Two condors circling above on a toasty afternoon at Pinnacles.

Fiery sunset tonight along Pacheco Pass.

Any donation helps, of course, and I have already donated! But if you can’t donate, please just share. This is a condition that affects so many people, and there is no cure, no agreed-upon cause, and no way to diagnose or even seriously treat it without surgery.

Late afternoon clouds along Pacheco Pass.

Fog bank over Pacheco Pass at sunrise.

Thunderheads over the Diablo Range at sunrise following a dramatic night of weather.

Newly-transformed foothill yellow-legged frogs, thumbnail sized. Saw hundreds like this today in a watershed in Henry Coe State Park. This species is finally slated for listing as Threatened under the ESA. About time!

Mountain lion track. Upper Coyote Creek, Henry Coe State Park, CA

Fog hovering over Pacheco Pass at sunrise.

After hearing strange noises outside, I walked out to the deck and noticed a half-grown bobcat kitten and the mother nearby. (My videography skills could use some sharpening!)

Stephen Colbert isn’t afraid to speak truth to power and hold those in positions of power accountable. He was fired for it. REPOST if you stand with Stephen Colbert!

Old dogs are so special. Me, on my dear and ancient friend Taiga, for The Last Word on Nothing www.lastwordonnothing.com/2025/07/16/o...

This newly-hatched horned lizard scurried across the High Peaks trail in Pinnacles National Park right in front of me. It’s no bigger than a quarter.

Last summer I noticed a Pacific chorus frog hanging out on a nightly basis at my front doorstep. This continued into fall, and ended before winter. Tonight I opened the door and saw my friend for the first time this year. So glad to see him (?) return!

A pair of condors flying past the observation blind where I’m stationed at Pinnacles National Park.

San Joaquin kit fox. We saw this pup on lightly-traveled Little Panoche Road this morning. I know the survival rate for young foxes is low, but seeing roadkill like this is especially frustrating.

RT if you love boobs or if you think ICE should be abolished

Newly-released blunt-nosed leopard lizard, Panoche Hills. The Fresno Chaffee Zoo administers the only captive breeding program for this endangered species and has been releasing them to bolster a declining population. The transmitter will provide important information before falling off in 2 months.

Badger checking out ground squirrel burrows in the Little Panoche Valley,CA.

Condor #692 about to take flight, Pinnacles National Park.

Kangaroo rat beneath a juniper in the Panoche Hills on a moonless night. Either a Heermann’s Kangaroo Rat or a Giant Kangaroo Rat, which are endangered.

Condor deaths come with the territory when you work with this magnificent species; we typically endure a half dozen or so every year, but that of 626 (right side of photo) bothered me more than most. My co-worker Jess and I picked her up from a captive breeding facility in November 2012 and

This needs to be litigated immediately, not just on the basis of unfairness to the fired employees, but on the basis that it’s a fraudulent destruction of public resources. A fraudulent mismanagement & misappropriation of funds that only Congress can direct. It is based on animus & animus alone.

The last light of day along Pacheco Pass.

Riparian forest of cottonwood and willows along the San Benito River.

Itty bitty horned lizard, Pinnacles National Park. I’ve probably seen close to one hundred over the years and I swear no two look the same. This little one has a bunch of rust colored flecks throughout the back. To me, horned lizards are living jewels!

Southern Alligator Lizard. This one was basking in the shade along a gravel road. This individual, like just about every adult alligator lizard I’ve come across, has dropped its original tail.

Valley Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi), the other garter snake species I saw today. Note the red scales along the sides and head.

Diablo Range garter snake, a subspecies of Aquatic garter snake, (Thamnophis atratus), basking on an old road, one of two snake species I saw today.

Henderson’s Shooting Stars.

Hound’s Tongue in bloom.

Peak goldfield bloom at Pacheco Pass.

Searching for falcon presence along the cliffs of Balconies in Pinnacles National Park.

Cliffs of Pancho Rico Creek Canyon, eastern Monterey County.

Western Toad, Isabel Creek watershed.

Goldfields in bloom along Isabel Creek.

The business end of a rattlesnake, the first one I’ve seen out this year.

Small, unnamed pond among a field of buttercups at Pacheco State Park.

California red-legged frog egg mass, one of 21 (!) we found today at a remote pond at Pacheco State Park.

Another gorgeous day on the Pinnacles condor beat.

Young condor #1238 landed too close to me (20 feet) so I reluctantly needed to haze him (shoo him away). While it’s an amazing experience to have such a magnificent bird approach you, it’s a bad habit that needs to be curtailed.

California condor #692 on a rock spire in Pinnacles National Park.

Hi, can you do me a favor? Ask people to follow me. I want to wean myself off the other site but I need to beef up follows here. Thank you!

Sunset tonight on Pacheco Pass.

Yellow-eyed Salamander in Mt. Madonna County Park. I was hoping to find a California Giant Salamander, but struck out.

30,000,000 Bluesky accounts. Every one of us should be flying the Ukrainian flag. It’s a modest but visible act of support, as well as resistance. Please join me and repost.

What do you do when a Peregrine Falcon inexplicably lands on a tree right above you, but you didn’t pack your camera or iPhone? Use your IPad!

It never fails to amaze me what a little rain brings out on the property!