Western sandpiper in summer colors, Point Reyes National Seashore

From an overcast morning in July 2010, a western sandpiper rests on Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. This is an exciting time of the year when the shorebirds return from their breeding grounds still wearing their bright summer colors. I was out on this beach last weekend and didn't see many birds, but hopefully I'll have a chance to get down in the sand with them soon.



View more images of peeps in my Sandpipers Gallery.

Osprey fly by, Point Reyes National Seashore

I had this unexpected encounter with an osprey on a hike a few weeks ago on Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore. My goal for the trip was to photograph the tule elk in velvet antlers, and as I dropped into a wildflower-covered valley I started photographing some sparrows as they hopped around on the lupine. Then at one moment I happened to look up and saw this osprey go cruising by at a low altitude. I was already working on my tripod at full height, so I was able to pan with the bird fairly successfully, and managed to snap off a few sharp frames as it shot by.



View more of my birds of prey photos.

Submitted to the World Bird Wednesday blog meme -- Follow the link to check out this week's posts.

Light beams through redwoods, Muir Woods National Monument

Streams of warm afternoon sunlight filter through the high canopy of coast redwoods, the tallest tree species in the world. This image was taken in Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California.

View more images of these amazing trees in my Redwood Forest Gallery.

California quail on a post, Point Reyes National Seashore

Another day, another quail posing on a fencepost in Point Reyes National Seashore. I've had great luck with quail this year, often finding many different individuals in nice locations on the same trip. In fact, there have been a few trips I've taken, that quail are basically the only subjects I've seen. But I won't complain about that, since they're one of my favorite birds to photograph. I drove by this one on Pierce Point Road on my way to the Tule Elk Reserve, and he had a nice setting of blooming plants in front and behind him.



View more photos of these charismatic birds in my Quail Gallery.

Tule elk feeding in the fog, Point Reyes National Seashore

This herd of tule elk bulls was enjoying a dinner of tall, blooming grasses when I encountered them on Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore. Through the shifting fog I watched them graze on the grasses and occasionally push each other out of the way. Every now and then a few would look my way, which made for better pictures since I could get some eye contact with them. The two looking at me in this frame are average sized, but there were some very large bulls in the group as well. Even though they all still had velvet on their antlers, you could already tell that the smaller bulls respected the larger ones, as they often parted ways when the big guys were coming through.

View more in my Tule Elk Gallery.

Lupine in Bloom at Kehoe Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore

The yellow bush lupine is in full bloom at Point Reyes National Seashore, and the park's coastal scrub is carpeted in yellow. This photo is a view of the Great Beach of Point Reyes, looking south over the dunes along the trail to Kehoe Beach.

View more landscape images from Point Reyes National Seashore.

Female California Quail, Point Reyes National Seashore

In wildlife photography, it's so easy to get caught up looking for just the biggest, flashiest male to photograph. Unfortunately, this often means that the females don't get the attention they deserve, unless they have babies in tow. That's a shame though, since females of many species are just as lovely as their male counterparts. While male California quail are definitely showier, the females are quite beautiful, and share many of the same plumage patterns. Unfortunately, the females tend to be much more secretive, and I have rarely seen them out in the open for extended periods of time. This female, however, hopped up on a fence post and stood there for a minute or two in late afternoon light before returning to her more secretive ways in the tall grass at Pierce Point Ranch in Point Reyes National Seashore. I was quite happy to have this fleeting chance to take some photographs of a female quail out in the open.



You can view more images of quail in my Quail Gallery.

Submitted to World Bird Wednesday -- follow the link to see this weeks bird-related posts!