Finally! I've been wanting to see one of these weirdos for years. I'm not sure why it looks herniated, but I definitely fatally injured another while digging it up, so maybe I nicked this one too. The shovel is definitely not the kindest tool for finding sand/mud-dwellers. Would a pitchfork be better? I really didn't dig much more than a shovel's depth, and I wanted to get at things like horse clams I'd definitely need the shovel to go deeper.

I think this is the most beautiful marine worm I've seen yet! Its tail end was encased in muddy sand, and it measured maybe about 9" long. Details of its paddles and head, shown with my macro lens, are amazing, as is its iridescence.

A family of San Joaquin Kit foxes including an adult male and female with 6 pups was seen on 2 consecutive days. A photo is of a pup with a Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata.
Also photos of the adults, pups and a den.

The absolute highlight of my day. I have never seen a mink so unconcerned to have people looking at him. He went about his business swimming and grooming and doing his bouncy little run across the grass, and even came within about 6 feet of me of his own accord. A very pleasant surprise!

Here's also a short phone video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e--bvvspxnM

I went down to my swimming spot with the aim ofremoving some branches from a tree which had fallen across the river. As I arrived I disturbed a young Fish Eagle who was sitting on this tree. Rustling in the undergrowth on the opposite bank alerted Dog and me that we were not alone and soon an otter popped up its head, sending the dog into a fit (she probably thought it was a swimming honey badger). Another otter also started popping up and down and doing a sort of long moan-growl. To my surprise the closer otter started making a bee-line for us and was probably only 3m away from the dog when I called her back. After a while they settled down so I entered the water to commence my pruning task, keeping a close eye on the nearest otter. Dog was sensibly sticking to the bank. After a few minutes I noticed the otter had moved closer, was staring at me intently and again moan-growling. Being waist-deep in water with nothing for protection but a swimming costume and a folding saw, I decided to calmly retreat and the otter immediately snaked over and claimed the territory I had just vacated. Video here:

https://youtu.be/GHbui1YX31k

Spotted in open ground. With no rocks near by, it stretches its limbs and membrane to appear as big and threatening as possible. No touching or baiting involved, this is a classic defensive posture when a hiding place is not immediately available.