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Birds

Western Grebes and Clark’s Grebes Rushing on Lake Hodges BirdsSan Diego

Western Grebes and Clark’s Grebes Rushing on Lake Hodges

Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) exhibit some of the most elaborate and impressive courtship behavior found in the animal world, including various vocalizations, swimming movements, the exchange of nesting material ("weed ceremony") and, most notably, the "rushing ceremony".  When grebes rush, they rise entirely out of…
March 9, 2021
Seven of my Favorite Images #challengeonnaturephotography AlaskaAntarcticaBald EagleCaliforniaFijiHawaiiMexicoOcean SunfishPenguinSurfUnderwater Photography

Seven of my Favorite Images #challengeonnaturephotography

In December a Facebook "challenge" was making the rounds named #challengeonnaturephotography. One of my favorite underwater photographers, Allison Vitsky Sallmon, nominated me to give it a try, and these are the seven images I plucked from my files to share. Each bears a special place in my personal history of…
January 16, 2016
La Jolla Birds BirdsLa JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

La Jolla Birds

La Jolla birds as of this morning. I had until 8:45 before catching the end of Sarah's practice so I went down the coast highway. There were some waves in Encinitas but nothing special. Spectacular clearing mist at Torrey Pines at sunrise. In La Jolla the light changed much and…
February 7, 2015
Ghost Cormorant AbstractBirds

Ghost Cormorant

A cormorant speeds home to its nest in the La Jolla seacliffs, flying just above the waves. Shot long before sunrise, this image is blurred from the long time the shutter was open.
January 1, 2014
Braking to Land Pelicans of La JollaSeabird

Braking to Land

This morning offered about 30 minutes of good light before the clouds took the sun away. Here are a few of photographs of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) returning from the ocean where they have been foraging for food, spreading their large wings wide as they brake to land on…
December 16, 2012
Sunrise Pelican La JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

Sunrise Pelican

On a recent winter morning I found this adult California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) displaying the species' characteristic winter breeding plumage (note the chestnut hindneck) posing nicely as the distant sky took on the pre-sunrise purple glow. This is basically straight out of the camera. I did not adjust…
February 15, 2010
Brown Pelicans La JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

Brown Pelicans

This morning I photographed brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) in La Jolla. I really don't need any more photos of pelicans but the setting is so beautiful that I keep returning. I've enjoyed these cliffs for 30 years. (We used to cliff dive off of them in college but now…
February 13, 2010
Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata Birds

Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata

I photographed this Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) Sunday morning at Santee Lakes. The coast near my home was totally socked in with pea soup fog, but once I got inland to Santee Lakes the skies cleared. Santee Lakes has some great duck photography. I am not a bird-centric photographer, but…
October 20, 2009
Northern Cardinal Photo ArizonaBirds

Northern Cardinal Photo

Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). This was the other small songbird that I hoped to see in Arizona. It is very similar to the Pyrrhuloxia (see yesterday's post). In fact the female cardinal looks a lot like the male Pyrrhuloxia at first glance, although the shape of the beak (among other…
June 13, 2009
Pyrrhuloxia Photo ArizonaBirds

Pyrrhuloxia Photo

Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus). This was one of the two birds I was hoping to see in Arizona. In general, we do not see small colorful birds like this in Southern California (except for escaped exotics like parrots). At first I thought Pyrrhuloxia was the latin (scientific) name for this bird,…
June 12, 2009
Open Wide Pelicans of La JollaSeabird

Open Wide

When I first viewed the shots from the day this was taken, I nearly tossed this one. "Sick and ugly" I thought. However, Skip said he thought it was the best shot of that day. I still think it is rather hard on the eyes, but I'll hold on to…
February 4, 2009