Brown pelican preening. After wiping its long beak on the uropygial gland near the base of its tail, the pelican spreads the preen oil on feathers about its body, helping to keep them water resistant, an important protection for a bird that spends much of its life diving in the ocean for prey. Adult winter non-breeding plumage showing white hindneck and red gular throat pouch.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 20033
SIO Pier. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier is 1090 feet long and was built of reinforced concrete in 1988, replacing the original wooden pier built in 1915. The Scripps Pier is home to a variety of sensing equipment above and below water that collects various oceanographic data. The Scripps research diving facility is located at the foot of the pier. Fresh seawater is pumped from the pier to the many tanks and facilities of SIO, including the Birch Aquarium. The Scripps Pier is named in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps, the most significant donor and benefactor of the Institution.
Location: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
Image ID: 38023
Rapid Bay Jetty Aerial Photo, South Australia. The now-derelict jetty (wharf, pier) at Rapid Bay is famous for great SCUBA diving, including opportunities to see leafy sea dragons.
Location: Rapid Bay Jetty, South Australia
Image ID: 39236
Perfect view of the ventral surface of a humpback whales fluke, as the whale raises its fluke just before diving underwater. The white patches and scalloping along the trailing edge of the fluke make this whale identifiable when it is observed from year to year.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Santa Rosa Island, California
Image ID: 27031
A California brown pelican entangled in a plastic bag which is wrapped around its neck. This unfortunate pelican probably became entangled in the bag by mistaking the floating plastic for food and diving on it, spearing it in such a way that the bag has lodged around the pelican's neck. Plastic bags kill and injure untold numbers of marine animals each year.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 22575
Gray whale raising its fluke (tail) in front of a boat of whale watchers before diving to the ocean floor to forage for crustaceans, Cow Bay, Flores Island, near Tofino, Clayoquot Sound, west coast of Vancouver Island.
Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Location: Cow Bay, Flores Island, British Columbia, Canada
Image ID: 21184
Brown pelican flying while entangled in plastic bag wrapped around its neck. I believe the pelican probably became entangled in the bag by mistaking the floating plastic for food and diving on it, spearing it in such a way that the bag has lodged around the pelican's neck.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, Pelecanus occidentalis
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 40120
Gray whale raising fluke before diving, on southern migration to calving lagoons in Baja.
Location: San Diego, California
Image ID: 30468
A California brown pelican entangled in a plastic bag which is wrapped around its neck. This unfortunate pelican probably became entangled in the bag by mistaking the floating plastic for food and diving on it, spearing it in such a way that the bag has lodged around the pelican's neck. Plastic bags kill and injure untold numbers of marine animals each year.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 22572
Perfect view of the ventral surface of a humpback whales fluke, as the whale raises its fluke just before diving underwater. The white patches and scalloping along the trailing edge of the fluke make this whale identifiable when it is observed from year to year.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Santa Rosa Island, California
Image ID: 27047
Blue whale and San Onofre Nuclear Power generating station, raising fluke prior to diving for food, fluking up, lifting tail as it swims in the open ocean foraging for food.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: Dana Point, California
Image ID: 27338
Blue whale and San Onofre Nuclear Power generating station, raising fluke prior to diving for food, fluking up, lifting tail as it swims in the open ocean foraging for food.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: Dana Point, California
Image ID: 27339
Blue whale and San Onofre Nuclear Power generating station, raising fluke prior to diving for food, fluking up, lifting tail as it swims in the open ocean foraging for food.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: Dana Point, California
Image ID: 27340