First full day in Cape May, NJ ... Hiked to the lighthouse and state park/wildlife sanctuary, with dolphins and American oystercatchers along the way. Swans put on a show in the park.
The male has golden hair and a yellow face, the female has a black face and a whiter coat.
They both have a very long tongue, a black and white striped abdomen, and a noisy buzz. Seen together feeding on a vitex tree - and occasionally getting into an argument - at @cowboycatranch
Not the best pic but my first of the Eastern towhee👍
Been hearing them the past two years but not had a chance to photograph. Very cute birds and I ran across it while it was singing its heart out so I got to watch its behavior for a while. Awesome first encounter 🙂
(04/30/24)
Couple of iPhone shots, taken at Crab Cove in Alameda yesterday. These are California Ground Squirrels, and they live in the rocks at the edge of the beach there. Not quite tame, but very used to people so they let you get reasonably close (close enough to get clear photos with the iPhone 15 Pro 3x camera).
These were taken using portrait mode, providing artificial depth of field.
Thankfully, towards the end, the rain let up and allowed for a beautiful evening. We drove to a nearby walk alongside the Northern Reaches of Lancaster Canal.