American avocets at Radio Road Ponds

On my way back from Pillar Point Harbor last month, I decided to take a slight detour to Radio Road Ponds in Redwood City. I was delighted to see a large flock of American avocets resting in the shallows near a convenient place to set up a tripod. While they were far enough away that making a compelling image of a single bird was difficult, it was a fun challenge to find some pleasing compositions within the flock.



Many of the birds were busy preening, but occasionally they would all tuck their bills into their feathers to rest. I really love the shape of a shorebird in this pose, and it's always nice to photograph such a relaxed subject. The rippled reflections were a nice bonus too.



More photographs of these elegant shorebirds in my Stilts & Avocets gallery.

Submitted to World Bird Wednesday -- follow the link to check out this week's posts!

Resting willet, Pillar Point Harbor

A lot going on right now for me that has kept my hands off of the camera and away from the blog for a couple of weeks, but this shot is from my last outing in mid-July. I headed down to Pillar Point Harbor hoping to find shorebirds in summer colors. There were only a few sandpipers around that never stayed in front of my lens for long, but I did get to spend some quality time lying in the harbor sediments photographing a group of 15-20 willets as they rested and preened on an exposed rock outcropping. Some birds were already in their plain basic plumage, and a few were quite striking in their breeding colors -- and this particular bird was somewhere in between.

More photographs of these charismatic shorebirds in my willets gallery.

Western sandpiper in summer colors, Point Reyes National Seashore

From an overcast morning in July 2010, a western sandpiper rests on Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. This is an exciting time of the year when the shorebirds return from their breeding grounds still wearing their bright summer colors. I was out on this beach last weekend and didn't see many birds, but hopefully I'll have a chance to get down in the sand with them soon.



View more images of peeps in my Sandpipers Gallery.

Osprey fly by, Point Reyes National Seashore

I had this unexpected encounter with an osprey on a hike a few weeks ago on Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore. My goal for the trip was to photograph the tule elk in velvet antlers, and as I dropped into a wildflower-covered valley I started photographing some sparrows as they hopped around on the lupine. Then at one moment I happened to look up and saw this osprey go cruising by at a low altitude. I was already working on my tripod at full height, so I was able to pan with the bird fairly successfully, and managed to snap off a few sharp frames as it shot by.



View more of my birds of prey photos.

Submitted to the World Bird Wednesday blog meme -- Follow the link to check out this week's posts.

Light beams through redwoods, Muir Woods National Monument

Streams of warm afternoon sunlight filter through the high canopy of coast redwoods, the tallest tree species in the world. This image was taken in Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California.

View more images of these amazing trees in my Redwood Forest Gallery.