Category

Wildlife

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
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
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
Wildlife Photography with the Sony Alpha One and Sony 200-600 Lens KenyaSafariWisdom

Wildlife Photography with the Sony Alpha One and Sony 200-600 Lens

I switched to a Sony Alpha One for my topside photography in May 2023. After shooting about 50,000 frames through it in Kenya and locally, I have thoughts.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 Background Over the past 20+ years I have owned many digital cameras from all three manufacturers (Nikon, Canon, Sony).  My underwater gear…
November 24, 2023
Photos of Giant Sea Bass Courtship, Mating and Spawning Groups at Catalina Island CatalinaFishUnderwater Photography

Photos of Giant Sea Bass Courtship, Mating and Spawning Groups at Catalina Island

Giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) are an enormous species of wreckfish (not a true bass) found in the kelp forests of California. Once known as "jewfish" and later as "black sea bass", giant sea bass are one of the most thrilling fish species divers will encounter in California.  They are…
July 25, 2023
Images of Brown Pelicans in Soft Overcast Light and Against Big Surf, Winter 2022/2023, Part IX Pelicans of La JollaSeabird

Images of Brown Pelicans in Soft Overcast Light and Against Big Surf, Winter 2022/2023, Part IX

I'm shooting the La Jolla pelicans often this winter; see recent blog posts about La Jolla Pelicans as well as a gallery of my favorite brown pelican photos. This winter certainly has turned out to be great for bird photography in La Jolla. We have had a large number of…
January 16, 2023