Posts in Category: California
Sea Lions of La Jolla
Sea Lions, La Jolla Cove, California
As I have mentioned before, when I am in San Diego for the San Diego Birding Festival I always try to ge to La Jolla Cove for a morning with the Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Cormorants and Pelicans. This is a classic Sea Lion pile on the rocks of the sea cliffs of La Jolla.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program mode. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Anna’s Impossibly Bright
Anna’s Hummingbird, San Diego California
I pretty much had to force myself to go out yesterday morning in the light drizzle and heavy overcast, but the marsh and dunes behind my hotel at the mouth of the San Diego River Channel were just to tempting. And it was a great walk. Good close shots of Marbled Godwitts, a lone Willit, and a Whimbrel. And some dramatic seascapes off the end of the jetty. But the best treat was this male Anna’s Hummingbird that sat so that even the dull light lit its gorget and cap so brightly that it was just within the capture range of the camera. 🙂
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Burrowing Owl in Ice Plant: Happy Sunday!
Burrowing Owl, San Diego California
“If your eye is generous, your whole being is full of light!” Jesus
Yesterday the San Diego Birding Festival started at noon, and I had a workshop at 12:30, so I slept in, and only went out to the San Diego River Channel and the Western National Wildlife Refuge across from Sea World. It is a good marshy river habitat, though the high banks of the river channel keep you well away from most of the birds. Great for scope views. There have been reports of a Burrowing Owl along this stretch in past years and I am always alert, especially in the area overrun by Ground Squirrels. I did not have to really even look for this Owl, as two other photographers were there already. Such a delight! I have not seen a Burrowing Owl this close since my days in New Mexico 30 years ago, and I can count the number of Burrowing Owl I have ever seen on my fingers without running out of digits. I wrote a little poem about it for yesterday’s Day Poem.
Burrowing Owl on the bank above
the San Diego River, right by the
Sports Arena Bridge. What at treat!
Sat in a big patch of Ice Plant, a
mound really, at the mouth, obviously
of a Ground Squirrel burrow, the
sun in its bright yellow eyes, turning
its head side to side, and occasionally
looking straight at me. I felt privileged
to be included in its gaze. Privileged!
And of course another word for “privileged” is “blessed”. I felt blessed to see the Burrowing Owl. It is one of the things, the main thing, I love about bird watching. You never know what you will see, if you just go out with your eyes open…and you almost always see something that quickens the pulse and makes you feel more alive. Blessed. It is a part of the generous eye that I really enjoy. “Eye’s wide open” is the way another translator translates it…eyes wide open in wonder and delight.
And may you go through this Sunday with generous eyes…and I believe God will bless you in what you see.
La Jolla Pelican
Brown Pelican, La Jolla Cove, California
The San Diego Birding Festival show did not open until 3PM yesterday so I spent the morning and early afternoon at two of my favorite San Diego area spots for photography: La Jolla Cove and Cabrillo National Monument.
At La Jolla this time of year you have breeding plumage Brown Pelicans in large numbers, as well as both Brant’s and Double Creasted Cormorants…and of course, lots of Sea Lions at the north end of the cove, and Harbor Seals at the south end. It is pupping time for the seals and they are out on Children’s Pool Beach. It is a great place for photography and I can spend several hours just walking up and down the path along the top of the cliffs.
This Brown Pelican is showing full colors. Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/1000th @ ISO 100 @ f4.5. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Bird of ParadiseÂ
Bird of Paradise, San Diego California
I always enjoy the many Bird of Paradise plants when I visit San Diego in February. The most common are the smaller varieties with the orange and bright blue flowers, but there are also many of the giant variety, with black, white, and pale blue flowers. The big flowers weather rapidly, and it is rare to see one in its full glory. These are just opening, quite fresh, and still very attractive. It is an odd view, as the flowers on the giant plant are generally above my head. This was taken from the balcony of my hotel room, looking down on the flowers.
Sony Rx10iii at 435mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. 1/250th @ ISO 200 @ f4. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Dawn Gull
Western Gull, San Diego CA
I am in San Diego for the San Diego Birding Festival where I will represent ZEISS so I waited for dawn and got out to the beach. Staying in a different hotel this year…right on the beach at the mouth of the San Diego River. My room faces the Channel, but the Pacific face is just down the beach. There, were, of course, lots of gulls on the beach this morning, waiting for the sun. Gulls are not my strong suit, and immature gulls are pretty much a complete mystery to me, but I think this is just an immature Western Gull. The first rays of the sun were just touching him as he looked out to sea.
Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/250th @ ISO 250 @ f4. Processed in Polarr on my iPad Pro.
Breeding Brandt’s
Brandt’s Cormorant in breeding plumage and posture, La Jolla Cliffs, California
This morning we pop back to San Diego and the San Diego Birding Festival to pick up this breeding plumage and posture Brandt’s Cormorant from the cliffs at Scripps Park in La Jolla California. We watched two birds trying to build nests on the same small ledge for 20 minutes or so…repeatedly stealing the meager nesting materials from each other, and spending more time defending than gathering. Eventually one flew off, undoubtedly in search of more nesting materials, and the remaining bird promptly stole all of the absent birds stuff. There is a joke in there, about California maybe, but I will restrain myself.
The birds were close enough to the cliff top so that I only needed 800mm of equivalent reach for this close-up. Nikon P900. 1/320th @ ISO 400 @ f5.6. Processed in Lightroom.
Seal pup…
Harbor Seal pup, Children’s Pool Beach, La Joya CA
Dropping back a few weeks to my time in San Diego for the San Diego Birding Festival, here is collage of three shots of the same Harbor Seal pup from Children’s Pool Beach in La Joya California. The pup is probably a few days old, and was enjoying the beach.
Nikon P900 at 1500mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 100 @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom. Assembled in Phototastic.
Three Amigos
Brown Pelicans, Scripps Park, La Joya CA
The breeding plumage Brown Pelicans of La Joya Cove and Scrpps Park in La Joya California are always a treat when I visit in March. Of course there are Brown Pelicans in breeding plumage on every bait float and every dock where fishing boats come in all up and down the coast of Southern California at that time, but I enjoy seeing them in the more natural setting of the rocks of the La Joya cliffs. Rock in the foreground, crashing surf in the background…what could be better?
This group of three pelicans seems to be posing for any theme involving the number three. The shot is enhanced by the diagonal of the rock, especially as it relates visually to the shallow triangle of the birds. There is a graphic satisfaction in the image as well as a portrait of the birds.
Nikon P900 at 800mm equivalent field of view. 1/800th @ ISO 100 @ f5.6. Processed in Lightroom. (If you would like to see how this image was processed, I have featured it in an article about DIY Lightroom Plugins on my P&S Nature Photographer site. Here.)
New Born
Harbor Seals, Children’s Pool Beach, La Joya California
Harbor seals can give birth on land, on floating ice, or in the water. This is, I think, a new-born Harbor Seal, making contact with its mother for the first time out of the water. They identify each other by sniffing each other’s breath. I was in San Diego at the height of the pupping season for Harbor Seals, and saw many new-borns on the beach at Children’s Pool in La Joya just up the coast. I have never seen an actual birth. One of these years I will be there at just the right time.
Nikon P900 at 1600mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 320 @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom.