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Port Orchard, Washington
December 4, 2011
Here are 3 photos I took on a windy day in Port Orchard. The birds were a bit far off for my lens. The first one is a Hooded Merganser.
Nikon D7000, Tamron 70-300 VC zoom at 300mm, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/500 sec
Red-breasted Merganser
Probably a Glaucous-winged Gull
I’m going to end my busy November 21st trip to Moss Landing with this loon and sea otter. I believe the loon is a Common Loon, but I’ve been wrong before. Camera data is the same for both shots.
Nikon D7000, Tamron 70-300 VC zoom at 300mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/500 sec
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Natural Bridges State Park
Santa Cruz, California
October 1, 2011
Natural Bridges may not be what it once was, as the erosion and weather has caused the main natural bridge to collapse. At least I enjoyed it as a kid. There are always birds on the rocks here – mostly cormorants and this time of the year many Brown Pelilcans. Here are several photos I took last month.
A lone Snowy Egret
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Sunny Cove, Santa Cruz, CA
October 1, 2011
Just north of Sunny Cove is a very popular outcropping for Cormorants, Gulls, Pelicans and other sea birds. I have my tripod set up on the south side of the cove – looking northward.
Sunny Cove is one of our usual walking destinations. We sometimes walk the 3-4 blocks from our cottage to the beach and then walk up past Corcoran Lagoon and the beach and on up to Sunny Cove. Just before Sunny Cove you have to hug the cliff and walk on the rocks. You can’t pass this way if the water is too rough or high. In that case you have to go up the steps on 18th, 19th or 20th street. I can’t remember which one.
Sunny Cove was a regular family beach hangout when I was a kid.
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Moss Landing, California
August 1, 2011
There once was a little sea lion named Lana that desperately wanted a nice warm spot to get some rays and a little afternoon nap. The problem was that there was a big sea lion convention in town for a summer fling, and accommodations were really hard to find. She searched and searched for a spot, but every place she tried, she was gruffly turned away.
“Please make some room for me!”
Well, this forlorn little sea lion was actually quite brave. Even though she got pushed back into the water when she tried to get up on the dock, she used her intelligence to devise a plan. No sea lion in their right mind would go on the other side of the dock and jump up in that big bull’s spot. What I didn’t know was that this little sea lion was from Santa Cruz, and we all know what that means. So she promptly swam under the dock and jumped up on the big bull.
“This bull sea lion does not look at all happy!”
It didn’t take the little sea lion long to realize that she wasn’t wanted in this spot. She got the point after a few nips and some awful nasty growls, but half the battle was won. She was on the dock. Without delay, she decided to find someone a little less frightening to challenge, and started hopping on top of all the sea lions to find a better place.
“Come on you guys, make room for me!”
One thing was obvious. This little sea lion was stirring up the WAH of the community. “Oh, sorry Ethel, was that your flipper?” “I just want to get a little nap and dry off so my coat is pretty and golden like yours, Ethel.”
“Get lost honey, this is our spot!”
“Come on Gertrude, Lana just wants to fit in. Give her a break. Back to sleep. Don’t be such a grouch”
So, Lana the little sea lion found her spot, even though it was on top of Marge and Freda. Things settled down and a few of the girls celebrated by doing a snazzy little synchronized “whatever it was”. Ever try to nap with your head under water? You’ll never know how cool it is until you try it.
“Don’t try this at home!”
And that’s the story of Lana the sea lion. The motto of this story is – “I’d rather be a sea otter!” Or, “Call ahead for reservations.”
Lone Pine (click for much larger photo)
Discover Nature’s treasures as you explore one of the most scenic drives anywhere in the world. 17 Mile Drive, which runs through Del Monte Forest, is seventeen miles of sea and sky, immaculate golf courses, and dream homes set graciously behind elegant gates…
Here you will experience the magic of this legendary scenic tour that’s home to The Lone Cypress, Seal and Bird Rocks, Fanshell Beach, Point Joe, and the colliding currents of The Restless Sea, as well as the natural habitat of the black cormorants, brown pelicans, California sea otters, harbor seals, and idle sea lions.
Additionally, along the way, you’ll encounter the emerald fairways of such famous golf courses as The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and the world-renowned Pebble Beach Golf Links. For a gourmet picnic lunch along 17-Mile Drive, visit Pebble Beach Market adjacent to The Lodge at Pebble Beach. Enter Del Monte Forest at any one of five gates for $9.50.
The above 3 paragraphs were taken from some website about the 17 mile drive. The mansions are amazing and fun to look at, but I took no photos of them. The golf courses were beautiful, but I took no photos. I’m a bird/nature photographer, so here is my day with visiting friends from the Marshall Islands – Dick and Cheryl.
Dick and Cheryl are true lovers of the sea. Moving from Ohio to a 3.5 x .5 mile island between Hawaii and Australia. The wife and I spent 5 years with them back in the 80′s and early 90′s, but they have been there for about 30 years. I wish I had been into birding at that time. There were many pelagic opportunities. Believe it or not, Canada Geese, stopped by for a rest each year. They are truly everywhere. But, I guess I’m bird walking. Back to California.
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All along the 17 mile drive that hugs the water you find rocks with birds – mostly cormorants. It looks like debris in the water, but it is actually kelp. It made it difficult to pick out sea otters, but we would occasionally find one. Rocks were not the only places to find sea birds. Fly-bys were frequent.
This next photo is large. Be sure to click on it to see it full size. I tried making it 680×480, but it just didn’t do this shot justice. How many different things do you see on the rock?
At one of the rest/viewing area there were quick a few ground squirrels. At least that’s what I call them. I’ve included 3 photos. The first one is a portrait. Now here is a photo that any mom would melt over.
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However, in reality, I think this big girl is a momma or soon to be. Now this is just wrong. Squirrel obesity should be against the law. Oh, I forgot. This is California. It probably is!
The gull in the background is a Heermann’s gull. I took a few photos of these gulls. I should have included them in this little field trip, but if you scroll down to photos 931 you’ll see the Heermann’s Gulls I photographed during this trip. Here is one more of the ground squirrel. There were several, so I’m not sure it’s the same one as shown here.
I’ve been looking for a good opportunity to photograph an American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), and got a little excited when I saw a couple out on some rocks. The lens I was using didn’t have the reach I needed, so I climbed down the cliff and rock hopped as close as I could. These two photos are heavily cropped, but I was pleased that they came out as well as they did.
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Click on the photos of the Oystercatchers to see a larger photo.
And finally, here is a Brown Pelican fly by.
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If you ever get a chance to drive this stretch of road on the central California coast, I highly recommend it. The scenery was spectacular, and the wildlife fun to observe. We saw a lot of deer, but being from the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t bother to photograph them. It was a fun time with the wife, Dick and Cheryl – one I hope to repeat again soon.
This trip was taken on August 1, 2011. I was using my Nikon D80 with my son-in-law’s Nikon 70-300 zoom.
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Moss Landing, California
March 31, 2011
Sometimes I process photos, upload them to the blog, but forget to do a blog entry. Sorry. I wanted to show some typical shots of Moss Landing. On most spring visits there seems to be quite a few peeps.
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Seacliff State Beach
Aptos, California
March 31, 2011
Seacliff is a California State Beach located off Highway 1 in the town of Aptos about 5 mi south of Santa Cruz, on State Park Drive. The beach is most known for the concrete ship SS Palo Alto lying in the water. For me, it is known as a good place to find water birds.
Why is there a ship at the end of the pier?
Was it built there — or did it sink there?
In 1910 a Norwegian civil engineer named Fougner thought of using concrete to build ships. It wasn’t until 1917, when wartime steel shortages required the use of cement for construction that Fougner’s idea was used. Three concrete ships were built. Two, the Peralta and the Palo Alto, were built at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California while the third, the Faith, was built in a shipyard in Redwood City, California. The Peralta and the Palo Alto were built for wartime use as tankers, however World War One ended before ship construction was finished — so they were never used.
The Palo Alto remained docked in Oakland until 1929, when the Cal-Nevada Company bought the ship with the idea of making her into an amusement and fishing ship. Her maiden voyage was made under tow to Seacliff State Beach. Once positioned at the beach, the sea cocks were opened and the Palo Alto settled to the ocean bottom. By the summer of 1930 a pier had been built leading to the ship, the ship was remodeled. A dance floor on the main deck was added, also a cafe in the superstructure was built, as was a fifty-four foot heated swimming pool, and a series of carnival type concessions were placed on the afterdeck. The Cal-Nevada Company went broke after two seasons — then the Palo Alto was stripped, leaving the ship and the pier to be used only for fishing.
SS Palo Alto
A favorite hangout for Cormorant
If you click on a photo it will zoom in just a little to give you a better view. This is true for all almost all photos on AKA Bird Nerd unless they are already at 480 by 640. The landscape photos are at 450 x 338, but if you click on one you can get a 640 x 480 view. Shawn’s layouts are different, but we have to downsize a photo small enough to fit into the blog column. You can always click on the photo to see if a larger view is available.
Now I need to get serious for a moment. While walking on the beach we came upon a crime scene. I think we were the first to arrive, so we immediately called 911. A young child had either been murdered or washed up on the beach. I took a photo, but I want to warn you now, don’t look if you can’t handle a photo of a dead child. You may never recover. I’m still having nightmares months after this harrowing experience. May she rest is peace. Click on the tiny photo to enlarge.
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UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Santa Cruz, California
March 29, 2011
As I’ve said many times before, even though this is a blog devoted to birding and bird photography, it is Shawn’s and my blog so we reserve the right to bird walk (get the pun) from the normal posting. My trusty sidekick is often with me on my bird walks. She enjoys the birds, but her real passion (besides me, of course) is gardening and flowers. For this reason, the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum is a favorite of hers. These are for you, babe!
This is a pink flower!
This is a yellow flower!
This is Mrs Bird Nerd wrestling with a stubborn weed at our Santa Cruz cottage.
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Theler Wetlands
Belfair, Washington
October 6, 2010
On a nice day my son-in-law, my two grandchildren (5 & 2) and I like to go on bird walks. The closest trail system from my house is Theler Wetlands – less than 10 miles away. The trail is flat and popular with walkers, joggers and nature lovers. The trail weaves around through wetlands and along a small river that flows into Hood Canal.
As far as birding goes, it is a hit or miss affair. Part of this depends on the tide. When the tide is high there is little mud along the sides of the river. We like mud. Mud means peeps. Today was a slow day. As the ducks return to the Northwest, things will get more active. We did see a few Great Blue Herons, a Northern Harrier and some Killdeer. There were also some little brown jobbies, Cedar Waxwings and Spotted Towhees, but no photos worth keeping.
I only have two photos for the day – this unknown gull – maybe a Ring-billed juvenile and a dragon fly. Both were taken with my digiscoping system.
Nikon P4, Nikon Fieldscope 82mm ED with 30x WA eyepiece, and tripod
f/6.1, 1/420 sec, ISO 50
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I suppose it isn’t kosher to use a digiscoping outfit for macro photography, but I have fun with it anyway.
Nikon P4, Nikon Fieldscope 82mm ED with 30x WA eyepiece, and tripod
f/5.3, 1/320 sec, ISO 50