Category: Conservation

Remembrance Through the Years—Family Ties That Bind Us Together

 
Remembrance Through the Years—Family Ties That Bind Us Together

Recently, I visited my sister in North Carolina. She moved there in September 2024 after spending her entire life in California.

I took this image of cherry plum leaves after a light rain; it’s planted in a large pot in her backyard in North Carolina.

Cherry plum trees are special to her and our family. My mom’s stepfather grafted a cherry tree branch onto a plum tree branch in the backyard of their San Francisco home in the 1920s to create a cherry-plum tree.

In the 1970s, my sister and I planted the seeds of our grandfather’s trees in our parents’ backyard in Millbrae, where we grew up, from the fruit of his San Francisco trees.

To prepare for planting, I was tilling up the ground with a spade, and my sister was placing the seeds. I accidentally almost chopped off her little finger. It was a very traumatic event for both of us. She was holding her finger, bleeding profusely, in severe pain. I was terribly frightened. I had chopped off her little finger. She still has the scar.

Much later, still over 25 years ago, she planted some starter vines at her former home in Grass Valley, California. She also gave small cherry plum trees to her three daughters for their California homes when they got older, as well as some that are now planted in her new home in North Carolina.

She gave me some cuttings from the Grass Valley home before she left. I was hurting so much this past winter with my back that I forgot to tend to them in the small pots and make sure they had water. When I get home, hopefully, the ones she gave me will be healthy. Checking on them will be the first thing I do. Thus, the image has a lot of emotional meaning for me, my sister, and her family, with all the history over the years.

Thankfully, when I got home, I saw that these small starter trees were okay after I cleared the grass-type weeds around the pots. I plan to plant them in my backyard along the San Lorenzo Creek, maybe one or two on the top level near my bird feeders.

Just as important as the family history is that the image sings with beauty. This image reveals the delicate interaction between rain and leaves, each droplet resting gently upon the textured surface. The subtle hues and softened background convey a quiet reverence for nature’s small, sacred moments.

For me, it invites a deeper connection to the stillness found in the natural world, offering calm and harmony to any space it graces. What about you? Does it resonate with your feelings and emotions?

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Regarding Elena’s comment below. Here is a YouTube video on the 36 different shades of green in Japanese culture she refers to. 

The Delicate Dance of Male Allen’s Hummingbirds

The Delicate Dance of Male Allen’s Hummingbirds

In the delicate dance of nature, few moments capture the essence of beauty quite like the fleeting presence of a hummingbird in flight. With its iridescent feathers and rapid wingbeats, this enchanting creature embodies the spirit of wonder that I strive to share through my work at Dream Catcher Images.

As I gazed upon this vibrant scene—a hummingbird gracefully landing on a cluster of soft pink flowers—I felt a profound connection to the sacredness of life. Each detail, from the intricate cape heath petals to the shimmering gorget plumage, tells a story of harmony and balance in the natural world. It’s a reminder that beauty often lives in the simplest of moments, waiting for us to pause and appreciate it, even if it happens in the blink of an eye.
In capturing this image, I aimed to open a doorway for you, the viewer, to experience that child-like wonderment I hold dear. The hummingbird symbolizes joy and resilience and invites us to reconnect with our spirits and the earth that nurtures us. It flits from flower to flower, a living testament to the interconnectedness of all living beings.

As you take in this moment, I encourage you to reflect on the sacredness surrounding us. Each encounter with nature is unique, a fleeting glimpse into the mystery of life. Let this image stir your soul and inspire a belief in preserving our wild places and the creatures that inhabit them.

As another Earth Day passes, let’s celebrate the beauty of our world and the pivotal moments that remind us of our place within it. Embrace the magic, and may it lead you to a deeper understanding of the harmony that exists in nature and within ourselves.

In addition, I have included other hummingbird images taken at the UCSC Arboretum as a collage to highlight how each moment of life is so special and unique.

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Whispers of the Wild

 

Whispers of the Wild

In the embrace of nature, where the vibrant greens of grass meet the fading light of a day’s end, a moment of pure magic unfolds. Here lies a female jaguar, alert and poised, her raised paw a testament to grace and strength. This captivating image invites us to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the sacred moments that nature so generously offers.

As I observe this magnificent creature, I am reminded of the delicate balance that sustains our ecosystems. The jaguar embodies the wild’s untamed spirit with its striking coat and watchful gaze. She rests not merely as a predator but as a guardian of her realm, reminding us of the importance of preserving these majestic beings and their habitats.

As an artist, I strive to open doorways to these enchanting experiences. Each photograph I capture is more than just an image; it’s a portal into the soul of nature. It beckons us to experience a child-like wonderment, to feel the pulse of life that courses through every blade of grass and every creature that roams the earth.

This alert yet serene jaguar embodies a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos of life. She invites us to reflect on our connection to the natural world. Are we taking the time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us? Are we nurturing our spirit and allowing ourselves to be enveloped by the awe of existence?

Through my work at Dream Catcher Images, I aim to instill a sense of harmony and oneness with nature. Each click of the shutter reminds us we are all part of a more remarkable tapestry woven together by the threads of life. The sacredness of this moment, captured in time, serves as a gentle nudge to protect and cherish our wild places and the creatures that inhabit them.

Let this image of the alert female jaguar inspire you to seek out your sacred moments in nature. Embrace the stillness, listen to the whispers of the wild, and allow your spirit to reconnect with the earth. Together, we can foster a deeper appreciation for the beauty surrounding us and work towards preserving it for generations.

“To me, cruelty is the worst of human sins.” ~ Jane Goodall.

“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.” ~ Jane Goodall.

Pantanal’s August 2024 Jaguars
(To see larger images, click on one)

Allowing You Into Their World

Female Jaguar’s Cat Instincts Kick In As A Pied Lapwing Walks In Front Of Her


The movement of this female jaguar is so cat-like, like domestic kittens and cats, so familiar and instinctual, ready with a desire to stalk and pounce. It’s heartwarming, reaches our souls, and brings a smile of joy to our faces.

It’s love for me because I love big cats, and my vision is to capture moments like this that tell a story and touch the viewer. It is a fleeting moment, a gesture that lasts less than a second; as a wildlife photographer, you need to be ready, focused, patient, and have an intense concentration. The more you learn about the animal, its habits, behavior, personality, and environment, the greater the anticipation of the right moment to capture the decisive moment successfully.

The challenge is substantial, but so is the reward—pure clarity resulting in true beauty.

My Pantanal trip was so wonderful in different ways, yet these special moments of connecting with an animal’s life and witnessing and observing their lives are unique; they stay with you forever! It is a humbling experience for them to allow you into their world, even for a brief time.

It’s what I love about wildlife photography, and I will do it as long as possible.

“In the eyes of a wild jaguar, we see our own emotions reflected at us—a mirror of the soul!” ~ paraphrased by Bruce Finocchio

Female Jaguar Uses Long Pink Tongue To Lick Off The Top Of Her Paw
As A Female Jaguar Rolls Over, She Intently Checks Out Her Surroundings

 

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Cranes And Their Mystic And Plaintive Calls

One of the most primal sounds in nature. Cranes calling out as they fly overhead. Their sounds strike something deep in your being and essence, resonating and stirring your soul. I went to Merced National Wildlife Refuge several times during the months of January and February. Every time I hear their plaintive call, I am struck by how their sound affects me. How much more I feel connected to them, to the earth, and to the web of life.

Crane species all over the world are critically endangered. Please let us take care of their wetland habitats, so we never lose their primal call, so their calls will still reverberate within our beings. If we don’t, we will have lost something special and diminish our connection to the natural world. I hope this image brings back to your memory their mystic and plaintive sounds.

The Leopard of Londolozi

(My Love Affair With A Londolozi Leopard)

Maxabene Resting on a Tree Limb
Maxabene Resting on a Tree Limb

She was the most beautiful and spiritual animal I saw on my September 2005 South African photography trip. I was enchanted with her; it was more than just a fancy or fanciful thought. She was everything that was wild and free about the unique animals of Africa. She embodied all that is Africa. The intense look in her eyes as she surveyed the savanna was mesmerizing. I was completely under the spell she cast with her enchanting yellow-green eyes.

Female Leopard Looking Out At Her World
Female Leopard Looking Out At Her World

Before Londolozi, my photography friends were chiding me about a leopard sighting earlier on our trip in Kruger National Park. I was driving and it was very late; I missed seeing a leopard in a tree flash lighted by a parked tour bus driver. Who at almost dark was shining light into a tree with a big flashlight alongside the road for his passengers.

We had stopped, my friend in our first vehicle was leading, and she engaged the driver and he pointed out the leopard to her. However for me, driving our second car the angle for viewing was wrong; the leopard was hidden by a big branch that hung down to the road. My companion in the back seat and I searched and searched for at least twenty minutes in vain and could see nothing, no leopard.

While my friend in the first vehicle chatted away with the tour bus driver, precious time was ticking down. We needed to get to Lower Sabie camp, a camp we had yet to visit before they closed the gate. Otherwise, we would face a large fine. Already there was hardly any light left in the sky.

Maxabene Surveying The Land
Maxabene Surveying The Land

Suddenly and unexpectedly, my friend driving the first vehicle took hurriedly off as her companion in the back seat, the fourth member of our group, made her aware of the ticking time. She was leading; I was following. It was almost completely dark now and I did not want to lose her. Actually, I had no idea where we were and where was Lower Sabie Camp. I was just following.

Concentrating on my driving, I drove by the “viewing window” to see the roadside leopard. Later, my companion in the back seat when asked said, yes, he did see the “leopard but only at 30 miles hour for a few brief seconds.” I was the only one of our group that missed seeing the leopard.

Afterward, in the Lower Sabie parking lot, my friends were riding me so hard for missing this leopard sighting that I actually got angry. Something I never do. They said that I might never see another leopard and I possibly blew my one and only chance of seeing this elusive cat. “You missed your one and only chance, Bruce. You might not have another opportunity to see a wild leopard, you came all this way to South Africa and mess up your only chance.” I could not believe we were fighting over this missed sighting.  In my anger, I told them to go to hell.

Maxabene Hunting In The Long Dried Grasses
Maxabene Hunting In The Long Dried Grasses

I need not have worried, for our visit to Londolozi, in the nearby Sabi Sands game reserve, was just days away. Where I would have the destiny to meet this beautiful and enchanting leopard called Maxabene. It was like she was waiting for me—just for me alone. We saw other Leopards too, like the Short Tailed 5:4 Male. We had more sighting of leopards than we could have hoped and dreamed for. Not only sightings but the chance to make compelling photographs of this elusive feline species. It’s where I fell in love with the lovely and mysterious female leopard called Maxabene. Our time together was brief. However, she’ll never leave my memories of my time at the place they call Londolozi—a place that truly is a “protector of all living things”.

Plus, I have these images of Maxabene that will be with me always, as a remembrance of our brief time together.

The Intense Look Of A Hunter
The Intense Look Of A Hunter

 

Maxabene Painting by Penda Mo, February 24, 2019!

Songs Gone Silent

Male Northern Cardinal
© 2013 Bruce Finocchio — Male Northern Cardinal

Songs Gone Silent

Each morning a bird call awakens me. Its song is familiar yet unknown. I have not been able to identify it yet, to come know what species makes its familiar call. It’s bothering me not to know. Nevertheless, it is very pleasing to hear each morning–like hearing an old friend’s voice again after a long absence.

Imagine the world without songbirds–without bird songs to wake you in the morning. The world would be diminished, and Rachel Carson’s vision of a “Silent Spring” would be realized. How sad would that day be, not to hear the thrilling sound of birdcalls? Have their calls only remembrances in our dreams!

© 2013 Bruce Finocchio --Immature Male Vermilion Flycatcher
© 2013 Bruce Finocchio –Immature Male Vermilion Flycatcher

Songbird populations across the world are in trouble. From the pesticides that worried Rachel Carson, “to the feral and domestic cats catching many birds in their claws, to those who die in collisions with skyscrapers, communication towers, wind turbines, and even glass windows and doors of suburban homes.”(1) Just the other day, I found a female Lesser Goldfinch outside of my glass back door lying dead on my backyard porch. It happens more than you realize.

Habitat fragmentation is a great concern as our world becomes more commercialized for our needs. Our exponential growing populations place greater demands upon the natural world. As more of wild nature succumbs to our human environments and less and less is left for wild creatures including songbirds. As we pave over, build our structures, and alter the world’s surroundings to meet our needs and wants. There simply are fewer and fewer places for songbirds to live and flourish.

Black-crested Titmouse On A Mesquite Branch
Black-crested Titmouse On A Mesquite Branch

Bird populations are falling fast; we have lost almost half the songbirds that filled the skies forty years ago, by some counts over a billion birds.(1)  Year by year more songbirds become endangered of going extinct. One of my large bird books has a picture of a passenger pigeon. An artist drawing of a beautiful bird of subtle pastel colors. Wow, I say to myself when I see this picture. I would have loved a chance to see one alive. However, it is extinct, and no long possible to see one fly in the sky, yet over a hundred and fifty years ago, millions blotted the skies of the eastern North America.

© 2010 Bruce Finocchio --Male Mountain Bluebird
© 2010 Bruce Finocchio –Male Mountain Bluebird

Ultimately, I think it comes down to a choice. Our generation and the next must decide to save and protect our natural world, preserving the diversity of life on our wonderful living planet.  Now we alone hold the future of life on earth in our hands. We must change our thoughts and actions from one of domination to one of coexistence.

Evolve enough to understand, I am because of you; I am because of other life forms. (2) Relearn that humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web; we do to ourselves. All living things are bound together. All living things are interconnected and dependent on each other for survival. (3)

Beautiful Male Cassin's Finch
Beautiful Male Cassin’s Finch

Otherwise, if we don’t relearn and absorb these lessons, take it to heart; it will be very bad and a very sad hour for mankind. No more melodic birds’ songs will grace the airways and bring music to our ears each every morning we awaken to greet a new day. Truly, their songs of life will go silent for the last time.

Nature has incredible restorative powers. Life has an indomitable spirit. If we make the right choice, then there is optimism. Hope for mankind and for a better future. Eventually, my singing songbird will come out of the dense tree foliage, and I’ll have my identification. I will have kept at it; the way mankind must persevere in the coming decades.

Bruce Finocchio is one of the WBB photographers who images are currently showing at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose, California. Meet Bruce and the other WBB photographers at the June 3 reception from 5:00 to 9:00 PM, and hear their incredible stories of photographing wildlife all over the world, and how they take their work from “Beauty to Deeper Understanding”.

Register for the Reception: Register Here

 

(1) 1,000,000,000 Birds – Just Gone by Austin Baily, Daily Kos, 5/20/16

(2)Boyd Varty, Ubuntu, I am; because of you.

(3) Paraphrasing Chief Seattle’s famous words

 

 

Soul Of The Elephant

Young Elephant Curls Trunk Over Head While Under Mother
Young Elephant Curls Trunk Over Head While Under Mother

A compelling, fascinating, and a compassionate look into the “Soul of the Elephant”, done in a very poignant way as if they were telling the story through a poem. Dereck and Beverly Joubert are my favorite wildlife filmmakers. They tell important stories of iconic African wildlife in a fresh way, with breathtaking cinematography, using innovative camera angles. Their expert bush and species knowledge comes through a narration that is just mesmerizing, so lyrical and melodic–the way they switch and weave the stories and scenes between each other’s voice.

If you love elephants, wild places, wild animals, this Nature PBS episode is not to be missed. This is natural storytelling at its best, by those closest to the wildlife, living life with them. Their passion for what they do and the compassion and love for the wildlife comes through in their presentation.

I only wished for more…like their 88-minute film the Last Lions that I saw in the theater.

The original broadcast was on PBS on October 14, 2015, somehow I missed it. However, I found the full episode online at the PBS Nature site.

Take time from your busy life and please watch this Nature episode; it will change you forever, it’s haunting. I have already seen it twice, and I am sure I’ll watch again.

I highly recommend this search for the “Soul of the Elephant”, in fact, I would love to be doing what they are–immersed in the wild: living and breathing the wild smells of Africa.

Here is the link: Full Episode: Soul of the Elephant

Please posted your comments and let me know your thoughts.

In addition, here is their Ted Talk from 2010  Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s Ted Talk

Ubuntu

Serengeti Sunrise
Serengeti Sunrise

“I Am, Because Of You”

When I was at Londolozi, South Africa, in September 2005, CC Africa owned controlling rights and ran the lodges and safaris. Soon afterwards, the Varty’s bought back the control of their lodge, their family place, and their reserve. They introduced the new concept of A Self-Transformation Adventure Retreat (STAR) where people would come to immerse themselves in the wildness of Londolozi and be healed by its spectacular nature.

For me, when immersed in nature I feel happy and truly alive. At Londolozi, I saw the southern cross for the first time, as well as Leopards and Lions in the wild, and other iconic animals of Africa.

A few years after I was back, I bought Dave Varty’s, book, “Full Circle” when it came out in 2009, and read his family story. His son Boyd now runs Londolozi for the family….

Here is a Ted Talk; I recently discovered on the Londolozi blog from Boyd Varty, given on the day that Nelson Mandela died…. He talks about something that I truly believe in, a sense that your well-being is really tied to the well-being of others. Living your life as such, believing and acting on this principle.

He takes it further and applies it to wild creatures when he talks about an Elephant named “Elvis”. When I was at Londolozi, I saw this elephant, I even have some images of her in my computer files. Here is one!

Elvis Feeds
Elvis Feeds

We thought the same. Why isn’t she food for the Lions? How is she surviving? It’s because the elephants in her group were protecting her, moving more slowly, assisting her across the difficult ground of the African bush.

See what Boyd Varty means by the African concept of Ubuntu. (I am because of you) in this wonderful and important TED Talk…

The other Ted talks in this link from the Londolozi blog are very good and inspiring, but Boyd Varty’s touch me in a very personal way, because I have been at Londolozi, and I share a similar life view!

http://blog.londolozi.com/…/3-ted-talks-that-connect-wilde…/

Let me know what you think….

 

If you are going to Africa on a photography safari, and would like some advice on what gear to take, what particular photography situations are unique to photographing in East or South Africa, etc., I would be happy to share my knowledge.

You can reach and email me at bruce@dreamcatcherimages.net

More of my African images from my recent trip to East Africa in January 2015 are on Bruce’s Flickr Photostream.

 

Nothing Stirs A Male Lion Like?

Something Attracts A Male Lion's Attention
Something Attracts A Male Lion’s Attention

Nothing stirs a male lion like, the laughing cackling call of hyenas. They are mortal enemies. When the numbers favor them, hyenas in large gangs chase female lions off kills. As cubs, lions live in fear of hyenas, for hyenas will kill lion cubs if they can. With incidences from their youth, male lions remember and as adults will go out of their way to kill hyenas. It’s war; combat where lives are at stake.

This male lion perked up during the midday heat when he heard the far-off call of hyenas. You can see the alertness and the readiness to engage in battle if the threat comes.

We were patrolling in the vastness of the Serengeti, heading south from our lodge in the middle of this giant National Park. We would follow the tree-lined valleys looking for game. These valleys were a good place to find leopards, but not today. As the trees petered out, we came upon a pan, with a little water in the middle of a sea of grass.

It was here that we found two male lions. One seemed a bit younger, a red devil, with a very reddish mane, and not fully grown in. Not brothers because of the difference in ages, but probably cousins, and from the same pride. Their mothers were probably sisters. Both were lounging along the water of this recently filled pan when we coast up to them in our land rover.

Male Lion Flips Tail Along Pan Edge While Lying With A Older Male Lion
Male Lion Flips Tail Along Pan Edge While Lying With A Older Male Lion

It was my first trip to the Serengeti and East Africa. Like many, I was really struck by the vastness of the plains. Here in the southern Serengeti, there weren’t many trees. These plains extended all the way to the horizon, shimmering in the midday heat.

When the distant hyena calls became louder indicating the hyena clan was getting closer. The larger and older of the two males awoke from his lazy sleepy place along the pan. After pacing around a bit, he faced the direction of the calls and tested the wind; here was an aroused big cat ready to do battle.

It was a moment we were hoping for, some action, and this big cat gave us everything we could have ask for as he sat up and tested the wind for his enemy. Here in this image you really could see and feel his intent; this male lion is truly the “King of the Beasts”.

With Lions disappearing in Africa, down to less than twenty thousand, and the latest trophy hunting controversy and killing of Cecil, the famous male lion, in Zimbabwe. I felt lucky and humbled to have seen these two male lions and shared a little time with them, just being in their magnificent presence was so special.

Male Lion Walks Along The Edge Of A Serengeti Pan
Male Lion Walks Along The Edge Of A Serengeti Pan

I hope to go back to East Africa, maybe, next summer, in the dry season this time. Maybe, a visit to Kenya and the Masa Mara too. If you would like to join me and experience moments like these images depict, please stay tuned, my friend John is working on another trip.  Africa is an incredible place, and in the Game Reserves and National Parks, you still can see wild Africa as it once was.