Favorites Photos from 2014

Well, it's that time of year again.  Time to look back on this year's photos and to relive some of the great experiences that we had.  If it wasn't for Jim Goldstein's great yearly blog project, I might have forgotten to do this post this year.  Take a look at Jim's blog in a few days to see 2014 favorite photos from hundreds of accomplished photographers.

As is the case each year, our favorites are not necessarily the best photos taken during the year.  When we go through our portfolio we relive the moments and tend to pick photos that represent some of our best experiences of the year.

2014 started out with our annual trip to Point Reyes.  The wildlife encounters in Point Reyes are fantastic, but so are the vistas.  This picture was taken from the road leading to the lighthouse:




One of the main reasons we go to Point Reyes is to find Bobcats.  We have had great luck there and last February's trip was no exception. We had some of our best encounters ever including this cat that we watched for over half an hour at Pierce Point Ranch:




In May, we ventured across the country to Florida.  One of our stops was at the famous Saint Augustine Alligator Farm.  Their wild bird rookery is well worth a visit if you are in the area and a destination in itself if you are a photographer.  When you first arrive, you literally have amazing photo ops in every direction.  It's a bit overwhelming so you need to slow down and find the best shots.  Here's a Tricolor Heron posing nicely in the early morning light:




Just down the boardwalk a few yards was this Snowy Egret:




One of the coolest birds at the rookery is the Roseate Spoonbill.  It's an odd looking bird with its  pink feathers and funky beak.  But, one of our favorites since we first saw one in Costa Rica. Plus, they seemed to be very curious creatures that I swear were staring at me from time to time.  Here is a shot of one coming in for a landing:




I can't say that the Wood Stork is a good looking bird, but it sure is a big bird.  Its wing span gets up to 5 feet and it is very graceful to watch as it soars by.  We were lucky enough to get close to a Wood Stork nest where we watched the chicks get fed.  Even at this young age, this chick was able to flip the fish up in the air to turn it around so it could be eaten head first:




Our final favorite from the Florida trip is of two Great Egret chicks.  Their half-feathered downy bodies were just too cute to resist:




In August, we want back to Tucson to hike in the foothills and visit Saguaro National Park.  We love the desert landscape and this part of the country has a great one...especially at the base of the Catalina Mountains:




During our Arizona trip, we took a day trip to Madera Canyon.  We've been there numerous times before but never seen the resident Elegant Trogons.  We got lucky this time when I caught some color out of the corner of my eye and so we were able to finally spot one.  They are nearly invisible in their habitat if you don't look carefully since they tend to sit perfectly still:




Our final favorite shot of the year was hard to pick.  But we knew it had to be a monster one.  We were lucky enough to find three different Gila Monsters during our trip to Tucson which was totally unexpected.  This one was in Saguaro National Park and just wandered across the road in front of us.  It didn't seem bothered by us at all and got a little TOO close for comfort at one point:




That's our list for this year.  We had some great adventures and I am sure that 2015 will provide even more.  Hopefully, next year's adventures will result in some more favorite photos that we can share next year.

Happy New Year to all!

Point Reyes - Feb 5, 2014

Another February means another trip to Point Reyes.  This was our 3rd multi-day trip overall and the main goal was to photograph Bobcat and Long-tailed Weasel.  We had never failed to see Bobcat on multi-day trips but the only Long-tailed Weasel we had ever spotted was a blur as it shot across a trail and out of sight.

We hoped to do better this time...

This first day was spent cruising up and down Pierce Point Road (PP Road) and the side road to Marshall Beach.  We also stopped to hike at Abbott's Lagoon hoping to find weasel but we had no luck there. We managed to see a coyote around lunch time, but it took us a few hours driving the roads in the afternoon to spot our first Bobcat:



It was a long ways away but we were able to find a small pullout and stakeout the cat.  Eventually, it came closer and started to stalk an unseen rodent in a hole:



The cat's pounce was low and quick (quite unlike the pounce of a coyote or fox that seem to jump high in the air) and I wasn't able to get one frame mid-pounce.  But, I did capture the cat post pounce reaching deep into the hole to try to grab its prey (too bad there was a stick in the way though):







But the cat came up empty, looked my way as if to say "oh well..." and headed off in the other direction out of sight...





That was an hour well spent!

With one goal out of the way (although you can never have too many Bobcat pictures...), we headed for the Elk Refuge to see if any were close to the road.  They were...





It was close to dusk now and we hadn't driven Sir Francis Drake Blvd towards the lighthouse at all.  So, we headed South.  Just as we rounded the corner at Schooner's Bay, we spotted another Bobcat on the side of the road.  It shot quickly off to the right and down to the water.  We pulled off into the pullout and quietly walked to the other side of the road hoping to spot it.  As we peaked over the incline we saw the Bobcat had moved down about 20 yards away but didn't seem bothered by our presence at all.





These shots were hand held and the light was dimming so I went back to the car to get my tripod.  In the mean time, the cat decided to get up and walk along the water's edge.  We returned to see its reddish rump and hind legs as it walked out of sight into the bushes. 

After dinner, we took a night drive down to the visitor center which is a great place to find Gray Fox.  We ended up seeing three.  One was along the road and two were in the visitor center parking lot.  Spotlighting is illegal in the National Parks and Seashores but we have found that driving really slow around the visitor center parking lot is the next best thing.  Plus, you get to stay warm and there is never anyone else there.

The three fox were a great topping on the two Bobcat day.  We also managed to spot five coyotes but none of the pictures were anything special.

Point Reyes - Feb 6, 2014

It's a good thing we brought gloves and lots of layers since the temp at 7am when we left our cottage on day 2 was 29 degrees! It was perfectly clear which made for some great early morning light as we headed into the park and drove to Pierce Point Ranch:








In fact, the morning was so nice that we weren't the only ones enjoying the sights:



We ended up seeing another bobcat and two coyotes on that drive in but none posed for decent pictures.

Next up was a trip to the lighthouse.  It's closed mid week which is a great time to look for the weasels which used to be seen there.  However, some Peregrine Falcons moved in there a few years back and the weasel sightings bottomed out.  We keep looking just in case but we struck out with both.  The scenery was still nice:






The colony of Common Murres at the lighthouse was packed this year:




Speaking of packed, the Elephant Seals were out in force with pups.  They were as loud and ornery as expected.






I usually don't take cow photos but this little one we nicknamed "legs" was too cute to pass up:




In fact, we were so enamored by "legs" that we almost missed the coyote in the pasture not 20 yards behind it.  Looks like the coyote was checking out "legs" as well:



The trip to the lighthouse and back yielded two coyotes total and our first Black-tailed Jackrabbit sighting. After lunch we hiked around the visitor center a bit and then headed back to our old standby...PP Road.

There was a Striped Skunk sauntering along through the fields right before Abbott's Lagoon.  Which is where we stopped next to look for weasels yet again.  About halfway down the trail, some folks coming the other way stopped us and said that they saw a possible Mountain Lion off the trail.  They knew what bobcats looked like and this one was "different".  We followed their directions to where they saw the cat but found nothing so I continued on.  Luckily, my wife doesn't give up easily and she stayed to scan the area.  Eventually, she found the cat and it turned out to be another bobcat.  So, that's the 4th sighting in two days and our first on foot. Not to shabby...

After the hike, we headed toward PP Ranch and spotted two coyotes right after the last dairy.  As we pulled into the PP Ranch parking lot some movement caught my eye.  Another bobcat was walking slowly up the hill away from the ranch.   There's some sort of building at the top of the hill and a trail to get there so I decided to head up to see if I could get a better glimpse of the bobcat.  The cat ended up turning around and laying down near one of the buildings.  We were able to sneak into the building and get great views of the cat for about 1/2 hour before it got up again and wandered off:





That evening, we pretty much struck out on our night drive after only seeing a jackrabbit near the visitor center.  But, we will take a three bobcat day anytime!

Point Reyes - Feb 7, 2014

The rain came with a vengeance overnight and in the early morning.  Due to the California drought, we welcomed the water even though it cut into our plans a bit.  So, we got a little later start than normal and it was still drizzly as we headed to PP Road again.  But, obviously the wildlife decided to stay dry since we struck out on the entire drive.

So next we headed towards the lighthouse and down to Drake's Bay.  We struck out on that drive as well but did see a lone coyote on our way back to Pierce Point Road.  The entire morning would have been a bust if not for the tasty sandwiches we picked up at Whale of a Deli in Point Reyes Station.

After lunch, another drive along Pierce Point Rd turned up nada.  At this rate, the whole day would be a bust.  So, we decided to get some exercise at Abbott's Lagoon.  We walked all the way to the lagoon and back and saw nothing but birds.  Just as we were getting close to the parking lot, movement caught my eye.  There, sitting in the bushes not 20 yards from us was a bobcat.  It looked at us briefly but just sat there as I rattled off frame after frame.  You can tell by this picture how hard they are to spot at anything but close range since they just blend in so well...




Eventually, it got up, gave us one last look...



and started to stalk something:





Did it get it?!...


Nope...




So, it wandered off through the bushes giving us some great last looks:



What a great encounter!  Another bobcat on foot.  We NEVER see wildlife on foot so this was really fantastic.  To top it off, this little guy was hanging out in the pit toilet:



Abbott's Lagoon truly delivered today and made up for the slow morning in a big way.

We decided to burn off the adrenaline from that great encounter by hiking the Estero Trail to look for owls.  While we didn't see any owls, we heard 3 different Great-horned Owls calling to each other from the trees.  Their great calls echoed as we walked.  Nature at its finest!   Just as the owl calls died down, a distinctly man-made sound started to thunder in across the valley.  It got louder and louder until it exploded over the nearby hills.  4 military choppers came into view and buzzed the tree tops over our heads and shook the ground beneath our feet.  Talk about the opposite of nature at its finest.  But, the sight and sound was pretty darn impressive.  Towards the end of the hike, the sounds of nature took hold again as we heard several coyotes yipping and howling and managed to see one on the crest of a nearby hill.

After dinner, we took one last night drive and the best encounter occurred before we even left our cottage.  This little guy posed nicely on the lawn as we drove out the driveway:



We ended up seeing another Pacific Tree Frog on the wet pavement at the visitor center plus a Brush Rabbit that just wouldn't sit still for photos.  But, that was it.  What a great last day.

It ended up starting to rain early the next morning so we decided to leave for home to try to beat the worst of the weather...which we did.

The trip was a rousing success despite the rain.  We could not have asked for better bobcat encounters.

Mammal Sightings:
- Elephant Seals (100s)
- Tule Elk (dozens)
- Black-tailed Deer (dozens)
- Coyote (16)
- Bobcat (6)
- Gray Fox (4)
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit (3)
- Northern Raccoon (3)
- Gray Squirrels (2)
- Brush Rabbits (1)
- Striped Skunk (1)

Point Reyes - Feb 11 & 12 2013

Instead of gallivanting off to the rain forest in February which is our usual yearly escape, we decided to stay in the area and see some local sites.  One of our favorite Northern California destinations is Point Reyes.  So, after seeing a good extended weather forecast, we booked a cottage on short notice and took off.

On the way to the coast, we decided to stop in Tennessee Valley to look for bobcat.  We didn't end up seeing any but the hike down to the ocean and back was very nice.

Wrentit:



Bewick's Wren:



We also saw some Mule Deer and a Coyote that was hanging out around the horse barns.  Maybe it was looking to catch a ride?




After a nice visit with family, we headed off early the next day to see Muir Woods.  I don't think I had been there since an elementary school field trip back in the "old days".  We found Muir Woods very cool due to both the huge redwoods and the frigid early morning temperatures.  It's a good thing we had gloves, lots of layers and knit hats.  The woods were super quiet.  In fact, we found them TOO quiet.  We saw almost no wildlife there at all and heard very few birds.  But, hiking around in utter silence was very soothing.




As a matter of fact, this Banana Slug was the only moving thing that I was able to get a good photo of the entire time that we were there although we did see a few Varied Thrush, Fox Sparrow, and Steller's Jay.




After a long hike and good lunch at the cafe in the park we headed to Point Reyes where we knew we would find some critters.  We started off by cruising all the way to Pierce Point Ranch.  We saw lots of Tule Elk at the refuge and quail as well but nothing too exciting.  So, we decided to head out of the park to grab some food.  As we were leaving we were commenting on the lack of wildlife seen during the day and Karen made the comment that "was it too much to ask to see a bobcat?".  Not 2 minutes later a bobcat crossed the road and stopped long enough for a quick picture:



Ask, and ye shall receive...fantastic!

After dinner, we did a night drive and walk around the visitor center area.  We had received a tip that this was a good place to see fox so we decided to check it out.  It was a bit chilly (to say the least) and all we had to show for our cold extremities was lots of deer sightings and some Brush Rabbits as well.  But, at least we didn't strike out.

Point Reyes - Feb 13, 2013

With our first full day of exploring ahead of us, we had no problem getting up early and we were out before 6:30AM.   We had been serenaded by a pair of Great-horned Owls the night before which was really nice.

According to our car, the temp outside was a balmy 38 degrees.  We had decided to drive all the way out to the lighthouse today since it was closed on Wednesdays and we thought that would give us a better chance of finding a weasel in that area. As we drove past Inverness and up the hill to the park we saw lots of low lying fog.  Hoping that it would lift enough to see things along the road we continued on towards the lighthouse but the fog got thicker and thicker.

We decided to take a detour up to the Estero trail head.  We have always felt that the road leading to the trail parking lot would be a great way to see critters in the surrounding hills but we never have seen anything of interest here...yet we keep trying.  Unfortunately, the fog stayed thick and the only things we saw were cows.

The road to the parking lot goes right through an open pasture and the cows have no problem getting in the way.  Since we were driving slow anyway, I pulled up next to one of the cows and rolled down Karen's window getting ready to say something witty (I can't remember what, but I am sure it was good).  Before I could say anything, Karen nonchalantly asked the cow "Do you know the way to the lighthouse"?  The cow showed its disdain for that question by signaling some buddies who then proceeded to saunter into the middle of the road and stop...butts pointed right at us.  That will teach us to ask for directions.  With some gentle nudging of my bumper (just kidding) the cows eventually dispersed and we had a new tag line for the trip.

On the way out we decided to abandon the journey to the lighthouse due to the fog and instead headed out to Pierce Point with hopes that there was no fog there.  This turned out to be a great choice.  There was some fog but it was great photography fog:





And the Tule Elk were once again close to the road.



We had hit Pierce Point at a perfect time.  There was no wind out there and no one in the parking lot.   So, we decided to head out on the Pierce Point trail to look for weasel and anything else that might cross our path (but mainly weasel).

The start of the trail was basked in a combination of morning sun and fog:




Further along the trail, the fog had just about disappeared except for one large strip that was quickly flowing over the hill like a waterfall.  It was a "fogfall".




There was a huge group of male elk hanging out quite near the trail.  It's not often I am able to use the following line without getting slapped...."Nice rack!".




The entire hike was very scenic and enjoyable.  But the only wildlife to speak of was lots of birds and a coyote:




The rest of the day consisted of more cruising along the roads and a hike at Abbott's Lagoon once again looking for weasel.  But, we didn't see much of interest except a few coyotes in bad light and lots of birds.  We did finally make it out to the lighthouse where we saw three gray whales, but once again no luck on the weasel.

That night we drove around again and had much better luck.  First, the deer and rabbits were out again at the visitor center.  But, tonight they were joined by a Gray Fox that trotted across the parking lot through our headlights.  It was off into the night before we could get any good looks but it was neat to see anyway.  On the way back to the cottage, I saw some eye-shine along the road by a house.  Due to its location I was thinking house cat.  As we drove up to where the eye-shine was I had my flashlight at the ready which was a good thing since it perfectly illuminated another Gray Fox not five feet from us.  The fox turned and looked at us for a few seconds and then ducked through a fence.  It was a fantastic look but I am kicking myself for not having the camera more ready since I might have been able to get a shot.  Oh well, the memory is intact.