Always a pleasure

I gambled with the forecast for an overcast sunrise on Sunday, and headed to the Radio Road Ponds in Redwood City to try for some new skimmer shots. Unfortunately, they weren't feeling too photogenic, and stayed on one of the interior islands during my visit. But I did have a chance to photograph the rest of the wonderful inhabitants of these ponds -- including this delightful black necked stilt. I always enjoy photographing these birds, as their contrasting plumage and elegant form makes for a great subject. And the rippled reflections were a nice bonus!

An elegant pair

American avocets are one of my favorite birds to watch and photograph. Their interesting feeding behavior of slicing their bill through the top layers of the sediment is quite entertaining! But what draws me in the most about them is their elegant form and beautiful plumage. While their summer colors are certainly much more striking, I think their winter look retains a subdued elegance.

Here's an extra shot I posted to Flickr over the summer of their wonderful breeding colors:

Perhaps I should have been paid a sitting fee

I have never had a great blue heron be quite as cooperative as this one, which I photographed in October at Bothin Marsh along Richardson Bay after spending the sunrise at the Golden Gate Bridge. I saw this GBH and its snowy egret posse a ways off by the shore of the bay, and decided to take a stroll along a side trail in that direction to attempt a few shots before the last of the nice light faded away. Much to my surprise, he showed very little interest in me as I approached, and as I casually crept closer over a period of 20 minutes or so, he occasionally glanced in my direction but never showed any signs of interest or distress. Eventually I was able to get close enough to take this full-frame portrait of him, as well as a few from other angles with different backdrops. While it was great to get some nice poses, it was almost a little boring, as he just sat there staring off at the bay! After I fired off way too many similar shots like this one, I thanked him (as I often do for my cooperative subjects), and slowly backed my way out of the area.

The nonchalance of this heron is one advantage I find to spending some time in more urban parks. I have had many fairly close encounters in Bothin Marsh, and I think its due to the fact that what seems like thousands of people use this stretch of the Bay Trail daily, and the birds seem to get used to the commotion and could basically care less if you are there snapping away.

A quiet moment

I enjoy how an image can capture a moment that may have an entirely different feeling than what you perceive as you see it in real time. Here, this dowitcher was actively preening and doing his best to get that overly long bill to properly reach his front feathers. But when the shutter clicks, the scene is transformed into a very solitary moment. To me at least, it gives the feeling of silence and a quiet introspective, as if the dowitcher is taking a moment to relax, close his eyes, and just be.

Overcast exposure

Fall in the Bay Area means the start of some wonderful overcast days with high clouds all day and little chance of surprise rain. These are great days photographically, as you are not limited to the nice light that ends 2 hours after sunrise. This shot was taken on an overcast day in September. We had family in town and took them to the always spectacular Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey. Everyone was disappointed that there were heavy clouds around all day, meaning no beautiful blue ocean. But the photographer in me was secretly pleased, as it meant that an encounter like this would be possible -- with no harsh light to be found.

Calling dowitcher

There were plenty of dowitchers (your guess is as good as mine for long-billed vs short-billed) lining the ponds along Radio Road. These are a beautiful medium-sized shorebird that I'm quite fond of, but haven't had a chance to photograph up close very often. Here, they seemed like they could care less about the flocks of bird-watchers milling around, and they happily went about their business.