Images of California's San Joaquin Valley

Killdeer This killdeer was seen in the Merced wildlife refuge.

Killdeer Another view of the killdeer.

Tule Elk The San Luis National Wildlife refuge includes an area where Tule Elk are protected from hunters. Tule Elk used to roam over the entire central valley until they were extirpated by agriculture. This preserve provided the elk that have repopulated Point Reyes.

Turkey Vulture The most common vulture in the United States is the Turkey Vulture.

Great Horned Owl San Luis also provides a place where owls can rest.

Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) This kingbird was at the Kern Wildlife Refuge in the southern part of the San Juaquin.

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) This was a hard photograph to get! Swallows tend to fly very quickly, and dart around. I saw that some were landing by this dumpster, so I focused on the spot, and waited. Didn't take long, and now I have a photograph of a swallow.

	Tule Elk These four pictures of Tule Elk were taken at the San Luis Wildlife Refuge, where they were just standing in clear view. Lots of racks!
	White Faced Ibis We stopped to photograph a White-faced Ibis...
Red-winged Blackbird in Flight And got the miracle. I've been trying to photograph a red-winged blackbird for over a decade, but they're usually flushed at too great a distance. I just managed to snap this shot with the blackbird at exactly the correct distance, at a fast enough shutter speed (0.001 seconds) and just enough depth of field. I was very lucky, but it's a nice picture.
	Red-winged Blackbird in Flight This one isn't as good.
	White-faced Ibis We then returned to the ibis for several more photographs.