow

A juvenile red-tailed hawk perches on a trail sign to dry out after a passing storm. San Francisco Bay Area, California 16-FEB-2019

Skimming at Sunset

A black skimmer searches along the top of the water for fish at sunset. San Francisco Bay Area, California 02-AUG-2017

Great Blue Heron: Young Adult

A great blue heron wades in the water in search of dinner. San Francisco Bay Area, California 01-JUN-2018

Forster's Tern

A Forster's tern perches to take a break from diving & fishing. San Francisco Bay Area, California 30-MAY-2016

Brown Pelican Dive: Surface Contact

A brown pelican dives & prepares to plunge into the water to catch fish. Brown pelicans turn their heads to the left before impact because the esophagus and trachea are on the right side of the neck. San Francisco Bay Area, California 20-NOV-2015

Moon Jelly

Moon jelly on special exhibit: "Jellies Experience." Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey, California 06-SEP-2015

Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 23-FEB-2013

Grooming Break A southern sea otter takes a rest from vigorously grooming its head after breakfast. Monterey Bay Moss Landing, California 27-NOV-2011

Great Blue Heron: Fresh Catch A great blue heron plucks a yellowfin goby out of the water. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 30-OCT-2012

Clark's Grebe Yawn A Clark's grebe wakes up from an afternoon nap on the still lake. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 02-MAR-2012

Feeding on Fall Flowers A female Anna's hummingbird hovers to harvest some fall nectar. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 24-OCT-2011

Behind the Mound A burrowing owl peeks out from a dirt mound to scan the surroundings. The owl is waiting for sunset before coming out of its in-ground home. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 13-AUG-2011

Brown Pelican Over Water A brown pelican shows its 7-foot wingspan as it flies out to sea. Moss Landing, California 27-NOV-2011

Great Blue Heron Glide A great blue heron glides over tall grasses and sleeping ducks. Charleston Slough, Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 17-NOV-2011

Surf Scoter with Clam A surf scoter finds a clam and swallows it whole (shell and all). (I saw it eat about 6 of them!) Shoreline Lake Mountain View, California 04-MAR-2011

Competitive Fishing A large flock of Forster's terns hover above the water looking for small fish. They occasionally lunge at each other to defend their favorite fishing spots. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 30-JUN-2011

Group Sunbathing Elephant seal mothers and their weaning pups group together to conserve heat while sunbathing on the beach. Ano Nuevo State Reserve Pescadero, California 03-APR-2011

Great Egret in Tall Grasses A great egret hunts in the grasses. The egret's green lores are a sign of the breeding season. Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge Fremont, California 16-APR-2011

Hummingbird Silhouette An Anna's hummingbird perches against sunset-light falling on spring fields. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 04-APR-2011

Dive Displacement A Forster's tern plunges into the water to catch a fish in its beak. (The tern is a shallow diver, but still creates quite a splash.) Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 16-JUN-2011

Pheasant in the Fields A male ring-necked pheasant pops up from hiding to listen to the call of another pheasant. Palo Alto Baylands Preserve, California 25-APR-2010

Red-Tailed Fly-By A red-tailed hawk hunts along the water and swoops down for a very low fly-by. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 15-MAY-2010

Great (Egret) Escape A great egret leaves its hunting spot to avoid the crashing ocean waves. Pt. Lobos State Reserve Carmel, California 15-JAN-2011

Anna's Hummingbird at Sunset An Anna's hummingbird zips around and feeds on a string of flowers. The the last light from the setting sun filters through the surrounding bushes. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 22-OCT-2011

Gliding Pelican American white pelican coasting in flight Baylands Preserve Palo Alto, California 03-OCT-2010

More Grooming A sea otter floats along, grooming its head to keep warm. (The little bit of red is its tongue.) Sea otters are ocean mammals that spend most of time hunting, eating, sleeping, and grooming. Moss Landing State Beach, California 18-APR-2010

Great Egret on Plank Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 16-MAR-2011

Juvenile Night Heron Portrait Juvenile black-crowned night heron (a few months old) in the morning Baylands Park & Nature Preserve Palo Alto, California 15-AUG-2010

Avocet: Ready for Takeoff An American avocet crouches down for a final push before flight. Baylands Park & Nature Preserve Palo Alto, California 24-APR-2010

10-Point Buck A California mule deer pauses during his foraging in the forest. Yosemite National Park, California 12-DEC-2010

Ready to Fish A snowy egret searches carefully in the shallow water for small fish (dinner). Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 04-MAR-2010

Northern Harrier A northern harrier scans the blue skies in the late-afternoon light. Palo Alto Baylands, California 13-MAR-2010

Treetop Construction A pair of great blue herons prepares a nest high atop a dead Monterey pine tree. The male flies back and forth from the nest to collect sticks and twigs. The male passes material to the female, and she is in charge of the nest construction. Whalers Cove, Pt. Lobos State Reserve Carmel, California 20-MAR-2010

Grooming Time A sea otter mother, anchored in kelp, pulls in her pup for some head grooming. (The ball of fur is the pup.) Grooming helps to keep themselves warm. Pt. Lobos State Reserve Carmel, California 20-MAR-2010

Bird on a Barb A tree swallow perches directly on a barb in the thorny wire. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 03-MAY-2010

Cloud of Down A juvenile black-crowned night heron watches an adult create a downy mess from ruffling feathers. The black-crowned night herons have come to the water's edge at sunset to feed. Palo Alto Baylands, California 13-MAR-2010

Spring Bunny A very young, wild bunny (5" long and probably just over 4 weeks ago) striking it out on his/her own away from the nest The bunny was hiding quietly and happily in some short, tasty grass. Ann Arbor, Michigan 05-MAY-2007

Snowy Egret Over Lake A snowy egret flies close to the Shoreline Lake surface Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 04-MAR-2010

Hawk Dinner A red-tailed hawk rests after hunting down a squirrel for dinner Ann Arbor, Michigan 22-OCT-2008

Swan Stretch A swan streches its wings among the lilly pads in the Huron River Gallup Park Ann Arbor, Michigan 24-JUL-2007

Brown Pelican Over Cliffs A brown pelican flies by the rocky ocean cliffs. Pt. Lobos State Reserve Carmel, California 20-MAR-2010

White-Faced Ibis at Sunset (The white-faced ibis species has been making a comeback in California.) Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 22-MAR-2010

White-Tailed Kite A white-tailed kite eats dinner (a large rodent) atop a tree at sunset. It picked at its food for a while and later swallowed it whole. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 19-MAR-2010

Elephant Seal Weaner A sleepy "weaner" elephant seal takes a break from napping to take a look around. The pup recently molted and lost its dark baby fur. The pup is about 6 weeks old. The moms leave the pups after 4 weeks of nursing. The weaners are left to learn how to swim before they go out to sea (a long swim to Alaskan waters). These northern elephant seals grow to be as long as 16 ft. and as heavy as 5,000 pounds. 03-APR-2010

Return to the Nest A male great blue heron returns back to the treetop nest. Its sunset chores include collecting branches for nest construction. Pt. Lobos State Reserve Carmel, California 20-MAR-2010

Red-Tailed Hawk Flight At sunset, a red-tailed hawk searches for its next dinner in the open fields. Red-tailed hawks on the West Coast seem to be darker than those in the Midwest and East Coast. Shoreline Park Mountain View, California 01-APR-2010

Lights Out A sea otter naps with paws over its eyes to block the late-afternoon light Moss Landing State Beach, California 18-APR-2010