John Cang Photography Favorite Photo Locations

FEBRUARY & MARCH -- South Florida Wildlife

Mid February to mid March is my favorite time to photograph birds in South Florida. Water level has dropped and birds, more concentrated and easier to locate, are adorned in finest breeding plumage. Swallow-tailed kites return from South America, and osprey chicks are starting to hatch. Days are pleasant, evenings are cool, and bugs have not yet taken over.

From the mud flats and beaches of Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island to the swamps and cypress forests of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, South Florida has a variety of productive habitats that are magnets for birds, small mammals, and reptiles.

Along the west coast you can stay in Fort Myers or Cape Coral, and be within comfortable commuting distance to the above locations, as well as Myakka River State Park, the heronry in Venice, and even Shark Valley -- the northern entrance to Everglades National Park.

For an early morning visit to the Anhinga Trail, Mrazek Pond, and Eco Pond through the southeastern entrance to the Everglades, you will need to relocate to Homestead or Florida City. From there, Loxahatchee and Wakodahatchee Wildlife Refuges are also within easy reach.

See more Florida bird photos here.

Click photos to enlarge

APRIL & MAY -- Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay

Both bays are havens for wildlife all year round, but spring is the best time to photograph these locations.

Monterey Bay Area
Point Lobos State Reserve -- a few miles south of Monterey Bay -- is an excellent location for photographing both marine mammals and birds. Early April is a good time to see harbor seals and sea otters with young at Whaler's Cove. Weston Beach at morning low tide is also good for photographing shore birds, such as oyster catcher and turnstone. Bird Island, at the far end of the Reserve, is a thriving cormorant breeding colony most years. The short hiking trail to Bird Island is good for spotting pygmy nuthatch and scrub jay. Point Lobos is also very scenic, but challenging to photograph because of its late opening and early closing times. Gate hours are seasonal, so call ahead before you visit.

On the north side of the Bay, along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, look for pigeon guillemots nesting on cliff faces, oyster catchers feeding on mussel-encrusted rocky shelves, brown pelicans gliding along the crest of incoming waves, gray whales and dolphins cruising offshore. Nearby, the arboretum at the University of California Santa Cruz is a great place to photograph hummingbird and quail.

San Francisco Bay Area
Amidst the hustle and bustle of high-tech Silicon Valley, Palo Alto Baylands Preserve is a haven for local and migratory birds. In May this location is a hot spot for photographing nesting avocet and black-necked stilt. Walk the levee trail that passes in front of the visitor center, or the boardwalk that extends over the salt marsh. Birds are habituated to people and build nests near these paths. Resident forster's terns routinely perform their high-dive fishing act in the water channel in front of the visitor center. Previously uncommon in northern California, about a dozen black skimmers are now regularly seen in the Charleston Slough area, one exit south of Palo Alto Baylands. Look for skimming activity around sunset.

See more photos of California birds here.

JUNE -- Yellowstone National Park

Most people visit Yellowstone during the summer when kids are out of school. Serious photographers prefer late September when the Park is less crowded, and rutting elk put on quite a show. However, early June is my favorite time to photograph Yellowstone -- the landscape is lush and green, waterfalls are at their thunderous best, wildflowers are blooming, and wildlife is gearing up for a busy season of rearing young.

Elk calves are born about this time, and their anxious mothers are constantly alert for hungry grizzly and black bears fresh out of hibernation. Bison and moose calves are much cuter than their adult counterparts. Yellow-bellied marmots and their energetic youngsters scamper on top of lichen-covered rocks at Sheepeater Cliffs. Bull elk and bighorn rams hang around in small photogenic groups. Spring is also the best time to photograph birds in Yellowstone. Trumpeter swan, osprey, sandhill crane, mountain bluebird, clark's nutcracker, yellow-headed blackbirds, grouse, woodpeckers and waterfowl are likely subjects.

During midday hours, when wildlife activity slows, check out the colorful thermal features found throughout the Park.

JULY -- Canadian Rockies

The second half of July is prime time to photograph landscape and wildlife along the beautiful stretch of Canadian Rockies from Banff to Jasper. The days are long, wildflowers are abundant, and wildlife is more relaxed and easier to photograph.

Banff and Yoho National Parks
The Banff/Lake Louise region offers numerous alpine lakes with gorgeous mountain reflections. Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Herbert Lake, Bow Lake, and Peyto Lake are my favorite morning destinations, while Mt. Rundle reflected in the Vermillion Lakes is a prime choice for evening light. Emerald Lake, Natural Bridge, and Takakkaw Falls are photogenic locations in nearby Yoho National Park.

On overcast days look for flowers and other macro subjects around Moraine Lake, Herbert Lake, and along Bow Valley Parkway. Wildlife is typically more active on cool, overcast days -- look for bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and elk around Lake Minnewanka. If you like colorful canoes in your composition try Moraine Lake and Emerald Lake.

After a sunrise photo session there are few things in life much better than the aroma of coffee and pastries at Laggan's Bakery in Lake Louise Village. The Cilantro Restaurant at Emerald Lake, with bright yellow umbrellas on the patio, offers an exceptional lunch menu. Warning: a visit to Laggan's and Cilantro will significantly reduce your photographic output that day -- it's very difficult to drag yourself and your photo buddies away from the table once you have experienced their delicious offerings.

Jasper National Park
The distance between Lake Louise and Jasper is about 145 miles, but photographers usually take about eight hours to complete this spectacular drive along the Icefields Parkway. At the Columbia Icefield Centre you can walk up to the foot of the receding Athabasca Glacier, or ride the Snocoach -- a cross between school bus and monster truck -- onto the glacier itself. At the turnaround point, passengers are given the opportunity to exit the Snocoach and walk on the glacier surface. It's an interesting experience -- somewhat akin to walking in a slushy upstate New York parking lot in February.

Jasper National Park has its share of scenic beauty -- Medicine Lake, Maligne Lake, Mt. Edith Cavell, Pyramid Lake, Patricia Lake, and Athabasca Falls are all worthy landscape subjects. The Park, however, also provides outstanding opportunity for wildlife photography. Elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, deer, moose, coyote, black bear and spruce grouse are often seen along Highway 16 north of Jasper, Maligne Lake Road, and the drive up Mt. Edith Cavell.

My usual mode of operation in the Canadian Rockies is to concentrate on landscape in Banff/Lake Louise and work on wildlife in Jasper. You can read more about the Canadian Rockies in this article.

AUGUST -- Southeast Alaska

Each year, from July through September, thousands of salmon return from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in clear, gravel-filled streams that wind through the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. This high concentration of fish attracts grizzly bears, black bears, mink, bald eagles and even gray wolves.

Grizzly bears utilize a variety of fishing methods: the more experienced ones slowly walk midstream and pounce on unwary salmon, while younger bears sprint after fish in splashy exuberance. Black bears are more discrete and seem to prefer the ambush method -- hiding among overhanging brush along the banks and belly-flopping onto passing fish.

A short drive into the coastal mountains provide exceptional images of glaciers, waterfalls, and wildflowers.

You can read more about wild and scenic Southeast Alaska in this article.

SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER -- Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Yellowstone
Yellowstone in autumn is standing on the edge of a frosty meadow on a clear, cool morning, waiting for sunrise to illuminate a dominant bull elk guarding a harem of more than a dozen females...its frost-covered antlers sparkling in sunlight as it raises its head to answer a bugle from an unseen challenger in the surrounding pine forest.

Pronghorn antelope are also engaged in rutting activity in late September at the north end of the Old Gardiner Road. Bighorn rams hang around in bachelor groups on the hills south of Gardiner, and are easy to photograph if you don't mind hiking uphill with photo gear. Bison and coyote are often seen in the Hayden Valley. Re-introduced wolves are sometimes seen in the Lamar Valley, usually at a distance, very early and late in the day. The road to Mt. Washburn is good for spotting both grizzly and black bears.

The smaller critters of Yellowstone are just as fun to photograph. Look for pikas in the Hoodoos area south of Mammoth Hot Springs; trumpeter swans on the Madison River near 7-mile bridge; great gray owl near Canyon Village; American dipper along the Yellowstone River. Of course, the Park's thermal features are always entertaining, colorful, and unique.

Grand Teton
Located just south of Yellowstone, Grand Teton NP is an ideal extension to your fall travels. The majestic peaks of the Teton Range are always impressive, and, combined with fall colors, make for exceptionally beautiful compositions. Although you can photograph from just about any roadside pullout, my favorite locations for landscape and moose are Oxbow Bend and Schwabacher Landing. Also look for moose along Moose-Wilson Road south of the visitor center.

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER -- Bosque Del Apache NWR, New Mexico

There are few things more wondrous than the sight and sound of thousands of snow geese exploding into flight at sunrise. With the Chupadera Mountains for background and thousands of sandhill cranes in reflective ponds for foreground, you begin to get an idea of the great photo opportunities available at this picturesque wildlife refuge.

Watch for coyotes hunting snow geese around the corn fields in the north loop. Road runner, meadow lark, mountain blue bird, kestrel, and waterfowl are frequently seen around the south loop. Mule deer are rutting in early December, and big bucks are less wary, and easier to photograph this time of year.

You can read more about Bosque in this article, and see more Bosque birds here.

JANUARY -- Elephant Seals Of Central California

Northern elephant seals are ocean dwellers, coming ashore twice a year -- to breed in winter, and molt in summer. Since photos of molting seals are not very attractive most of my visits are during the winter months when pups are born and raised.

In early December the males start to arrive at sheltered beaches along the central coast of California. Mature males compete for the best stretches of beach to attract the most females when they arrive to give birth. Pups, fed on nature's richest milk, wean in about 4 weeks. By then they're 400 pound bowling balls, ready to fend for themselves. After pups are weaned females usually mate with the dominant male in their area before returning to sea. Skirmishes break out when less dominant males try to sneak in for for some mating action. Prolonged and bloody battles are sometimes fought by evenly matched dominant males when their territories overlap. After mating, females return to sea, followed by the males after all females have left. Pups remain on the beach till May, living off their fat and learning to swim.

Historically, elephant seals have favored isolated offshore breeding locations such as the Farallon and Channel Islands. However, by the mid 1970s overcrowding has forced the seals onto more mainland beaches. Ano Nuevo State Beach and Point Piedras Blancas are home to two of the larger colonies along California's central coast.

These marine mammals are fascinating wildlife subjects by themselves, but when combined with a ruggedly beautiful coastline, it's one of the most rewarding photographic experiences in the West during winter months.