Monday River Otter Blogging

River Otter - Point Reyes  2026

River Otter - Point Reyes  2026

Seen first while swimming underneath the trail bridge between the upper and lower lagoons. Then he - or she - got up on land, thought for a while, then went back into the water.

Monday Butterfly Blogging

Pipevine Swallowtail - Marin County  2026

Western Tiger Swallowtail - Marin County  2026

Two recent exotic visitors. I managed to get fairly close in with the iPhone which could then give me accurate identifications.

Of interest: I've been able to revisit some earlier butterfly posts with some up to date identifications, for example, a "California Sister" seen near Yosemite.

Monday Deer Blogging

Deer - Lake Lagunitas  2025

Deer - Lake Lagunitas  2025

November photos, taken with an Olympus E-M1II.

Monday Salmon Blogging

Coho Salmon, Lagunitas Creek - Marin County  2025

Black and white salmon are Coho salmon. (Didn't know that!) The fish enter the creek in Tomales Bay, then swim upstream to spawn.

We visited the salmon viewing area last November with Hanna and Nolan. Lagunitas Creek was quite picturesque that day!

Lagunitas Creek - Marin County  2025

Monday River Otter Blogging

River Otters - Lake Lagunitas  2025

I had hiked up to the top of the stairs at the beginning of the trail around Lake Lagunitas - looking down I could see a group of river otters swimming around in the lake. I stopped and pointed the camera straight down and started taking photos, pushing the zoom lens out to its maximum length.

They must have noticed the photographer high above them . . . first one, then another one climbed up onto a fallen tree trunk and started staring up at me. I stared down. They stared up.

Eventually there were five otters on the log. I knew that they had better things to do so after taking some more photos I took my leave and resumed my walk.

I used an Olympus EM1II with a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Monday Sea Lion Blogging

Seals - Monterey County  2025

I'm usually able to walk down to the beach for photos, as I did in 2014, for example. 

Not this morning! As soon as I parked my car and got out I could hear them barking and honking. Quite the sight!

Please Stay Back - Monterey County  2025

Extra information on seals vs sea lions:

Both seals and sea lions, together with the walrus, are pinnipeds, which means "fin footed" in Latin.

But seals' furry, generally stubby front feet — thinly webbed flippers, actually, with a claw on each small toe — seem petite in comparison to the mostly skin-covered, elongated fore flippers that sea lions possess.

Secondly, sea lions have small flaps for outer ears. The "earless" or "true" seals lack external ears altogether. You have to get very close to see the tiny holes on the sides of a seal’s sleek head.

Third, sea lions are noisy. Seals are quieter, vocalizing via soft grunts.

Fourth, while both species spend time both in and out of the water, seals are better adapted to live in the water than on land. Though their bodies can appear chubby, seals are generally smaller and more aquadynamic than sea lions. At the same time, their hind flippers angle backward and don't rotate. This makes them fast in the water but basic belly crawlers on terra firma.

Sea lions, on the other hand, are able to "walk" on land by rotating their hind flippers forward and underneath their big bodies. This is why they are more likely to be employed in aquaria and marine shows.

Finally, seals are less social than their sea-lion cousins. They spend more time in the water than sea lions do and often lead solitary lives in the wild, coming ashore together only once a year to meet and mate.

Sea lions congregate in gregarious groups called herds or rafts that can reach upwards of 1,500 individuals. It's common for scores of them to haul out together and loll about in the sand, comprising an amorphous pile in the noonday sun.

Monday Coyote Blogging

Coyote (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

I was taking an early morning walk up our street when I noticed this individual on the same route. He ("In the vast majority of cases, a lone coyote is a young male that has left its birth pack to find a new territory or mate" --Google AI) soon realized that he was being tailed by another predator (me). 

Coyote (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

He kept turning around to make sure that I was still there. Up at the end of the street he decided that enough was enough and vanished up into the hills.

Coyote (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

Monday Rabbit Blogging

Rabbit (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

Rabbit, Fence (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

Seen on a regular basis a few weeks ago, hanging around the school and at the end of our street. Photos taken with a Sony RX100.

Monday Deer Blogging

Deer (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

Fawn (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

April and May photos taken with a Sony RX100. Below, a Nikon Z7II photo taken in April at Lake Lagunitas.

Deer (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2025

Monday Blackbird and Curlew Blogging, Bunny (Point Reyes)

Red Winged Blackbird - Point Reyes  2025

Long-Billed Curlews - Point Reyes  2025

Blackbird seen in the Giacomini Wetlands, the curlews at Limantour Beach.

Below, for extra credit, a bunny and some lupin.

Bunny - Point Reyes  2025

Hanna on the Beach / Seals Underneath Pier

Hanna, Fisherman's Wharf - Monterey County  2025

Seals Underneath Pier - Monterey County  2025

Last of the 2025 Monterey photos. Hanna walking over to view some seals on the rocks, seals basking underneath a pier (taken from whale-watching boat.)

Monday Whale Blogging

Whale - Monterey County  2025

Whale Spout - Monterey County  2025

From last April. We had a mini-vacation with our family in Monterey; our main tourist activity was a whale-watching excursion out of Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf. Not that many whales, but there were enough for me to grab a few shots (more of them were due to arrive in June.)

Also: seals! Apparently whales and seals can frequently be found together (same food sources).

I used an Olympus E-M1II with a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Seals - Monterey County  2025

Monday Coyote and Turkeys Blogging

Coyote, Turkeys (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2025

Studiously ignoring each other. An iPhone photo taken through the car window.

Monday Deer Blogging (Sea Ranch)

Deer, Ocean (Sea Ranch) - Sonoma County  2025

There were a number of these pleasant animals wandering around.

Monday Elephant Seal Blogging

Elephant Seal, Gulls - Point Reyes  2025

Elephant Seal, Gulls - Point Reyes  2025

"Since winter 2018–2019, male elephant seals have returned to Drakes Beach adjacent to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center in early December and pregnant females have returned to the beach in late January to give birth to their pups. As a result, to better protect the elephant seals, the park has closed access to Drakes Beach, and, at times, the entire Drakes Beach area, to the public for varying lengths of time. Please be aware that closures may be implemented at any time of the year if elephant seals return in large numbers. These closures were necessary to protect human and seal safety."

We visited Drakes Beach in January with Hanna and Nolan to check out the animals. Wow! They were right there!

Elephant Seal, Gulls - Point Reyes  2025

Monday Otter Blogging

River Otter (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2025

River Otter (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2025

Sometimes they're there, sometimes they're not. Top photo taken with a Nikon Z7II, bottom one with an Olympus E-M1II.

Monday Salmon Blogging

Salmon, Lagunitas Creek - Marin County  2024

Neat! Seen during a walk that I took with Hali, Hanna and Nolan in late November.

More detailed info found at an earlier 2022 post.

Monday Squirrel Blogging

Squirrel (Fairfax) - Marin County  2024

We saw the creature scampering along the top of the chain link fence. Quite agile! 

Fortunately I was carrying my Olympus E-M1II / 14-150mm lens combo.

Monday Chipmunk Blogging

Chipmunk on Tire - Sierra Nevada  2024

Chipmunk Scampering Off - Sierra Nevada  2024

I was sitting in my camp chair when this creature walked by. When I stomped my feet it gave out a startled squeak and hopped up onto the right front tire of the Toyota. Finally managed to scamper off after several nervous peeks back at me.

Monday Deer Blogging

Deer (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2024

Deer (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2024

Taken in August. Top photo taken with a new Sony RX100M7. Bottom one with a Nikon Z7II.