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While there may be aerodynamic benefits to flying behind another bird, there can be disadvantages as well!
A Double-crested Cormorant lightens its load while flying.
Photographed a few months ago at Lake Hodges, Escondido, California. The last light of the setting sun illuminated the birds, while the sky behind was in shadow, causing the dramatic lighting. (tap or click to enlarge)
While visiting the Point Vicente Interpretive Center recently, a Peregrine Falcon was using a rocky ledge as a base to launch its flights over the cliffs. This ledge was just a few feet from a busy pathway, and the bird was unconcerned with the traffic on the trail. Here the bird appears to glance in my direction, the only time in many minutes of observation that it looked my way.
A female Bushtit poses (for a split second!) on a flower at South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, California. (tap or click to enlarge)
An Allen's Hummingbird perches on a flower at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Rancho Palos Verdes.
An Allen's Hummingbird poses prettily on the fountain at my friend Randy Harwood's house in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Another Anna's Hummingbird, stretching its wings, this time photographed on the oceanside bluffs of Rancho Palos Verdes.
My friend and birder Randy Harwood has a house in Rancho Palos Verdes. The front yard is full of bird feeders as well as a fountain which is a magnet for birds looking for a drink or a bath.
An Anna's Hummingbird finds a cozy spot for a bath.
A Golden-crowned Sparrow finds a crunchy snack, a bee, I think.
Photographed last weekend at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
A Western Gull preens. Photographed recently at La Jolla Cove.
A Black Turnstone flaps its wings after bathing.
Photographed recently at La Jolla Cove.
