Stunning Images of Birds in Action
I love watching whales when they’re in action, but since I am a Photographer by profession I am more into capturing and collecting nature stills whenever I get a chance. Below you will find shots of various birds and flying creatures, which are mostly captured during my while watching experience. I mostly focus on capturing pictures when birds are in motion instead of their still positions because pictures with them flying, eating, making nests etc. look more natural to me.
Great Blue Heron
Swallow
Yellow Throat
Black Skimmer
Egret
American Wigeon
Wigeon are very common in the Bolsa Chica in the west end of the Pocket Marsh. There are two species, the other is the European Wigeon which has similar body coloration but the head is mostly dark reddish colored with a buffy crown. They are considered rare here. American Wigeon's are the ones that make the squeaky toy sounds. Listen carefully and you will hear them.
Avocet
Black-necked
Osprey
I drove to San Joaquin Marsh to take some pictures. As I walked up to pond E I saw 6 White-faced Ibis feeding. Just then an Osprey flew by me with a large fish in its talons and landed on a telephone pole behind me next to the road. It began tearing apart what looked like a red koi. Somebody is missing an expensive fish. It took 2 hours and 15 minutes to tear apart and eat most part of the fish. It later flew off with a large chunk of meat.
Killdeer
Owl
Cormorant
As we entered the harbor, the cormorant had its back to us with it wings extended out. As we got closer, the cormorant became a little nervous and turned slowly around and faced us, and watched us as we passed. Here you can see the white neck and the breast and the mottled beak. They also have webbed feed and are excellent diving birds.
Northern Fulmar
when we were reaching the end of the island. I have not seen one of these in many years. We used to see them on rare occasions during the Winter Whale Watching sessions on Newport Beach. I did not expect to see one during the summer in the channel.
Western Gull
Common murre
Grebes
Booby
Here is a shot of the Rare Nazca Booby at the end of the breakwater looking directly at us with a California Brown pelican in the background for comparison.
Shearwaters
Phalarope
We have been seeing them all summer. Normally we see them in winter but this time I saw them in summer too. There are three species of Phalaropes. The Red Phalarope, the Red-necked Phalarope and the Wilson's phalarope. The Red and the Red-necked are the only one's found in and around the sea. The Red Phalarope as a non-breeding adult has a gray back and white sides.
California towhee
Night Heron
I drove to San Joaquin Marsh to take some pictures. As I walked up to pond E I saw 6 White-faced Ibis feeding. Just then an Osprey flew by me with a large fish in its talons and landed on a telephone pole behind me next to the road. It began tearing apart what looked like a red koi. Somebody is missing an expensive fish. It took 2 hours and 15 minutes to tear apart and eat most part of the fish. It later flew off with a large chunk of meat.