Nature and Wildlife
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Mono Lake is the second largest nesting population of California gulls, Larus californicus, second only to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Since abandoning the landbridged Negit Island in the late 1970s, California gulls have moved to some nearby islets and have established new, if less protected, nesting sites.
Possessing a black crest, blue feather coat, and a very noisy voice, the Stellar’s Jay is known as a “thief”. It loves to hang around picnic areas and steal food when no one is looking.
This bird’s forward-looking eyes and large, hooked beak are clues to what it eats—it’s a hunter! A secretary bird’s long legs help it move through tall grass in search of food. When it spies prey—like a snake, for example—the bird pounces and clutches it in its claws. Then the secretary bird pounds the prey against the ground to stun or kill it. Secretary birds search for food on the ground throughout the day. They roost in trees at night. They are usually quiet, but make croaking sounds when they are meeting a mate. Most of the time, a secretary bird’s long, dark head feathers lay flat against the body. But if the bird feels threatened, it makes the feathers stand up to make the bird look bigger.
An almost full moon. Shot at 300mm.
Cheetah at Denver Zoo, captured using Nikon D810
All subspecies of tigers, including the Siberian Tiger, are endangered. It is estimated that around 350-450 Siberian tigers are in the wild, and around 650 in captivity. Siberian tigers are the largest living cats in the world.
A lazy cheetah at Denver Zoo.
Bald Eagle in flight at Whidbey Island, Washington.
