Wildlife and Outdoor Photography

Jim enjoys wildlife/outdoor photography (as did Marilyn) - encompassing virtually anything alive or scenic.

Included on this page are some examples that were fun for us.

Whales

Photos taken on an excursion to the Farallon Islands - August 1993.


One of the Farallon Islands


Humpback whale(s) - we saw two together - on a day when it was easy to feel seasick.


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Wildflowers


Tiger (or Leopard) Lily, probably lilium kelleyanum (Kelly's lily). Taken just off Graveyard Lakes Trail, John Muir Wilderness.

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Bugs ­ and similar creatures

The file sizes listed adjacent to thumbnail photolinks provide an indication of loading time of the larger versions of the images.

(33K) Watch out! These clever western black-legged ticks (Ixodes pacificus ) can be found in profusion early in the spring along Eagle View Trail in Sunol Regional Wilderness ­ and elsewhere, of course. On Eagle View trail they are in large numbers only on the bare twigs that extend from sagebrush into the path. When someone comes close, they stick out their legs in hope of catching on to something warmblooded.

(50K) A different kind of hawk ­ a tarantula hawk! These wasps (pepsis thisbe ) appear in Sunol Regional Wilderness shortly before the tarantulas start their annual above-ground search for mates. They are also fond of milkweed flowers.

(50K) The prey of the tarantula hawk. The spider escapes from an attacking tarantula hawk about half of the time.

A female green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans)  watches over her egg sac, which is attached to a milkweed plant in Sunol Regional Wilderness. After the spiderlings hatch they disperse, seeking tiny insects to feed on.

( 33K) A goldenrod crab spider (misumena vatia ) enjoys his lunch, consisting of a large marble butterfly, while a bemused bee observes the goings on.

(33K) It may look threatening, but it's only a nectar-loving bee fly (bombylius major ), an important pollinator, especially for deep-throated wildflowers.

 

This cluster of nine-spotted ladybug beetles (Coccinella novemnotata ) was one of many such clusters on young oak trees in Los Padres National Forest. Adults overwinter in large groups and emerge in the spring. Evidently, acorn caps were a popular spot for ladybugs to spend the winter in this area.

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Reptiles

(33K) A western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans ) seen along a trail at Audubon Canyon Ranch, adjacent to Bolinas Lagoon.

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