Pelican Flight in Butter Light
See our Guide to Photographing Pelicans in La Jolla.
Here are my two favorites from this morning. First is a brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in sweet morning light, taken just as the sun rose high enough to clear Mt. Soledad and throw light on the pelicans on the cliff. Second is a shot showing the Scripps Institute of Oceanography research pier in the background. When I was in grad school at UCSD, I used to work in the Norpax building on the SIO campus (upper right in the photo), overlooking the ocean.
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| Brown pelican in flight. The wingspan of the brown pelican is over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status. In winter months, breeding adults assume a dramatic plumage. La Jolla, California, USA. Image: 20051 Species: Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus Location: La Jolla, California, USA  |
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| Brown pelican in flight. The wingspan of the brown pelican is over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status. In winter months, breeding adults assume a dramatic plumage. La Jolla, California, USA. Image: 20053 Species: Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus Location: La Jolla, California, USA |
While down at the cliffs this morning I bumped into John Obenaus, with whom I had recently been exchanging email but had not yet had the pleasure of meeting, as well as old friend and diving buddy Randy Morse. I’m envious of John, who is on a year-long hiatus travelling and shooting all over the country and who has been in La Jolla for a few days. Randy was shooting with the wildlife photographers dream combo, the new Nikon D3 and a 200-400 lens.
