I
never get tired of going to Bolsa Chica…and many of you know that based on the
periodic postings I make here. Not only is Bolsa Chica wide open,
uncrowded, just inland from the beach, but every time I go there, I see
something new, or I see something familiar but in a whole new way.
Again,
yesterday was no exception. The “star” of the show yesterday had to be
the Least Terns. They seem to be always nesting, but yesterday there were
clouds of them choking the sky with their masses of swirling and chaotic
flight. There were also the constant food runs and the terns would fly
overhead to get fish, and then fly back to the nests. These are very entertaining birds to watch, and
good practice for improving panning skills of subjects in motion!
Another highlight was photographing the clapper
rail. Even better was the fact that I was able to photograph it with a
longjaw mudsucker on its return trip from a feeding excursion. Usually
hidden in dense cover, the clapper rail stalks along the muddy edge of the
marsh areas. I’ve seen the clapper rail only once before, although they
are making a return to the Bolsa Chica area and can be seen more frequently…and
yesterday was my bonanza!
Also
a joy to photograph are the skimmers (the bird with the bright orange
beak). They’re most interesting to see when they skim across the surface
of the water, but yesterday all I was able to capture was them in flight.
Another
not so easy bird to find and photograph is the green heron. About the
same size as the black-crowned night heron, the green heron is more
colorful. The oranges and blues are reminiscent of the Great blue heron.
I also saw two American kestrels in flight
(or fight) above the tops of a dead tree. This was from some distance
away so it’s not the best image to show the intricate markings on the
kestrel. And of course I got a nice photo of an osprey in flight. These are
beautiful birds, and avid fishermen…
