Photo ABCs

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Welcome to my photography blog!

Here I share photos of birds, travel, sports and people (mostly birds...)

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Thanks for visiting, do come back, a new post appears almost daily.

Ruddy Duck

Male Ruddy Ducks are beginning to show their breeding plumage, that is, their bright blue bills and their red bodies (thus the name "ruddy").

This duck was early in its breeding plumage. I photographed it at Santee Lakes on February 10 of this year:

This duck, on the other hand, was much later, and more typical, in its transition to breeding plumage. I photographed it at the same location on February 26:

Someone once asked me in all seriousness why I Photoshopped a Ruddy Duck's bright blue bill!

Cinnamon Teal

A Cinnamon Teal flaps its wings. Photographed at Santee Lakes in February of this year.

Northern Shoveler

A Northern Shoveler, photographed at Santee Lakes in February of this year.

Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Ducks (everyone knows these should really be called Ring-billed Ducks...), photographed at Santee Lakes in February of this year.

When photographing ducks in water, I always take note of the reflections. In the first photo, the water reflects an overcast sky, in the second, it reflects leaves on nearby trees, in the third, various things are reflected, including a white pier, in the fourth, orange leaves lit by the sun.

Male Ring-necked Duck:

Female, with male behind. Ring-necked Ducks are thought to be seasonally monogamous.

Another male:

Spotted Sandpiper

The Spotted Sandpiper is one of my favorite birds!

Here is one photographed at Santee Lakes on February 10 of this year. It's interesting that this bird is starting to get its spots (which they have for breeding season). Others I have seen in San Diego later in the month did not have any spots.

This bird walked right past me, taking no notice. That is one advantage of photographing in a park where the birds become more accustomed to people.

Northern Harrier

I see Northern Harriers often, but rarely get decent photos of them, since they rarely stay still. I usually see them flying back and forth in the distance, but rarely do their flight paths seem to approach me and my camera.

I was lucky that this beautiful male Northern Harrier flew close to me and the friends I was birding with last weekend at the Bird and Butterfly Garden in San Diego’s Tijuana River Valley. It was close to us for only a few seconds, but long enough for this photo.

 

Bird Watcher's Digest

The March/April 2021 Bird Watcher's Digest includes this photo I took at Blue Jay Campground near Lake Elsinore, California.

It's certainly not an artistic photo, but it filled a need to illustrate an interesting article comparing the American Crow (the smaller bird on the right) to the Common Raven.

I was lucky to photograph both species flying next to each other high above the campground in May of 2018.

In the article the photo is cropped and reversed to fit their editorial needs.  I was pleased to contribute to the magazine!

Lesser Goldfinch

A Lesser Goldfinch, photographed at El Monte Park in Lakeside, California in October of last year.

Snowy Egret

A Snowy Egret poses in the pond just south of the Sorrento Valley Park And Ride.

This photo was taken in early January of this year, a few weeks before yesterday's photo. As in yesterday's post, I scouted out the pond for possible bird life, and found none. This lovely Snowy Egret flew in to the pond just as I was about to leave.

Hooded Merganser

There is a small pond just south of the Sorrento Valley Park And Ride. This pond is adjacent to the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.

Checking it out for possible bird life last month, there was none to be seen. Just about to leave, suddenly a Hooded Merganser floated into view, coming down the small stream formed in the freeway underpass.

I was thrilled to see this bird, as it is the first I have seen in San Diego County.