The beach combing coyote used its strong sense of smell to locate breakfast along the shores of Point Reyes. It paused briefly over the body of the deceased harbor seal pup before feasting on the left overs. Once full, it wandered off leaving the what remained for the turkey vultures, ravens and crows.
As the fog lifts over the Pacific ocean, a fisherman casts into the waters off the coast of Northern California. Shortly afterwards he reeled in what he initially thought was a big fish, only to find a tangled mess of dead seaweed on the end of his hook.
Marbled godwits are common along the coast of California. This one rested on one leg on the shores of Stinson beach as the sun rose above the hills. Many areas along the coast have implemented strict laws regarding where dogs can be walked or let off leash in an effort to give the native wildlife a chance to rest, nest and feed without being disturbed by the curious canines.
With over 25 centimeters of snow to fall within the next day in Calgary, I find myself thinking back to about a week ago when I was on a warm beach in California! On this particular morning, I watched a beautiful sunrise before coming across a lone coyote feeding on the carcass of a harbor seal pup. After eating its fill it walked about 100 feet away from me combing the beach for other washed up delicacies.
On a recent trip to California I went on a short road trip up to Point Reyes. Along the way I stopped at Stinson beach. Just as the sun was setting I found some Heermann’s gulls to photograph. I have been trying for quitesome time to get a good photo of a bird in flight with the wings in motion and the head in focus. Add in the droplets of water being kicked off the bird’s feet as it springs into the air, the sunset reflecting off of the water and the motion of the incoming wave and I’m thrilled with the result!
The section of road between Tok, Alaska and the US/Canada border was unbelievable for the number of caribou roaming near the roads. Everyone is allowed to hunt in Alaska and most do so the animals outside the parks are a bit more wary of people! As long as cars don’t slow down they continue to move about normally, but as soon as vehicles start to slow down they run for the trees. I stopped a fair distance from this herd to try not to disturb them, but after a few seconds of standing and staring at me, they sprinted off for the cover of the forest. I quickly snapped off a few photos before they disappeared. With the nice backlighting and snow flying up all around them it made for a great photo.
Starting off the latest photo collection with a bang! I just got back from helping some colleagues up in Alaska and took a few days to drive between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. A quick side trip down to Denali National Park paid off with four lynx sightings within a day! This was the first time I have seen lynx in the wild and I couldn’t have asked for a better photo opportunity. I was driving down the highway just north of the small town of Healy. The light was perfect and the surrounding mountains looked spectacular. I was scanning for wildlife when I spotted what I initially thought was a coyote. I hit the brakes and as I passed by it I realized it was a lynx! I think at this point I swore in excitement and my swearing continued when I realized I hadn’t set up my camera properly. I had switched lenses to photograph the mountains and had forgotten to switch back to the telephoto. I almost always make sure my camera is set up beside me ready to go in case any fleeting wildlife crosses in front of me on the road and I thought this mistake would cost me the opportunity to get photos. I frantically fumbled with the lenses and camera making sure I had the correct settings before I started to back up the car to get in position. Thankfully, the lynx stayed in the clearing and as I backed up I noticed a second one! Likely last year’s kittens as they weren’t fully grown yet. I managed to get a few shots off before they turned and disappeared into the trees. I quickly hit the playback button to see if I had managed to get any good shots and I was thrilled when I saw this one! The next day my lynx luck continued as I saw two more in Denali National Park. One was running down the side of the road hunting for snowshoe hares while it’s partner stayed on the other side of the snow bank. Unfortunately the light wasn’t great for photos and they lost the hare they were chasing, but it was still amazing to see. Overall the trip was a huge success with lots of great wildlife sightings, including numerous barren ground caribou, northern hawk owls, a dark phase red fox and beautiful scenery. Over the next few weeks I will post the best photos from the trip.
Owen Slater Photography 