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A few years ago I went on a business trip to San Francisco, where I decided to take a few extra days to myself to do some exploring. On my first day in San Francisco I met up with my cousin who lives nearby. He took me on a driving tour of the Pacific coast. These photos are from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic route along the Monterey peninsula, featuring rocky coastlines, large crashing waves; and islands of sea lions and birds.
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After so many consecutive Northwest trip posts, I’ve decided to start mixing in entries from my other recent trips to add some variety to my blog feed. This is the first batch of photos from my trip to the American Southwest this past summer, featuring shots of animals from Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon.
I shot a little bit of everything on this trip: mammals, birds, and reptiles. Many of the animals showed no fear of humans—one of the elk practically let me walk right up to her. I also saw bison on my way into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but chose not to stop for photos since I already had so many bison photos from my Yellowstone trip. I believe that I heard rattlesnakes during one of my photo stops on Route 66 in the Mojave Desert, but I did not see them, and was not about to go looking.
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These photos are from my visits to where the buffalo roam: Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park. There were herds of bison everywhere I looked—it’s easy to see why Hayden Valley is sometimes referred to as the American Serengeti. On a good day you can also see many other animals passing through the valley, but I wasn’t lucky enough to spot a wolf or bear. When shooting bison (or any wildlife) it’s helpful to have a good zoom lens because you definitely don’t want to get too close to them. They look mild-mannered enough but will charge you if they feel threatened. I saw some people with smartphones getting way too close for comfort.
I went a little nuts with the photos (what can I say, I love animals)—I took so many that it was quite a task to cull them down to the smaller batch I’m sharing here. I forgot to switch over to shutter priority for the action shots, so they’re not nearly as crisp as I would have liked, but I still managed to get some decent ones. In addition to the bison photos I captured some avian wildlife (including a great blue heron) and snapped a few landscapes along the Yellowstone River.
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It’s almost that time of year again when multitudes of bird species will begin flying in and out of the forest behind my house, so I don’t even need to leave the comfort of my backyard patio to go bird watching. 🙂
Here’s a shot from the spring of 2013 taken with my old megazoom point-and-shoot.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
This was taken on a Cape Forchu, Nova Scotia beach that we had entirely to ourselves, except for the sandpipers. I captured this little guy digging for food away from the rest of the flock. It’s not the highest quality shot, but I like the way his entire reflection is visible in the wet sand.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
The hammering of woodpeckers can often be heard in my back yard. A few years ago I captured a photo of one.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
During my visit to San Francisco last year I captured this bird splashing violently in the water as another bird struggled to get out of the line of fire.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
During my walk along San Francisco Bay back in October, I noticed that this pelican and fisherman appeared to be hanging out as if they were the oldest of friends. Perhaps they meet out on this pier every day, in the shadow of the Golden Gate, enjoying one another’s company, while the fisherman shares some of his catches with his feathered friend . . . it would be a nice story anyway. 🙂
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
During my recent trip to Cape May I went on a bird watching cruise through the marshes, where I was lucky enough to capture this osprey in flight clutching a fish in its talons.
You get two photos for the price of one today. 🙂
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You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
During my visit to Leeds Castle in England I happened upon this peacock roaming the grounds. I followed it for a bit and eventually it sat down, almost as if posing for me.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
Michael Rappa 