Coastal hike at Vicente Bluffs Reserve, on the peninsula southwest of Los Angeles.
#nature #ocean #california #hiking #flowers #cove #coast #florespondence #photo
Tag: nature
I saw this squirrel a few lots down the street while I was out walking.
I saw this #squirrel a few lots down the street while I was out walking. It paused. I paused. I got my camera out. It stood up to look around. I kept my camera out. Then it slowly ran down the street almost but not quite in my direction until it passed about 4 feet away, then paused in the shade before continuing on its way. I think it started trying to determine whether I was a threat or not, and then whether I was likely to give it food or leave it alone. #nature
Scenes from a seasonal marsh.
Scenes from a seasonal marsh. Low areas collect water and form ponds during winter and spring, then it dries out over the summer. All the ground in these photos except on the near side of the logs in the last picture usually spends part of the year underwater.
The lowest part of the preseve is also where the most trees are (presumably because water has more time to soak into the ground there).
Two birds spotted while hiking the trails on top of the coastal bluffs
Two birds spotted while hiking the trails on top of the coastal bluffs southwest of Los Angeles. First a lesser goldfinch, which took me forever to actually catch on camera (there were 3 or 4 of them flitting around and not stopping for very long anywhere!) and a black phoebe that was perched a few yards from the trail.
#birds #photo #nature #finch #phoebe
This hawk was riding the updraft above the coastal bluffs.
fleabanes and horseweeds (blooming, edge of path)
Green and purple flowers at a botanical garden. I can’t remember what the plants are, …
Yeah, I realize my explanation for why I’m out here is a bit Farfetch’d, but it’s the truth. You wanna make something of it?
Yeah, I realize my explanation for why I’m out here is a bit Farfetch’d, but it’s the truth. You wanna make something of it?
A swallowtail butterfly, photographed using the classic technique of desperately following it with the camera…
A #swallowtail #butterfly, photographed using the classic technique of desperately following it with the camera and clicking the shutter when I hope it’s pointing vaguely in the right direction to at least catch it in frame and it probably won’t be in focus anyway but with luck it’ll at least be identifiable and…hey, not bad!
(Otherwise I’ve basically given up trying to actually aim at butterflies when they’re flying.)
Western Tiger Swallowtail
California Ground Squirrel
I see tree squirrels around town all the time, but this is the first ground #squirrel I’ve spotted in ages. You can tell by the narrower tail. and the pattern of the fur.
And when I moved too fast it dove into the hole instead of running off.
And that’s that!
Pair of Red-tailed Hawks
I heard these hawks calling to each other, then they each landed on this tower. I thought I saw a third one land there too, but by the time I was in a position to take any pictures, there were only the two. After a minute or two, a group of three smaller birds showed up and chased one of the hawks off. A few minutes later, the other flew off to join it, and I could see them circling together off in the distance.
This squirrel ran across the street, under a car, across a lawn and up into a tree.
This #squirrel ran across the street, under a car, across a lawn and up into a tree.
Canada Goose
Most of the geese were toward the back of the park, not out front like they are sometimes.
American Coot
Sometimes I’ll see a whole flock of coots at this pond, sometimes a handful. Today I only saw one.
Large White-headed Gulls
Rufous, Allen’s, and Allied Hummingbirds
I saw several monarch butterflies at the botanic gardens up in the hills yesterday
I saw several monarch butterflies at the botanic gardens up in the hills yesterday, but no more than about three at a time. Numbers have dropped drastically over the last few years.
#photo #butterfly #MonarchButterfly #nature
