The photo below is one of my all time favorites from the wetlands. Who would have thought it would be of a seagull? Not me! I call this one "All Dressed Up," because of those gorgeous spotted tail feathers. I had really never noticed a seagull with such beautiful markings before. I did some research and found out that this is a "teenage" ring-billed gull...not quite of breeding age yet. I also loved the way he seemed to be comfortable with me around and also as interested in me as I was in him. Finally, I loved the background (bokeh) orangish colors in this shot. By the way, you can click on any photo to see it larger, or visit my Flickr stream at the top of this blog.
The photo below shows a Snowy Egret at dusk. She is backlit by the sun and her feathers are literally glowing with the light...especially those hanging from her chest.
When I captured this Green Heron in the photo below, I had no idea what he was. I had never seen one before, but I did know he was pretty cool looking! He was perched on the wetlands bright yellow dredging pipe.
This Black-Crowned Night Heron shot below is another of my favorites from the last couple of months. I went for a walk on a Monday evening and there were hardly any people out and about (which is always a plus when you want to photograph shy birds). As I was walking along one of the trails, I looked down and saw this guy just as the sun was setting. I think we were both equally surprised to see one another. He tolerated me taking a couple of photos and then I moved on. This was my first spotting of one of these guys. They are so cool with that red eye! I now know where they hang out during the day...in big trees with lots of branches away from the trails...but every now and then I spot one out of the trees and it is always a thrill. What a beauty.
Speaking of beauties, this Reddish Egret (below) caught me completely off guard the other day just as I was walking into the wetlands. It was a couple of hours before sunset and he was wading in the shallow water fishing with the sun backlit against his gorgeous red feathers. He turned and looked at me and somehow I got the timing right and the camera clicked at just the right moment. We actually walked along beside one another for quite awhile after this...really cool!
The shot below is of a Forester's Tern in flight. The wings are a teeny bit blurry, but I ended up really liking this photo. The photo, overall, looks almost black and white and the tern looks like she could be sketched (at least to me:).
A Forster's Tern making quite the racket while shooing other birds away from her fishing ground!
One evening in late November, I went to one of my favorite spots in the wetlands, which I have named, "The Bayou." There must have been 50-60 white pelicans busy fishing over there. I had never seen a white pelican at the wetlands before, so I was thrilled! I spent about an hour watching them.
I call the photo below "The Entourage," because to me it looked like the pelican was a larger than life star surrounded by her entourage of gulls.
A shot of the wetlands at dusk.
Trees and reflections in the "Bayou area" of the wetlands at sunset.
The shot below is of a Willet at sunset. If you can catch the light just right when the sun is setting at the wetlands, it doesn't matter what you photograph, it will be beautiful! Not that the Willet isn't beautiful..he is!
A Snowy Egret surrounded by orange and yellow marsh grass...so much for trying to blend in!
Another shot of a Snowy Egret over in the "Bayou area." She got pretty close to me as I stood and photographed her for quite some time.
I am hardly ever quick enough to capture these little sparrows. They whip around the bushes faster than lightning. These two were brave little souls and let me get close enough to photograph.
Okay, so I had been trying desperately to photograph an American Avocet for a few weeks, when I finally came across this guy along one of the trails. This was at dusk...as you can tell by the golden reflection of the bird in the water...and for once he was close enough for me to get a good shot. A really beautiful bird.
Another "golden moment" at the wetlands. As I was heading along the trail back to my car, I found a lone Snowy Egret in the canal with the setting sun glowing against her feathers. Really, there is nothing as beautiful as seeing one of these birds bathed in the sunset light.
I remember one evening in mid-December when I was walking the wetlands, there were not a lot of birds out, so I ended up walking the entire wetlands this night...it was a good three hour walk. As I was walking along one trail, I kept hearing the sounds of a hummingbird. Finally, he landed on this scrub brush and I got him in silhouette against the ocean (and setting sun) in the background. I ended up really liking the shades and tones in this photo.
This was a sparrow that I came across walking one of the trails. He was another brave soul that didn't flit away at the first sight of me. Instead, he continued his business of getting a drink of water in this puddle along the trail. I loved his reflection in the water.
A Forster's Tern at dusk. I love Terns! They have the best and most unique personalities!
Forster's Tern in silhouette.
A shot of Catalina Island from the wetlands with a lifeguard tower and Pacific Ocean in the foreground.
A gorgeous sunset in Bolsa Chica with the lifeguard tower in silhouette.
That concludes the second installment of my wetland adventures. I will probably be spending a lot of time here since my next trip is not until June. I also have a couple of other wetlands and ocean locations that I plan to photograph over the next few months. I am really looking forward to the days getting longer!
These are stunning Sandy! You are the Queen of color! I especially love the back lit egret, and green heron. Always love the pelicans and the sunset Bayou area. We are so lucky you have this beautiful area in your backyard to showcase to the world.
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