I went down to La Jolla this morning to see how many brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) are there. (The California race of brown pelicans has been experiencing a mysterious malady this year, with many pelicans being found weak and disoriented far away from their usual habitat.) I had not been down there since December. The plumage colors on the birds were much more vivid than I saw on my last visit in December, but there were very few pelicans flying about. Given that flight photo opportunities were hard to come by, I concentrated on portraits.
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Brown pelican preening, cleaning its feathers after foraging on the ocean, with distinctive winter breeding plumage with distinctive dark brown nape, yellow head feathers and red gular throat pouch. La Jolla, California, USA.
Image: 22527
Species: Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California, USA
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Brown pelican portrait, displaying winter breeding plumage with distinctive dark brown nape, yellow head feathers and red gular throat pouch. La Jolla, California, USA.
Image: 22529
Species: Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California, USA
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Brown pelican portrait, displaying winter breeding plumage with distinctive dark brown nape, yellow head feathers and red gular throat pouch. La Jolla, California, USA.
Image: 22532
Species: Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California, USA
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La Jolla, California, USA.
Image: 22542
Species: Larus occidentalis
Location: La Jolla, California, USA
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See our Guide to Photographing Pelicans in La Jolla.
See more brown pelican photos.
The Tijuana River Valley, which skirts the U.S. - Mexico border, has a huge pollution problem. The Tijuana River, which passes through Tijuana before crossing into the United States, collects huge amounts of trash and debris with each winter’s storms. The plastic bottles, cans, tires, garbage bags, clothes, and sewage then washes downstream into the United States. While the liquid pollutants flow with the river until it empties into the Pacific Ocean in Imperial Beach, the rest of the debris washes up on the edges of the Tijuana River Valley or is trapped in vegetation. It is a depressing sight to behold.
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Pollution accumulates in the Tijuana River Valley following winter storms which flush the trash from Tijuana in Mexico across the border into the United States. Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, USA.
Image: 22546
Location: Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, USA
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Pollution accumulates in the Tijuana River Valley following winter storms which flush the trash from Tijuana in Mexico across the border into the United States. Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, USA.
Image: 22549
Location: Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, USA
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Pollution accumulates in the Tijuana River Valley following winter storms which flush the trash from Tijuana in Mexico across the border into the United States. Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, USA.
Image: 22555
Location: Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, USA
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See more Tijuana River Valley pollution photos and Imperial Beach pollution photos.
One of the best dives I ever had in the Galapagos Islands occurred while freediving during our 1998 trip there, at Cousins Rock. It was a beautiful sunny day, we were eating lunch al fresco on the deck of the Lammer Law after a late morning dive. I convinced our naturalists to let me skip lunch and swim over to the rock since I had seen quite a few gregarious Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus californianus wollebacki) in the water there earlier. Tracy said she wanted to nap after lunch but the guys gave me the ok to swim to the rock on my own so I grabbed a camera, hopped in and went over to the rock. No other boats were at Cousins which meant I was the only one there for the sea lions to play with. Shortly after I got among them, I noticed two young ones playing with what looked like a baggie or balloon. As I got closer I realized they had pulled a poor hapless puffer fish from the reef and were playing with it, passing it back and forth and dragging it about by its tail. The puffer was freaked out and totally puffed up. (Puffers puff when they freak, sort of like hippies and Democrats). Soon one of them pulled it to me and dropped it off. I kid you not. I look at it for a moment as it paddled around in front of me, far from the safety of its reef, before the two hoodlum sea lions grabbed it and dragged it about again. Then dropped it off for me. This went on for a while. After I got over the hilarity of it, I regained enough presence of mind to snap off a few photos. Ken Howard once insisted that I submit this to some photo contests, but I am convinced the judges would disqualify it believing that I was harrassing the fish and artificially setting up the photo so I never bothered. Yes, the fish was being harrassed, but not by me. Eventually the sea lions tired of their toy and let it go. I can confirm that it made it back to the reef, probably stunned and battered but likely to live another day.
More Galapagos sea lion photos, and photos from the Galapagos Islands.
The last time I dove Cousins Rock, one of the finer dive sites in the Galapagos Islands, I was set up to photograph sea horses. I rarely shoot macro, but on this trip I was burned out from two weeks of diving and swimming long distances (the currents are strong in the Galapagos Islands), and I planned to settle down on one of the ledges at Cousins and just shoot the sea horses. After a few minutes on the ledge, I felt a nudge on my shoulder. A young Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus californianus wollebacki) is laying down beside me, watching what I am doing. I had no idea it was there. It hangs out for a few minutes, playing with the smooth stones that are found on the ledges (probably left there by other sea lions), and finally leaves to swim up to the surface for a breath of air. A few minutes later there it is again, right beside me. It stayed with me like this for the entire hour-long dive. What a pleasant and mellow companion, willing to just hang out with me and relax! I eventually obliged it by taking its portrait, converted here to black and white.
More Galapagos sea lion photos, and photos from the Galapagos Islands.
Of all marine animals — I have seen many different kinds, large and small — the most appealing to me are pinnipeds (sea lions, fur seals, seals). Here is one, a cute little Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus californianus wollebacki) pup photographed on North Seymour Island just a few yards away from where the magnificent frigatebird in the previous post was observed. Galapagos sea lions are very closely related to California sea lions, indeed they are just a subspecies.
More Galapagos sea lion photos, and photos from the Galapagos Islands.
One of the great surprises I had the first time I visited the Galapagos Islands was how much I enjoyed the bird life there. Seabirds seabirds everywhere! The most enjoyable to watch are the frigatebirds (Fregata sp.). Pirates of the air and sea, frigatebirds don’t catch their own food, rather they have adapted to steal it from other birds. They carry out their felonious work in flight. It is not uncommon to see one or more frigates chasing a gull or booby as the victim returns from sea to its island nest with a mouthful or belly-full of hard-earned food. The frigates, which are unbelievably maneuverable in the air due to their extremely high ratio of wing span to body weight, harrass their victim in flight until it spits out, or worse, barfs up, its food. The frigates peel away and drop like fiends, scooping the food out of the air before it hits the water. The hapless victim is left to its nest, or to return to the sea to forage again. Here is a photo of an adult male magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) with its red throat pouch inflated in a courtship display, photographed on North Seymour Island in the central Galapagos.
If one is along the southern or eastern sides of the Salton Sea, one simply cannot miss the plumes of steam that are released from the several geothermal power generation plants that are there. These facilities tap the heat that resides deep in the Earth’s crust to produce electricity. A pair of wells are drilled deep into the earth, sometimes as far as two miles. Water is passed down the “injection well” until it reaches the superhot geothermal reserve deep underground, at which point it is heated. The superhot water rises up through the “production well” to the power plant, becoming steam. The force of the steam turns conventional steam turbine rotors which in turn generate electricity. Note that no fuels are burned in the process! After leaving the rotors, the steam is condensed into liquid water in cooling towers (which produce the tall plumes of steam one see’s rising from the power generation plant) and then returned back into the earth in the injection well to renew the cycle.
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Steam is released from a geothermal power generation plant near the Salton Sea in Imperial County. Geothermal power generation uses steam heated deep within the Earth’s crust to power turbines and generate electricity. Imperial County has more than 11 known geothermal fields in the Brawley and Salton Sea areas and holds great potential for the generation of electicity by tapping into this geothermal energy source. Imperial County, California, USA.
Image: 22520
Location: Imperial County, California, USA
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Steam is released from a geothermal power generation plant near the Salton Sea in Imperial County. Geothermal power generation uses steam heated deep within the Earth’s crust to power turbines and generate electricity. Imperial County has more than 11 known geothermal fields in the Brawley and Salton Sea areas and holds great potential for the generation of electicity by tapping into this geothermal energy source. Imperial County, California, USA.
Image: 22518
Location: Imperial County, California, USA
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See more geothermal power generation plant photos.
My friend Jim Campbell told me about a nest of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) he found near the Salton Sea. So while I was driving around out there, I went by to see if I could find them. I honestly didn’t think I would find any. Yet there they were, exactly were Jim described!. They were so small I nearly overlooked them. One of the pair never really came out of the burrow, just peeking its head out occasionally, but the other stood watch while I was there. These little owls are only about 10″ tall. They occupy burrows that have been dug by rodents and other animals, and sometimes will use piping or irrigation equipment in lieu of a dirt burrow. Burrowing owls will nest and rear their chicks from February through July or August. I may go back and take another look at this owl later this spring in the hope that his (her?) chicks are old enough to peek out of the burrow.
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Burrowing owl (Western North American race hypugaea). This 10-inch-tall burrowing owl is standing besides its burrow. These burrows are usually created by squirrels, prairie dogs, or other rodents and even turtles, and only rarely dug by the owl itself. Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA.
Image: 22478
Species: Athene cunicularia, Athene cunicularia hypugaea
Location: Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA
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A burrowing owl peeks out of a drainage pipe. This 10-inch-tall burrowing owl is standing besides its burrow. These burrows are usually created by squirrels, prairie dogs, or other rodents and even turtles, and only rarely dug by the owl itself. Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA.
Image: 22479
Species: Athene cunicularia, Athene cunicularia hypugaea
Location: Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA
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See more burrowing owl photos.
Bombay Beach is a small community on the edge of the Salton Sea. When I say “on the edge”, I mean literally, to the point that the community is in danger of being flooded if the water level in the Salton Sea rises even just a few feet. In spite of the high dirt berm surrounding the homes in Bombay Beach, it is clear that flooding has been a problem in the past. One area in particular, which is outside the berm, has seen much better days. It looks like some kind of post-nuclear bad dream, with battered and fallen shacks and trailer homes wasting away in what looks like crusty salt and mud permafrost.
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Bombay Beach, lies alongside and below the flood level of the Salton Sea, so that it floods occasionally when the Salton Sea rises. A part of Bombay Beach is composed of derelict old trailer homes, shacks and wharfs, slowly sinking in the mud and salt. Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA.
Image: 22488
Location: Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA
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Bombay Beach, lies alongside and below the flood level of the Salton Sea, so that it floods occasionally when the Salton Sea rises. A part of Bombay Beach is composed of derelict old trailer homes, shacks and wharfs, slowly sinking in the mud and salt. Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA.
Image: 22493
Location: Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, USA
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More photos of Bombay Beach and photos of the Salton Sea.
I recently made a trip out to Anza Borrego Desert State Park to take a look at how the wildflowers are developing there. I arrived at sunrise and took a look at a few of the spots I go to for flowers to see what was blooming and what is yet to come. I saw plenty of the usual species starting to appear: desert lily, dune evening primrose, and sand verbena in particular. However, while it looks like it will be good in a week or two, I did not see any broad expanses of blooms that got me sufficiently interested to get the camera out so I hopped back in the car. Rather than go home, I decided to check out the Salton Sea, a place I had never really looked at before. One of the places I stopped is named Salvation Mountain. Unfortunately I did not meet Leonard Knight while I was there, but it was fun to walk around and admire his amazing creation.
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Salvation Mountain, near the desert community of Slab City and the small town of Niland on the east side of the Salton Sea. Built over several decades by full-time resident Leonard Knight, who lives at the site, Salvation Mountain was built from over 100,000 gallons of paint, haybales, wood and metal and was created by Mr. Knight to convey the message that “God Loves Everyone”. Salvation Mountain, Niland, California, USA.
Image: 22506
Location: Salvation Mountain, Niland, California, USA
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Image: 22514
Location: Salvation Mountain, Niland, California, USA
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After enjoying Salvation Mountain I took a look at nearby Slab City. Hmmm. Well. Yes. Indeed. After five minutes I decided I had my fill of the Slab City and moved on down the road.
I am very fortunate to have one of my blue whale photos (Balaenoptera musculus) appear in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Magazine. It is an image of a whale’s dorsal ridge and fluke, taken underwater, in the “Inside Geographic” section near the end of the magazine which describes an upcoming NG television special about blue whales and the researchers who study them. It is related to the excellent article on blue whales appearing earlier in the same issue, written by Kenneth Brower and beautifully photographed by the world’s foremost whale photographer, Flip Nicklin.
Blue whale, National Geographic Magazine, March 2009, copyright Phillip Colla
The rolling hills of Atascadero, decorated with power transmission lines and signal towers, sunrise.
Another panorama from our 1997 trip to Yellowstone National Park. Seen here is the Lamar Valley, sometimes referred to as America’s Serengeti for its displays of bison, elk, antelope, bear and most notably, its famous wolf packs.
This is another panorama made with the Panasonic Lumix. Since I was touring the park with my father and my daughter, and since much of what we were seeing was new to them, we were on the move and seeing as much as we could. For this reason serious photography, which usually requires time and patience, was not in the cards, so instead of setting up for “real panoramas” I would instead hop out and blast off a series of frames with our point-and-shoot. I was using the Lumix in manual mode using RAW format so I was able to process the photos into reasonably high quality images when I got home, resulting in panoramas that stitched together cleanly and have great detail.
See more panoramic photos and Yellowstone National Park photos.
In 1997 we made a visit to Yellowstone National Park in late fall to see the elk rut and were blessed with a few days of light snow. Not the bone chilling cold of Yellowstone in winter, but “winter lite” just perfect for we underdressed southern Californians. We spent most of our time watching elk along the Madison River, seen here with a dusting of snow and overcast skies:
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Madison River, snow-covered banks and cold winter air, panorama, composite of 7 individual photographs.
Image: 22448
Pano dimensions: 3921 x 11093
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The above panorama was made with the good gear (digital slr, good glass). You can see another panoramic photo of the Madison river shot handheld with our nifty Panasonic Lumix micro-mini-handy-cam, which stitched surprisingly well with contains super detail.
See more panoramic photos and Yellowstone National Park photos.
One more photo of San Diego, then on to other things. Seen here are the high rise office buildings along the waterfront of downtown San Diego, lit with warm sunset light. Dominating the foreground is the USS Midway, a US Navy aircraft carrier that is now permanently docked in San Diego and which serves as a naval museum and a testament to San Diego’s rich Navy tradition and history.
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Downtown San Diego and USS Midway. The USS Midway was a US Navy aircraft carrier, launched in 1945 and active through the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, as of 2008 a museum along the downtown waterfront in San Diego. San Diego, California, USA.
Image: 22289
Location: San Diego, California, USA
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The Coast Highway, also known as Highway 101 or Coast Blvd, is one of the gems of San Diego County. It takes on somewhat different names as it passes through the beachside communities of La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad. It passes spectacular ocean views, funky cafes and galleries, upscale restaurants, a few state parks and some very nice real estate. In this photo looking south, the Coast Highway passes alongside Torrey Pines State Beach and climbs past Torrey Pines Reserve. La Jolla is in the distance. The mouth of Los Penasquitos Marsh connects with the ocean in the center of the photograph. If you are a runner, consider this stretch of highway and beach “A-list.”
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We made several loops over downtown as the sun dropped to the horizon, eventually passing by the San Diego Covention Center. It is really a big facility and looks quite different from the air than when I have seen it from the entrance near the Gaslamp District. Just a few seconds after the photo below was made, I took a nice photo of Petco Park just a short distance away (as the crow flies).
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San Diego Convention Center, located in the Marina District of downtown San Diego. Built in 1989, the San Diego Convention Center offers 525,700 square feet of exhibit space. It is noted for its distinctive “sails” made of Teflon-coated fiberglass suspended over the central exhibition hall, aptly named Sails Pavilion. San Diego, California, USA.
Image: 22290
Location: San Diego, California, USA
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See more Photos of San Diego.
The sun had set and we were en route back to land the helicopter. Rather than spacing out as I am wont to do, for some reason I was paying attention and just happened to notice this juxtaposition of La Jolla’s Mount Soledad and distant San Clemente Island. I rattled off a bunch of frames, but since the light level was very low I had a tough time getting enough shutter speed to freeze the image in the copter. I ended up with one keeper:
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Here is a view of Petco Park and downtown San Diego with San Diego Bay in the background.
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One of the most striking sights during our flight over San Diego was the San Diego - Coronado Bridge. Arching high over San Diego Bay, the Coronado Bridge connects San Diego with the “island” community of Coronado and North Island Naval Air Station. Coronado is not truly an island as it is connected with the mainland with the long, skinny Strand, but approaching Coronado along the Strand requires a long detour through Imperial Beach. The Coronado Bridge was built high enough that large Navy boats can sail beneath it. And the bridge sections are designed to float so that, in the event that a disaster occurs and the bridge is destroyed, the bridge pieces can be easily moved out of the way so that Navy vessels can move quickly through the area. In this photo looking north, Coronado Island is seen to the left and downtown San Diego to the right.
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San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is to the left, and downtown San Diego is to the right in this view looking north. San Diego, California, USA.
Image: 22288
Location: San Diego, California, USA
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See more of our San Diego Photos.
