Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp: Blog

Arctic Wanderings Feb 2020 Part II -- "Northern Lights of Churchill Canada"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Tue, 12 May 2020 13:14:02 GMT

Part II of our Journey to see the Polar Lights

"Dave's Dog Sled Camp" -- On our last night it warmed up to a balmy 24’F but the cloudy daytime skies cleared for us right after dinner so we headed out to Dave's Dog Sled Camp for some crazy fast moving Aurora activity that moved from one end of the sky to the other. One minute the sky was on fire with dancing lights and the next it would be gone, only to pop up again in another spot. Dave has a number of sled trails thru the forest as well as a Teepee and a Trappers Tent which we lit up with a lantern as a foreground for our Aurora photography. Well after midnight we decided to call it quits but on the way back to town we spotted some Aurora activity out over Hudson Bay so we headed over to Churchill's famous Inuksuk rock sculpture for a couple of shots although the clouds were moving in on us so we headed back to our hotel a little after 2am.

Northern Lights over a Trapper's Tent

Northern Lights over the sled dog pens. Sometimes the lights would get the Dogs all worked up barking.

Wandering the Boreal Forest

As clouds moved in we had our last glimpse of the Northern Lights over Churchill's famous Inuksuk rock sculpture

While you might think an ice covered bay is an endless flat plain, you would be wrong. As tide action raises and lowers the underlying sea the ice cracks and heaves up and down creating a pretty rough and dangerous landscape. Especially considering it's where the Polar Bears roam hunting for seals as they come up through breathing holes.

One day we came across a Canadian cold weather military training exercise as about 40 snowmobiles returned from a 150 mile trek through the winter wilderness.

Just taking a short walk in Churchill's winter can be a chore.

What an awesome trip we had, thanks to Natural Habitat Adventures and specifically to our great Guide, Eddy Savage

If you missed Part I of our Churchill Northern Lights Photo Expedition click link: "Churchill Northern Lights Blog Part I"

For more photos visit Bill & Linda’s Wildlife website at: "Wildlife Photos"

* Any use of these images requires the prior written permission of Bill & Linda Klipp the photographers, no other uses of any kind including print or electronic are permitted without the prior written permission of the photographer.

Arctic Wanderings Feb 2020 Part I -- "Northern Lights of Churchill Canada"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Tue, 12 May 2020 13:12:47 GMT

A Two Part Journey to see the Polar Lights

Like many people I have always been intrigued by the photos and videos of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights but in spite of our many trips into the high Arctic and even Antarctica they have eluded us. I have attributed that to bad luck and the fact it has been mostly daylight in the extreme latitudes during the times of year we have been there. So we did some research on where and when is the best opportunity to see Aurora activity. There are lots of good Aurora viewing spots in Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Finland but Churchill Canada stood out as one of the best inhabited spots on the planet to see the Aurora consistently.

So this past February we headed north to Churchill Manitoba in Canada’s sub-arctic to join a photography workshop organized by Natural Habitat Adventures ( www.NatHab.com ). As remote as it is, getting to Churchill on the north eastern side of Canada is relatively easy. Step one fly into and overnight in Winnipeg Canada where we stayed at the historic Fort Garry Hotel, an iconic old landmark hotel built in 1913 as one of Canada's grand railway hotels.

Our plane being de-iced in Winnipeg

Notice how large Hudson Bay is. It essentially stretches the distance from Washington DC to Kansas City

There are no roads paved or otherwise to Churchill so to get there you have three choices; train, plane or boat. No boats in the winter of course, the train when it runs takes 2 days to cover the 650 mile journey and is incredibly unreliable, so Nat Hab arranges a charter flight for it’s groups. They also offer any empty seats on the plane for free to Churchill locals to help them get back to / from civilization. Nice way to give back and support the local community.

Natural Habitat Adventures 2 hour charter flight Winnipeg to Churchill.

Welcome to winter in Churchill

Churchill train station. The train tracks and bridges were heavily damaged in May 2017 by flooding and service didn't resume till Dec 2018. During this 18 month period the only way in or out of Churchill in the winter was by plane.

Wandering down to ice covered Hudson Bay, the second largest Bay on earth at 850 miles long.

In the far north of Manitoba Canada nestled between the mouth of the Churchill River and the western shores of the Hudson Bay sits the town of Churchill at 58’ North Latitude. The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights circle the globe in an irregularly shaped elliptical "oval" band which passes right over Churchill making it a sweet spot for Aurora activity with over 300 days of Aurora each year. As this oval band of Aurora activity circles the earth most of it passes over the waters of the high arctic. In fact it passes well north of Iceland making it only visible there on cloudless nights when there is heavy Aurora activity as measured on the Aurora KP index (0-10). Churchill on the other hand sits right under the "oval" of Aurora activity enabling viewing at even the lowest KP index values. We used an app called "My Aurora Forecast" to predict the timing, location and intensity of any expected Aurora activity. It was surprisingly accurate.

Note how the sweet spot of the Aurora oval passes over some of the most remote and inaccessable areas of the planet. With heavy Aurora activity however the Northern Lights can be seen much further south around the oval, but Churchill gets it 300 days per year.

The bright dancing lights of the Aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora Borealis' in the north and 'Aurora Australis' in the south.

Auroral displays appear in many colors although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.

The key is seeing these Dancing Lights in the Sky is to have a dark cloudless night where the stars are visually prominent, and this is best done in the dead of winter. Mid February is a good time in Churchill with little light pollution and temperatures ranging from -20’F to -40’F. At these extremely low temperatures there is little chance of precipitation or clouds.

Winters in Churchill are all about extreme sub zero temperatures and heavy winds. We regularly had 30-40 mph winds when we were there.

During the day the weather can sometimes be deceiving. Above the ground layer of wind-borne snow and ice is actually a clear blue sky.

So in mid February 2020 we headed to Churchill, into the blowing snow and windchill of -49’F and guess what we saw on 3 of our 4 nights? We saw the Skies on Fire in unearthly and surreal colors, We saw Dancing Lights gyrating from horizon to horizon, We saw slow moving dull green bands take shape and quickly twist, turn and vibrate across the sky moving from the horizon to straight over our heads, We saw the sky go crazy with painted movements and then like a light switch it would be gone only to pop up again in another direction. We were lucky to get 3 nights of very active Aurora Borealis because as our trip was ending the temperatures were headed above zero increasing the chances of cloud coverage and blocked skies. We definitely had good karma.

Click above photo to see winter in Churchill

"Our Nightly Aurora Routine" -- Natural Habitat Adventures has been guiding tours to Churchill for many years and has developed some custom Aurora viewing stations outside of the town’s ambient lights. Each night after dinner (3 restaurant choices) we would head back to our hotel to gear up for a long evening of frigid outdoor photography. Once we are all bundled up our group of 10 would head out usually after 9pm to one of Nat Hab’s Aurora cabin’s which provided a spot to escape the cold and warm up or to grab a snack or drink. I must say though we spent very little time inside as even with lots of viewing windows, outside was a must for photography.

"Aurora Pod" -- Custom-built for Nat Hab clients the Pod offers a spot to warm up and have a snack while still being able to have 360-degree views of the night sky through its glass top and sides. Conditions were ideal for our first night out in search of the Northern Lights in Churchill Canada. The skies were clear with no moon or clouds in sight. The ambient air temperature was -21’F with 30 knot winds treating us to a -48’F evening, yes it was cold but we headed out to the Boreal Forest, set up our tripods and had non-stop action of dancing polar lights till we called it quits after midnight. And this was only night 1. What a way to start our adventure.

My selfie

We braved the extreme cold, standing in the snow as the winds whipped tiny ice particles in every direction. We got stiff necks from staring at the skies from 9pm till 2am. But it was simply amazing, unearthly, almost alien like. We took many pictures which depict the Aurora at a moment in time but the Northern Lights are constantly changing, sometimes slow and sometimes fast.

Still images just can’t covey the motion in the sky we experienced as surreal colors and shapes moved about skies so I set up my camera to take a variety of short time lapses which I blended together in a 1 minute video. Welcome an alien world.

Click Above Photo to see Aurora video

Our main trip objective was photographing the Northern Lights which kept us out after midnight each night so we usually slept in starting our day after a late breakfast before heading out for some local daytime activities

Using hand saws we cut blocks of snow for a traditional Igloo

"Igloo Building" -- One day we visited the Churchill Northern Studies Center which is a non-profit field station focused on scientific research and education in the subarctic. After a tour of the facility we joined some of the staff to learn how to build an authentic Igloo.

The Igloo is actually built from the inside.

Using a machete to shape the snow blocks

When done the builder is locked inside and a door needs to be cut in the snow dome

Viola!, all done

A ready made shelter from the elements

While we were learning how to build an Igloo I set up a camera to create a time lapse of our Igloo building.

Click above photo to see the Igloo video

Churchill Northern Studies Center scientific research field station which hosts visiting scientists.

Sunset over the frozen Churchill River

Snow Shower, ever wonder what happens when you fling a thermos of boiling water into -40F weather? Our most excellent Guide Eddy Savage shows how the boiling water immediately freezes into little ice / snow particles as it hits the frigid air

As we headed out to the Aurora Dome on our second night the sky lit up like it was on fire.

We all started yelling at the driver to pull over as the Northern Lights were dancing crazy all around us.

We jumped out of the van with our cameras and tripods and set up along the road. I stepped off the road to find a better composition only to sink up to my waist in deep snow, bad move, back to the road to set up.

The lights were moving across the sky very fast in every direction. sometimes in front of us sometimes directly overhead.

At one point I looked behind us back towards the town, they were everywhere, crazy

What a workout after a couple hours of non-stop action in the blowing -40F weather we climbed back into the van to continue onto our original destination, Nat Hab's Aurora Dome cabin

Aurora Dome cabin with its large dome roof ports for viewing the Aurora

"Aurora Dome" -- We scored again big time on our 2nd night in search of the Aurora Borealis. We headed out a little after 9pm at -20’F with windchill of -43’F, the makings of some excellent Aurora conditions. Our plan was to head out to the Aurora Dome, a small building designed with some large Dome viewing ports on the roof but we didn’t get too far, as we drove down the road the skies became alive with bright green quickly moving Northern Lights. Not wanting to miss one of the better shows of the year we pulled over on the side of the road and set up our tripods and started shooting for about an hour and half before heading to the Aurora Dome for yet more action. What a night, didn’t get to bed till close to 2am.

“Unearthly” -- Some say the Auroa Borealis can be unearthly or even “Alien” like. This one was a good example of Pareidolia, looks like an alien's head to me. What do you think?

PS. Pareidolia is a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something else. It causes people to see patterns like faces or images in everyday objects such as in cloud formations, rock faces or other inanimate objects.

"Historical Churchill" -- Located on the shores of the Hudson Bay, the Town of Churchill and the surrounding area are steeped in history as old as Canada. Archaeology in the area shows evidence of human presence dating back 4,000 years to the Pre-Dorset and Dorset people and for centuries, Churchill has been a meeting place for culture and trade being at the critical intersection of several ecosystems. The first European to explore "The Bay” was Henry Hudson in 1608 and in 1670 the Hudson’s Bay Co. was formed to promote and service the exploding fur trade. In more recent times Churchill was a strategic spot for the Canadian and US Military being an easy flight to Europe and a good place to perform arctic weather training. After the Second World War, Canada and the US jointly sponsored a training and experimental rocket center which researched the possibility of harnessing the geomagnetic power of the Aurora Borealis as a potential weapon. The base was officially closed in 1980 but remnants remain today as when facilities are built in such remote areas they tend to be just abandoned vs removed when no longer in commission.

Churchill's St. Paul’s Anglican Church dates back to 1892

A stained-glass window donated to the parish by the widow of Sir John Franklin, the famous Arctic explorer.

Polar Bear Jail. In the fall when many Polar Bears migrate through Churchill the town has a Polar Bear patrol to keep the locals and visitors safe. People are encouraged to keep their house doors unlocked so everyone has an easy escape from a potentially deadly Polar Bear encounter. Any Bears wandering into Town are darted and locked up for a while in unpleasant conditions hoping to discourage them from future visits.

Classic old General Store stocked with a little of everything. No Amazon Prime here.

When you go to the small supermarket in Churchill you can pick up a head of lettuce (maybe) or a Snowmobile

“Mushing” -- While our nights were busy staring at the skies during the day we had some fun activities. One morning we hit Kelly’s Dog sled camp for some good old Mushing at Churchill River Mushing camp in 30 knot winds and sub zero temperatures.

Getting briefed by Kelly about his Dogs and Mushing

The Dogs just love pulling the sleds

Off they go...

It was a frosty ride on the sled

Click above Photo for our Mushing Video

"Current Day Churchill" -- Although some fur trading still exists the hey days are long gone, the military has mostly left so today Churchill with its population of 900 is mostly supported by a seasonal tourist industry. In the fall it is known as the Polar Bear Capital of the world as roughly 1,000 Polar Bears migrate through the area on their way to the frozen sea ice covered hunting grounds of Hudson Bay. It is one of the few places in the world you can experience reliable land based Polar Bear encounters. The highlight of the winter of course is the Northern Lights and from June to September, approximately 3,000 uniquely white-colored Buluga Whales visit the Churchill River basin and approximately 60,000 come into the Hudson Bay area.

Churchill train station

Organized by the Panga Seed Foundation's Sea Walls project several muralists from around the world joined forces in Churchill to created 18 large-scale murals that promote ocean conservation

Star Wars anyone ! Now this has to be one of the more unique vehicles I have ever seen

"Aurora Cabin" -- On our third night we headed out by snow coach driving over a frozen creek to an Aurora Cabin in the Boreal Forest. The Cabin was specially designed to be mobile so once winter sets in they use a tundra vehicle to tow it up a frozen creek deep into the Boreal Forest. The Cabin owners don’t need roads or own the land as they technically have the cabin sitting in the middle of a creek on frozen water. Before the Spring thaw they just tow the Cabin back to town so when they remove it after the season there is Zero environmental impact once the creek thaws. Unfortunately though it warmed up to a balmy -2’F which brought in some cloud cover blocking our view of the Northern Lights that night.

Clearing the snow off the ice covered creek

Snow cat clearing the creek of snow for us

On the way out to the Aurora Cabin we stopped for some sunset shots

While the clouds made for a nice sunset it wrecked our visibility for any Northern Lights viewing.

A cozy warming hut on skis sitting on top of a frozen creek, very cool idea

Tonight we had some homemade dinner in the Aurora cabin, but unfortunately no Aurora.

Aurora Cabin was in an awesome spot, deep in the Boreal Forest, but the cloud cover hid the Aurora from us.

Coming up one more night of crazy Northern Lights at Dave's Dog Sled Camp in Blog Part II

Check out Part II of my Northern Lights Blog as we head to "Dave's Dog Sled Camp" for our last night in Churchill. Click link: "Churchill Northern Lights Blog Part II"

For more photos visit Bill & Linda’s Wildlife website at: "Wildlife Photos"

Pantanal Wanderings II Sept 2019 -- "Land of the Big Cats"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 21:27:58 GMT

Part II of a two Part Series of our recent trip to Brazil's remote Pantanal region

After a long bumpy, slippery 6 hour drive down the Transpantaneira Highway the road finally came to an abrupt end at the edge of the Cuiaba River. It is here at the Port Jofre Hotel an old fishing lodge that would be our base for the next 5 days as we explore the local rivers and creeks by small boat. Each morning began with an early breakfast then before sunrise the 6 of us along with our Guide Alyson and our boat driver would hit the river exploring for about 6 hours, returning to camp for lunch and to escape the mid-day heat before heading out again mid-afternoon into early evening. While the mornings were a little chilly we had expected some pretty intense daytime temperatures and were not disappointed with 100 degree highs with no shade. Glad we brought our Kenyan Kikoys to keep us cool but our only real relief was when we were cruising along the river catching a breeze. We had expected the area to be very buggy but other than the annoying biting flies it wasn't very bad at all.

Yacare Caiman

Giant River Otters are very sociable animals and often live in groups of up to 20 individuals. A group of Otters is called: bevy, family, lodge or romp

The mornings on the river were a bit chilly

But by mid-morning it had started to heat up. On one of our African Safaris our Guide introduced us Kenyan Kikoys. Essentially a cotton scarf which we soak in cold water which then acts as a personal air conditioner as the water evaporates. They work great proving a few hours of cooling as well as a sun shade or even bug protection.

Click above photo to see video: "Headed out on the River" To search for Jaguars we used small boats to explore the rivers out of Porto Jofre in the Northern Pantanal. Our friend Bud took a short video of us heading out one morning

Jaguar Karma, an awesome beginning

Linda and I often feel we have some sort of wildlife karma and it played out today on our first day on the river. 50 minutes into our first morning on the Cuiaba River we found a Jaguar stealthily hunting a Caiman (unsuccessfully) along the river shore line. A couple of hours later we had another Jaguar encounter as the big cat stole a fish from a Cocoi Heron. After lunch we quickly found two more Jaguars on a riverside beach where we spent 2 ½ hours observing and photographing them from about 30 yards away. The highlight was a seldom seen interaction between a male and female. Four Jaguars up close, and its only day 1. What an awesome beginning to our trip.

Sometimes the Jaguars might seem to just be wandering along, but make no mistake they are constantly on alert. A large bird caught this one's attention as he moved along the top of the river bank.

We saw a small Caiman in the water ahead of the Jaguar, and it did not escape his notice.

Two quick leaps and he was in the water

Notice the splash on the lower left! It's the Caiman making a quick escape to deeper waters

Better luck next time

Cocoi Heron is the most common and easy to see heron, as it forages in the open, and occupies a large range of habitats where there is water.

Cocoi Heron taking flight

Plover with a worm

Green Kingfisher telling us which way to look

Giant River Otters are in the Mustelids family which include weasels, badgers, martens, and wolverines

Jaguar working it's way down the shoreline looking for Caiman

When tracking a Jaguar on the move we would often position the boat further up long the river to intercept it at key locations. This time we came across a Cocoi Heron who had just speared a fish. Being opportunistic the Jaguar took off after the Heron who dropped the fish which turned out to be a nice snack for the Cat

Ringed Kingfisher taking flight. One of the larger and very noisy of the Kingfishers

Adult Tiger Heron hunting for fish

Lounging on a beach

We were watching this guy for well over an hour as he hung out on the beach near some Black Skimmer nests which got the birds all upset as they periodically would dive bomb the Jaguar

Black Skimmer

Little Green Kingfisher watching the waters for fish

Diving for Fish

We were anchored in our boat for several hours watching a Jaguar on the beach when I noticed a little Green Kingfisher diving for fish about 50 meters from us. I locked my camera focus on the water where he was diving and waited for 20 minutes for his next dive. I tracked him as he screamed down from the tree top crashing into the water. My pre-focus helped me capture a nice 11 frame sequence as he emerged from the water returning back to the tree top in under 1 second, unfortunately without a fish.

In the distance across the beach we saw a female Jaguar headed our way

They slowly checked each other out, the male hoping to the female would be receptive

They did some play fighting

In the end she wasn't interested so the male wandered off, upsetting the Black Skimmers again

A Japanese film crew was onsite filming the Jaguars

We were often able to get up real close to the wildlife

Yesterday we found two Jaguars on this beach. Today we found a few Capybaras there. What we are missing is them both there at the same time. Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world reaching 70-140lbs. I'm told they are good eating.

It is now in the dry season that all sorts of wildlife concentrate along the river edges making access and photography much less challenging than shooting in the dark jungles of the Amazon or Costa Rica. The rivers rich with fish and other life provide a virtually feeding buffet for all sorts of mammals, birds and reptiles. As we cruised the rivers for many miles seeking Jaguars we would stop often to photograph the many other creatures which seemed to be around every turn.

Black-Capped Heron, one of the most beautiful of the Herons

Black-Collared Hawks typically perch above shallow pools or marshes and drop onto prey such as fish

Anhinga sometimes called Snakebird or Darter is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word "anhinga" comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird.

The light tan coloring of the Pampas Deer allows it to perfectly blend into the surroundings

Southern Caracara taking a drink but always watching it's back

Osprey are fairly common raptors that live near fresh or salt water and can be found from Alaska to Argentina

Coming in close on a Caiman

Yacare Caiman were once heavily hunted for its valuable skin but now protected, they are found in incredibly large numbers within the Pantanal. They are similar in appearance to the Spectacled Caiman, and reach a maximum adult length of 10 feet. Their smaller size makes them a favorite prey of Jaguar and Anaconda.

Click above photo to see our video: "Cruising the Cuiaba River"

While Jaguars roam from Mexico to Argentina they are normally very elusive and difficult to see in the thick jungle like habitats they usually inhabit. The rivers of the Pantanal however offer a unique opportunity to see these magnificent cats active in daylight as they move and hunt along the river edges. The area around Porto Jofre is remote and difficult to get to and for many years was visited only by a few locals and adventurous fishermen seeking an exotic fishing location. Over time the fishermen ignored the Jaguars and vice versa and like the indifference many African animals show towards safari vehicles the Jaguars got used to the presence of boats in their eco-system. So a few years back some of these fishing lodges and camps expanded into eco-tourism with local wildlife viewing and particularly Jaguars being a highlight.

Bats

Jaguars have always been my favorite of the Big Cats although I had never seen one in the wild. That changed big time this week as we had 17 different Jaguar encounters some for 2- 3+ hours at a time with 10 different animals. Jaguars are typically known to be one of the most elusive of the big cats although here like no-where else the Jaguars of the northern Pantanal emerge from the forests in the dry season onto the river banks to hunt for Caiman (South American Alligator), Capybara (world’s largest rodent) and other creatures. Unlike Lions and other big cats which spend a lot of daylight hours sleeping all of our Jaguar encounters were with very active animals.

We saw a Jaguar headed our way so we tucked the boat into the weeds. Turns out we ended being about 25 feet from her

A small group of Giant Otters Swam by peaking the Jaguars' interest

These guys were swimming along at a fairly quick pace, diving periodically and pulling up one fish after another

While most Cats avoid water Jaguars do not avoid water but as very good swimmers they use water to their advantage, to cool off, to make easier passage and to hunt. The river areas of the Pantanal provide ample prey including; Caiman, Capybara, Fish, turtles, Anaconda, Deer, Tapirs and Peccaries to name a few. This abundance of food has resulted in the Jaguars much larger than those in Mexico and Central America. Due to their size and weight they are not as good climbers as Leopards, but they will climb trees on occasion to rest or ambush prey. Like all cats (except Lions) Jaguars are loners except when mating or caring for their young and live in defined marked territories of many square miles. We did however come across a pair of brothers who liked to hang out and hunt together. Jaguars have up 4 cubs who stay with their Mom for 2 or more years learning how to hunt before they are chased off to find their own territories.

These cats are very comfortable in the water and often seem to take a water route. This guy was swimming across a pretty wide stretch of river

After Tigers and Lions, Jaguars are the 3rd largest of the cats and the largest in the Americas, with body lengths of 5-6 (plus 3 foot tail) and weighing sometimes over 300lbs. Like other cats they live 12-15 years in the wild. Prominent in ancient Native American cultures the name Jaguar is derived from the Native American word Yaguar, which means “he who kills with one leap.” Unlike other Cats which usually grab their prey by the neck these cats go for the skull. They are stealthy ambush predators with an incredibly strong bite easily piercing the skulls of Caiman and other prey. They will even sometimes dip their tails in the water to lure fish and we came across a couple of Jaguars with red/ pinkish tail tips where Piranhas had nipped off the tip of the tail.

Like many animals knowing their habits and behaviors helps tremendously in finding them and getting into position for a good shot. We had an awesome Guide, Alyson who was one of the original Northern Pantanal Jaguar guides and he knew how to anticipate their movements and behaviors advising our excellent boat driver who expertly got us into position for the best photography. As a boater I can appreciate his skill in the often swift moving and hyacinth choked rivers. I never expected that we would end up shooting well over 8,000 Jaguar photos in 4-5 days. These thrilling encounters with Jaguars far exceeded the many other animals we encountered on this trip.

We spotted 3 Capybaras swimming across the river onto an island where they just seemed to hang out.

We had seen a Jaguar on the other side of the island headed this way, so we anchored our boat to see if anything would develop. While the Capybaras never saw they Jaguar they got spooked and gathered together in a defensive triangle where they had 360' view. Ultimately the sun went down and we left before anything might have happen.

While the upside is the areas around Porto Jofre are rich with wildlife and unique as a Jaguar habitat the downside is in the last few years it has attracted a lot of eco-tourists. The key is to be the first boat to find a Jaguar so you get some alone time with the animal before a dozen or more other boats show up as the boat drivers are in constant contact with each other sharing news of sightings. To my surprise the Jaguars mostly totally ignored the boats and the clicking cameras

It’s a small world -- You never know what you might find on the river in the Pantanal. We just bumped into a friend and one of our favorite Lindblad Naturalists and Wildlife Photographers , Carlos Navarro, who was leading another group out of Porto Jofre.

We were following this guy along the river when he joined his brother. An unusual situation for normally solitary animals

Until you see them being hunted its hard to believe that these South American Alligators are the favorite prey of Jaguars in the Pantanal. Check out the next video

Click above photo to see short Nat Geo video: "Jaguar Attacks Caiman", its pretty cool.

While my hope was that we would find a scene like the video above. We did not. We did however get see a number of Jaguars in hunting mode and even leaping off the river bank a few times only to miss the Caiman they were after. Very exciting

Great Egret with fish in Hyacinth pond

Capybara

Blue & Yellow Macaw

While Jaguars were our target species our photo expedition in the Pantanal yielded a number unique mammal species. After leaving the River at Porto Jofre we spent a couple of nights at Araras Ecolodge in the dryer Savanah regions of the northern Pantanal.

Green Kingfisher

Jabiru Storks feed on many types of aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, snakes, insects, young Caiman, crabs and turtles. When feeding they move about actively in shallow water, splashing with their bill to flush prey.

Muscovy Duck

Yellow Armadillo

Coati

Hooded Capuchin Monkey

Tiger Heron

Whistling Heron with a worm or eel

Click above photo to see our video: "Canoeing in the Pantanal"

If you missed Part I of "Pantanal Wanderings" click here:

"Journey to Brazil's Remote Interior"

For more photos visit Bill & Linda’s Wildlife website at: "Wildlife Photos"

Pantanal Wanderings I Sept 2019 -- "A Journey to Brazil's Remote Interior"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 20:14:53 GMT

Part I of a two Part Series of our recent trip to Brazil's remote Pantanal region

Over the past year or so our wildlife photography travels have taken us from the diverse ecosystems of Australia and Tasmania to the jungles and deserts of Madagascar to the savannahs of East Africa to the remote islands of the Galapagos (with our 2 eldest granddaughters) and more recently the Pantanal in central Brazil home to the largest contiguous wetland on the planet. A place with an amazing diversity of Flora and Fauna.

A large Yacare Caiman aka South American Alligator

Jaguar hunting Caiman and Capybara along river's edge

Giant River Otters, no where near as cute as our North American Otters

Black-Collared Hawk

The Pantanal covers an area of about 75,000 square miles and is composed of tropical savannah, forest, rivers and lagoons. It is sometimes described as the largest fresh water marsh on earth and is akin to a huge Delta that empties to no-where, as most of the water is trapped until the dry season. The Pantanal has two very distinct seasons, the rainy season during which roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species. In the dry season the waters recede creating a new life cycle of vast grass lands with scattered lakes and lagoons. As you would suspect this radical shift in seasons creates an environment rich in biological diversity with over 650 bird species as well as many other unique creatures such as Jaguars, Capybaras, Giant Anteaters, Sloths, Tapirs, Anacondas, Caimans, Giant River Otters, Coatis, Deer, Wolves and many species of Bats. In addition the region has many species of freshwater tropical fish including Pacu and Piranhas.

Jaguar lounging on a river beach

Capybara an aquatic mammal and the largest living rodent on the Planet

Giant River Otter with fish

Jaguar preparing to cross the river

A stealthy Yacare Caiman swims past our boat

Our main objective of this trip was to explore the Cuiaba and surrounding rivers deep in the interior of the wetlands of central Brazil in search of Jaguars (our target species) the third largest cat on the planet. To get there we flew into Sao Paulo Brazil and then onto Cuiaba where we began a 6+ hour drive to Porto Jofre along the Transpantaneira Highway. I designed our custom photo expedition with Ged Caddick the owner of Terra Incognita Ecotours (www.ecotours.com ) one of our preferred and highly recommended boutique Eco-Tour Operators. We designed the trip for us and two other photography obsessed couples that we have traveled with a number of times. In addition to our traveling photography friends Chris and Tamar we were joined by Alyson Melo our local guide and naturalist for the first segment of the trip.

Great Egret. As we got closer to Pousada Piuval we stopped a few times to photograph some of the wildlife along the road. Sometimes we would come across a very small creek that would have maybe 2 dozen different species poking around fishing

Sunbittern in appearance they are something like a cross between a Rail and a small Heron but when they spread their wings you will see spectacular sunburst pattern on the wing feathers

A baby Yacare Caiman. It seemed like almost every body of water we came across there were Caiman of various sizes

Southern Caracara eating a Crab-eating Fox roadkill. Common to agricultural land, grasslands, marshes and open forests of Central and South America this large raptor feeds on a large variety of items, but particularly carrion, reptiles, and arthropods (crabs, spiders, millipedes).

Why did the Rhea cross the road? Take a guess. The Rhea is a large flightless bird native to South America and distantly related to the Ostrich and Emu.

Campo Flicker a fairly common bird found in South America in the Woodpecker family. Though it frequently can be seen in trees or bushes, it is among the very few woodpeckers that spends a significant portion of its life on the ground

Amazon Kingfisher on a post overlooking a small pond along the road and filled with catfish

To break up the long road trip and explore some additional ecosystems we spent a few days each direction at a couple of large wildlife rich private ranches; Pousada Piuval and Araras Ecolodge. In these dryer savannah regions of the northern Pantanal we found a diverse array of mammals and birds.

Throughout the property there were very friendly Blue & Yellow Macaws often munching on Palm nuts

Crab-eating Fox tends to be a similar size and shape to most foxes and found mostly in the savannahs and woodlands of Central and South America. Mainly nocturnal they are also active during dusk, spending the day in a den dug by other animals. The Crab-eating fox is an omnivore, mainly feeding on crabs, fish, reptiles, rodents, birds, insects, eggs and fruit.

Crane Hawk -- Their long, orange, "double-jointed" legs are used to reach into crevices and cavities to obtain snakes, nestling birds, bats, and other food items.

A few hours south of Cuiaba our first stop was at Pousada Piuval for a couple of nights. In the wet season much of the ranch is under water but during the dry season we were able to explore this 17,000+ acre private ranch via safari type vehicle and by foot in search of Capybara, Caiman, Coati, Anteaters, Deer, Monkeys and a myriad of bird species that are all found on this working ranch. The 20+ air conditioned rooms were very comfortable and wildlife seemed to wander everywhere mostly unafraid of us.

In the wet season the waters almost consume Pousada Piuval

Pousada Piuval is still an operating ranch and we would occasionally come across a Gaucho or Vaqueiro (Brazilian Cowboy) as we explored the ranch

Agouti -- a tailless rodent from Central and South America rain forests that looks a bit like a really large guinea pig

Black-White Tegu is a large lizard that grows up to 4 feet long. Tegus eat fruits, vegetables, eggs, insects and small animals like lizards and rodents. In Florida, invasive Tegus (released from pets) have dug into alligator and turtle nests and eaten the eggs. A growing and spreading Tegu population in Florida is a threat to native wildlife such as Alligators, Crocodiles, Sea Turtles, ground-nesting birds, and small mammals.

Tiger Heron with a fish. They often forages in the open (like above) and feed both on aquatic animals like fish and frogs as well as terrestrial rodents.

Black-fronted Nunbird

We found a small pond with a few birds so we decided to hang out to see what else might show up. Before we knew it a "Troop" of Hooded Capuchin Monkeys showed up to drink followed by "Band" of Coatis.

Coatis also called Coatimundis are related to raccoons and are found from the southwestern US all through South America. Primarily omnivorous, Coatis usually forage for fruits and invertebrates and like to eat palms, eggs, larval beetles, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, ants, termites, lizards and small mammals

Bat Falcon eating, guess what? A bat.

Yacare Caiman hunting for fish

Bare-Faced Curassow forage on the ground in forest and forest edge and are easiest to detect in early morning and late evening, when individuals or pairs wander into clearings or deliver their deep, booming songs.

A pair of Hyacinth Macaw. They are the largest of the Macaws and the largest flying Parrot species

Jabiru Stork in nest with chick very high up in the crown of a large canopy tree. The nests are often used for consecutive years growing in size each year and can reach over 6 feet in diameter

Yacare Caimans or South American Alligators.

Hyacinth Macaw nesting in a tree hole

Red-legged Seriema known for loud barking sounds are very capable predators and opportunistic feeders with a varied diet, taking a wide range of foods including arthropods, lizards, snakes, small rodents, eggs, corn and other grains, and wild fruit. They kind of remind me of the tall African Secretary Bird

Southern Caracaras came in for drink only to be chased off by a noisy troop of Hooded Capuchin Moneys and Coatis

As the Hooded Capuchin Monkeys cautiously approached the pond I envisioned them each lining up to take a drink simultaneous ever so wary

Capuchins are the most intelligent New World monkeys – perhaps as intelligent as chimpanzees. They are noted for their ability to fashion and use tools. For instance, they have been observed using rocks to crack open nuts.

While the Monkey was drinking the Coati wandered up behind him startling him

It's obvious when White-Eyed Parakeets show up as they are very noisy

Just as we were about to leave Pousada Piuval someone spotted a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl up in a tree They prey on large insects and small vertebrates, including small birds that may be almost as large as the owl.

Great Horned Owl

On our last morning it had started to rain so with our rain gear on we headed out for a pre-dawn game drive after which we packed as we waited for our last 2 travel partners Bud & Trina two of our globe trotting photography traveling friends. Then our little group of 6 along with a driver and Alyson Melo our trusty and highly experienced Guide we headed out by van in the morning on the 4 hour drive to Porto Jofre at the end of the Transpantaneira Highway. It had started to rain the night before so we we were warned that drive will be a bit challenging and that turned out to be an understatement as the early unseasonal rain storm caused havoc to the road. Our hope was to arrive at Porto Jofre for lunch and then a late afternoon boat excursion looking for Jaguars. But that didn't happen as our road trip took 6+ hours and frankly we were lucky we didn't have to turn around and try the next day.

The beginning of the Transpantaneira Highway the Pantanal National Park

Calling the Transpantaneira Highway an actual highway at any time is a bit of a misnomer as it is a bumpy 1-2 lane dirt road with 122 poorly maintained and scary wooden bridges. The unexpected rains made the drive pretty treacherous as our vehicle slid back and forth and even sideways across the road even at very slow speeds. In spite of having an excellent driver we almost had to abort the trip as several bridges were out and the so called highway was blocked by a large bus of drunken fishermen that skidded across the road trapping them inside and blocking all passage for hours. Our guide was about to hike the remaining 8 miles to the lodge to seek help when a 4x4 vehicle came by and was able to take him to our lodge to get help. Every time our van tried to squeeze by the stranded bus it would start sliding into it, so our guide and others slipped between the vehicles pushing them apart. Luckily no one was crushed and we finally squeezed by and was pulled through by winch. I guess that’s what makes for an adventure, we sure were lucky having some pretty dedicated staff.

With only 8 miles to go we came across a stranded bus blocking the road.

This was not looking good, our Guide and Driver took off their shoes and slipped and slided up the road to check things out. We had no cell or radio signals here or for many miles, so calling for help was not an option.

The bus rested up against the embankment trapping the passengers inside, although a few climbed out the window.

Each time we tried to slowly squeeze between the bus and the swamp our van would slide sideways into the bus.

Ultimately with human cushions we squeezed by the bus and we were towed out by winch. Check out video below.

We made it through so our journey continues to the Cuiaba River and to our lodge the Porto Jofre Hotel at the end of the road

Click above photo for our video: "A Wild Journey on Brazil's Transpantaneira Highway"

The Transpantaneira Highway was originally supposed to connect the remote northern and southern regions of the Pantanal but it was never completed as the road now comes to an abrupt end at the edge of the Cuiaba River. It is here at the Porto Jofre Hotel, an old fishing lodge, more recently converted to an eco-lodge, we would be based for our daily river excursions in search of Jaguars and other local wildlife.

Collared Peccaries wandering just off the roadway. Collared Peccaries can grow up to a meter long and weigh over 60. A very social animal, they can be very nosey -- barking, grunting, purring, woofing and coughing -- because they have strong hearing but poor vision they rely on vocalizations to communicate with each other.

Collared Peccarys also called Javelinas, look a lot like pigs but they actually belong to a different family of mammals.

The elusive and strange Tapir which is related to Horses and Rhinos is a large primative herbivorous mammal, similar in shape to a pig that inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America. Tapirs are a bit of a hodge-podge of animal parts. They are about the size of a donkey have round bodies, short legs and stubby tails, sort of like a hippo. Their eyes and ears are small and they have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot.

Marsh Deer the largest of the South American Deer species. They are found in the marsh and lagoon zones of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Rhea with Chicks

Some of our group near the docks of Porto Jofre

When we finally got to Porto Jofre and had lunch we didn't have much light left so we explored the property around the Lodge. There were lots of noisy Hyacinth Macaws munching on Palm nuts

Toco Toucan, probably the most recognizable tropical bird in the Americas. Toco Toucans feed extensively on figs and other fruit, and also occasionally prey on insects and nestling birds.

There was a large lagoon behind the Lodge with some Giant Water Lily pads that were 4 plus feet across. The giant water Lily's leaves may grow as large as 8 to 9 feet in diameter, and a very large pad is capable of supporting up to 100 pounds of weight.

On one of the Lily Pads there was a Striated Heron who was moving from Lily to Lily hunting for fish

Striated Heron, a small Heron pretty common across the globe. Normally solitary, found standing quietly around wetland habitats such as marshes, agricultural fields, rivers, and lakes.

Red-crested Cardinal native to South America, you may have seen these guys in Hawaii also as they were introduced in the 1930s

Monk Parakeet native to South America but long popular in the pet trade, established wild populations in several US Cities in the 1960s. They are the only parakeets to nest communally; dozens live together year-round in large, multifamily stick nests built in trees and on power poles.

Monk Parakeets

Chestnut-eared Aracari

Boat-billed Heron

Green Kingfisher

Stay tuned for Part II of "Pantanal Wanderings" -- -- Land of the Big Cats

Part II of "Pantanal Wanderings" takes us to Porto Jofre where we hit the Cuiaba River each day in search of the elusive Jaguar the 3rd largest Cat on the Planet

For more photos visit Bill & Linda’s Wildlife website at: "Wildlife Photos"

Delta Wanderings III – Sept 2019 -- “Delta Summertime Fun"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 17:25:08 GMT

“Live Where You Play” – Is Discovery Bay’s motto and as a water based community there are lots of opportunities right outside our back door to be active and have all round non-stop fun times and summertime is when most of the play occurs. Maybe I’m just getting older but it sure seemed like a short and less hot summer to me, and now with Labor Day behind us and the fall rains already starting summer is starting to seem like a distant past. So to celebrate another fun summer on the Delta I thought it might be fun to take a look into the rear view mirror to revisit some of Summer’s Fun Times on the Delta.

(A periodic photo blog of our Discovery Bay and Delta Wanderings)

Hydrobikes seems to be a new craze on our waterways. Our sloughs are ideal for these fun toys. They are very stable, easy to ride and provide as low impact way to get some exercise while exploring the sloughs of Discovery Bay

Riding the board with just sneakers, no bindings

Getting ready to approach the rail

BTW the lack of bindings didn't seem to help when exiting the rail, as it ended up as a head plant

Ultralight coming in for closer look

Discovery Bay Kids Fishing Derby --- Every year the Discovery Bay Community Foundation hosts a FREE family fishing derby for all kids 15 years of age and under. Looked like a fun time and the kids were pulling up fish left and right.

Truly a family affair as the Marina docks were filled with young fishermen

Nice Catch!

Only two years in the making this year's turn out was huge especially given how hot it was.

Sunset at the Discovery Bay Lighthouse

Every August the Marina fills up with big power boats for the Annual Big Cat Poker Run

It's almost parade like as the power boats leave the Marina on their way to the Big Cat Poker Run

The Marine Sheriff leads the pack

And off they go to the far reaches of the Delta

A Patriotic Full Moon over Discovery Bay

What a peaceful scene

Clouds --- sometimes the best scenes at sunset is not looking west towards the sun but looking in the opposite direction at the clouds. The other night was one of those nights as the skies turned from yellows and oranges to pinks and pastels.

Lighthouse Bride -- I have no idea who they are but we wish them a Lifetime of Happiness!!!!

The rope swing on Kellogue Creek harkens back to days of simplier times on the Delta

Unfortunately some time after this scene someone cut the rope

We got our first stand up Paddle Board (SUP) about 8 years ago and it seemed unique, today they are everywhere in Discovery Bay

SUPs aren't just for the young ones

Recently I looked out my kitchen window to see this guy zipping by on a motorized electric paddle board. First time I saw one in Discovery Bay. Maybe a new craze?

They come with many names like; Hydroflying, flyboarding, jet shoes, water jet pack. I just call them Cool! Connected via a hose to a the jet out-take of a wave runner which provides the propulsion

If you hear the sound of a big fan in the sky it could be one of our neighbors doing aerial aerobatics with his Paramotor or Paraglider. Not all the fun activities in the Delta are water based

Gliding into the sunset

The go to sport on the Delta used to be Water Skiing, then Wake Boarding seemed to take over, now Wake Surfing is rapidly climbing in popularity, that is if you can afford a $75k-$100k boat

Most start with a real short rope right behind the swim deck. Then with some practice the surfer tosses the rope back to the boat and just rides the wake curl.

Personally I hate these slow moving giant wave generators which wreck the waters for many other activities especially given our narrow waterways.

A sunset peaceful cruise through the neighborhood

The Boardwalk Grill, nothing better than being able to take your boat to lunch or dinner

Mt. Diablo Sunset

Night-time comes over the Discovery Bay Marina

You can't talk about the Delta without mentioning the awesome fishing we have

Four 400hp outboards. Really!

Some have the need for speed

Give the kids a choice as to what to do behind the boat and Tubing is always high on the list

Ah! I remember the days when I subjected my self to such abuse in the name of fun

It continues to amaze me how big some of these tubes have gotten

Sometimes it's just best to sit back and enjoy the views

Riding the levees

Those windless, dead calm days make for some great reflections.

but sometimes tubing can be a quiet relaxing time

A family visiting from New Zealand hit the Delta for some barefoot skiing

Looks like a sunset from the tropics

Discovery Bay Country Club

Not all the fun activities in Discovery Bay take place on the water

Now that is one strange looking vehicle. Given the headphones I suspect not alot of thoughtful conversation goes on in that boat

Coast Guard on the move

At first I thought they were fishermen till I saw the gun cases in the boat, it must be duck hunting season

Nice way to get around the Delta

OOPPS!

No Towing Involved??? --- The fast water section of Indian Slough is a “Special No Tow Zone” on holidays and summer weekends. This guy was wake surfing behind a boat and No Tow Lines were used. Did he violate the NO Tow Zone? Interesting question.

Bonehead Boaters --- An ongoing series dedicated to Yahoo and Moron Boaters who ignore boating laws, regulations and general common sense, and who operate water vessels with total disregard for their safety and those around them. Especially timely given that two people recently drowned in Discovery Bay, reminding us the dangers of the water. Accidents waiting to happen...

Children towing children without a spotter or flag. Where are their parents? illegal & dumb

Fishing, throw netting and hanging out on the swim deck while the boat is under way, illegal & dumb

What's with these people water skiing in the 5mph zone, couldn't they wait a 100 feet to put in?

Then after the skier took off inside the 5mph zone this moron figured he should too

Good bye summer, welcome fall

If you missed my last "Delta Wanderings" #2 blog post -- Click Here: Delta Wildlife Guide

For more photos visit Bill’s Discovery Bay & Delta website: http://DiscoveryBay.me

Check out my online Photo Website at: http://www.DiscoveryBay.me or http://www.wkimages.net

* Any use of these images requires the prior written permission of Bill Klipp the photographer, no other uses of any kind including print or electronic are permitted without the prior written permission of the photographer.

Delta Wanderings II – July 2019 -- “Delta Wildlife Guide"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 17:05:35 GMT

As internationally recognized wildlife photographers my wife Linda and I spend a good portion of the year traveling to remote and exotic locations across our planet. Our travels take us from Antarctica to the high Canadian arctic and many places in between such as Africa, Madagascar, Galapagos and South America to name a few. But when we are back on the Delta we try to Wander about in our boat seeking the many amazing wildlife encounters we have right in our Backyard. The photos in this Blog edition were made over the last month or so during our many “Delta Safari Wine Cruises”. We putt around our local waterways in our pontoon boat armed with several cameras and of course a bottle (or 2) of wine capturing images of the Wildlife that call the Delta their home.

(A periodic photo blog of our Discovery Bay and Delta Wanderings)

It always amazes us as we sit in our boat focused on say a dozen River Otters gobbling up bright Red Crayfish as many boats just pass by us oblivious to their surroundings. People often say Wow! where did you see this or that? My comment is we are surrounded by terrestrial, aquatic and aerial wildlife you just need to put your cell-phone down be patient and be in the moment and you would be surprised at what you will see. While many of the creatures below may seem common I suspect there are a few that have alluded your gaze.

California Quail (male), is a ground dwelling bird often seen scurrying along the levee tops or perched on fence posts and are usually found in small groups called "Coveys". California Quail’s main call consists of three syllables and high pitched sounds like the bird is saying Chi-ca-go. It’s usually given when an individual is separated from its group or mate, as well as while a covey is on the move or preparing to move. The males have a "comma" shaped crest and strong head markings.

As the waters recede during low tides, the Delta takes on a different look sometimes revealing previously hidden things like sand bars, old pylons, tree limbs and sometimes junk, like old submerged car tires. What is most interesting though is the emergence of a totally new shoreline exposing mudflats teaming with life. Fish get trapped in small pools of water, invertebrates like crayfish and small crabs scurry about creating a potential feast for the many creatures and shore birds found in our Delta backyards.

The Western Pond Turtle is the West Coast's only native freshwater Turtle and is close to be included on the Endangered Species list. Recently we counted 14 of them in a backwater slough near Discovery Bay. Did you know that a group of Turtles is called a "Bale" or a "Herd"?

Belted Kingfisher (male), these guys will hang out on branches or posts along the water's edge waiting to plunge into the water to grab a fish. They are most often found first by hearing their wild rattling call which is often described as a machine gun. Males have a crest and are blue/grey with a white collar, while the females have a chestnut colored belly band and flanks. They have a wide distribution across North America.

Western Pond Turtles, often hard to find as they are mostly in the back sloughs away from people and boat traffic. To see them you need to look far ahead of you along the shoreline and look for logs, rocks, stumps and other obstructions protruding from the water. You might be rewarded with a glimpse of a couple sunbathing

Western Pond Turtle, the west coast's only native freshwater turtle. They are opportunistic omnivores with a regular diet of invertebrates, fishes, amphibian eggs and young, and carrion.

Green Herons are one of the world's few tool-using bird species sometimes seen using twigs, feathers or insects as a lure or bait to attract a fish which they catch with a lightening like stab with their dagger-like bill. They tend to hang out along the edge of shallow water or hidden in vegetation on the shoreline and are often hard to see at first. Normally they are a stocky looking bird although the one above has extended it's neck as it looks for prey.

Juvenile Green Heron

Great Blue Heron taking off. Composite image composed of 7 photos

Black Crowned Night Heron, medium sized Heron chunkier than their other longer legged Heron cousins, these guys are most active at night or dusk. They have grey and black plumage with long white head plumes. Feeds mostly on fish, crustaceans, insects, frogs and snakes.

Great Blue Heron, the largest of our local birds found throughout the delta and North and South America. This majestic bird with its blue-gray plumage will often stand motionless as it scans for prey. They strike their prey with lightening speed with a diet ranging from fish, crayfish, insects, ducklings and even small gophers and rodents.

Great Egret a tall stately wading Egret that forages mostly by standing or walking in shallow calm waters. In addition to fish its main diet includes crustaceans, insects, frogs and snakes. You will often see them feeding alongside other Egrets and Herons. The telltale difference vs the smaller Snowy Egret is their black legs and feet and yellow bill.

Snowy Egret, a smallish beautiful Egret with very active feeding behavior sometimes walking running or stirring the muddy bottom with its distinctive yellow feet to stir up prey. Notice the black bill and yellow lore vs the above Great Egret's colors.

We were cruising down Indian slough just before sunset when we heard screaming sounds coming from the tulee island, sounded like a cat fight. We speculated it was raccoons and a few minutes later we spotted two of them near the water’s edge

Some of our tulee islands are home to Raccoons, who swim to our shores at night often on garbage pickup days

Mallard Duck (female) with it's brood of ducklings. The most abundant Duck species across the planet. While they are omnivorous the majority of their diet is plant material.

Wood Duck (female), one of the most pretty Duck species. The females have a delicate white pattern around the eyes while the males are iridescent chestnut and green with ornate patterns on their feathers. They nest in trees and bushes near water and is the only North American Duck that has 2 broods per year.

Ground Squirrels, these guys are pretty common on our back roads, you will often see them darting across Marsh Creek Road. They also travel along the farmland levees. But they are quick and stealthy as they are always on the look out for predators like Hawks and Great Horned Owls.

Great Horned Owl, very hard to find in daytime as they are well camouflaged and stay deep inside big tree branches usually near the main tree trunk. A powerful aerial predator fond of birds and small mammals such as mice, squirrels and rabbits, although they also dine on scorpions and other insects. Common throughout North America and Mexico.

Creatures of Habit

We are often asked how do we find all these creatures? Well first of all we are always looking and in many cases animals are creatures of habit. By observing them over time you learn their habits their routes or trails, where they like to hang out or roost, where their dens or nests are, at what time of day or tide levels they are most active, what they eat. Generally speaking once you understand their behaviors and the ecology they live in it’s actually pretty easy to find them. Sometimes just listening is what tips us off. Great Horned Owls are masters of camouflage but if you know their calls that helps tip you off to what tree they might be in. Then knowing they often like to perch right next to the tree’s main trunk helps narrow down your search. Or in the case above we heard the loud repetitive alarm calls of a Mockingbird which tipped us off that they where very upset. The question then is what is upsetting them? As we followed the alarm calls we found an Owl being harassed by a couple of Mockingbirds who didn’t like the Owl being in “their” tree. The Mockingbirds would repeatedly attack the Owl by flying at it and trying to peck it. The Owl was largely unphased though.

Great Horned Owls

The Beaver is our largest aquatic mammal, much bigger than River Otters and Muskrats. They have a large ears, a triangular head, roundish body and large flat platter like hairless tail. They are 3-4 feet long and weigh a substantial 24-70 lbs. They are herbivores feasting on many types of plant materials.

Notice the Beaver's triangular head and large ears

When Beavers are startled or when they want to send a message like you are in my territory they will make a large tail slap on the surface of the water just as they dive below.

Beaver are primarily nocturnal and are more easily seen at dusk

Beaver tail slap

River Otters are probably our most common aquatic mammal.

I counted 11, but there could have been more. We followed a bevy of 6 River Otters as they were feeding on dozens of bright red Crayfish along the tulees when they bumped into another bevy of 5-6 Otters coming from the other direction. On a small beach a playful scene unfolded as 11 or so Otters rolled around climbing and playing with each other. This was the single biggest "romp" of River Otters we have ever seen. I would have to say the Otter population around Discovery Bay is very healthy. After a few minutes the groups headed off in different directions as we followed the second group for another 20 minutes.

Young River Otters are very curious and will often check you out

A group of River Otters is called a: "Bevy', "Lodge", "Family", "Raft" or as their energy level and antics might suggest, a "Romp".Recently we followed a mom and her 5 curious pups for over 45 minutes as they swam, played on the mud flats and crunched dozens of Crayfish in one slough near Discovery Bay. It was low tide making for the best time to observe these playful animals.

At low tide you might see our River Otters darting from tunnels in the tulees to the water's edge. Like our Beavers and Muskrats, River Otters live in dens dug into the mud banks of the delta.

Classic Otter pose, laying on it's back while eating

River Otters are carnivores and their canine type teeth help them catch fish, crayfish and other invertebrates.

River Otters are in the Weasel family and have a long slender streamlined body, short legs, stout muscular tapered tail and flat head. Their eyes, ears, and nose are located on the top of their head so they can see, hear and smell while most of their body is submerged in the water. They can weigh 10-30 lbs and are 3-4 feet long.

River Otter with a Crayfish. I always knew we had Crayfish in our local waters but after tracking Otters for hours I know realize we have thousands of them. We watched several romps of Otters catch dozens of them in a few minutes.

This little guy is a Muskrat often confused with our local Beavers and Otters is the smallest of our semi-aquatic mammals weighing up to 2 lbs and 2 feet long. Muskrats are rodents and are rat like in their appearance with a roundish body and along thin, laterally flat non-hairy tail.

When eating you will notice their distinctive classic herbivore teeth like a Beaver. Their front feet are distinctively smaller than their rear feet and are used mostly for digging and feeding

Muskrats are rat like in appearance, note the den entrance in the mud bank

Notice the shape and how long the Muskrat's tail is

Invasive Nutria are large semi-aquatic rodents resembling Beavers and are native to South America. I have not yet seen one or evidence of one near Discovery Bay "yet", but I thought I would post a photo in case someone spots one. They sometimes live in large colonies and reproduce prolifically having 2-3 litters per year. They are light to dark brown with a robust body, short limbs, small eyes and ears, long white whiskers with a cylindrical, scaly sparely haired tail. With a body length of 2 feet and a tail 1-1.5 feet long they weigh between 15-20 lbs. Smaller than a Beaver and larger than a Muskrat. Their white muzzle and whiskers are tell tail characteristics. These guys are invasive to the Delta and can cause extreme damage to our envirornment. Photo from internet. To learn more about the check out this link: Nutria

Little known and rarely seen we also have Mink in the Delta. I have only seen one years ago in the rip rap near the Marina. They are cute little ferret like, dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals that live usually in the rocks along the shoreline. Photo from internet

Common Crow

Eurasian Collared Doves

Canada Geese

Great Blue Heron

Raccoon munching on a Crayfish

Great Egret

Great Egret fishing

Western Pond Turtle

Great Horned Owl

Black Crowned Night Heron

Gulls are often thought of as coastal birds, but California Gulls are also common in inland areas in the West. Breeding adult California Gulls are white-headed gulls with a medium gray back, yellow legs, and a dark eye. Nonbreeding adults have brown streaking on the head.

Great Blue Heron

American Kestrels

Hummingbird

Baby Wood Duck

Wood Duck hiding in nest

Ground Squirrel

Wild Turkey

Cormorant drying its wings

Cormorant taking flight

Sparrow nest

Western Pond Turtle

Canada Geese

California Quail

Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron Sunset

Tragedy struck Discovery Bay again as another young Bear was found dead on a dock near the Marina. Authorities from Fish and Wildlife are looking into the recent increase in local Bear deaths.

Delta Bears are pretty common in Northern California. They were once called Midget Bears but the PC Police changed their name to Dock Bears. They are very good swimmers and are rarely seen as they are nocturnal. They are very shy and there have been no reported attacks on humans or their pets. But the spate recent deaths has been alarming.

If you missed my last "Delta Wanderings" #1 blog post -- Click Here: Delta Living

For more photos visit Bill’s Discovery Bay & Delta website: http://DiscoveryBay.me

Check out my online Photo Website at: http://www.DiscoveryBay.me or http://www.wkimages.net

Delta Wanderings I – July 2019 -- “Delta Living"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 23:32:16 GMT

My wife and are very fortunate to travel the planet in pursuit of our Wildlife photography but it’s always nice to be back Wandering the Delta and living in Discovery Bay a small town east of Mt. Diablo whose moto is "Live Where You Play" and play we do. As spring comes to a close the quiet water ways that surround our community come alive with activity. Living on the water sometimes has it’s challenges but the constantly changing views in our backyard and access to thousands of miles of waterways from Sacramento to Napa to San Francisco Bay is a blessing. There aren’t many communities in Northern California where you can just Wander down your ramp onto your dock and take off in a boat, paddle board, paddle boat, kayak or any one of the many types of water craft that ply our neighborhood. Or for some they can wander down to their dock and take off in their sea plane or ultra-light. I never get tired of our amazing sunsets and gorgeous constantly changing scenic views. I hope you enjoy some of my Delta Wandering photos from the past month.

(A periodic photo blog of our Discovery Bay and Delta Wanderings)

Boardwalk Grill, its nice to be able boat to dinner or lunch

A fisherman's paradise

With some excellent Bass fishing

Although the invasive weeds can be very frustrating

But the weed growth seems much better this year and there still is plenty of business for enterprising youth

Main Channel looking back towards the Discovery Bay Marina

Indian Slough

I wonder why this guy gets to wreck our views by parking his commercial pile driver in our backyards for weeks at a time?

Love the calm day reflections

When the winds sit down in the summer the dead calm waters reveal amazing reflections

Marine Sheriff patrolling Indian Slough

Memorial day officially kicks off boating season in Discovery Bay and the Yahoo Boaters are on the water. Some people just don’t have a clue about basic common sense, not to mention the boating laws. It’s one thing to endanger yourself it’s another to endanger children.

We are not immune to Bonehead Boaters

Too bad the Sheriff missed the three boaters above

Discovery Bay's iconic Lighthouse greets us as one enters the main channel

Canoe fishing at sunset

Canada Geese at sunset

Coast Guard headed back to base

Click above photo for Orwood Resort boat ramp timelapse

Our community from above

Discovery Bay Marina

Boardwalk Grill and Discovery Bay Yacht Club

Discovery Bay Marina

Beaver Bay from above

Aerial from Cornell Park

Discovery Bay Country Club golf course

Full moon over Discovery Bay Lighthouse

One of our locals and his Paramotor at sunset

What goes up must come down....

As we watched the two Paramotors dance across the sky one came down crashing into the water when a wing tip snagged the water. Luckily no one was hurt, but one wet motor

Full Moon over Disco Bay

Night Sky over Beaver Bay

American Flag Barn a tribute to 911 stands along Vasco Road in Byron

This year's July 4th had some amazing Fireworks

Not sure if they are illegal or just undocumented, but the firework displays over Beaver Bay were pretty cool

Click above photo for Fireworks video slideshow

I never tire of the amazing sunsets we get over Discovery Bay

Bye for now.

Stay tuned for my next "Delta Wanderings" blog -- "Delta Wildlife"

For more photos visit Bill’s Discovery Bay & Delta website: http://DiscoveryBay.me

Check out my online Photo Website at: http://www.DiscoveryBay.me or http://www.wkimages.net

The Plight of the Monarch and the Making of a King

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 01:10:45 GMT

The Plight of the Monarch and the Making of a King

The King of the Butterfly world, the iconic Monarch Butterfly is under severe pressure as populations are vanishing before our eyes. Studies have found that the total Monarch population has plummeted towards extinction with declines of 90% over the past twenty years. One potential cause of the decline being loss of habitat, especially Milkweed plants upon which the Monarch Caterpillars feed. The use of weed-resistant materials and herbicides is ruining their original habitat, and may well be the main reason leading to the threatened potential extinction of these beautiful Butterflies.

The Monarchs are Vanishing, but you can easily make a difference and have fun at the same time, just plant a Milkweed plant and watch Nature unfold.

(Photos were taken in our Key West backyard)

Monarch Butterfly Larva or Caterpillar finishing off a Milkweed leaf.

The Making of a King, the Monarch Butterfly

Can we make a difference? Absolutely yes, here is what we did.

We bought a couple of Milkweed plants at Home Depot, put them in our Key West backyard. After a short time some Monarch Butterflies stopped by and laid some eggs. The eggs turned into Larva ( Caterpillar). The Caterpillars which only eat Milkweed plants totally consumed the plants in a few days. After growing rapidly to about 2 inches and with a full belly of Milkweed, they headed off to nearby plant to “Hang Out”. After hanging out they decided to create a Pupa (Chrysalis) and in 10 days an adult Monarch Butterfly emerged and the life cycle continues. It takes a Monarch Butterfly just 28-32 days to complete its life cycle going through four stages during one life cycle, and four generations in one year. For our little experiment I set up a few cameras to try and record this remarkable transformation.

So go pick up a Milkweed plant(s) (they are cheap) for your yard and watch Nature unfold.

Click above Photo for Time Lapse Video

I set up two cameras and I shot over 6,000 images over about a 4 day period to capture the Monarch Caterpillar's transition into a Butterfly.

Once we got some Caterpillars on our Milkweed plant I contained it in a net tent so they wouldn't get away.

Stage 1 -- The Egg

Female Monarch Butterflies lay 300-500 eggs over two to five weeks of egg laying. Each female usually lays a single egg on a Milkweed plant, by secreting a small amount of glue they attach the eggs directly to the bottom of a Milkweed leaf near the top of the plant. Eggs are only about the size of a pinhead or pencil tip and are off-white or yellow and hatch in about four days after they are laid.

Monarch Butterflies mating, or attempting to...

Notice the single egg on the leaf, there are others underneath the leaves

The ridged looking egg is the size of a pin head

Stage 2 – The Larva

When the eggs hatch a tiny Larva (Caterpillar) emerges which feeds on nothing but the Milkweed leaves of it’s host plant, consuming its body weight in leaves each day. They are truly eating machines you can actually see them devouring the leaves and within a short time they will consume the entire plant. During this 9-14 days of almost nonstop eating the Caterpillar will shed its skin five times as it’s body rapidly out grows its skin. After reaching about 2 inches in length it is then ready for Stage 3 the Metamorphosis.

Our little fella just chewed and chewed for days, pooping constantly and taking periodic rests

Click above Photo for Short Video These guys are incredible "Eating Machines"

Within a few days a half a dozen Caterpillars totally consumed our Milkweed plants. Lucky for them it will grow back.

BTW Do you see the last Caterpillar still on the plant at the 1:00 space?

Stage 3 -- The Metamorphosis

After about two weeks of near constant eating, the Caterpillar will be fully grown and will leave the Milkweed plant to start the search for a new safe place to pupate. It will crawl 20-30 feet away seeking a safe place on a plant stem, leaf or overhang of some sort to attach itself. By laying down a silk like mat it attaches itself using silk strands, allowing it to drop and hang upside down forming a "J" shape for about a day before it begins the transformation into a Pupa or Chrysalis. To do this they shed their skin one last time revealing a jade green colored casing called a Chrysalis about an inch long. The Chrysalis starts out very soft but it quickly hardens into a protective shell like transparent casing for the Caterpillar where it will miraculously transform into a large beautiful Butterfly.

Once they started roaming off the Milkweed in search of their next resting place I contained them in hopes they would just hang out.

I then moved them to a more controlled inside location and set up some cameras and lighting to try a time lapse.

Click above Photo for Short Video
Close but no cigar, I was all set up to do a time lapse of the Caterpillar weaving it's silk connection to a branch and shedding it's final layer of skin revealing its Chrysalis, but after wiggling about for a few hours it decided to wander off to places unseen. Unfortunately I was asleep and missed him.

This Caterpillar is working on attaching itself to prepare for its transition to a Pupa

Although from the outside, the 10 days of the Chrysalis phase seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the Chrysalis dramatic changes occur as the old body parts of the Caterpillar are undergo a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis. The 8 legged crawling Caterpillar develops large colorful wings to fly, it's leaf chewing machine parts transform into a straw-like tongue used for sipping nectar from flowers. During this time the light green colored Chrysalis will start to change color to a bluish purple and ultimately darken to black. As the transition continues you can start to see the coloring of the orange and black wings through the near transparent Chrysalis. In less than 2 weeks the transformation from Caterpillar to Monarch Butterfly will be complete and it will be time for Stage 4.

I set up a small dedicated low res time lapse camera and let it run for days taking a photo every 5 minutes. As we got closer to emergence I set up a DSLR with a macro lens. Not knowing when the big event would occur I set the camera to take a photo every 10 minutes, then as the Pupa darkened I shortened the interval to every 5 minutes, then every 2 minutes. Ultimately I dropped it to every 5 seconds as I didn't know how quickly our Butterfly would take to emerge. This required me to get up at night every few hours to check on the progress and change camera batteries. In the end I took over 6,000 images.

These two Chrysalis were formed a few days apart. The one on the right is the younger one, while the other has already started changing it's color signaling the significant transformation is underway.

One Chrysalis is now just an empty shell after the Butterfly emerged and flew away. Notice the black and orange wings starting to form and become visible.

While there is no real visible movement the Metamorphosis quietly continues as the Chrysalis gets darker and darker

Stage 4 -- The Butterfly

At the end of the Pupa phase and with no real visible telltale signs the Chrysalis will crack open from the bottom and a new Butterfly emerges within a short 2 minutes. BTW one of the first things it does is poop. As it clings to the empty Chrysalis shell, it's wet folded crumpled up wings start to unfold as it pumps hemolymph (insect blood) through its body and wings. Within an hour with its wings dry and unfolded its ready to take a first short flight exercising its wings and within 4-7 days it is mature enough to mate. After the Monarch Butterfly emerges from the pupa it will fly away, feeding on the nectar of flowers and spreading pollen while it enjoys a short two to six week life span. This first generation female Monarch Butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two to begin it's life cycle.

The Chrysalis starting to crack open

The new Butterfly is finally out and all crumpled up

Stretching out after being compacted in the Pupa

Periodic wing flapping helps dry off it's wings

After a short time out of the Chrysalis the Butterfly is fully stretched out. Amazing how it fit in there.

Freedom at last Click above Photo for Short Video

Feeding on the nectar of a flower and preparing for the next generation.

It's a Beautiful thing to witness and we are now the proud parents of two beautiful Monarch Butterflies who create thousands more.

The Monarchs are Vanishing, but you can easily make a difference and have fun at the same time, just plant a Milkweed plant and watch Nature unfold.

For more photos visit Bill’s Wildlife Photography website: Wildlife Photos

Check out my youtube channel at: Bill's youtube Channel

Delta Wanderings V – Dec 2018 -- “Ever Changing Views"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 16:01:52 GMT

As the final months of 2018 came upon us I couldn’t help but notice how dramatically the views of our Delta backyard changed on a day to day basis. Those of us living on the water are blessed with backyards with “Ever Changing Views”

When I sat down to write my final “Delta Wanderings” blog for 2018 I realized it had been over a month since we had been out on the water, instead we were wandering the jungles of Madagascar. So we spent very little time on the Delta and when we were home we were pretty much land based. Of course December in Discovery Bay is a festive time with the very popular terrestrial “Parade of Lights, the “Discovery Bay Yacht Club Lighted Boat Parade” and less well known yet awesome “Willow Lake Lighted Boat Parade”.

So of course while I included the Boat Parades in my year end Blog it was what I saw out my kitchen window in my / our backyard which caught my attention. As we go about our daily lives we often get complacent and sometimes forget how lucky we are to live in the Delta, a place with “Ever Changing Views”. How cool is it when every time you look out your window you see something different and the day to day changes seem most dramatic in the Fall and the Spring. So this month’s Blog is in two parts. The first part is simple, just views of our Delta Backyard from our deck or dock. I think you will agree with me that living on the water is very special. In the second part of my Blog I have shared some images from the December Lighted Boat Parades. I hope you enjoy! Happy New Year!

(A periodic photo blog of our Discovery Bay and Delta Wanderings)

One of the cool things about living on the water is that our backyard view is always changing.

Sometimes the early mornings or late afternoons bring us dead calm, flat waters with lots of gorgeous reflections

...and if the water is really flat sometimes it's hard to tell which way is up

Can you tell which way is up?

On windless days the water can take on the colors of the skies

Got to love those reflections

Sometimes in the late fall and early spring we get awesome clouds overhead

Winter skies can often be a bland grey but when the clouds move in, it can be pretty dramatic --- Click above photo to see cloud time lapse video

You know its late Fall or Winter when you wake up to a Tule Fog clouded morning

Great Blue Heron in the Tule Fog

But in the fall and winter we can also get some pretty dramatic stormy skies

Although not common when we do get thunder and lightening it can be some show (composite image)

...and after the storm, when the skies begin to clear, we can get some very cool rainbows

On occasion we can get some pretty strong winds. The deck awning on this house blew totally up onto the roof. Photo compliments of R. Capp

The sun and weather can sometimes take a toll on our dock awnings --- Click above photo to see Dock Awning Time Lapse

Of course one of Discovery Bay's best backyard views is of our awesome sunsets

... and every sunset is very different, and you don't need a fancy camera to capture them

Sometimes it's best to look behind you to see how the sunset lights up the eastern sky

Then when night falls we can get some awesome views of the Moon

Or on a clear night we can get a sky full of stars

Moon setting over Mt. Diablo Click above photo for a short moon time lapse (don't blink)

Click above photo to see Beaver Bay Star Time Lapse

Sometimes the view is interrupted by the passing of strange water vehicles

We would love to see these boats more often, spreading invasive weed abatement pellets

So some enterprising youths have stepped up to do their own weed abatement

I guess Boston Whalers really don't sink

Not all the vehicles on the water are boats

....and sometimes docks aren't stationary

As a Wildlife Photographer I love the diversity of creatures who visit our backyard (Snowy Egret)

I often find common Garter Snakes nesting in the levee rip-rap

Great Blue Herons and other seabirds use our docks as fishing platforms

Then there are the cute River Otters who play and poop on our docks

Periodically an adventurous California Sea Lion will make the 60+mile journey from San Francisco Bay to fish in our backyard

A common behavior of Sea Lions and other Pinnipeds is to lounge around with their fins in the air to warm up in the sun

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PART II 2018 Holiday Lighted Boat Parades

Each December we are treated to two Lighted Boat Parades

The DBYC Lighted Boat Parade is always a community favorite both for the boaters and for the hundreds of gatherings and parties that watch the parade from their decks and docks.

Discovery Bay Yacht Club Lighted Boat Parade is guaranteed to have some elaborately lighted yachts

Discovery Bay Yacht Club Lighted Boat Parade Video ---- Click above photo to see video

Each year the residents of Discovery Bay's land locked Willow Lake host their own Lighted Boat Parade. This year's parade had lots of participation with some awesome decorated boats making it clearly the best Lighted Boat Parade in Discovery Bay this year. This was Discovery Bay’s 3^rd Holiday parade of the season,

... and while the boats are mostly pontoon boats vs yachts, the decorations and festive atmosphere is top notch

Hundreds gather at the dozens of house parties that surround Willow Lake to watch the festivities

The number of participants is often double that of the DBYC's Lighted Boat parade and they had so much fun they repeated the Parade a week later

To see the Parade though you need to know someone living on the Lake

....or you can do what we do, find an empty lake side lot and set up a few chairs

Willow Lake Lighted Boat Parade --- Click above photo to see video

Good Bye 2018, Welcome 2019 Bill & Linda Klipp

If you missed my last "Delta Wanderings" #4 blog post -- Click Here: "Summer Finale"

For more photos visit Bill’s Discovery Bay & Delta website: http://DiscoveryBay.me

Check out my online Photo Website at: http://www.DiscoveryBay.me or http://www.wkimages.net

Australia Wanderings V Aug 2018 -- "Sydney"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 18:23:25 GMT

My 5th and final Australia Wanderings Blog Chapter.....

Back in Sydney as our month long adventure comes to an end. Our travels by car, plane, boat and wilderness hikes took us from Australia’s big cities and cultural centers to the outback in western Queensland to a small island in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, to Uluru in the Red Desert Center of the country to the wildlife of far south eastern coast and off to the magical island of Tasmania. While a short visit we really did get to appreciate the world down under called Australia.

There’s a lot to like about this country. The people are incredibly nice and friendly, they are proud, hard working, hard partying folks. A place with an interesting juxtaposition between the modern tech times of today and a place reminiscent of simpler times with good basic values. The cities are amongst the cleanest we have seen, with lots of green space, very few homeless and water frontage access open and available for all to use vs private development and clean public bathrooms everywhere.
Flying domestic doesn’t require IDs and boarding passes not needed to go through security (which is thorough yet swift, being well staffed) and our American Airlines Platinum status gets us free lounge access and actually means something here unlike at home.

Thanks Australia for welcoming us with open arms. We now have a deep Appreciation of your country and people, you have a lot to be proud of. We will surely come back.

Flying into Sydney

Sydney Australia

Sydney Harbor

Genuinely Nice, Super Friendly, Hard Working, Good Looking and overall Happy People that’s my take on the Aussies. Nine hours into Sidney and I’m really liking this place. First stop the view bar in our hotel for a $23 Mojito then a wander thru “The Rocks” (Historic District), with a stop at “Fortune of War”, Sidney’s oldest Bar (1828) for a couple of schooners and some live music, then an awesome dinner at “The Pony”, lastly a stop at the Orient Hotel for a great band playing 70s & 80s American rock. A nice reprieve from our time in the Outback.

View from the bar on top of the Shangri-La Hotel

Sydney Opera House

We had a private back stage tour of the Sydney Opera House, pretty amazing structure

Sydney Opera House

Some classic views of Sydney Harbor from our room

Sydney Harbor Ferry Time Lapse. I set up across from Sydney’s iconic Opera House with my DSLR along with a Go Pro and an iphone and recorded thousands of images to create a composite time lapse of the many non-stop Ferry trips.
Click above photo to see video

Every visit to Sydney should include at least one trip on a Sydney Ferry at the Circular Quay Ferry Wharf. One of the best ways to see Sydney is to wander down to the Circular Quay Wharf and jump on one of the many Ferries and glide across Sydney’s sprawling harbor. There are 32 ferries connecting Sydneysiders with 29 wharves across 37km of harbor. They're a cheap alternative to organized tours, offering spectacular views and access to Sydney's picturesque harbor islands, beaches and attractions. The Ferries seem to run every few minutes all day long and well into the wee hours of the night.

Sydney Harbor Bridge, this is the one people can climb

Climbers on the Sydney Harbor Bridge, cost about $300 for the thrill

Coney Island amusement park in Sydney harbor, part of it modeled after the famous Coney Island in Brooklyn NY, where I grew up.

Time for some wine and fishing in Sydney Harbor. We chartered a yacht to take a cruise around Sydney Harbor

Silver Gull

Common Dolphin, Sydney Harbor. Even though we are doing a City visit to Sydney we had to get a Cetacean fix so we took a boat out to do some whale watching

Common Dolphins, Sydney Harbor

Common Dolphin, Sydney Harbor

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale fluke

One day we took the ferry to Manly Beach a nice ocean side beach town

View from manly beach ferry as we leave Sydney

Manly Beach is popular surfing spot

Not all our Australian wildlife photography was in remote outback places. Just take a wander along the esplanade of Manly Beach outside of Sydney and you might find some comical looking Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, foraging for nuts

Manly Beach, cute ocean side town with lots of shops and restaurants

There are many ways to love the Kangaroo, even in Fajitas

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Manly Beach

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Manly Beach

That Hemingway guy really got around. We have bumped into Hemingway stuff in Key West, Montana, Cuba, Spain and Africa to name a few places.

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Manly Beach

Brisbane Harbor lights

Brisbane's waterfront is totally open space, filled with parks, walking and biking trails and several man-made public beaches and pools.

Sunset over Brisbane Harbor.

It's an Australia Blog so i had to include a few more Koala. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Brisbane. We searched around Brisbane for some wild Koala but we only found them in a sanctuary.

Koala, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Brisbane. Got to love those little Koala, so glad we got to find the little cuties in the wild when we were at Kangaroo Island

Tasmanian Devil, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Brisbane. We were not able to find one of these creatures in the wild as their population has been hammered and threatened with extinction due to the spread of Devil Facial Tumour Disease

Southern Cassowary, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Brisbane. This very prehistoric looking flightless bird is the size of an Emu or Rhea

Cairns City Park. In all the big Australian cities we visited there seemed to be lots of public open space especially along the waterfront

Cairns Marina

Sydney Harbor

Quantas Lounge pancake ATM -- Click above photo to see video

THE END

On our next adventure we explore the unique and strange flora and fauna of Madagascar, stay tuned....

If you missed the first four Chapters of my “Australia Wanderings" blog, click below:

Australia Wanderings I July 2018: "The Outback"

Australia Wanderings II July 2018: "Tasmania"

Australia Wanderings III July 2018: "Lizard Island to Uluru Rock"

Australia Wanderings IV July 2018: "Kangaroo Island"

For more photos visit Bill’s Wildlife website at: Wildlife Photos

Australia Wanderings IV Aug 2018 -- "Kangaroo Island"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:26:45 GMT

(Part IV of "Australia Wanderings" highlights our wanderings on Kangaroo Island "

Kangaroo Island

As we leave the red rock desert ecosystem of Uluru Rock in central Australia our next stop took us to South Australia. We flew into Adelaide only to catch a small puddle jumper plane to Kangaroo Island Australia's 3rd largest island about 70 miles southwest of Adelaide. First occupied by Aboriginals, then intermittently by Sealers and Whalers before the establishment of the Colony of South Australia. Today the island's economy is principally agricultural including sheep and cattle ranching. Eco-tourism is growing in importance given the Island's many nature reserves and protected areas and diversity of native wildlife. It is here our search for Koala in the wild finally yielded some excellent encounters.

Our home base on Kangaroo Island was the Southern Ocean Lodge. Located at Hanson Bay on the Island’s south west coast, the Lodge site adjoins both the Flinders Chase and Cape Bouguer / Kelly Hill National Parks so there are lots of different hiking opportunities right from the property.

Not a bad room and view

Morning view from our deck at the Southern Ocean Lodge. The property has 21 luxurious suites strung out along the cliffs overlooking the pounding surf.

View from our room in the other direction. There are lots of hiking trails, including biking trails along the cliffs and in the woods

Our first full day on Kangaroo Island we did about 12kms of hiking in search of the local wildlife. The morning was bust but we were rewarded in the afternoon after another 6km hike and a river forging we hit the Marsupial Jackpot.

Part of our adventure had us forging a river the old fashioned way, pulling ourselves across with a rope and pulley.

The Ladies pulling the boat back across for their crossing

Kangaroos

Tammar Wallaby, indigenous to Kangaroo Island

Another target species for our trip was the Echidna. On our hike we came across a big field and as we scanned the forest edge we saw something small starting to run away, it was a Short-beaked Echidna which we slowly snuck up on, ultimately getting really close.

The Echidna is also known as the Spiny Anteater as its main foods are ants and termites. Notice the long sharp claws used to dig up it prey. Their spines are used for protection but it's a myth that they shoot them.

If you moved very slowly you were able to get real close

The Kangaroos and Wallabies became very common so the next day I set my focus on the tree tops searching for Koala

SCORE!!!
One of our target species to photograph in Australia was Koala in the wild and after searching day and night in various places throughout Australia we finally found many both in day light and at night on Kangaroo Island.

A little Joey (baby Koala) popping his head out of the protection of Mom’s protective pouch

You find these guys in a few very specific Eucalyptus tree species, the leaves of which are their main food source. First step, find the trees then look for Koala

Koala are mostly nocturnal, but we were hoping this one would wake up and give us a look

This road is known as the roller coaster not good if you are prone to car sickness. One day we had a naturalist guide from the Lodge take us for a 1/2 day excursion exploring other parts of the island

One stop was the "Remarkable Rocks", which I must say were quite Remarkable....

White-Bellied Sea Eagle

Another stop was Seal Bay, where you guessed it, there were lots of Australian Sea Lions

Young Sea Lion practicing his wave surfing

New-Holland Honey Eater

Doing what Sea Lions do, spend a lot of time sleeping

Cape Barren Goose is endemic to Australia. These guys live mostly on small, windswept and generally uninhabited offshore islands, but venture to adjacent mainland farming areas in search of food in summer. Their ability to drink salt or brackish water allows numbers of geese to remain on offshore islands all year round.

Kangaroo, notice the Joey's foot sticking out of the pouch

Long-Nosed Fur Seal pup

Long-Nosed Fur Seals

Tammar Wallaby, note the large belly. There is a Joey in the pouch

Tammar Wallaby

If you missed Chapters I, II or III of my “Australia Wanderings" blog, click below:

Australia Wanderings I July 2018: "The Outback"

Australia Wanderings II July 2018: "Tasmania"

Australia Wanderings III July 2018: "Lizard Island to Uluru Rock"

For more photos visit Bill’s Wildlife website at: Wildlife Photos

Australia Wanderings III Aug 2018 -- "Lizard Island to Uluru Rock"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:28:54 GMT

(Part III of "Australia Wanderings" highlights our wanderings on Lizard Island and Uluru Rock)

Lizard Island

We now leave the outback for the more civilized and upscale portion of our Australia Wanderings, this part arranged by National Geographic Expeditions. After a short 2 hour flight from Hobart Tasmania we landed in Sydney for a couple of days at the swanky Shangri-La Hotel. Here we met up with Bud & Trina, two good friends and frequent photography travel partners. After a few days exploring Sydney (blog chapter 5) we flew north to Cairns the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef where we over-nighted before heading off on a puddle jumper plane to Lizard Island, a small tropical island and part of the National Park system smack in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. Here we checked into the only accommodations on the island, the very upscale Lizard Island Resort. We spent several pampered days here; hiking, boating, snorkeling, swimming, fine dining and fine wineing.

Next stop, Longitude 131 a beautiful resort overlooking the highly visited Uluru Rock (aka Ayers Rock) in the red dirt desert deep in the middle of the Australian Continent. Not much in the way of wildlife here, but some gorgeous scenery in the heart of the indigenous Aboriginal culture.

Flying over the Great Barrier Reef

On our way to Lizard Island on the northern side of the Great Barrier Reef

Landing at Lizard Island National Park in the Great Barrier Reef

Our arrival to a bit of paradise on remote Lizard Island, our home on the Great Barrier Reef for the next few days

Lizard Island overlook

This is why its called Lizard Island. Yellow-Spotted Monitor Lizard, 4+ feet long

We were told these guys were everywhere on the island but after a couple of days of looking we still hadn't seen one. Then one day we saw about a dozen.

Dinghys available for the guests

Off in a dingy for some snorkeling thru a Giant Clam Garden on the Great Barrier Reef and a picnic on a secluded beach. They say the reef here is pretty healthy and on the rebound.

A nice private spot for a picnic and launching spot for some excellent snorkeling

While I find underwater photography very frustrating, we did have some cool scenes, especially snorkeling through some Giant Clam Gardens.

Giant Clam about 1 meter across

Note Octopus in bottom center of photo, amazing camouflage.

Giant Clam

Rainbow Bee-Eater

Star Trails over Lizard Island

Here in the middle of no-where we experienced a Small World Story. At dinner we introduced ourselves to the waitress who said she was from Marathon up the Florida Keys. Her and her boyfriend were on a 2 year work / recreation visa exploring Australia. The next day she approached us and said she was speaking to her Dad last night and she mentioned meeting two wildlife photographers from Key West. He said, "Are they Bill & Linda Klipp?" Turns out we only know two people in Marathon and they are her dad and his wife. I love Small World Stories.

Flying Fox / Fruit Bat, Lizard Island

Flying Foxes. We hiked over a hill down into a mangrove forest when we started hearing some loud noises in the trees. There they were dozens of Flying Foxes making a racket, hanging upside down, some fighting some having sex.

St Andrews Cross Spider, Stretched across the trail we almost walked right into this

Grasshopper, this guys was several inches long

Rose-Crowned Fruit Dove, one nice looking pigeon

Linda going in for a close-up, I was waiting for the “Money Shot” when it attacks.

What a tongue! Yellow-Spotted Monitor Lizard, 3-4 feet long.

Yellow-Spotted Monitor Lizard

One of the several deserted tropical beaches we hiked to

Torresian Imperial Pigeon, Lizard Island

The Blue Lagoon, Off for a hike, exploring Lizard Island, looking for some of the local Wildlife

Yellow-Bellied Sunbird (male), Lizard Island

Yellow-Bellied Sunbird (female), Lizard Island

Sunset Beach Lizard Island

Night Sky Time Lapse - Click above photo for video

Good Bye Lizard Island, next stop Uluru Rock

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After leaving Lizard Island and the Great Barrier reef we headed inland to the desert in center of the Australian Continent to Uluru / Ayers Rock. Our next few nights will be in a primitive tent overlooking Ayers Rock @Longitude131 Resort

Sunset at Uluru Rock, as the light changes Uluru Rock takes on dramatically different looks.

Kantju Gorge, Uluru Rock

Our primitive tent at Longitude 131 Resort

Tent accommodations at Longitude 131 Resort

View from our tent at Longitude 131 Resort, not bad eh!

Star Trails over Uluru Rock, from our deck

Star Trails over Longitude 131 Resort

Night Sky over Longitude 131 Resort

Kantju Gorge, Uluru Rock

Hiking on Uluru Rock will end in 2020 due to safety concerns as well as respect to the Aboriginals for this sacred site

Hiking on Uluru Rock

Pano of Kata-Tjuta Rock

Hiking up gorge at Kata-Tjuta Rock

Field of Light -- Artist Bruce Munro has transformed Australia’s Red Center near Uluru into a field of 50,000 swaying solar light buds, covers 4 football fields. It’s an other worldly experience to wander at night thru the paths of his art installation.

Field of Light

Night Sky over Uluru Rock

If you missed Chapters I & II of my “Australia Wanderings" blog, click below:

Australia Wanderings I July 2018: "The Outback"

Australia Wanderings II July 2018: "Tasmania"

For more photos visit Bill’s Wildlife website at: Wildlife Photos

Australia Wanderings II July 2018 -- "Tasmania"

billklipp@wkimages.net (Wildlife Photography by Bill Klipp) — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 22:56:28 GMT

(Part II of "Australia Wanderings" highlights our wanderings in Tasmania and nearby Bruny Island)

Led by our faithful guide Iain Campbell, co-founder of Tropical Birding Tours and his sidekick Pablo we emerged from the Queensland outback and headed back to Brisbane to catch a 3 hour flight to Hobart the capital of the southern island state of Tasmania. We got in late so on the way to the hotel we stopped at Flippers floating restaurant for a quick fish dinner off a boat in Hobart Harbor. Hobart seems like a nice city although we didn’t spend much time there as we headed out the next morning before dawn to Bruny Island a short 20 minute ferry ride from Hobart. Located on southeastern coast of Tasmania Bruny Island has some of Tasmania's most beautifully preserved natural environments along with abundant wildlife and to our delight some local wineries. Bruny Island is also home to Fur Seals, Fairy Penguins, Wallabies including the rare white Wallaby and of course it’s rich in bird life.

"Flippers" cooked seafood, Hobart Tasmania

Dusky Robin with a worm, Bruny Island

Pied Oyster Catcher taking a bath off Bruny Island

Swamp Wallaby, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Olive Whistler, Mt Field

Swamp Wallaby, Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

A "Mob" of Swamp Wallabies, Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

Brushtailed Possum, Bruny Island, Much better looking than our North American Possums which are scraggly at best often looking like they had chemo therapy.

Linda and our two faithful guides Iain & Pablo on the ferry from Hobart to Bruny Island

While on Bruny Island we stayed at Inala Nature Lodge a very well known nature and birding spot. One night we went out spotlighting and when we returned to the Nature Lodge there were dozens and dozens of Wallabies grazing in the field in front of the house.

Sneaking in for the close up

Black Swan, Bruny Island

The name "Pied" when referring to birds basically means black & white

Pied Oyster Catcher is actually a misnomer as they rarely eat oysters, favoring bivalve mullusks and small invertebrates which they hunt along the shoreline

Silver Gull wandering the beach on Bruny Island

Mt. Field National Park is Tasmania's first national park. With landscape ranging from eucalyptus temperate rain forest to alpine moorland. We came here primarily to find the very odd and elusive Duck Billed Platypus which is known to live in the rivers and creeks around Mt. Field. Unfortunately for us it remained elusive at least in the wild.

Horseshoe Falls, one of the many waterfalls coming off of Mt Field. This was jurassic park like place with lots of moss and giant ferns. When we got up to the top of Mt Field (4,705 ft) the tropical vegetation turned to more of an alpine moorland and it was snowing.

Duckbilled Platypus, ever since I was a little kid I was fascinated by the very strange Duck-Billed Platypus a mostly nocturnal semi aquatic egg laying mammal (Monotremes) endemic to Eastern Australia and Tasmania. Well we did get to see one for the first time although not in the wild (Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Brisbane) definitely a very cool creature

Russell Falls Mt. Field, Tasmania

Eucalyptus forests of Mt. Field

High altitude forests of Mt. Field

Forests of Mt. Field

Swamp Wallaby, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Mob of Swamp Wallabies, Bruny Island

Swamp Wallabies, Bruny Island

Green Rosellas, Inala Nature Lodge

Green Rosella, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Mushrooms, Fungi, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Flame Robin, Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

Scarlet Robin, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Flame Robin, Bruny Island

Superb Robin (male), Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

Superb Robin (female), Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

Swamp Wallabies, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Swamp Wallaby, Inala Nature Lodge, Bruny Island

Rare White Swamp Wallaby. While we were on Bruny Island off the coast of Tasmania we heard there were some white and partially White Wallabies. So one night we went out spot lighting looking for them and found this guy invading a garden. Having no natural predators these guys are growing in population on one part of Bruny Island.

White-Fronted Chat, Bruny Island

Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos, munching on pine cones

White-Browed Scrubwren, Mt Wellington

Grey Shrike-Thrush

New Holland Honeyeater, Bruny Island

Superb Robin, Adventure Bay, Bruny Island

Swamp Wallaby, Bruny Island

If you missed Chapter I of my “Australia Wanderings" Blog : Click here The Outback

For more photos visit Bill’s Wildlife website at: Wildlife Photos