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distortions.net

I'm Ryan M. Tech geek. Avgeek. California Native plant gardener. All photos on this blog, unless stated otherwise, are mine. Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and X100V. Views are my own.

Birds

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    Adult California Gull and their chicks at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary last July #CaliforniaGull #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCOn a manmade island, covered in short grass, an adult white and gray California Gull looks away from their three chicks. The chicks have fluffy brown plumage.

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    Brown Pelicans occupying an island at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary back in July #BrownPelicans #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCA Brown Pelican comes in for a landing on a very small island in a large pond. The island is full of other brown pelicans, mostly grooming themselves. They're a dirty brown with awkwardly long necks and long, thick beaks.

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    Last time I was in Mendocino County, for the first time I finally saw the Stellar’s Jay. The fancy looking birds were a riot to watch flitting between trees. They were not easy to photograph being high up in the canopy. #StellarsJay #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoC

    The back of a Stellar's Jay, with its signature mohawk head crest, sitting on a dead branch. It is looking to the right, so its face with a very large and dark eye can be seen. There's green foliage in the background, slightly blurred.
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    #WhiteTailedKite #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A White-tailed kite, soaring above under overcast skies, is gliding away from the camera, showing its belly and an eye. It has a mostly white body with its wings fading to grey. Its neck has a rust-red collar.

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    #Wrensday #MarshWren #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A tiny Marsh Wren, kind of far from the photographer, is perched on a reed, just below a fluffy cat-tail head. The Marsh Wren is looking to the right, with its near vertical short tail just visible behind the reed. It is within a sea of other cat tails, all with fluffy stuff hanging off them.

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    #GreaterYellowLegs #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A Greater Yellowlegs shorebird has a small fish or minnow hanging from its beak. The bird is mostly grey with black vertical markings here and there, especially on its wings. Its eyes are very dark and its legs are orange yellow. It is standing alone in a very shallow pond on an overcast day.

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    #GreatEgret #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A very close Great Egreg stands tall in a pond, both black legs visible, looking to the right. Its yellow eyes and closed orange beak stand out. The Egret has traces of brown sludge on its neck and tail. Its reflection is in the pond, though it is slightly obscured by some extremely blurry vegetation.

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    That’s a beak-full. Took some time for them to swallow the whole fish. #GreatEgret #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A Great Egret. all white except its black legs, stands on the shore of a pond, with a fish horizontal in its beak. The fish head and tail can be seen. An uncaring brown duck paddles past. Behind the egret is a grassy area that has been cut back to bare soil by past pond high water.

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    Who wants grubs? #AmericanRobin #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    An American Robin has a beak full of grubs! It is very close to the camera, perhaps standing on a gravel path. It is looking away from the camera, standing tall and proud. The robin has a gray back and red chest and belly.

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    “Bruh!” (as captioned by a friend) #BlackCappedChickadee #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A Black-capped Chickadee is perched on a oblique reed, with its beak open, singing. It has a black cap. a while stripe under its eyes, a black chin, gray wings, and a white belly and chest. The background is blurred vegetation.

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    Since you all love Swallows, here’s one that’s comfy on the outside of their nest box #TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A Tree Swallow is perched on the top of a wooden bird box. The tree swallow has a blue head and shoulders, gray wings, and a white belly and chest. The bird box is on a metal T post. There are visible scratches below the bird box hole. In the background is bokeh vegetation, probably tree foliage.

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    #TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

    A tree swallow peaks out from a bird box hole. It has a blue head and a white chin. The bird box is on a post. Behind the bird box is blurred out vegetation.

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    A duo of juvenile Northern Mockingbirds in our elderberry & ceanothus bushes #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

    In the top third of the photo is a sharply focused, juvenile northern Mockingbird with a speckled chest and a little hair is coming down off its chin. It is among in-focus Ceanothus leaves. In the middle third of the photo is an out of focus northern mockingbird among out of focus Elderberry leaves. The sky is a nice blue.

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    Juvenile Northern Mockingbird enjoying our backyard bounty of Elderberries #NorthernMockingbird #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

    A perched juvenile Northern Mockingbird with a dirty face and a speckled chest is looking out over a clump of mostly eaten elderberries. The sky is quite blue.

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    A California Towhee taking the bridge to a singing perch #CaliforniaTowhee #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

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    In my backyard, a juvenile scrub jay has been tearing pieces of green tree tape and caching them. Meanwhile an adult jay is foraging nearby. #WesternScrubJay #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCA Juvenile Western Scrub-Jay, with a grey head and fluffy bottom, standing in profile on dry, textured ground, holding a small green object in its beak.

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    The Northern Mockingbird pair are mostly absent from their nest. I guess the ambient temperature is warm enough that they don’t feel the need to lay on the eggs?

    Three Northern Mockingbird eggs with a rust red speckle on a green shell rests in a cozy nest. The nest is in a grapevine. It is shaded by grape leaves, and sunlight is trying stream through.

    #NestWatch #Nest #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

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    There are at least two Northern Mockingbird eggs in the nest! The momma bird went off for a snack & I carefully took a brief look. #NestWatch

    #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #Nest #Fujifilm #SOoC A Northern Mockingbird's nest with a few rust red speckled eggs inside, surrounded by green grape leaves and branches. The sun shines brightly through the wide leaves.

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    Our (male?) Northern Mockingbird is still actively inspecting and improving the nest in our grapes just outside our glass slider door. I think they’ve partnered up so perhaps the nest will be fully occupied soon! #NestWatch #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #BirdPhotography #FujifilmA Northern Mockingbird is sitting in a nest surrounded by green leaves and branches. It has an outstretched neck to peak out while its tail is almost straight up. It is surrounded by grape leaves and vines.

    A Northern Mockingbird stands on a nest, tail at a 45° angle, surrounded by lush green grape leaves and vines. It is clearly getting ready to fly off

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    Double-crested Cormorant flying very low over the San Francisco Bay at Anza Fisherman’s Park #DoubleCrestedCormorant #Birds #BirdPhotography #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm #SOoC A double crested cormorant flying low over the San Francisco Bay, with its wings spread and reflections visible on the surface. It has a lower beak that is orange, grey wings, and a black head and back.

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