Camp view

09Feb10

One of the things about car-camping road trips and wilderness explorations I love the most is setting up camp.  In most situations you get to choose where you’d like to spend the night and also what the view is from your tent door… This photo shows one of my all-time favorites.  I took the shot on my first solo sea kayaking trip on the Sea of Cortez along the Baja peninsula – wilderness, white sands, uninhabited islands, blazing stars and turquoise seas:

Islas Encantadas – Copyright: g. joder

What about yours?

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Tags: Baja, Biodiversity, camp, camping, conservation, Islas Encantadas, Mexico, road trip, sea kayaking, Sea of Cortez, wilderness

A coyote hunting in the snow

08Feb10

On the way home tonight I saw two coyotes hunting in a field.  One in particular caught my eye – the one in the following video.  At first I didn’t notice what was different about it and after a few moments realized it was missing its tail.  From a distance and in poor light it might be mistaken for a large bobcat until you see in profile its canine snoot…  In the few moments I watched it a lack of a tail didn’t hamper its success at catching prey.  Though I wonder about its reproductive success and if having no tail matters to coyotes too …

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Tags: Biodiversity, Canis latrans, conservation, coyote, environmentalism, predator, prey, wildlife photography, wildlife video

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

07Feb10

 As winter wears on I dream more and more of warm summer days, wildflowers and the associated wildlife…  Here’s a photo of a broad-tailed hummingbird approaching the feeder.  I took the photo in the late evening and used a mild fill-flash and this is how the exposure came out:

may not be used - copyright: g. joder 2009

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Tags: hummingbird, Biodiversity, wildlife photography, birding, conservation, bird watching, broad-tailed hummingbird

Coyotes

28Jan10

Here’s a short clip of coyotes from last night using a motion-triggered infrared camera:

It’s nice to know they are out there doing their thing…

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Tags: Biodiversity, conservation, coyote, infrared camera, motion sensor camera, wildlife

Non-motorized adventure

27Jan10

There are some amazing adventure expeditions occurring right now that you can check in on every day.  Three have to do with sailing and one rowing.  Here are the links:

Aron Meder – Solo circumnavigation:  http://www.meder.hu/

He started in 2006 and is alomost back home … Check out his photo galleries too!

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Katie Spotz - Crossing the Atlantic:  http://rowforwater.com/

“This January, I am embarking on a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean! After 2,500 miles and 70-100 days alone at sea, I will become the youngest person ever to row an ocean solo and the first American to row from Africa to South America.  But this row is about something much more important: safe drinking water. Unsafe drinking water is the leading cause of sickness, disease and death worldwide ― but it’s a problem that, working together, we can solve. To join me in helping the billion people around the world who lack access to safe drinking water…”

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Abby’s Blog – Solo Circumnavigation:  http://soloround.blogspot.com/

“Abigail (“Abby”) Sunderland turned sixteen in October 2009. To the outward observer, she is a seemingly cleancut, All-American girl…the second of seven children. But inside of Abby, a passion burns. Since becoming a teenager, she has had her sights set on making history as the youngest person, male or female, to circumnavigate the world. Not only does she plan to accomplish this feat alone and unassisted, she plans to do it without once taking refuge on land. Aboard an Open 40 racing sailboat, Abby will embark on her voyage in January 2010 from Marina del Rey, California. By June 2010, Abby plans to have made history.”

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Sagar Parikrama – Solo Circumnavigation:  http://sagarparikrama.blogspot.com/

“It has been over a week since we reached Port Stanley and time seems to have flown by. The repairs are progressing well and looks like we will be able to sail out on 01 Feb as planned…”

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Jessica Watson – Solo Circumnavigation: http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/

“Ambition: Become the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world”

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Tags: Abby Sunderland, adventure, aron meder, expedition, Jessica Watson, katie spotz, ocean rowing, row for water, rowing, Sagar Parikrama, Sailing, solo circumnavigation

Desert Bighorn Sheep

23Jan10

may not be reproduced… copyright: g. joder 2008

A desert bighorn sheep near Green River, Utah.  This one looks as dry, stringy and tough as the environment it lives in.  These sheep are adapted to living in a desert environment – be it the deserts of Arizona or Baja California, Mexico or the high deserts of Utah where I took this photo.  It’s a shame people choose to hunt them…

 

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Tags: Biodiversity, conservation, desert, desert bighorn sheep, environmet, Green River, sheep, Utah

Reproduction

20Jan10

Reproduction – I’m curious how you feel about these images.  In each image we can see a part of the ritual of biological reproduction…  Meaning simply the process by which a species attempts the production of viable offspring.  It’s a whole other question as to whether or not the offspring are able to survive long enough to produce young.  Feel free to comment…

cottontail rabbits... may not be reproduced - copyright: g. joder 2009

bullsnakes mating... may not be reproduced - copyright: g. joder 2009

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Tags: bullsnakes, cottontail rabbits, ecology, evolution, fitness, mating, natural selection, offspring, rabbits, reproduction, snakes

Another Bobcat

19Jan10

They say the lynx has big paws so it doesn’t break through the snow, thus saving energy.  Well, I say the bobcat, maybe with smaller paws relative to the lynx, also attempts to use larger surface areas in order to not break through the snow crust.  In this photo a bobcat is walking on the surface of a snow pack that is a little over a foot deep without breaking through.  Can you see why? 

may not be used - copyright: g. joder

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Tags: bobcat, cat, felidae, lynx, lynx rufus, mammal, predator, wild cat

Winter Bobcat

15Jan10

After almost a year without seeing a bobcat I finally saw one today on my drive home.  I’ve seen a bobcat in this location three other times…  In this instance it was pretty far away and the image is cropped so the quality is not that great, but it’s fun to see them in action:

copyright: g. joder 2010

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Tags: Biodiversity, bobcat, mammal, photography, wild cat, wildlife

Hummingbird Detail

12Jan10

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird ~ Copyright: g. joder 2009

Here is a photo I took last summer showing the beautiful details of a female broad-tailed hummingbird…

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Tags: Biodiversity, birding, birds, conservation, hummingbird, photography, wildlife, wildlife photography