Birds

California, Australia

There are some great opportunities to study birds, their behaviour and their beauty. I am not much for spotting rare birds, but think of these photos as portraits. Light, composition and something utterly typical for the 'sitters', that is what I aimed for.

The early morning sun required a long exposure to capture this Black Oyster Catcher on the Californian coast, making beautifully abstract patterns out of the sea. These birds were perching on a power line in the early morning. Shot against the sky and moon they are just plain funny to look at. This Willet was sitting in the bird preserve of the Elkhorn slew, between San Jose and Pacific Grove. Shorebirds are congregating in the shallow waters of Morro Bay. A mixture of quite environment (in winter, at least) and rich, shallow waters draws many different kinds of birds to Morro Bay. Dusk was getting on, when a snowy egret landed right in front of me in the water. After a short while another came. Then another. They all lined up right front of me, waiting for the light get just right and have their group photo taken. A young seagull is trying to get some food out of her mother. What looks like a fight is really just normal rituals. These Brown Pelikans have an enormous wingspan and glide along the wind in search of food. A pelican starts his dive for the fish in the waters some 20 meters below. In the background, the morning sun shines on the mission of Santa Barbara. A Brown Pelican poses in the morning sun to have his portrait taken. Rather than being shy, these birds are inquisitive and hardly mind human presence. These black swans make a home of the little lagoon. Here the composition just fell into my lap, as I waited in the early morning for something interesting to happen. All the colors just created the perfect frame for the swans and the shorebirds. Suiting their black color, the sewage from the city behind the lagoon is no less black than the swans on this overcast day. Although the lagoon is a perfect place for many birds to feed and rest, pollution does nothing to improve their chances. An Egret takes flight in the lagoon of Batemens Bay.

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Category: Nature, Portraits

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This Willet was sitting in the bird preserve of the Elkhorn slew, between San Jose and Pacific Grove.

Willet, Elkhorn Slough, California

This Willet was sitting in the bird preserve of the Elkhorn slew, between San Jose and Pacific Grove.

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