Monthly Archives: January 2012

Pelicans at La Jolla, part 1: the highlights

Beach, California, Photography, San Diego County

Last week I headed to La Jolla with Greg to spend a day photographing birds, seals, and lighthouses. The day started with the two of us sitting on cliffs above the Pacific Ocean watching California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) wake up in the soft pre-sunrise light.

This long exposure image taken before dawn on a calm morning at La Jolla Cove shows hundreds of nesting pelicans sitting on the coastal cliffs above the ocean. Palm trees and the ocean define the horizon. (Marc C. Perkins)
Nesting pelicans on coastal cliffs before sunrise.

There are few better ways to start a day.

Soon after that picture was taken, the pelicans began to fly over to the cliffs Greg and I had set up on (illusion warning: we weren’t alone — a half dozen or so other photographers were also there, including the awesomely skilled and friendly Maxis Gamez). Greg and I stayed there for around three hours, and in that time dozens of pelicans flew up and landed only a few yards from us. They didn’t seem to mind our presence, and just sat their grooming themselves, resting, and doing other birdy things.

Here are my highlights from the day:

This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is photographed sitting on a rock in front of the ocean. This closeup shows only a portion of the bird, focusing on the beak with its The beak, bill pouch (gular sac), and eye are all sharply in focus, and visible clearly above the folded-up body. (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: Closeup.
This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is standing proudly on a rock in front of a blurred-out calm blue ocean background. The pelican is seen in profile, with its beak, bill pouch, and legs clearly visible. (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: Proud.
This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is photographed in profile closeup. The Pelican is seen against the blue California sky with the ocean/horizon just visible at the bottom of the frame, and has just returned from fishing. A single drop of water can be seen dropping from its beak, frozen in mid air. (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: Profile and water drop.

I don’t typically do bird photography, but if there are more places like the La Jolla cliffs I could see myself doing lots more.

I’d appreciate any and all comments on these pictures. This was functionally my first bird photography shoot, and I’d love to improve.

More pictures

To see more pictures from the day, head to my Birds: Pelicans and gulls gallery (and wait for my next few blog posts).

Getting There

La Jolla Cove Cliffs: This location doesn’t have an official name as far as I can tell, but it’s accessed from a small parking lot on the right side of Coast Blvd. in La Jolla (San Diego, CA), just after Coast Blvd. branches off from Prospect Place. The best I can do for you is give you GPS coordinates: N32.84936 W117.27038. Parking at the location is highly limited (and has a 2-hour max during the day), but it’s a short walk from other parking areas in La Jolla and the lot was virtually empty when I got there half an hour before sunrise on a weekday. The cliffs are accessed from a stairway that descends from the parking lot; be careful to stay well back from the edge, as the cliffs are steep and venturing too far forward will scare the birds away and prevent them from landing.  The cliffs are within walking distance of beautiful seaside La Jolla, with much to see and do. I don’t know how often pelicans are there, but I’ve heard they’re only there during a short period in the winter.

Silly Sunday: The Legend of Sleepy La Jolla

Beach, California, Photography, San Diego County, Silly

A few days ago I was out at La Jolla with Greg taking pictures of California Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus), when I suddenly realized that I was on the set of a new movie.  There were big cameras all around me, and in front of me was the star!

The movie was a remake of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow set in La Jolla, but instead of the headless horseman, it starred this fine creature:

This bird is starring in a remade of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", called "The Legend of Sleepy La Jolla". Instead of the headless horseman, the movie features a headless pelican. (Marc C. Perkins)
The Headless Pelican: star of The Legend of Sleepy La Jolla

I’ll post some more serious pelican pictures shortly, but thought I’d share this fun one first 🙂

Hope your weekend is going well!

Sunset at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge: Highlight of the trip

Beach, East Coast, Massachusetts, Photography,

Earlier this month we visited family and friends in Cape Cod, New York City, and Philadelphia.  I’m still merrily processing images from the trip, but today I want to share a highlight.

For our last night in Massachusetts we decided to visit Chatham, a small town at the “elbow” of Cape Cod. There’s a lighthouse there1, a bunch of restaurants and little shops (most of which were sadly closed for the winter), and the start of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is made up of a string of sandy barrier islands consisting of more than 7,500 acres of protected habitat; most of these islands are only accessible by ferry, but the northernmost edge of the refuge is accessible by car and a short walk.

We got to the refuge in time to walk down to the beach and enjoy the sunset. I’ll post more about the day in an upcoming post, but suffice to say that it was a gorgeous beach where our only companions were birds and a few folks off in the distance. Best of all, the sunset was spectacular:

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is in Chatham, MA at the elbow of Cape Cod; this was taken just before sunset from the beach accessible from the Monomoy headquarters. The low clouds tinged with fiery red from the sunset, the golden yellow of the sun setting in the sky, the silhouetted house, the leafless winter trees, and the calm ripply water reflecting it all made the sunset tremendously beautiful. And I got to enjoy it all with good friends I hadn't seen in nearly a year; it was a perfect sunset. (Marc C. Perkins)
Fire and water: sunset at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

Sharing this sunset with dear friends was a great way to end our visit to Massachusetts. Here’s to you, Marin and Steve!

1 That’s enough to make me love a town.

Poinsettia flowers part three: the female parts. Stigmas, styles, and ovaries ahoy!

Biology, California, Photography
A closeup of a poinsettia flower cluster from directly above it. Many people confuse the bracts (red leaves) with the petals of flowers; they're quite different. This macro shot shows a number of bracts (colored leaves associated with a flower) surrounding the flowers (green, red, and yellow structures) and extending out of the frame. The flowers themselves are called cyanthia; the green tissue surrounding each flower is an involucre, a cluster of bracts (leaves) fused into a cup-shaped structure that contains multiple male flowers and one female flower within it. Emerging from the involucre you can see red filaments supporting yellow anthers on the male flowers; a single female flower should be emerging from the center of each flower. The bright yellow, liquid-filled structures attached to the involucre are nectar glands filled with yummy sweet nectar to attract pollinators; on less-developed flowers they look like little light-green lips. (Marc C. Perkins)
A closeup of a poinsettia flower cluster from directly above.

[This is the third in a series of three posts. The first post is: Poinsettias up close: where are the flowers? and the second post is: Poinsettia flower closeups take two: getting even closer]

In my previous two posts on poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) flowers I showed that the flowers are much smaller than most folks think (the large red structures are bracts, not petals) and was able to get some closeups of the inflorescences illustrating their anatomy.

In case you’ve forgotten, the inflorescences of poinsettias are not your typical boring flower: multiple male flowers and a single female flower are surrounded by a sphere of fused bracts called an involucre, out of which the flowers emerge. The involucres often have nectar glands on them, which look like two green or yellow lips.

A closeup of a poinsettia flower cluster from the side. Many people confuse the bracts (red leaves) with the actual flowers; they're quite different. This macro shot shows multiple pseudanthia (flowering structures) surrounded by a sea of red bracts (colored leaves associated with a flower). The flowers themselves are called cyanthia; the green tissue surrounding each flower is an involucre, a cluster of bracts (leaves) fused into a cup-shaped structure that contains multiple male flowers and one female flower within it. Emerging from the involucre you can see red filaments supporting yellow anthers on the male flowers, and you can even see some of the pollen grains. Also emerging from each involucre you can see a number of dark-purple structures supported by short stalks (that are about a tenth of the height of the filaments; I'm not sure what these are). The bright yellow, liquid-filled structures attached to the involucre are nectar glands filled with nectar to attract pollinators. (Marc C. Perkins)
A closeup of a poinsettia flower cluster from the side. The involucre are the large green structures tipped with red, with male flowers emerging from them.

Frustratingly, when I took that first set of pictures I couldn’t find any female flowers on the plants I had. I’ve since learned that this is because the female flowers only develop and extend out of the involucre after the male flowers have matured and produced their pollen (reducing the likelihood of self pollination).  So, I waited, and yesterday finally got a chance to photograph the female flowers up close.

Here’s what a female flower looks like coming out of the involucre:

A single female poinsettia flower with stigma, style, and ovary can be seen emerging from its involucre (cluster of bracts fused together). The involucre also has a nectar gland emerging from it (that look like two lips). The entire inflorescence (involcure and female flower) is called a cyanthium. The red leaves surrounding the inflorescences (mostly out of focus, except for the one next to the female flower) are bracts. The scale bar is 5mm long. (Marc C. Perkins)
A single female poinsettia flower with stigma, style, and ovary can be seen emerging from its involucre. The scale bar is 5mm long.

There you can see the divided stigma (where pollen need to be deposited if they are to fertilize the flower’s eggs), the swollen ovary just barely protruding from the involucre, and the style connecting those two.

For more context, we can see that the maturing female flower is next to cyanthia filled with withered male flowers:

A single female poinsettia flower with stigma, style, and ovary can be seen emerging from its involucre (cluster of bracts fused together) on the right half of this image; the involucre also has a nectar gland emerging from it (that look like two yellow-green lips). The entire inflorescence (involcure and female flower) is called a cyanthium. On the left of the image a number of withered male flowers and their nectar glands can be seen emerging from shriveled involucres. The red leaves surrounding the inflorescences (mostly out of focus) are bracts. (Marc C. Perkins)
A single female poinsettia flower with stigma, style, and ovary can be seen emerging from its involucre on the right half of this image; on the left a number of withered male flowers and their nectar glands can be seen emerging from shriveled involucres.

Those withered male flowers were actually quite delicate, and likely only remained on the plant because it was kept indoors and shielded from most disturbances.  I delicately put a ruler into the scene to get a scale bar after the shoot, and in doing so knocked off most of the male flowers.

In the image above the female flower is just poking out a little bit.  Looking around on the plant I found one that had extended far out of the involucre, supported by a large stalk (pedicel) that was longer than the stigma and style put together:

A single female poinsettia flower with stigma, style, and enlarged ovary can be seen emerging from its involucre (cluster of bracts fused together) on a thick pedicel (stalk) that's almost as long as the flower itself. Also emerging from the involucre are a number of withered male flowers (stamen and anthers both visible) that still have yellow pollen on them. The involucre has a nectar gland emerging from it (that look like two yellow lips). The involucre also has small saucer shaped structures emerging from it; I'm not sure what they are (they're more easily visible in my other poinsettia pictures). The entire inflorescence (involcure, male flowers, and female flower) is called a cyanthium. The cyanthium is growing up from a stem's branching point, where a bract is emerging. The red leaves surrounding the inflorescences (mostly out of focus) are bracts. The scale bar (at the bottom) is 5mm long. (Marc C. Perkins)
A single female poinsettia flower emerging from its involucre (along with some withered male flowers) on a thick pedicel. The scale bar (at the bottom) is 5mm long.

And that, my kind readers, is what poinsettia flowers look like in a single image: one female flower and multiple male flowers emerging from an involucre that has a nectar gland on it and is surrounded by bright red bracts.

Thanks for reading!

More pictures

To see more of my poinsettia pictures, head to my Poinsettia Gallery.

Cat anatomy: the barbed tongue

Biology, Pets, Photography,

I recently found myself sorting through a folder that contained a few dozen pictures of my cats in various poses, the sole consistent element being that they were sticking their tongues out at me. How this came to be started with this image:

Lucca closes her eyes as she licks her paw, showing off dozens of her tongue barbs (filiform papillae). I love cats cleaning themselves! (Marc C. Perkins)

I was sitting in my living room watching Lucca clean herself, as cats do, and I took a few pictures of her, as I do. But when I processed the images and saw her tongue in this one, I was entranced. I’d always known that cats have barbed tongues, but knowing something and seeing it are two different things. I then set about to get a few good images of cat tongues, and the above-mentioned folder of dozens of tongue-sticking-out images resulted.1

When cats clean themselves, their tongues are typically out for far too short of a time to see the barbs in any detail with the naked eye (at least not with my eyesight). And the tip of the tongue, which is the most likely part of their tongue a human will see, actually has no long barbs, as Kira kindly demonstrates in this picture:

Kira, a brown tabby, licking Lucca, a blue patched tabby and white. Only the tip of Kira's tongue is out, showing how the tip of a cat's tongue is lacking in the large barbs (filiform papillae). However, a few small ones can be seen on the tongue near her mouth. (Marc C. Perkins)

Getting tongue pictures showing the barbs was not trivial2, but for those of you looking for closeups of cats naturally licking, here are three closeups showing a front, three-quarters, and side angle:

A closeup of a cat's tongue from straight-on as the cat licks a sheepskin rug. Numerous barbs (spines; filiform papillae) are clearly visible across the width of the tongue. The papillae are largest in the middle of the tongue, and get progressive smaller towards the edges of the tongue. See the cropped version of this image for more detail on the tongue. (Marc C. Perkins)

A closeup of a cat's tongue from a three-quarters angle as the cat licks a sheepskin rug. Numerous barbs (spines; filiform papillae) are clearly visible across the width of the tongue. The papillae are largest in the middle of the tongue, and get progressive smaller towards the edges of the tongue. The three-quarters angle allows the viewer to better see the height of the barbs. See the cropped version of this image for more detail on the tongue. (Marc C. Perkins)

A closeup of a cat's tongue from a side view as the cat licks her paw (with a single claw and pads visible). Numerous barbs (spines; filiform papillae) are clearly visible across the top surface of the tongue. this side view emphasizes the height of the barbs (the largest are almost half the thickness of the tongue), and shows that they're angled back only slightly. See the cropped version of this image for more detail on the tongue. (Marc C. Perkins)

The barbs or spines are called filiform papillae. They’re opaque, hardened with keratin, and arise from widened bases that cover the tongue. The barbs are longer in the center of the tongue, and slowly get shorter towards the sides and front. These are what makes a cat’s tongue feel rough, like sandpaper, when it licks you.

The details on barbs may be a bit tough to see in those pictures, since they’re all essentially uncropped (to show context); but here’s what you really came for: closeups of the tongue focusing on the papillae3.

This is a crop of the "Cat tongue closeup: front view" image, focusing on the tongue. The original image is a closeup of a cat's tongue from straight-on as she licks a sheepskin rug. Numerous barbs (spines; filiform papillae) are clearly visible across the width of the tongue. The papillae are largest in the middle of the tongue, and get progressive smaller towards the edges of the tongue. (Marc C. Perkins)

This is a crop of the "Cat tongue closeup: 3/4 view" image, focusing on the tongue. The original image is a closeup of a cat's tongue from a three-quarters angle as the cat licks a sheepskin rug. Numerous barbs (spines; filiform papillae) are clearly visible across the width of the tongue. The papillae are largest in the middle of the tongue, and get progressive smaller towards the edges of the tongue. The three-quarters angle allows the viewer to better see the height of the barbs. See the uncropped version of this image for more context. (Marc C. Perkins)

This is a crop of the "Cat tongue closeup: side view" image, focusing on the tongue. The original image was a closeup of a cat's tongue from a side view as the cat licks her paw . Numerous barbs (spines; filiform papillae) are clearly visible across the top surface of the tongue, and additional papillae (fungiform papillae) are visible on the side and bottom of the tongue. This side view emphasizes the height at attachment of the barbs (the largest are almost half the thickness of the tongue), and shows that they're angled back only slightly. This is also one of the few images I've seen showing the back of a cat's tongue in a natural position. See the uncropped version of this image for more context. (Marc C. Perkins)

Friendly cats often groom each other, and so I absolutely have to include a picture of Lucca cleaning Kira while showing off her tongue barbs:

Lucca, a blue patched tabby and white cat, licks Kira, a brown tabby. I love it when cats curl up together on a couch and groom each other! Lucca's eyes are closed while her tongue is extended, which clearly shows the filiform papillae (spines or barbs) on the top surface of the tongue. Her nose, whiskers, fur, and closed eyes are also clearly in focus. (Marc C. Perkins)

And I can’t resist ending with a silly picture of Kira looking cross-eyed as she cleans her front paw:

Kira, a brown tabby, grooms her front paw, which is curled over super-cutely. I love this image because of Kira's wacky expression: she looks almost cross-eyed, and almost seems to be sticking her tongue out at the camera. Instead, she's just licking her front paw, which is folded back towards her face, showing you the very dense concentration of filiform papillae (barbs or spines) on her tongue. (Marc C. Perkins)

1 Try looking at 40-odd pictures of someone sticking their tongue out at you; it’s an odd experience.
2 It helps that Lucca goes through phases where she licks a sheepskin rug regularly.
3 Yes, these three tongue closeups are indeed just crops of the pictures above.  Have I mentioned how much I love my Canon 60mm macro lens, and just how insanely sharp it is?

More pictures

To see more pictures focusing on cat tongues, head to my Cat Tongue Closeups Gallery. To see more of my general cat pictures, head to my Cats Gallery or my Cat Closeups Gallery.

 

[Update: Two of these images were used to illustrate an article in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery; read more about that here.]