Birds at Sea

Once or twice a year, I try to go on a boat ride with some birders. I started birding as a joke ("I'm getting old I need an old person hobby!") but found that I love it. I especially love pelagic birds (and also shore birds, but to a lesser extent). Something about the raw power of the ocean and the ocean life in and around and above it really inspires me. The first time I went, I saw a feeding frenzy up close: of whales hunting, pushing fish up to the surface, different types of birds diving in and out of the water. It was majestic.

The Farallon Islands don't look too far from San Francisco on the map but it's many hours in treacherous waters. Many people throw up: for hours. I have never had motion sickness, so I was happy to tap on that life skill to try to take photos from the boat. It's hard when you're on a boat, harder when the waters are so incredibly choppy.

Anyway, here are some photos I loved from the trip back in July.

Sea lions on a buoy off Half Moon bay.

Tufted puffin bobbing about in the Pacific Ocean.

Active sea life in the Pacific Ocean.

The pure power of the ocean and the life in it.

Sea lion and pup in the rocks.

Sheer and overwhelming number of birds on the rocks and the waters around.

All photos taken with a Nikon D810 and 200-500mm lens.