» East Bay

So Long, Lake Merritt

ingrid — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:45:37 +0000

Lake Merritt was the first place I touched soil -- or rather, marine sediment --after returning to the Bay Area from Los Angeles. We were perched above Oakland in a hotel room with just a sliver of a view, looking at the lake through what amounted to a castle loophole.

The Saucy Sailor Boy

ingrid — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:21:38 +0000

I have a weakness for bad lyrics, and 18th century sea chanties like The Saucy Sailor Boy probably take the prize. If you live here in San Francisco, you can take the kids (or just your own self) to Hyde Pier for monthly (and free) Sea Chanty Sing-a-Longs. You’ll get hot cider if you bring [...]

Never Underestimate a Cattail

ingrid — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:26:25 +0000

Today, I watched a Marsh Wren collect soft fibers from the head of a cattail -- and dive into the abyss of cattail leaves to build up a hidden nest. [read full post ...]

Not the Easter Bunny

ingrid — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:05:17 +0000

Those ears serve this Black-tailed Jackrabbit well. A jack will usually hear you coming long before you see him. And he can regulate blood flow in these ears to adjust for external temperatures. The Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) — any jackrabbit — is actually a hare, not a rabbit. This particular jackrabbit wasn’t keen on [...]

Mudbath

ingrid — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:02:57 +0000

I’m keen to see eyes peering out of mudflats . . . the creatures from the bog, the foraging carp, the bullfrog in camo, a Pacific chorus frog in a dewdrop. I shot this photo at Blake Garden, just north of Berkeley in the Kensington Hills. My vision is tuned to anomalies and, sure enough, [...]

Showdown at Berkeley Marina

ingrid — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:15:46 +0000

“This country ain’t big enough for the two of us. So I’m giving you ’til sundown to get out of town.” ~ The Virginian

The Great Newt Commute

ingrid — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:13:33 +0000

The Great Newt Commute is what happens on the way to the Great Newt Party. From the first winter rains through early spring, California Newts migrate from their summer homes to their winter breeding grounds — to ponds and streams where they mate and lay eggs before trundling back up the hills and into burrows [...]

The Unheralded Hulet Hornbeck

ingrid — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:21:31 +0000

Until this week, I didn’t know how much gratitude I owed Mr. Hulet Hornbeck. The sign below marks the head of a commemorative trail at Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline — a park in the vast and lovely East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). When Hornbeck began his tenure as Chief of Land Acquisition for EBRPD [...]

The Ghostliness of Black Diamond Mines

ingrid — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:51:44 +0000

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve isn’t haunted, but it’s a park grown upon the ghosts of California’s history. In terms of our earliest history, the spirit of the Ohlone and Miwok people still permeates the land. When I stand on our remaining wild hilltops, I look to the expanse of tract development over what, by [...]

Where Old Docks Go to Die

ingrid — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:35:04 +0000

Old docks smell, this much I can tell you. You’ll catch a whiff of decomposing mussels and sea greens long before you ever see the old boards stacked, as these particular boards were, in the parking lot of the Berkeley Marina. The Marina is renovating — replacing the old A-B-C docks with improved versions. And [...]

Red-Tail Drifting on Thermals

ingrid — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:26:57 +0000

A Red-tailed Hawk rises with the thermals on the western slopes of Coyote Hills Regional Park. I snapped this image on the tail end of yesterday’s hike along the marshes and pelican ponds.

Seeing the Sora

ingrid — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:12:32 +0000

You’ll hear Soras more often than you’ll see them. But once in a while you’ll be lucky enough to experience both — when the characteristic Sora call precedes a visual of the Sora wading through the shallows. Soras are in the rail family, not rare, even if they are elusive. They share a lineage with [...]

Secret Digs of the Great Horned Owl

ingrid — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:37:10 +0000

Photos of a Great Horned Owl perched in Strawberry Canyon in Berkeley.

Visiting Hours Over

ingrid — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:18:46 +0000

A male Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) roots around just before dusk at the Nature Center in Tilden Park.

Squirrel for a Day

ingrid — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:37:18 +0000

Our latest outing to Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline rendered two contenders for the feature. The first, a perfectly posed ground squirrel who had to assess my safety level before resuming his meal. And second, a squirrel clinging to a fence which begged the question — who’s really on the outside? (He was fine [...]

Squirrel of the Day – First Edition

ingrid — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:05:19 +0000

Squirrels are so pervasive they're unexceptional to a lot of photographers. But I have squirrels to thank for not being utterly demoralized. Even when the wildlife shots are fleeting, generally, I can count on a squirrel to give me a good pose.

The Mud Cracks of Coyote Hills

ingrid — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:03:05 +0000

The Mud Cracks of Coyote Hills could be a family of mutants, living under the floor boards. But they're not. They should be. This would be a better post.

Return to the Mother Ship

ingrid — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:47:30 +0000

This honey bee was one of a stream of honey bees, hypnotized into the maw of this cactus flower.

Young Fox Squirrels at Play

ingrid — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:57:03 +0000

Photos of young/juvenile fox squirrels playing in an urban environment, on telephone poles and wires. Also includes images of baby squirrels in the hands of a wildlife rehabilitator.

Bay Area Goats Fight Fires

ingrid — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:42:53 +0000

Photo ©ingrid Well, he’s a yawning goat, I must confess. But the photo begs for an alternate characterization. Who needs Smokey Bear when you’ve got a hungry goat? These animals deserve some atta boys (and girls) for their hard labor in fire prevention. In the Oakland and Berkeley Hills you’ll find agile bucks and does [...]