A few pictures from an afternoon at Antonelli Pond on the West Side of Santa Cruz.
Archive for the ‘Destinations’ Category
Antonelli Pond
Posted in Birds, Destinations, Nature, Orgs, tagged Antonelli Pond, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz, wetland, Wildlife on May 27, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Lanting spring workshop
Posted in Birds, Destinations, Marine Life, marine mammals, Nature, Reserves, State Parks, Uncategorized, Wildflowers, workshop, tagged Elkhorn Slough, Lanting workshop, Monterey Bay, Point Lobos, spring, Wildlife on May 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Some images from the recent Frans Lanting Spring Workshop. We had several locals participating and others from as far away as Germany. Our shooting locations included the UCSC Arboretum, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Elkhorn Slough, Point Lobos State Reserve, Garrapata State Beach, and Asilomar State Beach. We had an especially good morning on Captain Yohn Gideon’s pontoon boat in Moss Landing. The weather and light were perfect and Yohn maneuvered us into great position for photographing the abundance of birds, otters, sea lions, harbor seals, etc. Plans are already in the works for a fall workshop in late October.
Joshua Tree
Posted in desert, Destinations, National Parks, Nature, workshop, tagged cactus, desert, Joshua Tree National Park, spring, workshop, yucca on May 7, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
I had a great time in Joshua Tree with a group of photographers attending the Camera West workshop led by my good friend Jason Bradley. We were treated to the tail end of a very unusual bloom with Joshua Tree seed and flower production up about 40 percent as compared to the previous best season in the last 25 years. Some researchers believe that the stress from drought and climate change may have induced the “once in a lifetime” bloom. As a survival mechanism the trees go into high gear in an attempt to boost reproduction. Others believe the unique bloom can be attributed to last year’s late summer thunderstorms and/or cool winter weather.
We spent every evening during the workshop in the field playing with techniques for night photography including light painting, long exposures, time-lapse, and using ambient moonlight, all of which produced some fantastic results. During an afternoon exploring a cholla cactus garden I was fortunate enough to happen upon a unique wildlife encounter that a couple photographers from our group had discovered. A gopher snake had climbed up a cholla cactus and invaded a cactus wren’s nest. The wren parents were desperately trying to chase off the snake and protect 2 chicks inside the nest. Ultimately they were unsuccessful and the snake got it’s dinner. By the time I arrived, the snake had already done it’s thing and the wrens were still attempting to chase it off. I felt awful for the birds of course, and somewhat happy for the snake, but mostly I felt privileged to witness a day in the life of these creatures so well adapted to the harsh desert environment.
Boulder Field at White Tank, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Yuccas, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Moonlit Rock Formation,Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Yucca Detail, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Joshua Tree at Twilight, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Desert Garden, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Joshua Tree Shadow by Moonlight, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Joshua Trees at Night, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Cactus Wren Defending Nest, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Gopher Snake Invading Cactus Wren Nest, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Ocotillo in Bloom, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Ocotillo and Night Sky, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Our workshop group, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Ocotillo and Desert Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Yucca Blossom, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Yucca Detail #2, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Oaks in Spring
Posted in Destinations, Nature, Reserves, Wildflowers, tagged Elkhorn Slough Foundation, oaks, spring, wildflowers on May 6, 2013 | 1 Comment »
This winter has been particularly dry with the months of January and February recording record low rainfall. Despite the lack of precipitation and a very sparse spring wildflower season, I was able to locate a few isolated fields of sky lupine during a recent project for the Elkhorn Slough Foundation to document some of the spectacular native oaks on their protected properties. I’ve included a couple of shots from Harkins Slough which is adjacent to Foundation property but actually owned by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. Some of the most abundant lupines were located on ranch properties and many a cow patty had to be dodged to acquire these images. The hillsides have already started their transition from vibrant green to golden brown and this year’s fire season is shaping up to be a particularly dangerous one.
Sky Lupine and Oak, Watsonville, CA
California Poppies, Watsonville, CA
Oak and Lupine, Watsonville, CA
Coast Live Oak in Morning Light, Watsonville, CA
Oak at Harkins Slough, Watsonville, CA
Sky Lupine and Oak, Watsonville, CA
Coast Live Oak Grove, Watsonville, CA
Sky Lupine, Watsonville, CA
Last Light on Oak, Harkins Slough, Watsonville, CA
Oak Grove and Spring Grasses, Watsonville, CA
Seacliff State Beach
Posted in Destinations, Nature, State Parks, tagged Aptos, Cement Ship, Seacliff State Beach, SS Palo Alto, Sunset, Twilight on January 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
