Aerial Photos of Mating and Courtship Among Southern Right Whales at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina Aerial PhotographyArgentinaWhales

Aerial Photos of Mating and Courtship Among Southern Right Whales at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina

Each winter and spring, Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) gather along Argentina’s Península Valdés, particularly in the calm, protected waters of Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José. From about June through November, these gulfs serve as breeding and nursery grounds where adults, juveniles, and mothers with calves congregate. The whales…
November 1, 2025
When Clark’s Grebes and Western Grebes Walk on Water – The Courtship Behavior of Rushing Grebes Birds

When Clark’s Grebes and Western Grebes Walk on Water – The Courtship Behavior of Rushing Grebes

I am making a concerted effort this spring to photograph the rushing behavior of Clark's Grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) and Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis). I have seen plenty of grebes "walking on water" (rushing) as part of their elaborate array of courtship behaviors and have wanted to produce really top quality…
March 24, 2025
Diving Isla San Pedro Martir in Baja California’s Midriff Islands, Mexico Aerial PhotographyMidriff IslandsSea of CortezUnderwater Photography

Diving Isla San Pedro Martir in Baja California’s Midriff Islands, Mexico

After two days diving Isla Angel de la Guarda, we made an overnight crossing to Isla San Pedro Martir, a spectacular and remote island in the middle of the Sea of Cortez. Isla San Pedro Martir is a critical habitat for sea birds, and indeed the island is covered in…
December 15, 2024
Sea Lions in the Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico, Fall 2024 Islas CoronadoSea LionUnderwater Photography

Sea Lions in the Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico, Fall 2024

I managed several trips in October and November to the Coronado Islands, in northern Baja California just south of San Diego, to dive with California Sea Lion pups (Zalophus californianus) at the "Lobster Shack" rookery. I try to visit each fall when the combination of dive conditions and sea lion…
December 9, 2024
The Year of the Desert Lily: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflowers in Spring 2024 DesertSan DiegoThe American SouthwestWildflowers

The Year of the Desert Lily: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflowers in Spring 2024

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park occasionally has exceptional spring wildflower blooms. 2024 was one of those years, it was a nice, fairly typical bloom and not a Superbloom. The last Superbloom we had in Anza-Borrego was in 2017.  (And no, 2019 was not a superbloom).  But the 2024 bloom in Anza-Borrego…
March 28, 2024
Wildlife Portrait Photography on Point La Jolla; Year-Round Closure Makes This a Thing of the Past La JollaSea Lion

Wildlife Portrait Photography on Point La Jolla; Year-Round Closure Makes This a Thing of the Past

For many years I photographed wildlife on Point La Jolla, usually at sunrise.  I'm referring to the flat tabletop reef below the walkway to the west of La Jolla Cove. That was a prime ocean entry for divers, spearfishermen and bodysurfers (I used it for 30+ years to access the…
February 19, 2024
Brandt’s Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) Courtship and Nesting on Seacliffs in La Jolla, California Seabird

Brandt’s Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) Courtship and Nesting on Seacliffs in La Jolla, California

Late January and early February is an ideal time to see Brandt's Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) practicing their courtship behaviors and building nests in preparation for egg laying in a few weeks.  We had some storm activity in January which washed away most nests, but the cormorants have been rebuilding nests…
February 6, 2024