alanpeterson

California Ground Squirrel

A California ground squirrel feeds on grasses at the Berkeley marina

A California ground squirrel feeds on grasses at the Berkeley marina
Read less

NIKON D800

settings

Aperture f/11.0 ISO 800 Shutter 1/800

upload_date

Jun, 2014

Views

1214

Likes

+264

Awards

Featured

Contest Finalist in 800 Rodents Photo Contest

Peer Award

+97

Top Choice

+18

Superb Composition

+12

Magnificent Capture

Absolute Masterpiece

All Star

Outstanding Creativity

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Great shot!

Superb artistry!

See all

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

A Barn Swallow feeding its fledglings at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.

As a Gentoo Penguin chick wakes up from a nap, its parent bends over for a feeding.

A young Northern Harrier patrols the freshwater ponds at Arcata Marsh as the sun sets.

A Chinstrap Penguin cares for its chicks on a rookery above Orne Harbor along the Antarctic Peninsula.

A Short-eared Owl at sunset in Arcata Bottoms

An Anna's Hummingbird is startled by a passing bee.

Rays of sun piercing the fog in a spruce forest at Patrick's Point State Park.

The forests in Trinidad, California reach right up to the edges of the oceanside bluffs. As the sun sets over the pacific, the branches are bathed in

Sun beams in the fog at Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

A Mallard quacks at an approaching Greater Yellowlegs as the sun sets at Arcata Marsh's brackish pond.

A Great Egret swallowing a fry in the McDaniel Slough tidal wetlands at Arcata Marsh

An Osprey was perched on a tree over the path that lead back to my car at Clear Lake, California. I thought it would fly away as I walked under it, bu

A Short-eared Owl takes off after an unsuccessful dive while hunting at dusk in the Mad River Slough Wildlife Area.

The Great Gray Owl visiting Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park perches on the fence near the road and scans the embankment for voles.

A harbor seal sits on a rock, shrouded by the coastal fog on Trinidad State Beach.

Hugo (top) and Olaf (bottom) from a portrait shoot for the HumCats cat art festival.

One Short-eared Owl trying to steal a vole from another at Arcata Bottoms.

Another Wood Duck drake has visited Sequoia Park.

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at César Chávez Park in Berkeley, California. I took a trip there to look for Burrowing Owls and didn't manage to find any, but there was plenty of bird activity to photograph in the surrounding water and several of these chubby little ground squirrels were feeding along the trails.

Time

I took this shot just after 4PM. I time most of my photography outings to take advantage of the warmer and softer light in the mornings and between late afternoon and sunset.

Lighting

Only natural light is at play here, with light cloud cover.

Equipment

This was taken on a Nikon D800 with a Sigma 120-300mm zoom and a 2X telephoto converter, handheld..

Inspiration

This ground squirrel had gotten used to my presence, and was approaching very close to feed on the nearby plants. I've always enjoyed watching them while walking at the park, and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to get a closeup shot with this cooperative subject.

Editing

I made minor color balance and contrast curve adjustments and cropped it for composition.

In my camera bag

I normally carry a Nikon D800 and Sigma 300-800mm zoom while photographing birds and small wildlife, but I will take a Sigma 120-300mm zoom instead if I have limited cargo space while traveling.

Feedback

Wildlife is usually much more willing to approach a photographer that is sitting still and quietly, especially when dealing with small prey animals. I like to try to get the camera as close to eye level with the subject as possible, which can be challenging with ground-dwelling rodents, but produces the kind of angle and framing that we're used to seeing in photographs of people.

See more amazing photos, follow alanpeterson

alanpeterson

alanpeterson

California Ground Squirrel

A California ground squirrel feeds on grasses at the Berkeley marina

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow alanpeterson

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.