In the first part of this three-part series, I posted about the funding issues that shape land-use decisions on National Wildlife Refuges.You can read that post here: Part 1: Non-Hunters and National Wildlife Refuges.In Part 3 I discuss how birders, photographers and wildlife watchers can capitalize on their economic power. Here, I interview photographer Marlin…
Archives for 2011
Part 1: Wildlife Watchers and National Wildlife Refuges
This is a three part series about National Wildlife Refuge funding and how the current system affects land-use privileges for non-hunters and non-consumptive users. In Part 2 I interview photographer Marlin Greene who has created a No Hunting Stamp to promote awareness about hunting on National Wildlife Refuges. And in Part 3 I discuss how…
Mane of the Lion
“I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for trifles. That phrase ‘the Lion’s Mane’ haunted my mind. I knew that I had seen it somewhere in an unexpected context. You have seen that it does describe the creature. I have no doubt that it was floating on the water when McPherson saw…
The Halloween Raven
When I photographed this Common Raven, wind surfing off Ocean Beach in San Francisco, I didn’t realize that new life would continually germinate from this one photo … through my Creative Commons license and into the public domain by way of sketches, artwork composites and collages. I’m always delighted when an image I’ve licensed under…
Local Salmon & the Salmon ISA Virus
I came upon Alexandra Morton through a link on a Facebook page — the Orca Network’s page. Morton is a biologist who, according to her brief bio statement, is “a registered professional biologist who was living in a remote archipelago studying whales when the fish farmers came to my town.” Today, she posted a revealing…
Derelict Nets & Entangled Birds
Note: All gulls pictured in this post, and other trapped birds were freed from the netting. Follow Up on 10/21/11: I phoned today and learned that an official went out to this net, confirmed what we saw in terms of bird entanglement, and holes in the net have apparently been fixed as a temporary measure,…
Yellow Woolly Bear
My caterpillar ID is rusty, to say the least, so a Flickr user helped me identify this caterpillar as a Yellow woolly bear or Spilosoma virginica — destined to become a tiger moth. I posted about a different variety of woolly bear after a trip to Bodega Head last year where we got some close…
Why I Don’t Disclose Wildlife Locations
You may have noticed that with many of my posts, I describe the location of my photos in most general terms. There’s a reason for this, and it has nothing to do with hoarding a choice photography spot. In fact, most places where I’ve photographed wildlife are quite open to the public and well-known by…
Pinniped R&R
(about pinnipeds) This group of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) was hauled out on a dock in Westport, Washington. The scene reminded me of Pier 39 in San Francisco — although on a much smaller scale. California sea lions are a protected species and, by law, all marine mammals should be viewed from a distance…
Fly Away Home (and Safe) …. 2011
I’m re-posting my comments from October 2010, on this the opening day of waterfowl hunting season in Washington State, and a week before California’s opener. I’ve said it before so rather than saying it again, I’ve opted to reprint my thoughts from last year, with a few tweaks. See also a discussion of non-hunters and…
