Wilson’s warbler, Point Reyes National Seashore: 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 200 | 1/320 sec

Birds of California

In an environment where disorder is ruthlessly eliminated, birds epitomize pure freedom.

No matter the habitat, birds are a constant background presence in our lives, and yet we’re so often oblivious to their rhythms and behavior. They are, however, the thread that connects everything in the natural world.

**Western snowy plover, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 640 | 1/1000 sec

**Red-tailed hawk, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec

**Great horned owl, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 100 | 1/500 sec

Great Blue Heron with Gopher, Point Reyes National Seashore — **Great blue heron with a gopher, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/1250 sec

Everyone knows that herons eat fish, but who knew they also eat rodents? It may not be pleasant to watch them spear gophers and swallow them whole, but it’s all part of the circle of life and I wanted to capture that surprising behaviour.

**White-headed woodpecker, Tahoe National Forest:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 4000 | 1/1000 sec

**Rufous hummingbird nesting, Marin County:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 5000 | 1/5 sec

**Audubons warbler, Cosumnes River Preserve:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 500 | 1/1000 sec

**American wigeon coming in to land, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 500 | 1/1600 sec

**Red-shouldered hawk, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec

Sometimes I search endlessly for wildlife, and on other days it finds me. On this occasion I was hiking past these bushes with the sensation of being watched, and there it was: a red-shouldered hawk right beside me.

**California quail chick, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 200 | 1/200 sec

**Turkey vulture and common raven with a California sea lion carcass, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 450mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 400 | 1/1600 sec

**Black-footed albatross, Monterey Bay:** 400mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 200 | 1/2000 sec

**California Condor, Pinnacles National Park:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 400 | 1/1600 sec

**Black-necked stilt, Bothin Marsh:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 800 | 1/1000 sec

**Northern harrier, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/1000 sec

**Male northern harrier, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 2000 | 1/1000 sec

**Pileated woodpecker, Lake Lagunitas:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 1600 | 1/1000 sec

**Greater white-fronted goose, Cosumnes River Preserve:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 320 | 1/800 sec

**Juvenile cooper's hawk, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 2500 | 1/1000 sec

**Sora, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 400 | 1/1000 sec

**Anna's hummingbird, Larkspur:** 118mm | ƒ8 | ISO 1600 | 1/800 sec

**Bald eagles, Jenner:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/1000 sec

**Heermann’s gulls, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 400 | 1/1000 sec

**Sandhill cranes, San Joaquin County:** 300mm | ƒ5.6 | ISO 160 | 1/1000 sec

**Marsh wren, Cosumnes River Preserve:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/640 sec

**Burrowing owl, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 250 | 1/800 sec

**Mallard duckling, Marin County:** 500mm | ƒ8| ISO 400 | 1/1600 sec

**Common murre, Monterey Bay:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 500 | 1/2500 sec

**Western screech-owl, Briones Regional Park:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 3200 | 1/60 sec

**American white pelican, Corte Madera Marsh Ecological Reserve:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 640 | 1/1000 sec

**Sanderling, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 500 | 1/2500 sec

**Barn owl, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 1600 | 1/500 sec

**Common Ravens, Pinnacles National Park:** 400mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 1250 | 1/1600 sec

**Osprey, Napa:** 200mm | ƒ4 | ISO 100 | 1/1250 sec

**Wild turkey, Tuolumne County:** 450mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 800 | 1/1000 sec

**Juvenile peregrine falcon, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec

**Brandt’s cormorant, Moss Landing State Beach:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 250 | 1/1000 sec

**Dark-eyed junco, Sanborn County Park:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 1250 | 1/500 sec

**Long-billed curlew, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ10 | ISO 200 | 1/640 sec

**Mourning dove, Tolay Lake Regional Park:** 500mm | ƒ7.1 | ISO 640 | 1/1600 sec

**White-tailed kite, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 400 | 1/2500 sec

**Western wood-pewee, Tahoe National Forest:** 500mm | ƒ8 | ISO 1600 | 1/1000 sec

I was deep in the woods around Lake Tahoe, photographing black bears, when I noticed this delicate scene unfolding right beside me. The wood-pewee parents were working overtime to bring insects home to their growing family. It took a lot to draw my eyes away from the bears foraging behind me, but this moment was worth it.

**Western meadowlark, Point Reyes National Seashore:** 600mm | ƒ6.3 | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec

Birds of California

In an environment where disorder is ruthlessly eliminated, birds epitomize pure freedom.

Everyone knows that herons eat fish, but who knew they also eat rodents? It may not be pleasant to watch them spear gophers and swallow them whole, but it’s all part of the circle of life and I wanted to capture that surprising behaviour.

Sometimes I search endlessly for wildlife, and on other days it finds me. On this occasion I was hiking past these bushes with the sensation of being watched, and there it was: a red-shouldered hawk right beside me.

Yosemite

Other Wildlife of California