california beach

Simon Sez Stand On One Leg!

December 17, 2022 — 5 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 400.

Heermann’s Gull

How do you communicate with a fish?

Drop him a line!

Interesting Fact: The Heermann’s Gull is the only North American gull that breeds south of the United States and comes north to spend the nonbreeding season. After breeding is over in July, the gull quickly comes north all the way to southern Canada. It heads back southward by December, and most breeders are at the breeding islands by March. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Heermanns_Gull/lifehistory )

Walk Like You Talk!

November 12, 2022 — 18 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 250.

Black-bellied Plover ( Juvenile )

I went to a seafood disco last week… and pulled a mussel.

Interesting Fact: Wary and quick to give alarm calls, the Black-bellied Plover functions worldwide as a sentinel for mixed groups of shorebirds. These qualities allowed it to resist market hunters, and it remained common when populations of other species of similar size were devastated. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Plover/overview )

Hold It Until We Find A Clean Car!

February 13, 2022 — 8 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 200. 

Brown Pelican

How do you make holy water?

Boil the hell out of it!

Interesting Fact: Though they have an awkward gait on land, Brown Pelicans are strong swimmers and masterful fliers. They fly to and from their fishing grounds in V-formations or lines just above the water’s surface. They and the closely related Peruvian Pelican are the only pelican species to perform spectacular head-first dives (typically ending in a huge splash visible from far away) to trap fish.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )

Gonzo Would Be Jealous!

February 5, 2022 — 18 Comments

F/7.1, 1/800, ISO 200.

Whimbrel

What Do You Call a Beach that Keeps Losing Sand?

A Shore Loser.

Interesting Fact: In many regions, the primary winter food of the Whimbrel is crab. The curve of the Whimbrel’s bill nicely matches the shape of fiddler crab burrows. The bird reaches into the crab’s burrow, extracts the crab, washes it if it is muddy, and sometimes breaks off the claws and legs before swallowing it. Indigestible parts are excreted in fecal pellets.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Whimbrel/lifehistory )

 

We Get Frequent Flyer Points

March 14, 2021 — 17 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 200.

Brown Pelicans

What did the bra say to the hat?

You go on a head, and I’ll give these two a lift.

Interesting Fact: During a dive, the Brown Pelican tucks its head and rotates its body to the left. This maneuver is probably to cushion the trachea and esophagus—which are found on the right side of the neck—from the impact. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican )

Every Sunset Is An Opportunity To Reset.

September 17, 2020 — 30 Comments

F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.

San Francisco Sunset Brown Pelican

What do the Starship Enterprise and toilet paper have in common?

They both probe Uranus and wipe out Klingons.

Interesting Fact:   As sunrise and sunset are calculated from the leading and trailing edges of the Sun, respectively, and not the center, the duration of a daytime is slightly longer than nighttime (by about 10 minutes, as seen from temperate latitudes). Further, because the light from the Sun is refracted as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, the Sun is still visible after it is geometrically below the horizon. Refraction also affects the apparent shape of the Sun when it is very close to the horizon. It makes things appear higher in the sky than they really are. Light from the bottom edge of the Sun’s disk is refracted more than light from the top, since refraction increases as the angle of elevation decreases. This raises the apparent position of the bottom edge more than the top, reducing the apparent height of the solar disk. Its width is unaltered, so the disk appears wider than it is high. (In reality, the Sun is almost exactly spherical.) The Sun also appears larger on the horizon, an optical illusion, similar to the moon illusion.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset#Historically )

Surround Yourself With People Who Get You.

July 31, 2020 — 6 Comments

F/ 5.6, 1/500, ISO 250.

Elegant Tern

What did one eyeball say to the other eyeball?

Between you and me something smells.

Interesting Fact: The Elegant Tern was first found nesting in the United States in 1959 in San Diego Bay, California. Since the 1980s, several more colonies have been established in California. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Elegant_Tern/lifehistory )

 

 

 

 

You Never Leave Your Wingman!

May 21, 2020 — 5 Comments

F/ 9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Brown Pelicans 

Why does Piglet smell so bad?

Because he plays with Pooh.

Interesting Fact: Pelicans usually feed above estuaries and shallow ocean waters within 12 miles of shore, but sometimes venture over the deeper waters past the narrow continental shelf of the Pacific coast. They occasionally feed by sitting on the surface and seizing prey with their bills, like other pelican species, usually when a dense school of fish is close to the surface and the water is too shallow and muddy to plunge. They also steal food from other seabirds, scavenge dead animals, and eat invertebrates such as prawns. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )

Just Smile And Wave!

May 19, 2020 — 20 Comments

F/5.6, 1/320, ISO 100.

California Sea Lion 

Why do sea lions go to Tupperware parties?

To find a tight seal!

Interesting Fact: When diving deep, California sea lions slow their heart rates to allow them to remain underwater for nearly ten minutes before surfacing to breathe. This ability gives them an edge in the pursuit of the fish, squid, and shellfish that make up their primary diet. ( http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/california-sea-lion/ )

Sky Is Not The Limit It’s Just The Beginning!

November 30, 2019 — 4 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.

Brown pelican

What’s the difference between roast beef and pea soup?

Anyone can roast beef, but nobody can pee soup!

Interesting Fact: Pelicans usually forage during the day, but may feed at night during a full moon. Before swallowing their prey they drain the water from their pouches, while gulls or terns often try to steal fish right out of their beaks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )