Top Five Animal Sightings of 2013
Doing it countdown style. I took pictures of 203 different animal species this year. I didn't always get good pictures of these animals, but these are the five sightings I was most excited about.
5. Bobcat
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| Bobcat -- Pinnacles National Park, CA |
I saw two bobcats this year, both in or near Pinnacles National Park. The first one got away before I could get my camera ready. The second was at least a hundred yards away in the shade under a tree. I couldn't get any good pictures from where I was at and I wasn't about to try to get closer, especially with Pongo on a leash right beside me. The cat didn't seem to have a care in the world. A bobcat's life is pretty sweet in a place like Pinnacles, I guess.
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| Bobcat -- Pinnacles National Park, CA |
4. Coyote
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| Coyote -- Yosemite National Park, CA |
Granted, they're not that unusual to spot, but there's something exciting about seeing coyotes for me. Part of it, I guess, is that I like dogs. They seem like scrappers, these coyotes, survivors. I saw a woman feeding a coyote alongside the road at Yosemite and that got my dander up a bit. It seems so disrespectful to the animals. They don't need our handouts, especially in a place as bountiful as Yosemite.
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| Coyote -- Death Valley National Park, CA |
3. Bighorn Sheep
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| Bighorn Sheep -- Zion National Park, UT |
I totally lucked out with the bighorn sheep. I was driving through Zion National Park on my way to Death Valley after spending a few nights at Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. As I came around a corner there was an entire herd of sheep on the side of a hill just off the road. I was definitely not expecting that. Obviously, I pulled over and got some killer photos. Killer for me, anyway.
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| Bighorn Sheep -- Zion National Park, UT |
2. Bottlenose Dolphin
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| Bottlenose Dolphin -- Pacific Grove, CA |
At first I thought it was a shark's dorsal fin that I'd seen in the water. Turns out it wasn't a shark it was a dolphin and there were two of them in the water just off the shore of of Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. My friend Marko is a surfer and he said he'd seen a lot of them recently (this was in September). I didn't get very good pictures, but fuck it, I saw bottlenose dolphins in the wild!
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| Bottlenose Dolphin -- Pacific Grove, CA |
1. Black Bear
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| Black Bear -- Sequoia National Park, CA |
I saw two (or more likely three) black bears this year on consecutive weekends. The first encounter was at Sequoia National Park. Holy Schnikeys. He wasn't very far away from me and seemed to be sizing me up when we ran into each other. I have never seen forearms so big. We stared at each other for a couple of minutes, and then he (or she) sauntered non-chalantly off. I think there was another bear there as well. The one that I got a good look at was brown, but in a few of the final pictures the bear is black.
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| Black Bear -- Sequoia National Park, CA |
I saw the other bear the next weekend at Yosemite National Park. The bear was a lot farther away this time and didn't seem to notice us, so it was a lot less drama-filled.
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| Black Bear -- Yosemite National Park, CA |
That's it, pretty much. Check out
my photobucket page for a full view of all the animals I was able to photograph this year. Here's hoping for as much success next year.
I saw two bobcats this year, both in or near Pinnacles National Park. The first one got away before I could get my camera ready. The second was at least a hundred yards away in the shade under a tree. I couldn't get any good pictures from where I was at and I wasn't about to try to get closer, especially with Pongo on a leash right beside me. The cat didn't seem to have a care in the world. A bobcat's life is pretty sweet in a place like Pinnacles, I guess.
Granted, they're not that unusual to spot, but there's something exciting about seeing coyotes for me. Part of it, I guess, is that I like dogs. They seem like scrappers, these coyotes, survivors. I saw a woman feeding a coyote alongside the road at Yosemite and that got my dander up a bit. It seems so disrespectful to the animals. They don't need our handouts, especially in a place as bountiful as Yosemite.
I totally lucked out with the bighorn sheep. I was driving through Zion National Park on my way to Death Valley after spending a few nights at Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. As I came around a corner there was an entire herd of sheep on the side of a hill just off the road. I was definitely not expecting that. Obviously, I pulled over and got some killer photos. Killer for me, anyway.
At first I thought it was a shark's dorsal fin that I'd seen in the water. Turns out it wasn't a shark it was a dolphin and there were two of them in the water just off the shore of of Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. My friend Marko is a surfer and he said he'd seen a lot of them recently (this was in September). I didn't get very good pictures, but fuck it, I saw bottlenose dolphins in the wild!
I saw two (or more likely three) black bears this year on consecutive weekends. The first encounter was at Sequoia National Park. Holy Schnikeys. He wasn't very far away from me and seemed to be sizing me up when we ran into each other. I have never seen forearms so big. We stared at each other for a couple of minutes, and then he (or she) sauntered non-chalantly off. I think there was another bear there as well. The one that I got a good look at was brown, but in a few of the final pictures the bear is black.
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