Terns, Skimmers, Egrets and Grebes

Nearly half of the birds found in the US can be seen at one time or another at
the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach, CA. I’ve put up a small assortment
on these two pages (there are numerous others on the Assorted Birds Showcase; the
Raptors, Flight, Ducks, Pelicans, and Egret & Heron Studies, and the Wildlife Select page.

It’s a very interesting place, with numerous opportunities for the bird photographer.
Bring a long lens with you... you’ll be needing 300mm or more.

Click an image to open a larger version.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Images can be found in the following Galleries (Direct Links)

Black Skimmer
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Night Herons & Green Herons
Great Blue Heron
Grackles and Grebes
Terns

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmers HS5233

Black Skimmer HS4627

Black Skimmer X4515

Black Skimmer X4516

Black Skimmer X4517

Black Skimmer X4519

Black Skimmer X4601

Egrets

Great Egret Flight HS4772

Great Egret Flight X4592

Great Egret Flight X4593

Great Egret Flight X4594

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Images can be found in the following Galleries (Direct Links)

Black Skimmer
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Night Herons & Green Herons
Great Blue Heron
Grackles and Grebes
Terns

Dancing Snowy Egret X0693

Snowy Egret hunting X0751

Snowy Egret HS4620

Snowy Egret hunting X0763

Snowy Egret hunting X0757

Snowy Egret Hunting X4478

Snowy Egret Hunting X4472

Snowy Egret hunting X0770

Snowy Egret hunting X0764

Snowy Egret hunting X0774

Snowy Egret hunting X0812

Our hero showing off for a bunch of jealous shorebirds.

Snowy Egret Flight HS4713

Snowy Egret Flight HS4593

Snowy Egret Sunset HS5120

A Snowy Egret in browsing in absolutely
magnificent Pacific Coast light near sunset.

Snowy Egret Tracks HS5130

Snowy Egret Sunset HS5141

Surveying the Bolsa Chica marsh as the sun starts to set over the Pacific.

Snowy Egret Sunset Flight HS6188

This flight shot was taken at sunset over Ballona Creek near the Pacific Ocean.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Images can be found in the following Galleries (Direct Links)

Black Skimmer
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Night Herons & Green Herons
Great Blue Heron
Grackles and Grebes
Terns

Herons and Grebes

Black Crowned Night Heron juvenile X0742

A juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron posing
on the rocks at the edge of the main canal.

At right, a Great Blue Heron surveys
his domain from atop his elevated roost.

Great Blue Heron Roosting X8357

Great Blue Heron Roosting X0789

The Great Blue Herons nest in the Eucalyptus at the top of the hill beyond the Causeway.

Great Blue Heron Portrait HS1922

This tight portrait is rare in two respects. First, that I was able to approach a GBH at
Bolsa Chica Refuge closely enough to try it, and second because of the angle, shooting
from about five feet above the bird. The friend I was shooting with was used to quiet approach,
and I think we came up on him so softly he may not have noticed we were there until I took the shot.

Eared Grebe HS0957

Eared Grebe HS5160

Eared Grebe X0155

Western Grebe X4548

Western Grebe X4544

Western Grebe display X4543

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Images can be found in the following Galleries (Direct Links)

Black Skimmer
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Night Herons & Green Herons
Great Blue Heron
Grackles and Grebes
Terns

Terns

Everything happens very quickly when photographing Terns except when they are soaring.
You really have to stay on your toes and make exposure, composition and EV decisions rapidly.

First, a few closeups to introduce you to our subjects, then on to the flight shots.

Forster’s Tern Portrait X0781

Forster’s Tern Closeup HS1210

Forster’s Tern Portrait X0783

Elegant Tern close-portrait X4570

Elegant Tern Takeoffs SXL

A 1500 x 1092 preview of the SXL Composite (4288 x 2975)

Elegant Tern HS4757

Elegant Tern Fish HS4708

Elegant Tern Fish HS5472

Elegant Tern HS4888

Elegant Tern HS5591

Elegant Tern HS4942

Elegant Tern HS5488

Elegant Tern HS5606

Elegant Tern shakeoff HS4897
(the timing to capture this is challenging)

Elegant Tern Spitting Fish HS5471
(another timing shot, requiring lots of luck)

Elegant Tern Spitting Fish HS5471c
(detail crop — no linked image)

A detail crop resized down from the master image so you can see the hapless prey.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Images can be found in the following Galleries (Direct Links)

Black Skimmer
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Night Herons & Green Herons
Great Blue Heron
Grackles and Grebes
Terns