Tag: bird

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

Late last year I finally made it to the Monterey Aquarium for the first time. In addition to fish and water mammals, I was happy to see a variety of birds there, including an excellent local injured bird care facility (stay tuned for a future post specifically covering those birds). I hope to make it back soon, because there is so much to see there (I didn’t even make it all the way around in one visit). Here are a few of my personal highlights.

First up, in the seahorse exhibit, was the leafy seadragon.

A leafy seadragon swims at an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
A leafy seadragon swims at an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

This master of disguise was quite amazing to watch moving about its tank. I would love to see one in its natural environment to see how well it can blend into surrounding vegetation.

The aquarium had a quite extensive jellyfish collection as well.

Jellyfish move through a water exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Jellyfish move through a water exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

And of course, no aquarium is complete without many, many fish. Here is a large bony fish (I didn’t catch the species of this one, and he looked rather grumpy so I didn’t bother asking him).

A large bony fish swims in a water tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
A large bony fish swims in a water tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

One of my favorite fish seen that day was the ocean sunfish, mostly because if its sheer size.

An enormous ocean sunfish swims in a large tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
An enormous ocean sunfish swims in a large tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The sunfish is the heaviest known bony fish in the world, with an average weight of 2200 pounds. The largest specimens can be over 10 feet in length, 14 feet across the fins, and weigh up to 5100 pounds.

And of course some birds! Here are two species I’d have to travel to Alaska to see in the wild: the tufted puffin and the horned puffin.

Tufted puffin headshots are possible at an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Tufted puffin headshots are possible at an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
A horned puffin stands alone in an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
A horned puffin stands alone in an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

I highly recommend a visit here, particularly if you can get there on a non-field trip week day. Other days can get quite busy. There is a ton to see, and it is hard to beat the beauty of the surrounding coastline of Pacific Grove and Carmel.

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Black-necked Stilt Chicks

For my New Year’s post this year, I added an image of a black-necked stilt chick and its mother. I have finally processed additional photos from that day of the same chick and its siblings (there were three altogether).

A black-necked stilt chick wades through shallow water looking for food
A black-necked stilt chick wades through shallow water looking for food

I found this family at a popular birding spot near my home. While I had heard reports that nesting activity had occurred here in the past, I had never seen stilt chicks here myself. It was a joy to watch these little guys stumble around on shaky legs until they got tired, and had to take a break by sitting down on the shoreline.

A black-necked stilt chick takes a rest on the shoreline next to a still pond
A black-necked stilt chick takes a rest on the shoreline next to a still pond

Soon enough, they would recover and bounce back into action. One of the three was more adventurous than then others, venturing away from the shelter of the brush in search of food.

A black-necked stilt chick is reflected in still water as it looks for food along a narrow island
A black-necked stilt chick is reflected in still water as it looks for food along a narrow island

It was fun to watch them interact with each other. I could imagine talking to each other in their own little language, telling each other where the best food could be found.

Two black-necked stilt siblings stand close together in shallow water
Two black-necked stilt siblings stand close together in shallow water

When one chick would wander off too far, the mother would swoop in and corral it back to the others. Hopefully this family had good luck and all of these chicks made it through the nesting season. I look forward to scoping out this spot in the future for more nesting activity and a close up view of parents bringing these little ones into the world.

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Splashy splashy – love is in the air

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to share the more cuddly moments of the mating ritual of the American Avocet, which remains one of the most interesting and unexpected behaviors of birds I have witnessed first hand. I have written about this ritual before, but recently I was able to acquire much better photographs to illustrate this strange little dance.

After the male chases the female around for a while, the female finally signals her acceptance of the male by flattening out her body parallel to the water and jutting out her neck. The male stands next to her and splashes water over her head, signaling his intent.

A female american avocet assumes the mating position while the male splashes water next to her
A female american avocet assumes the mating position while the male splashes water next to her

After the couple have their special “moment” together, then begins the truly unusual and surprisingly sweet interplay between the genders. The male keeps one wing wrapped around the female and crosses bills with her.

As the male american avocet dismounts after mating, he crosses bills with the female as part of a post-mating ritual. They walk in a circle with bills crossed and then walk in a straight line, side by side.
As the male american avocet dismounts after mating, he crosses bills with the female as part of a post-mating ritual. They walk in a circle with bills crossed and then walk in a straight line, side by side.

As soon as the male is back in the water, he leads the female in a 360 degree turn, the entire time keeping their bills crossed. Every time I have seen this, this part of the ritual is the same. I’m not sure if this is to somehow solidify the bond between the two birds, but it seems to be a necessity.

Two american avocets cross bills as they walk side-by-side in a circle, part of their post-mating ritual
Two american avocets cross bills as they walk side-by-side in a circle, part of their post-mating ritual

Once the requisite turn is made, the two march off in a straight line together, side by side.

As the male american avocet dismounts after mating, he crosses bills with the female as part of a post-mating ritual. They walk in a circle with bills crossed and then walk in a straight line, side by side.
As the male american avocet dismounts after mating, he crosses bills with the female as part of a post-mating ritual. They walk in a circle with bills crossed and then walk in a straight line, side by side.

Soon after, each bird goes back to whatever they were doing before expressing their partnership. The couple remains together throughout the nesting season.

May you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day – hopefully you get to spend it with your sweetheart!

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Dreaming of spring

A mallard duckling swims close to its mother, who keeps a close eye on her chick
A mallard duckling swims close to its mother, who keeps a close eye on her chick

As I sit here in the pre-dawn morning, I can’t help but think of longer (and warmer) days. Although winter is a fantastic time for birds (at least around the SF Bay Area), I get tired of gearing up for the cold every time I want to go out for photos. This is the time of year that demands real dedication. The time of year that only sees the most dedicated of their fields up and outside in the cold darkness.

Soon enough however, buds will be forming, light will stay later, and little ones like this hatchling will start gracing us with their presence.

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen