Northern California Wildlife Safari
Wildside Nature Tours
DATES: Feb 6-10, 2023
TRIP LEADERS: JENNIFER LEIGH WARNER
COST: $2,650PP
GROUP SIZE: 4-6
Highlights
Hands-on photo instruction for wildlife and landscape photography with Nikon Professional Jennifer Leigh Warner
Explore the coastal wildlife habitats of Northern California and photograph the native wildlife that winter in this region.
Learn about the importance of setting aside habitat for endemic species such as the Tule Elk and endangered species like the California Sea Otter.
Photograph the Monarch Butterflies during their winter stopover in Santa Cruz and see how they cluster together in large groups on the eucalyptus trees.
Photograph California’s predator species like bobcat, owls, and elephant seals and look for the very rare blue-eyed coyotes.
San Francisco is known for its cable cars and funky food trends, but just over the Golden Gate Bridge is a coastal wilderness filled with exciting wildlife and landscapes that would surely fill any wildlife photographers bucket list.
We start our wildlife photo safari in Point Reyes National Seashore were we will spend a few days photographing bobcats, elephant seals, tule elk and if we are really lucky we may catch a glimpse of one of the very rare blue-eyed coyotes that have been spotted in the area.
We continue our journey south along the coast and stop at Natural Bridges State beach to photograph the iconic sea stack as well as the shorebirds that nest along the cliffs. As we walk along the boardwalk in the eucalyptus forest we will see large clusters of monarch butterflies as the group together on the branches to stay warm. As the morning sunlight warms the forest the butterflies burst awake from their clusters in a beautiful eruption.
As we continue along the coast we will encounter harbor seals, California sea lions and California sea otters that rest and forage along the coastline.
Evenings will be spent reviewing the images that were made and learning post-processing techniques to make our images pop. We will also discuss how we can use our images to help raise awareness about the issues that the wildlife we photograph encounter.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in San Francisco and transfer for hotel in San Rafael.
Day 2 - Spend the day photographing in Point Reyes National Seashore
Day 3 - Spend the morning photograph in Point Reye National Seashore after a quick lunch we will head south to Santa Cruz to photograph the iconic sea stack at sunset.
Day 4 – Sunrise along the beach in Natural Brides State Beach and then head into the forest to photograph the monarch butterfly clusters. Afternoon photographing in Moss Landing.
Day 5 – Morning boat ride through Elkhorn Slough before heading back to San Francisco for an afternoon departure.