Kilauea Volcano on the verge of erupting.
A California Ground Squirrel posing.
Two young ground squirrel pups foraging for food.
Great Blue Heron on a windy day in Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.
A Red Crested Cardinal reflected in a puddle he was drinking from.
A vibrant Gold Dust Day Gecko climbing the leaf of a tree.
The Elk gang hanging out in Point Reyes National Seashore.
A mother and baby swimming along in Monterrey Bay.
A Sea Otter about to eat a purple sea urchin. These sea urchins are not invasive but because of warming waters their population are exploding, taking over the habitats of many other important species.
The same sea otter chewing on a small crab.
A Coyote in the distance.
Above the clouds on Mauna Kea.
A couple of Piping Plovers looking for their last meal of the day on Baker's Beach.
A congregation of Piping Plovers flying in the last light of the day.
A playful newborn Elephant Seal looking at the world from a new perspective.
Fighting male Elephant Seals
A newborn turtle on its way out to sea.
An unfortunate effect of being a conservationist is that while I root for the baby turtles, there is nothing I can do about this hungry tern.
Humpback whales breaching during a feeding frenzy near the Puerto Escondido coastline.
A unique perspective the Golden Gate Bridge from an airplane.
Wild Zebras in California! On the Central Coast of California near Hearst Castle there are feral zebras grazing near route 1. One of the strangest sights of my life.
The zebras noticed me almost immediately, even though I was at least 100 yards away from them.
They are beautiful animals, grazing close to cattle. If you come to see them, give them their distance they are territorial animals and do not like people getting close.
The zebras made for a surreal element surrounded by the Santa Lucia Range of the Central Coast of California.
A bold California Ground Squirrel scurries around Elephant Seals in Piedras Blancas.
Sunrise view of Perfumo Canyon near San Luis Obispo.
Morro Rock from a distance.
A rocket launches from Vandenberg on March 20, 2026.
A series of photos of Sea Otters around Morro Rock.
The bay at Morro Rock is a destination for nursing Sea Otter pups. The next few photos are all of newborn pups and their mothers.
a Snowy Egret looking for its next meal.
A Brown Pelican in the glow of the setting sun. They are common now, but only a few decades ago they were on the endangered species list. A true success story for this species.
A Long Billed Curlew in flight.
A small Curlew eating next to a group of Western Sandpipers. I kept this photo to emphasis just how tiny the Sandpipers are which are only about 6 inches tall.
An adult Western Sandpiper weighs only about 1 ounce.
They don't just eat visible bugs; they are famous for "biofilm feeding." They have specialized, hairy structures on their tongues that allow them to slurp up a microscopic algae and bacteria from the surface of mudflats. This discovery actually changed how scientists understand shorebird nutrition.
Despite their small size and weight, these shorebirds migrate thousands of miles each year. This stretch of the Central Coast is critical habitat for them, especially during the nesting season which kicks off right around March.
A fragile balance. These tiny birds weigh less than two ounces, but they are a threatened and protected species that relies on us sharing the shore. Seeing them thrive at the base of Morro Rock is a testament to the local conservation efforts keeping our beaches wild.
Morro Rock at sunrise.
Seen here banking against the rugged cliffs of Morro Rock, the Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on Earth. When in a dive this raptor can reach speeds of over 240 mph. Morro Rock is one of the most famous nesting sites in California for these incredible birds. After nearly disappearing from the state in the 1970s, the local population has made a legendary recovery, once again ruling the skies over the Pacific.
A Red-Shouldered Hawk in the Presidio of San Francisco.
Marshall Beach at sunset.
A beautiful California Scrub-Jay in Mountain Lake Park.
Gray Whales in the Bay just off the coast of San Francisco.
A Gray Whale comes up to breath just off Alcatraz.
