I went to the beach to photograph Northern Elephant Seals. It was a foggy day in between two storms. Another photographer I ran into called the conditions “hopeless”. I was beyond excited to have some moody weather to show off the seashore.
The elephant seals put on a great show for me.
In between breaks in the elephant seal action, I also got the opportunity to work on shorebird landscapes, including Marbled Godwits and Long-Billed Curlews. I loved the way the fog simplified the landscape behind the birds.
One of the curlews had an antenna sticking out from its back. This is from a satellite transmitter used to track birds’ movements and migration for scientific studies. The Smithsonian Zoo and Boise State (probably among others) have both done studies to track curlew migration. One of the cool things about these birds is that, while they’re considered shorebirds, they actually breed inland in grasslands. They come to the coast outside breeding season for the mild winter weather and plentiful food.
The one shot I really wanted to get was a bird in flight in front of the cliffs. By the end, I was thinking “just give me a bird, any bird!” Thankfully, a gull (I believe a Western Gull) was up to the challenge!
