Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! I hope you all get a chance to experience the beauty of our planet today, and remember how important it is to take good care if it. Here's a colorful sunrise from January to commemorate this special day. It's taken from Limantour Road in Point Reyes National Seashore, looking towards the sandstone cliffs of Drake's Beach.

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View more coastal landscapes in my Point Reyes National Seashore Landscapes gallery.

Sanderlings on the run, Point Reyes National Seashore

Two sanderlings running away from the waves on Limantour Spit at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Tule elk in lupine, Point Reyes National Seashore

Continuing the thread of my wishful thoughts of summer, here's another dive into an untouched folder from last May. This was one of one my favorite outings of the summer, and it occurred early in the season. Point Reyes was awash in wildflowers and the elk and birds seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was.



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Browse more images of Point Reyes tule elk in my Tomales Point gallery.

Dreaming of summer, Mute swan on a pond

Just a week ago we had some perfect summer-like days here in the Bay Area, and they got me so ready for summer to start. I found myself full of energy in the morning -- excited to get out of bed and watch the pastel colors of sunrise fill the neighborhood out of our window as I cut up fresh strawberries to have on my cereal. But alas, it's only April and spring is still in the air. And while there are plenty of wildflowers around, I'm more referring to the drizzle and mist we've been having over the last few days. So while I (im)patiently wait for those quiet mornings followed by warm sunny days to return, here are two shots that I took late last May that remind me of summer.



There was something so carefree about the way this swan paddled back and forth across the pond, moving at a slow pace. It's the epitome of that summer feeling -- no reason to rush, just enjoying life as it passes you by! (These shots are from the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma, CA.)



Submitted to World Bird Wednesday -- follow the link to see this week's posts!

Never turn your back on the ocean

A black-bellied plover, in the middle of transitioning to its summer plumage, along the edge of the water at Pillar Point Harbor.

Updated caption: As many of you have guessed, I intentionally left out the story of this picture to see what reactions it would get. The story is that yes, that is a real shark in the background. It was about a 2-3 foot long leopard shark, which is one of the most common sharks in the coastal areas of CA. It's a sleek, long-bodied shark with a beautiful spotted pattern that will often come into intertidal areas during high tides to feed. Unfortunately, this particular shark was not doing well. It was clearly very near the end of its life, and was getting rolled with the waves at the edge of the shoreline. I normally wouldn't photograph an animal in that condition, but when the plover I was following stopped in front of it I couldn't help but fire off a few shots of this unique composition. On our walk out of the harbor, we saw another related intertidal predator, which was in much better shape -- a bat ray was feeding on the newly covered sediments. It was really fun to watch its two fins break the surface as it flapped its "wings" and cruised along in the shallow water.