Readers’ wildlife photos

We’re down to one batch of photos, and you know what to do if you want this feature to appear regularly.

Today we have photos from ecologist Susan Harrison of UC Davis. Susan’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

San Diego in November

It was one of those work trips where you think “what new birds can I see while I’m here?”  After a wonderful birding trip to San Diego a couple of years ago, there were just three species I’d never seen before that were at all likely to be found in winter, and that seemed like a decent-sized goal for my two free half-days there.  But as always, much of the joy emerged not from lengthening the life list, but from the unexpected beauty along the way.

Okay, but let’s start with two life-listers….

California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica), which in winter is virtually indistinguishable from several other gnatcatchers except by its sounds—so here’s another shout-out to the wonderful Merlin Sound app.  Though common in Baja California, this species is Federally listed as endangered in the U. S. because of its bad habit of needing valuable SoCal coastal real estate:

Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana), a shorebird whose closest relatives mostly stroll across beaches and mudflats, but which has adapted with its stocky body shape to running up and down intertidal rocks to catch its meals.  “Wandering” refers to occurring on islands all across the Pacific Ocean, and “tattler” refers to its gabbling alarm call:

Onward to the unexpected!  Searching for the Tattler (with the help of a superb and kind birder from San Diego State University) led to one of the most beautiful urban settings I have ever seen:  La Jolla Cove, where cafes and bike/walking paths hug a rocky coastline rich with sea life above and below the water.

California Sea Lions (Zalophus californicus) were surfing, yes surfing — leaping into and out of the breaking waves in an exuberant demonstration of animal play:

A Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), already sporting its breeding colors, seemed to want the attention of an unimpressed flock of Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus):

Royal Tern stretching its wing (“bird yoga”):

Heerman’s Gull (Larus heermanni) lurking among the terns:

Allen’s Hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin) showing just tinges of their glorious orange:

Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya) eyeing the sea from a cypress: