Bird Photos and their Stories
Towards the end of our day at Moss Landing, CA, we came across another photographer, Efren Adalem, a friendly guy with a big lens who was busy shooting something good. With his huge lens and tripod, he was getting much better shots than I ever will with my set-up (a Canon 7D with a fixed […]
I’m spoiled; I admit it! After the wonderful warm fall we’ve had, and two birding trips in October to both East and West coasts, birding in the cold with all the “good” birds flown south has had me depressed. Looking out the kitchen while doing dishes today, I saw a sight for sore eyes. Beautiful […]
On our way from Monterey to San Francisco, we stopped at Shoreline Park in Mountain View, hoping to find Burrowing Owls. We dipped on the owls, but found quite a few new species and lots of waterfowl on the bay and the lakes there. The park used to be a garbage dump for San Francisco, […]
“I’m so pretty, so pretty…” The Juncos we saw in California looked very different from our Slate-colored Juncos in Pennsylvania. They are of the Oregon race and have a slate-colored hood, but they also have brown and reddish sides and back. I had been trying all week to get a decent picture of one, and […]
On our first full day in California, my husband and I put birding aside to do some sightseeing. We went on the 17-mile-drive through Pebble Beach with its famous golf courses and neighborhoods where the houses along the coast cost a gazillion dollars. Although the windy roads were scenic and enjoyable, our favorite stop […]
I caught this photo at the end of Jetty Road near Moss Landing, California. That’s quite a mouthful of a very active Sea star! National Geographic says that their tough exterior discourages predation, and average life expectancy is 35 years! Also, Beyond their distinctive shape, sea stars are famous for their ability to regenerate […]
Like the Shearwaters, Albatrosses spend their entire lives at sea except when nesting. Their huge size, large bills, and long, slender wings set them apart from other sea birds. They have an incredible sense of smell which helps them find food across vast ocean areas. They feed on squid, octopus, flying fish and their […]
Screaming gulls and other seabirds followed our boat to compete for the frozen squid that we were chumming. Popcorn was also thrown over in handfuls, and a slow stream of fish oil was released into the water by a string hanging from a plastic container. We were warned multiple times not to lean up against […]
Four species of Shearwaters were seen on our Pelagic Trip out of Monterey Harbor: Sooty, Pink-footed, Flesh-footed, and Buller’s. Some of the leaders also saw Short-tailed Shearwaters. I was not confident in distinguishing them from Sootys, so I did not count this species. If you missed Part […]
Something I’ve been putting off for some time because I’m prone to terrible seasickness, is a pelagic trip to see seabirds. It’s a great way to add new species to your life list, which you’ll understand if you’ve ever seen the movie, The Big Year. In fact, this very boat and its owner, Debi […]