Today was not a very good day for a bike ride. Highs winds made it difficult to pedal through. Even worse, the high winds carry a lot of dust that gets into your eyes, nose and mouth. Ventura County is an agricultural county – everywhere you go, there are large farms. For the most part, the farmland is beautiful to behold; when it is windy, however, a lot of that farm dust gets airborne and it can present a problem for people engaged in outdoor sports. The airborne dust can carry residual chemical used in farming – this is not good for the lungs of a bike rider or runner (probably not good for the lung of the farmers either).
While the high winds made it difficult for me to pedal for more than 15 miles, the winds provided some beautiful and interesting photo opportunities. So let me share with you a few of the shots that I took today during my ride.
Hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!
(Be sure to click on image for larger view.)
Three pelicans flying in formation.
One of the pelicans broke formation, leaving just two flying together.
This is the pelican that broke formation. Look at the beautiful feathers. If you are going to "shoot" animals, this is the way to do it. With a camera and NOT with a rifle.
It was so windy that most of the birds just sat on the rocks and did not take flight. Here is a family of seagulls. The two white ones out in front are the mom and dad, the rest (with the baby grey feathers) are the "kids." Notice how the parents protect the rest of the flock by standing out in front and taking the brunt of the wind's forces. Good parents!
This guy was just staring at me, wondering if I had any food for him.
This seagull flew so close by that I felt like I could almost touch him.
This guy is just looking out at the waves, he is probably wondering where all the beachgoers and surfers had gone to. (Beachgoers bring food that the seagulls eat.) Or maybe he is just wondering when the winds will die down so he can go fishing again.
When it is too windy to fly, many seagulls will just take to the water and ride out the waves.
Waves!
More waves.
Even more waves. On the background you can see the outline of the Channel Islands.
The high winds churned up the waters, making it impossible for surfers and swimmers to take to the water.
A rare Southern California sight - a Sunday without surfers.
I hope that you enjoyed these few shots from a Sunday afternoon by the beach.
2 comments:
debbie
very nice pics ! it is so wonderful ! the way you approach them is very nice ! maybe you are a seagull too ! A fact is sure : you are a bid ! (hehehe)
see you soon thanks to share these pics
jerry
Nice pictures Deb. I especially liked the close-up pictures of the pelican and seagull in flight. Nice detail on the pelican's feathers. What kind of lens are you using?
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