California Wildlife

                                                CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE JULY 2024                                                        "she say's she talks to angels"        Recent White tailed kite Eastern CC County             Updating wildlife pictures taken in the Bay Area. The best sky shows during the fourth of July season in my biased view, are the amazing raptors in our Bay Area. In Eastern CC County the white tail kites are a great example. I have been viewing these birds in high Eucalyptus trees where they use their beaks to tear off small branches in order to use them to build or line their nests. Sharing recent views of this activity. Hopefully, the youngsters will hang ou...

                                                         CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE JUNE 2024 Hope everyone is well, made a pass by Mt. Shasta recently and observed the lake was up near the tree line and full. What a sight to behold after two wet winters in California. That particular day I passed; it was 95 degrees. Two weeks earlier, there was a decent snow storm, and here in mid-May they were releasing water making room for the run off. More wildlife photographs from recent spring time, including two older pictures from past spring trips with dates included. Additional info in text of photographs…     Blue heron, CA Delta near Knightsen Recent springtime smiling coyote, Los Vaqueros property. Starting to see more out in the open range. There have not been as many as I have earlier pointed out. In forrested hills I have seen them commo...

                                              Red tailed hawk Eastern Contra Costa County                                                  CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE MAY 2024   Sharing some mostly recent photographs of wildlife in spring. A time when ferruginous hawks leave the area and swainson hawks move into the area. Personally, I love both of these raptors equally and appreciate the nearly one month cross over when they share the same hunting grounds.     The swainson hawk populations in Eastern CC County seem to be in solid numbers based on my experiences. Developement has affected the nesting in Antioch / Brentwood areas. I believe there are less. Out near the Delta and open land including agricultural and ranching areas, they seem...

  Spotted towhee Alameda County foothills                                             CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE UPDATE APRIL 2024 Happy Spring! Thankful for another wet winter in our Bay Area. Rebel and I have been cruising and hiking around the Alameda foothills and Eastern Contra Costa County. Interesting mix of cold, cloudy, rainy, sunny and warm days. Hills are green, creeks running well. Snow in the mountains. Hope everyone is well! Species info in foot notes. All recent except retro photo of red coyote. All taken in our Bay Area... Swainson Hawk Marsh Creek area Eastern CC County Anna hummingbird Oakley CA Red Salvia  Western Kingfisher CA Delta Eastern CC County Lincoln's Sparrow Alameda County near Del Valle reservoir Great horned owl CA Delta Eastern CC County Sam...

"Higheagle" Originally taken in DEC 2013, Young golden eagle                                       CALIFORNIA WINTERTIME RAPTORS MARCH 2024                A collection of mostly recent, and some re-edited past experiences with some of my favorite raptors seen during wintertime in the Bay Area. Including some thoughts of some of these species in the individual texts beneath photographs. Inspired from recent viewing of golden eagles in the Bay Area. As  mentioned in the past, they are very special to me. To view them in the wild is still as incredible to me today as it was the first time, admittedly about fifty years ago. The dark humor angle of this, is how difficult it is to properly relate a golden eagle in a photograph because of the dark adult color. The golden eagle has other attributes which highlight the my...