The Faceless Birds of La Jolla Cove

Photo: Brown Pelican Head Throw (Pelicanus occidentalis), La Jolla Cove, California

I had been wanting to go back to the La Jolla Cove for quite a while now to photograph a brown pelican headthrow. My last visit to La Jolla was probably a year and a half ago. I didn't have much time that day though to shoot the Cove because I went there to have lunch w/ a friend of mine who attends UCSD. So yesterday I decided to test my luck.

I was lucky to have found a parking spot right in front of the cliff where the pelicans were. La Jolla is one of the most popular spots in San Diego so I was very fortunate to have gotten the (free on Sundays) parking spot.

I was able to get some frame-filling whole bird photos but 300mm isn't enough for tight head portraits. I think a 400mm might be able to do a tight portrait of a head throw. If not, then stack on a 1.4x converter and you're set. I doubt the converter is necessary though because you can tell by my photo that a head throw requires a lot of space in a frame to photograph sucessfully. Now I'm going to start saving for the 400mm.

I've been trying to find out on the internet why pelicans do the the head throw but I haven't found anything yet. What I do know is that they aren't all that easy to shoot. When they toss their head back it's usually a really quick snapping motion and the bird might do the motion once or twice then it's over. I read on another photographer's site that any pelican with it's eyes open is a candidate to do it. They spend most of their time cleaning their feathers and grooming so it's very hard to time it right. Plus there are so many birds I think that you have just focus in on a small group of them and wait until it happens. Then be prepared to react in a split second. It can get overwhelming with the amount of pelicans on the cliffs.

The pelicans and other shorebirds are of a more colorful variety in the winter time I believe but as for reliable pelican photography opportunities in Southern California, there's no place better than La Jolla. I have photographed pelicans at Bolsa Chica and in Malibu but they are hit or miss sightings in my experience.

Aside from the plentiful pelicans on the cliffs, La Jolla Cove is a marine wildlife photographer's paradise. There are also sea lions everywhere, sea caves you can kayak into, and big surf waves in addition to a wealth of diving opportunities just off shore. It's one of those places that is very difficult to not come away with at least a few good photos.

If you need a break from the action, then Tom Mangelsen's Images of Nature photo gallery is up the street along with the Bartram nature photo gallery a few stores down.