April at Ocean Beach River Channel

Here is a collection of images I took in April at the Ocean Beach River Channel.  My friends in the San Diego Photo Club photograph every bird possible in San Diego County, so I thought I would add a few images for my own collection.

As always, clicking on any of the images below will launch a slide show.

 

The Ocean Beach River Channel is where the San Diego River reaches the Pacific Ocean.  There is a bird estuary on the South side of the River.  Robb Field is a convenient location to park.  The estuary is often affected by Dog Beach, especially on weekends.  However, there were a few terns, willets, egrets and ducks to see.

An additional highlight was seeing the beautiful osprey nest in the baseball field in Robb Field.  The nest is huge.  It now hosts a family of Ospreys with some new baby osprey arrivals.  On this night, it was amazing to watch the mother feed the newborns.

On any night, you are likely to see a dozen photographers lined up in the baseball field with their ultra-long lenses getting images.  It is a great sight to see.  I was a little more surprised to have most of the river channel to myself (there were a couple homeless people camping out on the rocks, which didn’t look comfortable and was a little depressing).

On some nights, it seems like you can’t see a bird anywhere.  On others, they hang out in the middle of the channel, a little out of the way even for a long telephoto lens.  Occasionally, you will have a great night where the birds seem to be walking right up to your feet.

I am no bird whisperer, and will always make landscapes my biggest interest, but it is always good to stretch yourself and photograph a subject you don’t do on a regular basis.

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the images.

tmschultze

T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.