Phil Colla

Birds

When Clark’s Grebes and Western Grebes Walk on Water – The Courtship Behavior of Rushing Grebes

I am making a concerted effort this spring to photograph the rushing behavior of Clark's Grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) and Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis). I have seen plenty of grebes "walking on water" (rushing) as part of their elaborate array of courtship behaviors and have wanted to produce really top quality…

Phil CollaMarch 24, 2025

Pelicans of La Jolla

California Brown Pelicans in La Jolla, November through January

Again this winter I used La Jolla's California race of brown pelicans as a subject on which to practice through the winter while I am not diving or otherwise photographing. I am still using the same gear as last winter: Sony A-1 with 600/4 and 200-600 lenses. For the usual…

Phil CollaJanuary 23, 2025

Humpback Whale

2024 Song of the Humpback Whale and Remembering Doctor Dan

While in Moorea watching whales Tracy and I were fortunate to spend several hours listening to humpback whale song. I experienced whale song many times in Hawaii although that was 20+ years ago so the experience was no longer fresh in my mind. Tracy had heard whalesong as well but…

Phil CollaDecember 27, 2024

Best Photographs of the Year

Natural History Photography – My Favorite Photos of 2024

2024 brought very little diving around Southern California but instead surprised us with an array of new experiences and photo subjects. We managed to check off several bucket list items as well as a cross-town move and a cross-country road trip with a puppy. Locally, I did a little diving…

Phil CollaDecember 24, 2024

Aerial Photography Midriff Islands Sea of Cortez Underwater Photography

Diving Islas San Lorenzo in Baja California’s Midriff Islands, Mexico

After two days diving the waters around Isla San Pedro Martir, the Rocio del Mar departed with an overnight passage to a small group of islands to our northwest, Islas San Lorenzo. We spent only one day diving here, so I did not get to know the area as well…

Phil CollaDecember 16, 2024

Aerial Photography Midriff Islands Sea of Cortez Underwater Photography

Diving Isla San Pedro Martir in Baja California’s Midriff Islands, Mexico

After two days diving Isla Angel de la Guarda, we made an overnight crossing to Isla San Pedro Martir, a spectacular and remote island in the middle of the Sea of Cortez. Isla San Pedro Martir is a critical habitat for sea birds, and indeed the island is covered in…

Phil CollaDecember 15, 2024

Aerial Photography Midriff Islands Sea of Cortez Underwater Photography

Diving Isla Angel de la Guarda in Baja California’s Midriff Islands, Mexico

Midriffs Trip part 1 of 3: In July I spent a week diving the Midriff Islands in the Northern part of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). I had never been to these islands and had wanted to see them for decades to go along with the many other…

Phil CollaDecember 12, 2024

Islas Coronado Sea Lion Underwater Photography

Sea Lions in the Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico, Fall 2024

I managed several trips in October and November to the Coronado Islands, in northern Baja California just south of San Diego, to dive with California Sea Lion pups (Zalophus californianus) at the "Lobster Shack" rookery. I try to visit each fall when the combination of dive conditions and sea lion…

Phil CollaDecember 9, 2024

Birds Florida

Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral, Florida

Two things appear to abound in Cape Coral, a gulf coast town not far south of Fort Myers: retirees in golf cars and burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia floridana) . The former inhabit the bungalows that line the streets and canals. The latter inhabit burrows in yards, along street medians, in…

Phil CollaJune 14, 2024

Birds Florida

A Morning Photographing Birds at Fort De Soto Park, Florida

I decided to squeeze in a morning photographing shore birds at Fort De Soto Park, south of St. Petersburg. I got there as the gates opened just after sunrise and made my way to North Beach. There were a lot of shore birds, none of which I had much luck…

Phil CollaMay 14, 2024

Birds Florida

Wood Storks and Egrets at the Harley Davidson Rookery

While I was in the Tampa area to photograph Roseate Spoonbills at the Alafia Banks, I made a couple side trips to see the bird activity at the Harley Davidson rookery. This is a cool spot, behind the Harley Davidson store with a couple large trees situated in the middle…

Phil CollaMay 13, 2024

Birds Florida

Roseate Spoonbills at Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary in Florida

In March I spent some time in Florida to practice my bird photography. It was a fun and productive trip. In my experience, Florida has such a wealth of avian life that the photography is like shooting fish in a barrel. That is not to say my photographs are world…

Phil CollaMay 12, 2024

Bodysurfing Sea Lions San Diego Sea Lion

Surfing Sea Lions of La Jolla, Winter 2024

I have a long term project photographing bodysurfing sea lions. As usual, the winter season afforded me a few good opportunities to photograph the California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) bodysurfing waves at Boomer Beach near La Jolla Cove. In addition, there were unfortunately a few individuals on the point who…

Phil CollaApril 12, 2024

Desert San Diego The American Southwest Wildflowers

The Year of the Desert Lily: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflowers in Spring 2024

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park occasionally has exceptional spring wildflower blooms. 2024 was one of those years, it was a nice, fairly typical bloom and not a Superbloom. The last Superbloom we had in Anza-Borrego was in 2017. (And no, 2019 was not a superbloom). But the 2024 bloom in Anza-Borrego…

Phil CollaMarch 28, 2024

Birds La Jolla

Warblers, Whimbrels and Hummingbirds on the Coast Walk in La Jolla

I recently acquired a 600mm lens which I plan to use with 1.4x teleconverter often, probably for birds much of the time I suspect, and have been out practicing with it. The combination is too long for pelicans and sea lions, so I have been seeking smaller subjects. This time…

Phil CollaFebruary 27, 2024

Australia Marine Life Underwater Life

Finding Leafy Sea Dragons at Rapid Bay Jetty, South Australia

While cruising around South Australia and Kangaroo Island, we stopped at a couple jetties. I think of a jetty as a breakwater formed of large bolders or rocks, but in Australia a jetty can be a wharf or pier. The jetties we visited are both famous for hosting a wide…

Phil CollaFebruary 22, 2024

La Jolla Sea Lion

Wildlife Portrait Photography on Point La Jolla; Year-Round Closure Makes This a Thing of the Past

For many years I photographed wildlife on Point La Jolla, usually at sunrise. I'm referring to the flat tabletop reef below the walkway to the west of La Jolla Cove. That was a prime ocean entry for divers, spearfishermen and bodysurfers (I used it for 30+ years to access the…

Phil CollaFebruary 19, 2024

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

La Jolla Pelicans in Late January and Early February

The Pelicans in La Jolla were fantastic in December and early January but have been spotty for me since. One reason is that the wave action died down. Large waves make for great seabird photography since the water movement pushes the birds higher up on the cliffs and also fosters…

Phil CollaFebruary 18, 2024

Utah

Hite Crossing Bridge over the Colorado River, Utah

The Hite Crossing Bridge lies in the spectacular middle of nowhere, spanning the Colorado River in southern Utah near the north end of Lake Powell. It is the only crossing of the Colorado River on a 295 mile stretch (110 miles north at Moab and 185 miles south at Glen…

Phil CollaFebruary 9, 2024

Seabird

Brandt’s Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) Courtship and Nesting on Seacliffs in La Jolla, California

Late January and early February is an ideal time to see Brandt's Cormorants (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) practicing their courtship behaviors and building nests in preparation for egg laying in a few weeks. We had some storm activity in January which washed away most nests, but the cormorants have been rebuilding nests…

Phil CollaFebruary 6, 2024

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

Some of my Favorite Cluttered Pelican Images

The first two weeks of 2024 have been great as far as photographing wildlife in La Jolla is concerned. Many mornings the weather has been typically "winter perfect" (shorts and hoodie) and we have consistently had large swells rolling in which leads to a lot of flight activity in all…

Phil CollaJanuary 16, 2024

Bodysurfing Sea Lions La Jolla Sea Lion

California Sea Lions Bodysurfing at La Jolla Cove

I've been waiting and watching for weeks for the California sea lions at La Jolla Cove to begin bodysurfing. It's usually a winter behavior. I've seen small bouts of surfing from them recently but nothing worth photographing, until a few days ago. I guess they were waiting for last June's…

Phil CollaJanuary 15, 2024

Beautiful Views of San Diego Panoramas

New Sunrise Photographs of San Diego’s City Skyline

Each year I make several outings to shoot San Diego's beautiful skyline over San Diego Bay, from several of my favorite vantage points. I often license these images for real estate and convention use and want to keep them up-to-date as the skyline changes with new buildings and waterfront facilities.…

Phil CollaJanuary 8, 2024

Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla Surf

Silky Waves Break Over Point La Jolla

We had huge waves recently, which I have photographed in La Jolla a number of times. I wanted to shoot something different this time, not just a big wave lurching over Point La Jolla. So I shot at twilight, and placed some sea lions off to the side for scale.…

Phil CollaJanuary 5, 2024

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

La Jolla Seabirds in Late December

Our long run of perfect weather mornings changed, and my string of uninterrupted days photographing in La Jolla came to an end, in mid-December around Christmas. Still, I enjoyed several nice mornings including a few with good flight behavior. Most interesting were two days in which a large bait ball…

Phil CollaJanuary 3, 2024

Aerial Photography Beautiful Views of San Diego

Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach with Holiday Christmas Lights at Night

The Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, a bit north of San Diego proper, is a beautiful old wooden pier. Originally built in 1927 and once called "Pickering's Pleasure Pier", the Crystal Pier is home to the Crystal Pier Hotel and is an icon of the San Diego coastline. Each December,…

Phil CollaJanuary 2, 2024

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird Wisdom

Photographing California Brown Pelicans in La Jolla

Here are my thoughts and recommendations for photographing California brown pelicans in La Jolla. If you like these photos, you can also see lots more blog posts from past sessions photographing California brown pelicans in La Jolla. Or, I've got a gallery of some keepers on my website, but many…

Phil CollaJanuary 1, 2024

Best Photographs of the Year

Natural History Photography – My Favorite Photos of 2023

2023 brought a trip to dive the coast of South Australia, a little diving at the West End of Catalina and Farnsworth Banks, a few days diving around San Diego and a lot of diving among sea lions in the Coronado Islands in the fall for pups. Tracy and I…

Phil CollaDecember 31, 2023

La Jolla Surf

La Jolla Cove Big Surf December 29, 2023

La Jolla Cove experienced big surf December 29, 2023. Indeed, all of San Diego was getting giant waves for the entire weekend. I was out photographing several times, and the best waves I saw were just before sunset on December 29, straight out from La Jolla Cove. It was getting…

Phil CollaDecember 29, 2023

Birds Bosque del Apache New Mexico

Has Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge Jumped the Shark?

Has Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge jumped the shark? I fear that it may have. The bird photography at Bosque Del Apache NWR can be sensational from dawn to dusk, but the last couple years have felt "off" to me. Here are a few of my observations, contrasting early…

Phil CollaDecember 22, 2023

Birds Kenya Maasai Mara

Lilac-Breasted Roller, Coracias caudatus, Kenya

The Lilac-Breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) is my favorite bird in Kenya. It is not rare, although it is typically found in trees and large shrubs so if the area you are in is treeless you probably won't find one. It has an elegant profile and is a swift flyer, but…

Phil CollaDecember 20, 2023

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

Brown Pelicans in La Jolla, November into December

I photographed in La Jolla many mornings in late November and early December. One of my projects involves California sea lions but, while there have been many on the point, they were not exhibiting the behavior I was looking for, so after giving up on the sea lions I went…

Phil CollaDecember 19, 2023

Islas Coronado Sea Lion Underwater Photography

Young California Sea Lions Underwater in the Coronado Islands, Fall 2023

As I try to do every year, I did some diving at the Coronado Islands in October and November to watch California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Islas Coronado lie just south of the US border about 10 miles offshore of Tijuana, Mexico. The group of four islands and some rocks…

Phil CollaDecember 12, 2023

Aerial Photography Beautiful Views of San Diego La Jolla

Scripps Institution of Oceanography Research Pier with Holiday Christmas Lights at Night

Each December, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Research Pier is adorned with holiday Christmas lights and a tree at the end of the pier. It's a beautiful display. For about as long as I have owned a drone, I have flown it at sunset to capture the lights reflected in…

Phil CollaDecember 11, 2023

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

California Brown Pelican Breeding Plumage Study

I saw my first breeding California brown pelican of this winter's season yesterday. November is sort of on the early side for them. Many will be in winter colors at this time but won't have the dramatic brown hind-neck coloration until December or January. In any event, this one was…

Phil CollaNovember 29, 2023

Kenya Safari Wisdom

Wildlife Photography with the Sony Alpha One and Sony 200-600 Lens

I switched to a Sony Alpha One for my topside photography in May 2023. After shooting about 50,000 frames through it in Kenya and locally, I have thoughts.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 Background Over the past 20+ years I have owned many digital cameras from all three manufacturers (Nikon, Canon, Sony). My underwater gear…

Phil CollaNovember 24, 2023

Pelicans of La Jolla Sea Lion Seabird

November Waves and Wind, Pelicans and Sea Lions

We recently had an episode of Santa Ana winds, warm dry offshores that often glass off the ocean and bring skies clear of any clouds. I almost always go out to photograph at sunrise when Santa Anas are flowing, and this week was no exception. I was planning to look…

Phil CollaNovember 10, 2023

Birds San Diego

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) at Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego

Peregrin falcons (Falco peregrinus) have nested on the sheer cliffs overlooking the ocean at Torrey Pines State Reserve for years. This past spring I made a few visits to try to photograph them. Peregrins are considered the fastest animal on Earth, mostly for the 200 mph speeds they attain while…

Phil CollaJuly 28, 2023

Catalina Fish Underwater Photography

Photos of Giant Sea Bass Courtship, Mating and Spawning Groups at Catalina Island

Giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) are an enormous species of wreckfish (not a true bass) found in the kelp forests of California. Once known as "jewfish" and later as "black sea bass", giant sea bass are one of the most thrilling fish species divers will encounter in California. They are…

Phil CollaJuly 25, 2023

Australia Great White Shark Sea Lion

South Australia Marine Life Sampler, a Dive Trip on the M/V Rodney Fox

I recently joined friends for a 10-day dive trip on the M/V Rodney Fox in South Australia organized by Richard Salas. Richard organizes great trips and this one was no exception; we had a lot of fun and saw many new critters. The trip was intended to be a sampler…

Phil CollaApril 28, 2023

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