Tag Archives: mammals

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Harbor Seals

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Harbor Seals
A group of harbor seals hauled out on a beach at Point Lobos State Reserve

Harbor Seals. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. January 1, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of harbor seals hauled out on a beach at Point Lobos State Reserve

When I was very young, shortly after my parents moved the family from Minnesota to the San Francisco Bay Area of California, we used to periodically visit Point Lobos on the Monterey Peninsula, located at the very upper boundary of what some call the Big Sur coast. We were fascinated by the ocean itself and by the strange life we could find in the tide pools, by the birds on “bird island,” and by the rugged cliffs. I especially remember one small and pristine beach we often visited, in a very narrow cove and accessed by a steep stairway. I also recall that there were “seals,” but I don’t remember seeing a lot of them — somehow they weren’t really on my radar.

I have continued to visit Point Lobos for decades now, and I eventually became more away for the marine mammals that frequent the place. I learned where they hand out, and I found certain overlooks from which I could observe them. I figured out that not only had I been less than aware of these creatures, but that they come in colors! I have no idea how I missed that, but I recall the it may only have been a decade ago when I understood that the harbor seals are really quite beautiful — as you can see in this photograph, their mottled fur ranges from black to white-tan to somewhat blue. On a recent winter visit I found that little beach my family visited was now closed, and that a large group of these animals had made it their own.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Elephant Seals and Blue Water

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Elephant Seals and Blue Water
Elephant Seals and Blue Water

Elephant Seals and Blue Water. Point Piedras Blancas, California. July 24, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Elephant seals resting on a Southern California beach at the edge of the water

This time of year, a lot of elephant seal photographs are likely to be “elephant seals napping/resting/sleeping on beach” photographs, since that seems to be how these critters spend the bulk of their time. If 100 of them are around the beach, perhaps two are out for a swim, and occasionally one or two might move around a bit or engage in some biting, butting battles with one another, but the rest pretty much must there, occasionally flipping some sand on their backs or scratching somewhere.

This large group was crowded together tightly right along the edge of the wave line. For the most part there was little or no action, though occasionally one would come or go, or one might jockey for a more favorable position in the pile. I realized that if I moved further away from their position that I could shoot back over them right along the beach, and once I got to this camera position I realized that the wet sand beautifully reflected the blue of the sky.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah, Photographs: Wildlife

Three Bighorn Sheep

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Three Bighorn Sheep - Three bighorn sheep grazing in an area of sandstone slabs, Zion National Park
Three bighorn sheep grazing in an area of sandstone slabs, Zion National Park

Three Bighorn Sheep. Zion National Park, Utah. October 22, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three bighorn sheep grazing in an area of sandstone slabs, Zion National Park

I have been fascinated by the bighorn sheep since an experience I had many years ago in the eastern Sierra Nevada. I was on my first solo backpacking trip – oddly enough, this first solo was a two-week trip! – and I was hiking up into a slightly more remote area not far from Rae Lakes. In typical climbing mode, I was trudging up a steep, rocky trail with my head mostly down, and not paying complete attention to my larger surroundings. All of a sudden I heard a tremendous clattering of rocks very close by, perhaps no more than a couple dozen feet away, and having no idea what would cause such a thing my response was mild panic. I quickly looked up and saw three bighorns very close to me, apparently as surprised by me as I was by them. I immediately began to drop my pack so that I could get to my camera, envisioning a photograph of these noble-looking creatures against the background of this rocky slope. I quickly removed the pack, grabbed my camera, and rose back up to make a photograph… only to see the rear ends of the departing critters perhaps a few hundred yards away on the steep talus slope.

The circumstances of this photograph were much less dramatic, I must admit. While driving along the Mount Carmel Highway over the high country of Zion National Park we simply looked up and saw a small herd or a dozen or more of the animals right above the roadway. I knew they were in the area since earlier I had heard rockfall far above the road, looked up, and seen two of them grazing very high on the slope. But to see such a large group this close was a bit of a surprise. Since I was traveling light on this trip I did not have my longest lens, so I worked with what I had and settled in to see what might develop. The larger group clustered around a bush a bit too far up the slope – and they were apparently not intrigued with the idea of posing, as they stood around with their butts pointing in my direction! One or two of them separated from the main group and soon this group of three made its way down across the sandstone to some brush a bit closer to me.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Young Elephant Seal Among Gulls

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Young Elephant Seal Among Gulls

Young Elephant Seal Among Gulls. Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, California. July 2, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. – all rights reserved.

Seagulls take to the air around a young elephant seal at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal rookery, California.

This young elephant seal had just begun to wriggle its way up the beach at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery when the flock of birds in front of it began to take to the air. A moment later there was a veritable cloud of birds surrounding this animal.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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