Excerpts from KimmyLand
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Today is bright and sunny, warranting an early morning walk on the beach. The dogs enjoyed running and jumping in the sand and managed to pull me in both directions. I waited for them to calm down while the surf thundered behind me. The tide was very low and I found a sand dollar, only slightly battered by the surf. Mine were the first footprints along the edge of the water and my sense of discovery was heightened by the solitude. Today I'll be working on my jeep, a far cry from the leisure day yesterday spent photographing the wildlife here at Mugu. The story unfolds below.
Mugu Wildlife, April 9th
This beautiful pelican was perched along the edge of the tidal marsh. His view was overlooking the seal beach and all I could see from the road where I was allowed to walk was this picture here. The bird watched me very closely, never blinking, and decided I was okay when I sat down with my huge lens and pointed it his way. Of course, I don't really know it was a he. Perhaps if I was up to snuff on my pelican identification, I would know what the coloration on his head really meant. For now, I am content in my ignorance and enjoying being with these creatures and attempting to get a small glimpse into their world. When I turned to photograph another bird, I heard a splash and the pelican was gone. I will never know if the bird jumped into the water, or merely rested his head when another creature splashed. But I did not see the head poke over the succulents again, so I presumed he was gone.
This pelican was swallowing a tasty morsel from the ocean. I watched him soar by and dive into the water. Upon surfacing, he thrust his beak into the air and gulped down a snack.
The pelicans were busy and I took over 100 shots of them in various activies. This shot of one turning overhead is my favorite action shot for the day. He swooped down to join his fellow birds on the water just after making this turn. I especially like the way his wing tips are spread. I can imagine the skeletal structure beneath and the amazing dexterity that is required by these bulky birds in flight.
The seals were splayed contentedly along the shore of the marsh, bothered only by the tides as the water returned to their lagoon. An occasional seal would flex his back, lifting his head and feet out of the water, and then thrust himself further up the beach, escaping the intruding water. The shifting of the birds around them caused them no worries and they slept with smiles on their faces.
I was watching a pod of porpoises move down the coast and noticed one heading on a path towards a group of birds floating on the water. I zoomed my camera into the spot I thought the porpoise might surface again and caught this shot of a scared bird fleeing the much larger creature. Luckily it wasn't a shark, who may have been surfacing to silence the bird and turn him into a snack.
