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Turkey Vultures are quite spectacular birds.
They are also nature's cleanup crew, preventing nasty bacteria from
spreading. |
Turkey vulture |
Turkey vulture |
Turkey vulture |
Turkey vulture |
Turkey vulture |
Turkey vulture |
Turkey vulture
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Turkey vulture |
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Quails are common in the foothills of Mt. Diablo.
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Female quails. |
Quail. Their calls can be heard from afar |
Turkey vulture |
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Wild Turkey
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wild turkeys strutting their stuff |
a sight to behold |
Cliff swallow nests |
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I photographed these
Ring-necked
pheasants on Staten Island road which leads right through very rich
farmland.
The pheasants are
quite illusive and I have only been able to photograph them twice.
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Alligator Lizard |
Fence lizard |
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Two Pond turtles & one Red-eared slider |
Pond turtle family |
A most attractive plank for turtles |
There is always space for one more |
A coot and a turtle is good company |
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Medusa Jellyfish (sea jellies) |
There was a huge number of them and these photos
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show some we
were watching for a while. |
They were very lively, interacting with each
other. |
They were actually mating the way jellyfish do,
which typically |
ends with death. We saw it happen while watching. |
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Rattlesnakes, gopher and king
snakes, and other snakes live in our hills though mostly well hidden. My
wife and I almost stepped on this rattler. Tarantulas may be
seen when crossing a trail, but Fall is the time when they are out and
about to look for mates. This is the best time to observe them.
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Western Rattlesnake
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Garter snake |
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Tarantula |
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Many different species of dragon flies
populate any area where there is a body of water. They rarely hold
still. |
Bluets caught in the act |
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Common Whitetail Dragonfly
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Cardinal Meadow hawk Dragonfly |
Common Green Darner |
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Meadowhawk Variegated
Dragonfly |
Walker's Darner
Dragonfly |
Bee on Watermilfoil |
Bees on flowers |
Bee on apple blossoms
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Honey bee |
Preying mantis
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Tarantula hawk |
Bee on Sunflower |
This
needs another sunflower or hummingbird on the flower. |
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