Tule Elk

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5, 1/1600s, ISO:400

I'm not sure if this guy was in the process of sitting down or standing up.  Kind of a funky stance.  It's the intensity in the eye that I like about this shot.

As I recall, this group of elk was pretty close to the trail heading out to Tomales Point.  That's always a fun hike to take in the fall.  The elk are in rut and quite active.

Tule elk are smaller than Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk, but with males weighing in at five hundred pounds or so they are still large animals.  I've read that their small size may be due to poor nourishment.  Some people claim tule elk can grow to be nine hundred pounds, meaning they are potentially the same size as the other American breeds of elk.  I haven't seen any that big.

Tule elk are only found in California.  There used to be hundreds of thousands of these animals roaming the wilderness but by the late nineteenth century they had been reduced to a very small number of individuals (a single breeding pair or up to thirty animals depending on the source).  They were discovered by a game warden and Henry Miller, the rancher who owned the land they were found on, protected them.  Today, Point Reyes is struggling to keep the herds numbers in control.  I read they were going to sterilize some of the females but I don't know if that ever happened.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 192, image #4754.

Pierce Ranch

Pierce Ranch, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

 

 

Pierce Ranch marks the beginning of the hiking trail out to Tomales Point.  It's a dramatic not only because of the location but also for the fact that it runs through a tule elk reserve.  You will definitely see elk on this hike and often they are very close to the trail.  Sometimes, they're even on it.  Coyotes are fairly common as well, and they too are sometimes close or even on the trail. 

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 190, image #2214.

Coyote on the Cliff

Coyote -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5,6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO: 800

This photo has its problems.  It's back lit.  It's not particularly sharp.  The colors aren't all that interesting.  Still, it's a photo I really like.  I think it captures the spirit of this coyote well.  Not in a spiritual sense but in a sense of energy and composure.

As a dog lover, I find myself drawn to coyotes.  I suspect I'd be drawn to wolves too if I'd had more than one distant encounter.  It saddens me to think that coyotes are thought of as "garbage" animals.  They're intelligent and they're survivors.  I wish everyone could see them as special creatures.

Tule Elk

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5, 1/1600s, ISO: 320

Coyote

Coyote -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO: 2000

The elk reserve at Point Reyes is the best place I know of to see coyotes in the wild.  Like the elk on the reserve, the coyotes seem to be used to the constant presence of hikers on the trail.  They don't seem to associate people with food like some of the coyotes I've encountered at the national parks nor do they seem to be particularly wary of people.  I imagine the ranchers on the Point don't particularly care for them, but I certainly do.

Bull Elk

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO: 640

Not sure what this guy was up to, but it made for an interesting pose.

Rump Sniffing

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5, 1/1600s, ISO: 320

Fair warning: if you bring your kids to the elk reserve during the rut they may learn a thing or two about life.  Not a bad intro to the birds and the bees, actually.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO: 640

I encountered a kestrel today that seemed almost happy to pose for photos.  That's not normal, at least not in my experience.  Kestrels in general don't hang around long for photos to be taken, and when they do they make sure to be in a position where the lighting will make it impossible to get a good shot.  This little lady, though, she was very patient and gave me a number of different looks.  What a sweety.

Point Reyes

Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM, f/8, 1/125s, ISO: 100

I took Pongo to Point Reyes yesterday.  It's one of his favorite day trips.  We saw a lot of cows and a few harriers and elk.  I took a few pictures, nothing all that exciting.  This spot is usually interesting.

S.S. Minnow

Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

OK, OK, this isn't really the S.S. Minnow.  Kinda looks like it, though, doesn't it?  I don't know the story about this boat.  It's basically a tourist attraction now behind a grocery store in Inverness.

That blade of grass bugs me now.  It didn't bother me when I took the picture a couple of years ago.  I've become fussier.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

Color at Point Reyes

North Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 1/30s, f5/6, ISO: 100

If all you see in this picture is dirt and iceplant and maybe a sliver of ocean in a photo that isn't particularly sharp I can't really argue with you.  That's all that's there really in a literal things-that-are-in-the-picture kind of sense.  I see browns and greens giving way to reds and oranges that soften to yellow before the harsh cut to whatever color that is that we see in the sky and water.  I like this one.

Who's the Man?

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/320s, f/5, ISO: 200

Like I said a couple of days ago, getting nice shots of elk at Point Reyes isn't too tough, all you've got to do is take a hike through the reserve with a camera.  This guy had a pretty big harem.  They were hanging out right next to the trail.

Anyway, I felt like I needed to post a nice photo after the last couple of not-so-interesting days.  So, there you go.

Tule Elk

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II, 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO: 640

I've been debating whether or not this picture was worth posting.  It's from pretty far away and better photos of elk aren't too tough to come by at Point Reyes.  These guys were in an area I've never seen them, perhaps twenty miles from the actual elk reserve.  I know the dairy farmers aren't too crazy about the elk wandering off the reserve, bur I didn't realize just how far they wander.  The context of the photo is interesting, anyway.

South Beach

South Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/100s, f/10, ISO: 100

OK, this is the last ocean picture for a while, I promise.

Hold on to the Thread

South Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/400s, f/14, ISO: 100

I like how this picture looks black and white when in fact it's in color.  I was shooting into the sun and was't too sure what I'd end up with.  Turned out OK, I think.

Amongst the Waves

South Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/125s, f/10, ISO: 100

I was watching the surf yesterday--it seemed particularly angry--when it occurred to me that I rarely take photos of the ocean by itself.  I have plenty of pictures of the ocean but it's usually part of the scenery, rarely the subject itself.  So, here's a picture of the ocean.  I think I like it.

Dairy Cows

Holstein Cow -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO: 100

I took Pongo for a drive to Point Reyes today to see the cows.  These two were closer to the fence for a while, at least until Pongo got too excited and barked at them.  He loves seeing the cows but he gets a little intimidated when they're very close, I think.

Tule Elk

Tule Elk -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/320s. f/4.5, ISO: 125

One of my favorite hikes close to home is out to Tomales Point at Point Reyes.  The trail is four and a half miles one way from the parking lot to the point.  The entire trail runs through a tule elk reserve.  Close encounters with these fantastic animals are almost guaranteed.

I photographed these elk shortly after the government shutdown ended last fall.  I remember because the shutdown forced me to put off my visit and by the time I made it the harems had pretty much sorted themselves out.

It's not only elk out on the point.  There are plenty of deer and birds as well.  On my last visit we had a coyote pass us on the trail, coming within a few feet of us and not even giving us a nod.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun page, photo #4852.