Pelicans seem so unwieldy, almost a mechanical contrivance. Among the other denizens of the La Jolla oceanside cliffs are the Brandt’s cormorants (Urile penicillatus). It is a curious point that they segregate on the cliffs for the most part. There is a pelican section and a cormorant section, with only moderate overlap.

This was breeding season and the birds were quick to display their gorgeous and dramatic, iridescent throats. The one in Figure 1 is defending its nest and that nest to those of us who cannot fly, except in mind, was precariously perched above a wild and furious Pacific Ocean.

Canon T2i with EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens at 180 mm, 1/250 th sec at f/7.1, ISO 800, Aperture Priority AE mode.