Dolphins

The other day I was walking through the Douglas Preserve that is situated on tall bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  At first I just enjoyed the view and didn't notice the dolphins in the lower left hand corner.

View of Pacific Ocean from Douglas Preserve.  Look closely and you can see some dolphins in the lower left hand corner.

As I continued along the path at the top of the bluff, I could see the dolphins in the ocean.  I walked farther along the path so that I was looking down to the dolphins.  They were basically swimming back and forth in the same general area.  I was glad I had my telephoto lens since I was so far away from them.  I decided to watch the dolphins awhile instead of looking for birds.

The black dots are dolphins

Common Dolphins

Common Dolphins, you can see the spray from this one's exhale.

Common Dolphins

They didn't breach while I was watching, but this did a bit of a roll.

Common Dolphins

This dolphin below was by itself the whole time and basically stayed in the same position.  It slowly drifted to the west.  One or two of the other dolphins would approach it and then quickly swim away.  A woman who stopped and watched with me explained that this dolphin was in labor.  I never saw it give birth, but if that is the case I hope mother and baby are now doing fine.

Common dolphin

Common Dolphin

Common Dolphins

Common Dolphins

Warblers in the Douglas Family Preserve

Here are some Yellow-rumped Warblers that I saw in the Douglas Family Preserve.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

This Mockingbird was watching me from the bushes.

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird

View of the Pacific Ocean from the Douglas Family Preserve.  UCSB is in the background.

Bufflehead ducks

I liked watching these Bufflehead ducks in the Goleta Slough.  They are in Santa Barbara for the winter and will migrate back to Canada for the summer breeding season.  They nest almost exclusively in holes excavated by Northern Flickers and on occasion, by Pileated Woodpeckers.

Bufflehead

Bufflehead

Bufflehead

Bufflehead

The larger Buffleheads with the white spot on their head are adult females.  The smaller ones are immature Bufflehead ducks.

Bufflehead

Bufflehead

Mallard and the reeds

I was at the Andrea Clark Bird Refuge and took this picture of a Mallard duck.  I like how the reeds are in the background and reflect in the water. 

Mallard

Immature Broad-winged Hawk

I believe this is an immature Broad-winged Hawk.  It has a tail of an adult and the breast of an immature bird.

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

I was amazed how it could turn it's head and look back.

Broad-winged Hawk

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park

Late one afternoon I took a short walk through part of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Reserve and here are some pictures.

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-winged Teal

Hutton's Vireo

.

Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park

Snowy Egret

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Northern Mockingbird

Savannah Sparrow

Lake Los Carneros

I went for a short hike at Lake Los Carneros and here are a few pictures of birds that I saw that day.  I don't know how Lake Los Carneros got its name, but Carneros translates into rams.  I didn't see a ram all day.

Lake Los Carneros

Lake Los Carneros

Canvasback duck among the Mallards

 

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull

American Kestrel

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbirds

Black Phoebe eats a bee!

I was taking some pictures of a Monarch Butterfly when I saw this Black Phoebe fly by and land on this dead branch.

Black Phoebe

Then it flew over to this rope that is strung up between two fence posts.

Black Phoebe

I watched it jump to the ground and catch a bee.

Black Phoebe with bee

The Black Phoebe then proceeded to beat the bee on the rope to stun it before eating.

Black Phoebe with bee.

Black Phoebe with bee.

Black Phoebe with bee.