It's Sunflower Season!
July 01, 2025
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Each summer, in the Central Valley of California, particularly in Yolo County, a transformation takes place. The otherwise nondescript farm fields become a golden sea of sunflowers. From mid-June to mid-July, over 50,000 acres over covered with these blooms, creating a spectacular sight of tall, sun-facing flowers. Most are accessible via rural roa...
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Wildlife Environmental Portraits
June 26, 2025
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Wildlife Environmental Portraits: Featuring wildlife in their environment
Text and photos by Heather Cline
Common Merganser with chicks
When most people think of wildlife photography, they picture tight, zoomed-in shots that highlight every feather or whisker. While those frame-filling portraits can be stunning, there’s more to telling a great...
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I'll grow into these ears
June 24, 2025
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I have been extremely fortunate this spring to observe a family of coyotes with 4 pups in the preserve near my home. It's striking to me how much they are like puppies, jumping, playing and chewing on everything in sight. The one stark difference is their natural fear of humans. I've been watching them for several weeks, so they seem to recognize m...
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Nature Photographer’s Guide to Focal Length
June 19, 2025
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Choosing the Right Lens: A Nature Photographer’s Guide to Focal Length
Text and photos by Heather Cline
Fireweed, Glacier National Park | 180 mm
If you've ever found yourself staring at your camera bag wondering which lens to use, you’re not alone. Picking the right focal length is like choosing the right tool for the job—each has its streng...
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A lovely evening for a row
June 17, 2025
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This group of kayakers is enjoying an evening row across Yellowstone Lake in the same national park. This Lake is a hub of geothermal activity, featuring numerous hot springs, geysers, and mud pots both on its shores and beneath the surface. Despite all these water heating features, the overall temperature of the lake is quite cold, averaging 41deg...
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River Life
June 12, 2025
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River Life: The Wildlife That Calls These Flowing Waters Home
Text and photos by Heather Cline
American River sunset
Rivers are the heart of numerous ecosystems, serving as critical habitats for a large variety of wildlife. Whether its winding through mountain terrain or meandering across a tropical landscape, rivers provide food, shelter, and...
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A rare sight
June 10, 2025
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The Black-necked stilt is not a rare bird - but is not a common visitor to the section of river that I frequently visit. In fact, in the past five years, this was my first sighting of them. This pair glided in early one recent morning, and I wondered if they knew that the river levels had been lowered, creating many shallow pools in the area, perfe...
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Location profile: Redwoods National and State Parks
June 05, 2025
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Text and photos by Heather Cline
The Redwood National and State Parks form a network of protected lands, encompassing one national park alongside three state parks—Del Norte Coast Redwoods, Jedediah Smith Redwoods, and Prairie Creek Redwoods. The parks are located on the northernmost coast of California, spanning approximately 50 miles along the c...
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Do I have Anything in My Teeth?
June 03, 2025
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How can something so ferocious also be so darn cute? Those whiskers aren't just for looks, they are used to detect prey under water, and based on this river otter's morning take, they are a very handy tool. I watched him demolish this fish and go right back under the water for more. Otters are a member of the Mustelidae or weasel family and like al...
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Celebrating spring
May 29, 2025
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Celebrating spring
Text and photos by Heather Cline
Spring is nature’s grand reopening. It is a time of rapid change and growth, a time when the natural world bursts into color and life, practically begging to be photographed. Whether you're strolling through forests, wandering meadows with wildflowers, or exploring a gardener’s carefully curated...
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First Fawn!
May 27, 2025
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This little cutie is the first Black Tail fawn I spotted this year! Black-tailed fawns are born between late spring and mid-summer. They start with spots but lose them in a few months. At birth, they weigh about 6 to 8 pounds and have no scent for the first week. He or she was keeping up with mom very well despite this tall grass but stopped a few...
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Design Your Shot
May 22, 2025
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Design Your Shot: A Guide to Thoughtful Photography Composition
Text and photos by Heather Cline
Photography isn’t just about clicking the shutter at the right moment—it’s about crafting an image that tells a story, evokes emotion, and keeps the viewer engaged. While sharpness and exposure matter, what truly separates a good photo from a great...
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A Body Built For Speed
May 20, 2025
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This is a Long-tailed weasel, a critter whose sleek and aero-dynamic body was built for speed. They use this to their advantage when hunting mice, voles, squirrels - among other prey. They have a very high metabolism rate and eat about 40% of their body weight every day! They are rather small at only 11-18 inches long including their tail but are f...
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Hummingbirds: Tiny Marvels of Flight
May 15, 2025
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Text and photos by Heather Cline
Hummingbirds are my favorite of all birds. I tell my husband on a regular basis that ' I want all their business ' and he has indulged my little obsession by creating a bird oasis in our yard, complete with feeders, trees, plants, flowers and water features. They seem to enjoy it and reward us by coming by every da...
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Bob the builder
May 13, 2025
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In this case, it's likely 'Barbara The Builder' because this is a California Towhee and for this species, the female is in charge of gathering materials to build the nest while the male watches over their territory. These birds are common in the Sacramento region year-round and very tolerant of nosy photographers compared to other birds in the area...
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