I just realized something. I felt a swell of hope for the first time in a long, long time. I think tonight is going to be a big one in the journey of getting America back on track.

Images from San Francisco No Kings rally.

Some of my images from today’s midday rally at San Francisco City Hall. #sanfrancisco #ice

I spent Sunday evening walking trail in Marin, first in Point Reyes and then on Mt Tam. It never ceases to amaze me what you can find when you are alert, present, and alone in the wild. Don’t forget to get outside when you can. #wildlife #california #nature

Look, when you've got to go, you've got to go... Black crowned night herons dumping in flight. #birds #wildlife #birding #nature

You never know what you’re going to see at an osprey nest. A mom & dad were incubating eggs and it was dad’s turn to sit. The female brought a whole fish to the nest. The dude ate for a bit and then, after a bit of time, she was back and grabbed the fish and flew off. #birds #wildlife #nature

Join us on the 3rd Wednesday of each month for our WalkMass Network webinars. This month, Matthew Raifman, PhD (@wildcalifornia.bsky.social) shares about national disparities in traffic fatalities and role of active mobility and autonomous vehicles. Registration link and more info: walkmass.org

A dense fog rolled through the hills. I walked, gear in hand, searching for the evening's subject: a Great Horned Owl. I both saw one everywhere and nowhere at the same time, as every pine needle bunch and tree nook took on a lifelike appearance in the dark. Then I saw one. #birds #nature #wildlife

Watch this amazing tern rotate its body 180 degrees in preparation for a dive into the water. It keeps its head in the exact same position while reversing its wing orientation. I captured this sequence in Marin, California. #birds #wildlife #natureii

An American Cliff Swallow banked and showed me its beautiful profile. #birds #wildlife #nature

Black-crowned Night Heron coming in for a landing. Absolutely one of my favorites. #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature

Foster’s Tern at sunrise. #birds #wildlife #nature #california

This morning’s subject: black crowned night heron. Absolutely stunning birds and snagged some solid sunrise light to boot! #birds #wildlife #nature #california

I took three cameras to Yosemite, and the one I kept grabbing for was the Nikon Zf in black-and-white mode. Just perfect straight out of camera. #landscapephotography #nikonzf #yosemite

Today I captured some footage of a Pacific Wren and its nest in California. I slowed it down to 1/4 speed because these little guys are fast. Hope you enjoy! #birding #birds #nature #wildlife

The extreme drama of Yosemite Falls as a storm cleared. This weekend had very challenging but rewarding conditions that pushed me as a photographer as the weather shifted between overcast, rainy, and snowy by the minute. #landscape #yosemite #nature

I went to Yosemite this weekend. It was cold, rainy, snowy at times, and the waterfalls were raging. #landscapephotography #nature #yosemite

California Quail. I see them (and hear them) everywhere right now! I captured one on video calling out to share. #birds #nature #wildlife

Cormorants are one of the most striking birds out there. A foggy day provided a unique opportunity to take a shot like this. If you ever need to differentiate between a cormorant and an anhinga, remember the cormorant has a C shaped terminus to its beak! #birds #wildlife #nature

Swallows are truly incredible birds that dart around at breakneck speed. To capture their motion here, I shot at an astonishing 120 fps. What happens in less than a blink of an eye can be slowed so we can process it; one of the things I love about photography. #birds #wildlife #nature

Western Bluebird taking a moment to rest after finishing off a centipede it caught in a field below. I watched as they dropped below, grabbed a meal, and flew back to their perches to eat in safety. #birds #wildlife #nature

I had the pleasure of photographing one of my favorite birds this week: the Acorn woodpecker. They design “granary trees” over decades with little holes made by their beaks. Then they work together as a community to fill the trees with acorns for later. #birds #wildlife #nature

Lifer for me. American Cliff Swallow. Was hoping to spot a few of these sometime soon. They are breeding in California right now. #birds #birdphotography #wildlife #nature

Is there anything more elegant than a swan in classic pose? Perfect conditions this morning for a reflection shot! #birds #birdphotography #wildlife #nature

At the end of the day, I like to sit in the backyard. The sun dips behind the fog, reappears, and tucks itself in for the night behind the hills. The birds have gone to bed save for this hummingbird. It's at this time that the light hits him just right to show off that iridescence. #birds #nature

Cal looking mighty fine today. Peak cherry blossoms at the UC Berkeley campus. Not a bad walk to a meeting. 🤩 #ucberkeley #california #springtime

I’m Matt 👋 a 40 year old wildlife and nature photographer and this is how I spend my Saturday nights. Stop doomscrolling, take a breath, and spend a minute listening to two Great Horned Owls call to each other as the sun goes down in Northern California. And turn your sound on! #birds #wildlife

That eye! Black-crowned night heron at a nearby march in Northern California.

Morning with the Marsh Wrens!

A marsh wren, elusive little ones, claims its territory with a call while making a nest in the reeds. #birds #wildlife

A song sparrow calls out to the morning fog. Marin, California. #birds #bird #birdphotography #wildlife #animals #nature

This is step one: rescinding PhD offers. The next step will be laying off soft money-funded researchers. Next: public health schools will close. The consequences will be myriad. It’s hard to overstate how bad this is for American and the world. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Sometimes you catch just the right moment. This ring-billed gull had just caught a pipefish and was taking it somewhere safe for a meal. At first I thought it was a stick! #birds #wildlife #nature #birdphotography

One of the things I’m working out with my #wildlife photography is to include a little bit more context and environment in my shots. This bobcat was working its way through a grassy field in the rain hunting for vols. It moved completely silently and didn’t seem to notice that I was there.

Male common merganser. Always nice to spot a male one (for some reason I always see more females) and catch it in flight too! #birds #wildlife #nature

American White Pelican portrait. Used the super telephoto for this one. #birds #bird #photography #wildlife

Does BlueSky still need hashtags? Or is post categorization coming from text mining?

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a river otter at our local spot in Northern California, but there were back with a vengeance this past weekend. I saw four of them goofy around. This one popped up to say hi.

My favorite Anna’s hummingbird is back in our backyard. 840mm telephoto close up shot. #birds #wildlife #backyardbirding #animalsathome

Happy spring you all from Berkeley, California. #spring #flowers #peaceful #california

Red tail hawk perched and on the lookout for prey. #birds #birdphotography #wildlife

Ah! It’s been way too long since I saw a bobcat. This one made me very very happy this week. Found him in the early morning just before it started to rain. #wildlife #animals #photography

I see all these cool birds, but this humble raven in black and white wet with the rain might be my favorite. This would look amazing as a massive print. #birds #birdphotography #rainyday #wildlife #bnw

It’s funny. I used to see American Robins all the time on the east coast, but they are a relatively rare occurrence for me now on the west. This brilliant one caught my eye today. #bird #birds #birdphotography #birding #wildlife

River Otter from yesterday family walk in Marin. Hadn’t seen them in a while! It was an overcast day and low contrast, but monochrome worked well. #wildlife #animals

Get it right in camera. One of my favorite birds: the red wing blackbird fully displaying its wings. #bird #birds #birdphotography #wildlife

Always nice to capture these beautiful animals in flight fully stretched out to see all those feathers coming together. Red tail hawk (dark morph). #bird #birds #birdphotography #photo #photography #wildlife

Two male house finches from our backyard. See how different their coloring is? Conventional wisdom is that the differences are due to diet, but I’m not so sure. I suspect the yellow one has a genetic variation that makes it process beta carotene differently. Anyone know more about this? #birds

Mourning dove in the rain. Tranquility has landed. #birdwatching #birdphotography #birds

A White-tailed Kite day is a good day. Found this guy this morning. Some foggy greens provide a nice bokeh-filled background. #bird #birds #photography #wildlife #photo