I had never heard of the Point Reyes National Seashore until I read an article written by wildlife photographer Daniel Dietrich about the peninsula and the abundance of wildlife that call it home. One year later I was lucky to find myself walking the grassy hills of Point Reyes with Daniel Dietrich photographing a wide variety of animals while learning about the park, its history, and its challenges.
Abbots Lagoon
While the initial focus of this trip was wildlife photography I wasn’t prepared for the natural beauty of this park. Located just 40 miles north of the Bay Area, you feel you are miles from anywhere. The Cypress and Pine forests of Inverness Ridge give way to brushy rolling hills which turn into vibrant green grasslands all sloping down to the white sandy beaches and rocky headlands of the Pacific Ocean where the waves break with their rhythmic thunderclaps upon sand and rock…..It is breathtaking.
Tomales Point in the distance
That was my feeble attempt to describe the immense beauty of this place. It is huge at over 71 thousand acres with 80 miles of shoreline and 150 miles of trails to hike and explore. Set aside as a National Seashore in 1962 by John F Kennedy it has the feeling that it’s frozen in time. A calm beautiful respite from the hectic outside world.
Badgers
On the afternoon that I arrived I drove out to the lighthouse to explore the area. On my way back I noticed this Badger running beside the road. I drove a bit further, pulled over, and grabbed my camera. Walking to the back of my car I saw that this badger was still running towards me. Now this was both good and bad. Good for photographs but Badgers are considered, pound for pound, one of the toughest, orneriest, most ferocious creatures in North America. When cornered they’ve been known to fight off predators many times their size. When this guy got within 15 feet of me, I began to wonder if should climb up on top of my car. He suddenly stopped backing into his burrow which was no more than 10 feet behind where I had parked. Halfway into his burrow he stopped and gave me this death stare. We sat there in a stare-down for many minutes while I took some pictures. I tried to sweet talk him, but he wasn’t having it. The look on his face was screaming “One step closer and I’ll rip your leg off and beat you with it!” Wisely I let him be and as soon as I turned my back he was gone.
American Badger
Bobcats
Bobcats were the animals I most wanted to capture on this trip and with Daniels’s help, we were on one quickly. We worked our way into a position behind him and walked parallel and slightly away from his track. Over the course of an hour, the Bobcat became comfortable with our presence, and we slowly closed the gap. In the end, we were sitting on the grass as the cat walked toward us. At no point did we alter the cat’s behavior. We watched him feed on Pocket Gophers. Pulling them from the ground he would turn around to show us his catch. This was a crazy wonderful experience. All in all, I photographed five different Bobcats during my three days in the park.
(click on any image to view the picture in full format)
Coyotes
The Coyotes I saw at Point Reyes seemed different from the ones I see occasionally in my backyard game cam. It might have been my euphoric frame of mind, being in such a beautiful place, but they seemed bigger, more regal, and healthier somehow. Maybe it’s because they live in such a wild place, hunting for Gophers instead of neighborhood cats…yeah, probably just my euphoric frame of mind.
Tule Elk
Point Reyes is the only National Park where you will find this subspecies of Elk. To my eye, they seem slightly smaller and lighter in color than the Roosevelt Elk we are used to seeing.
I was hiking out the Tamales Point trail to catch the sunset from a bluff high above the ocean. Rounding a bend, I came face to face with this small herd. I stopped there and we watched the sunset together.
Feathered Creatures
California Quail
Great White Egret
Great Blue Heron
Male Harrier Hawk nest building
Red Tail Hawk
I have this rule which so far, I have only broken for Yosemite NP. “Don’t eat your own dust” meaning once I’ve been to a place to explore and photograph, I need to seek out and find new places. I’m already planning my return to the Point Reyes National Seashore. It will take many trips to explore the whole of this huge, wonderful place.
If you decide to visit Point Reyes, I highly recommend spending time exploring the park with Daniel Dietrich and Point Reyes Safaris. https://www.pointreyessafaris.com/
