Gulls at La Jolla

Beach, California, Photography, San Diego County

In addition to the pelicans Greg and I found in La Jolla last week (see post 1 and post 2), there were also a lot of western gulls (Larus occidentalis) on the cliffs. While the pelicans are a bit showier, I think the gulls are every bit as gorgeous:

This western gull (Larus occidentalis) is standing in front of a rock on a coastal cliff with the blue ocean visibile blurred in the background. Getting the proper exposure to bring out the detail in their white feathers was non-trivial! Note: a small piece of debris on the bird's feathers was digitally removed; I can provide an unedited version of the image if needed/desired. (Marc C. Perkins)
Western gull: standing by the sea.

With the gulls I also wanted to try something a bit more landscape-ish, putting them in context with the sloping oceanside cliffs leading to a sea of blue. I’m happiest with this attempt:

This western gull (Larus occidentalis) is sitting on a rock in front of a coastal cliff with the blue ocean and sky visibile blurred in the background. Getting the proper exposure to bring out the detail in their white feathers was non-trivial! (Marc C. Perkins)
Western gull: relaxing morning on the ocean cliffs.

After our morning with the birds we photographed seals and lighthouses, but those pictures will have to wait for another post.

More pictures

To see more pictures from the day, head to my Birds: Pelicans and gulls gallery

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: N 32.84936 W 117.27038. 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.

Pelicans at La Jolla, part 2: active birds

Beach, California, Photography, San Diego County

Last week I headed to La Jolla with Greg to photograph pelicans. In my previous post I shared my highlights from the day, but most of those shots were of calm, sedate birds. There was also a lot of action and anatomy on display:

This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is photographed on a rock standing in front the ocean. The pelican is seen from the side standing on one leg. It's right leg (easily visible) has been pulled up and is arched up against its body, while the other stands on the rock. It's wings are open and back, and it looks like its doing yoga or some martial arts move (a'la Karate Kid). (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: yoga bird.

Who knew that pelicans did yoga?

And, if you remember my Cat anatomy: the third eyelid post, you’ll probably appreciate this picture:

This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is photographed sitting on a peaked rock in front of the ocean. The third eyelid of the pelican (palpebra tertia or nictitating membrane) is in the middle of a blink, half-covering the eye. (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: The third eyelid.

In that image the third eyelid (palpebra tertia or nictitating membrane) of the pelican is in the middle of a blink, half-covering the eye (click on the image to see it somewhat larger). In birds the third eyelid is under more conscious control of the animal, and is often visible (and is reportedly used to protect the eyes of marine birds while diving, for instance).

And who could resist a bird just about to jump in the air and fly:

This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is photographed standing on a rock in front of the ocean, just about to take off. The pelican's feet are splayed out on the rock, and it's hunched forward with its wings arched out, ready to leap into the air and start flying. (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: about to fly. A frame taken less than a second later shows the bird in the air.

One of the distinguishing features of pelicans is their large bill pouch (gular sac) that they use to capture and carry food in. While grooming themselves they will sometimes move their bills in such a way that they invert their gular sac (so the inside is visible), as in this image:

This California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is inverting its bill pouch (gular sac) on a rock in front of the ocean. (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican: inverted bill pouch.

Oddly, in some of my images of inverted gular sacs (see, for instance, this image) there appears to be some type of gland or organ at the base of it. I have no idea what it is.

For a last photo of pelicans, who can resist a picture of a photographer taking a picture of a pelican?

A California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) standing on a rock with a photographer blurred out of focus in the foreground, both of which are standing in front of a peaceful blue ocean. The photographer is Greg Russell of Alpenglow Images (http://www.alpenglowimagesphotography.com/). (Marc C. Perkins)
California brown pelican and a photographer (Greg Russell).

Oh, and I was also asked by e-mail whether my pelican images were heavily cropped.  Most of these images are essentially full-frame captures, with just a bit of rotation or cosmetic trimming; they should easily be able to print up to 16×24″ or even possibly 20×30″.  The location Greg took me to was just amazing; we could literally get just a few yards from the birds.

I’d appreciate any and all comments on these pictures. 

More pictures

To see more pictures from the day, head to my Birds: Pelicans and gulls gallery

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.

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.]

New Year’s Eve at Huntington State Beach

Beach, Bicycling, California, Orange County, Photography

This afternoon I went for an end-of-the-year sunset bicycle ride along the Santa Ana River Trail and Huntington State Beach. I was mildly hoping for a last gorgeous sunset over the water, but dense fog rolled in well before sunset. The fog made it even more fun, though, as what few people there were largely headed home, leaving the beach to myself and a few other dedicated folks to enjoy a solitary and atmospheric end of the last day of the year.

A fire pit on the sand at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA on a foggy New Year's Eve. The beach was nearly empty for this gorgeous foggy sunset. It reads "Caution hot ashes". (Marc C. Perkins)
A fire pit on the sand at Huntington State Beach on a foggy New Year's Eve.

Huntington Beach is lined with hundreds of giant concrete fire pits, which on summer evenings are often surrounded by people having beach parties. It was a cold day today (in the mid 60’s!), so there were only a brave few out to enjoy New Year’s Eve with a beach fire:

A group of adults celebrates New Year's Eve 2011 by having a beach party complete with raging fire in a fire pit at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA. The fog made the beach feel wonderfully isolated. (Marc C. Perkins)
Room to spare.

While black and white suits the feel of the evening well, the fire made me have to process at least one in color; the warmth of the fire just draws your eye in (as it drew me in while I was there – it looked so wonderfully warm):

A fire pit on the sand at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA on a foggy New Year's Eve. The beach was nearly empty for this gorgeous foggy sunset on New Year's Eve, but you can see one group of people having a New Year's Eve fire in the background. (Marc C. Perkins)
An empty fire pit on the sand at Huntington State Beach with a lone group of people having a New Year's Eve fire in the background.

Before I headed home on a beautiful foggy dusk bike ride, I couldn’t help but take a picture of this amazing nesting set of fire pits:

A row of fire pits on the sandy beach appear as though they're a nesting set of matryoshka dolls (Russian nesting dolls). Seen at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA on a foggy New Year's eve. They read "Caution hot ashes" (Marc C. Perkins)
Matryoshka beach fire pits.

And, to show how foggy it was, here’s a picture of the Pacific Coast Highway bridge that crosses the Santa Ana “River” at the southern end of the beach:

The Santa Ana "River" runs underneath Pacific Coast Highway to get to the ocean on a foggy New Year's Eve. The "river" runs in a man-made channel from the mountains east of Los Angeles all the way through multiple counties to the ocean; for most of that distance there's a trail (the Santa Ana River Trail), which is where this picture was taken from. (Marc C. Perkins)
Bridge over foggy waters.

Happy New Year!

Getting There

Huntington State Beach: The beach is a state park, and runs for miles along the coast of southern Huntington Beach. It is accessible from multiple points along Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) anywhere between Beach Blvd. to the north and Brookhurst St. to the south. There’s plenty of parking for cars right on the beach (unless you’re going on July 4th or at another peak time), though parking requires paying an entry fee to the park. I love visiting the beach in the winter, as the giant beach is largely empty, leading to a great feeling of solitude (especially when it’s foggy!). There’s a paved trail that runs the length of the beach, which is frequently used for bicycling, jogging, or roller blading.

My 11 favorite pictures of 2011

Beach, Blogging, California, OCC, Orange County, People, Pets, Photography

It’s the end of the year, and that means that it’s time to make “best of 2011” lists.  This blog will be no exception.

This year was a year of exploration for me, thanks mainly to my good friend Greg (of Alpenglow Images; he just posted his own top 12 of 2011), who inspired me to push my boundaries photographically, as well as to start sharing my photography online.  But it’s far too easy to ramble on in posts like this. So, here are my 11 favorite images from 2011 (with many thanks to Michael Russell and Mike Cavaroc for inspiring this with their own posts earlier this week).

First, my top three:

Closeup of flower buds on the Agave vilmoriniana inflorescence. (Marc Perkins)
The Future, from my Agave and Aloe series (1 | 2).

I woke up to a foggy morning at Lower Moro campground in Crystal Cove, and found this beautiful little purple and white flower covered in dew. I love the few strands of spider silk connecting the flower to its stalk, also covered in water droplets. A botanist friend of mine identified this as _Stephanomeria sp._, a plant in Asteraceae. (Thanks Jeremy!) (Marc C. Perkins)
Foggy Morning Sunshine, from my Crystal Cove State Park series (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6).

Kira, a brown tabby, relaxing on a shelf next to a brick wall. I love how she looks mildly inquirous while also looking serenly peaceful and comfortable. She's also got her paws cutely folded up underneath her. How cat like! (Marc C. Perkins)
Listening Cat is Happy to Hear About Your Problems – 2 (aka: Kira relaxing), from my cat galleries (1 | 2).

And now for the rest:

Sunset at Corona Del Mar State Beach, seen from a lookout above the beach at Inspiration Point. I love how the wet beach sand looks golden / silver in color. Three silhouetted figures stand in the foreground (a photographer, lighting assistant, and girl having quinceanera pictures taken of her in a fancy dress). (Marc C. Perkins)
Metallic Beach, from my Inspiration Point and Corona Del Mar gallery; taken at Inspiration Point in Newport Beach, CA.

Nauset Light at dusk on a cloudy winter night shortly after Christmas. The light streams out to sea, visible thanks to a light mist in the air. This image is far better viewed on a solid black background, so the glow of the sky is more visible. Nauset light is in Eastham, MA on Cape Cod. (Marc Perkins)
A Light in the Dark (aka: Nauset Light at dusk), from an unpublished gallery. Taken in Eastham, MA shortly after Christmas 2010.

Mohammed (Marc C. Perkins)
Mohammed, from my 24 Faces of Occupy Irvine series.

Lucca looking decidedly unimpressed. This picture reminds me of a typical LOLCat image (e.g., http://icanhascheezburger.com); I think the caption would be something like "Unimpressed cat is unimpressed", "Meh", or "Is it really Monday already?". But, sadly, I won't be submitting it to that website, as their terms of service for uploaded images give them way too many rights for free (http://corp.cheezburger.com/legal/terms-of-service/). (Marc C. Perkins)
Unimpressed Cat is Unimpressed, from my cat galleries (1 | 2).

Nobska Lighthouse in Woods Hole, MA on Cape Cod. The red-roofed keeper's house and white and black lighthouse are both visible, as the wind blows the flags in front of a clear blue sky. I love how the lighthouse feels like it standing proud; a little bit of Americana. This image is cropped to be printed at 12x18". (Marc Perkins)
Nobska Light: Classic Americana, from an unpublished gallery. Taken in Woods Hole, MA.

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; mostly out of focus in this picture). 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). The bright yellow, liquid-filled structures attached to the involucre are nectar glands filled with nectar to attract pollinators. (Marc C. Perkins)
Poinsettia Inflorescence Extreme Closeup, from my poinsettia series (1 | 2). Taken at Orange Coast College’s Ornamental Horticulture Department.

A large agave inflorescence that's still growing seen at the entrance to Little Corona beach in Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach), CA just before sunset. The distinctive arch rock of Little Corona is visible in the ocean in the background. (Marc C. Perkins)
Agave Inflorescence at the Beach 2, from my Little Corona Agave post. Taken in Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach), CA.

A vertical view of the arch rock offshore at Little Corona after sunset, in black and white using a long exposure to make the ocean water silky smooth. I love the soft curves of the clouds drifting overhead. (Marc C. Perkins)
Vertical Arch Rock and Clouds, from my Little Corona long exposure series (1 | 2). Taken at Robert E Badham Marine Life Refuge in Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach), CA.

Those are my top 11 pictures of the year!

As an encore I’m going to include one more image. While this didn’t make the cut artistically, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and thus seems to belong here.

I'm pretty sure these are two southern pacific rattlesnakes (_Crotalus oreganus_ helleri) mating. I first noticed the pair when I was only a foot or two away from them on a trail; after moving a bit away I captured this shot of the two snakes wrapped around each other. Sadly, I think my presence may have interrupted them. (Marc C. Perkins)
Two Rattlesnakes Mating, from my Crystal Cove State Park series (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6).  Taken in Crystal Cove State Park, CA.

Cat anatomy: the third eyelid

Biology, Pets, Photography

Most humans are probably familiar with the two fleshy eyelids we use to protect our eyes. Most vertebrates, however, have a third eyelid that they can also use to cover their eye. This eyelid is usually a thin white membrane that moves horizontally across the eye, and is called the nictitating membrane or palpebra tertia.

The third eyelid is often difficult to see in cats (and dogs), because if their outer eyelids are open then the nictitating membrane is almost always also open. However, last week when getting a few pictures of my cats relaxing, I discovered that I’d captured a sequence of pictures that clearly demonstrate the third eyelid:

Lucca shows off her third eyelid in this sequence of four photographs taken just after she woke up from a nap. The third eyelid (nictitating membrane or palpebra tertia) is a thin white membrane that slides horizontally across the eye underneath the outer two eyelids. Humans lack this third eyelid, but most other vertebrates have it. Lucca here is simultaneously stretching, yawning, and opening her eyes. In the first image her eyes are completely closed, in the second image her outer two eyelids are partially open, but the nictitating membrane is still entirely covering the eye, in the third image the outer two eyelids are almost entirely open and the nictitating membrane is about half covering the eye, and in the fourth image all three eyelids are fully open. (Marc C. Perkins)
Lucca, a blue patched tabby and white adult female cat, shows off her third eyelid in this sequence of four photographs taken just after she woke up from a nap. Lucca here is simultaneously stretching, yawning, and opening her eyes after waking up from a nap.

In the first (top) image Lucca’s eyes are completely closed and she’s just starting a yawn after waking up from a nap. In the second image her outer two eyelids are partially open, but the nictitating membrane is still entirely covering the eye (the nictitating membrane is visible as a white layer completely covering the eye; compare the second picture to the third and fourth and note that you can’t see her green eyes at all in the second picture, even though the two outer eyelids are open).

In the third image the outer two eyelids are almost entirely open and the nictitating membrane is about half covering the eye, and in the fourth (bottom) image all three eyelids are fully open.

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