Sea lion portrait

Two takes on this peaceful sea lion at the Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey. I like the late light reflecting in the water on the first one, but I'm partial to having the flipper in the second shot. Either way it was nice to see these guys in a more quiet setting than I have in the past.

Sunset at Kehoe Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore

A typical summer sunset at Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes National Seahsore -- with the marine layer of fog already in place.

View more photos from Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

California sea lions, on the rocks

A group of California sea lions in a relatively quiet moment as they settle in for the evening at Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, CA.

Song Sparrow and Flowers

A song sparrow perched among the wildflowers on a walk to Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. This was taken on the same hike through the flowers as was the white-crowned sparrow I posted last week.

Singing red-winged blackbird

From an April walk at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma. Treatment wetlands are a great place to find birds, and my first tour of that area did not disappoint as this male blackbird was singing in the flowers along the trail.



He's really belting out his characteristic song -- a sound that always reminds me of the arrival of spring.

Contentment

When looking at this seal lounging on the rocks, I can't help but see a big, contented smile on its face. Taken from an overlook along the trail at Point Lobos State Reserve in the Monterey area.

Sparrow on a Stick, Point Reyes National Seashore

On this hike along the Kehoe Beach Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore, the wildflowers were nearly overgrowing the trail. It was quite an experience to walk through a sea of flowers nearly as tall as I was, and the birds seemed to be enjoying it even more than me. This is a white-crowned sparrow that had perched itself in an area of all yellow flowers.