Jon

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Physicist | Photographs birds | He/him | San Diego County | "Anything can happen in this world, we really know very little" | jondrobny.com

A Canyon Wren - a small, red-brown bird with mottled brown feathers on its head and wing, big, round, dark brown eyes, a white throat and breast, and a bright red-brown striped tail, preparing to fly with its tail up and foot lifted off the white granite boulder, flecked with reddish orange and dark black, on which it is perched. The background is smooth, out-of-focus tan and beige, and the wren is backlit with diffuse light. Its long, slightly curved, dark grey beak is catching the light as the wren is faced forward and to the right.
A Black-bellied Plover in nonbreeding plumage - a white and tan, medium-sized white plover, with an upright posture, small round head, large, round, black eyes, and a small, pointed, black bill - standing amongst sparse grass, with an out-of-focus background of distant sand, crashing waves, and bright blue sky.
A pied-billed Grebe chick; a tiny grebe with a downy grey body, with streaks of pale orange on its breast, and a dramatic striped black and white face, with a bright orange crown, eyerings, and bill. It is facing exactly forward, looking at the camera, bill slightly open. It is surrounded by green water, streaked with bright grey reflections of the overcast sky.
A Spotted Sandpiper - a smallish brown and white shorebird with a medium-length, orange bill, orange legs, a dark stripe running across its eye accented by a white eyebrow, with a bright white belly, chest, and throat, punctuated by dark-brown polka dots, standing on an exposed tree root in front of dark green lakewater
A Marsh Wren - a round, tan and brown wren with a slightly curved, longish beak, perched with its feet clasped around aa vibrant green diagonal reed, surrounded by reeds of various colors from tan to blue-green; to its left is a reed coated in large droplets of dew. It hops up and down the reed, loudly singing its chattering, unmistakable call, bill wide open and tail raised.
A White-tailed Kite is resting at the top of a eucalyptus tree with long, green leaves and reddish branches. A crow swoops up from left of frame and rakes the kite with its talons, startling her and forcing her to use her wings to maintain balance. She looks around in shock and then screeches upset noises repeatedly at this attack.
A composite of five shots taken in quick succession, showing two White-tailed Kites. arrange left-to-right and upwards diagonally. The smaller male kite, above, has a vole in his talons. The female kite swoops upward from behind and below, and, swinging her talons upwards to meet the males, takes the vole from him before twisting away.
A mating pair of White-tailed Kites - brilliant white falcons with a fan-shaped tail, sharp, hooked bill, and large, round, orange eyes - perched on a horizontal branch in a dead tree with no foliage. One begins calling to the other, then they both start calling, then they copulate briefly. A crow swoops by just out of frame, but the kites are unfazed. After copulation, the two perch next to each other on the branch.
A Snowy Plover - a mostly white, tennis-ball-shaped sandpiper with little stick legs, a dark collar, and light brown back and cap with little, black round eyes and a short, stubby, kind of pointy bill - standing on sloped, soft, pale sand on a cloudy day. The surf is barely visible in the out of focus background. The Plover is positioned just left of center in the frame and is facing and looking forward-right just past the camera. Its bill is covered with sand.
A close-up portrait of a Black Phoebe - a small, black flycatcher with a little crest, a bright white belly, and wise brown eyes - lit by the orange light of the sun setting over the ocean, facing forward but looking to the left, in front of a pitch-black background that fades to orange-tan in the upper left corner. The setting sun over the ocean can just be made out in the reflection in the phoebe's round, brown eyes.
A Marbled Godwit - a large, tan shorebird speckled all over with gold and dark brown spots. It has an extraordinarily long, slightly upcurved, very narrow prehensile bill that is pink at its base and black at its end. It has large, dark brown eyes and is wading in shallow, foamy water. The lighting is very diffuse and the background and foreground have been overexposed, so the Godwit appears to be surrounded by soft, white light.
A photograph of a White-tailed Kite - a medium-sized, bright white falcon with a flattish face, short bill, and very large, round, bright orange eyes, perched at the very top of a Eucalyptus tree, green with long and narrow oblong leaves. The background is a bright, completely clear blue sky, and the scene is lit by harsh, late morning sun.
An American Pipit - a medium-sized, plain brown bird with pale eyebrows, a somewhat flat head, and brown, short streaks down its pale yellow-brown chest and breast - foraging by stomping around, wiggling its tail, and chomping on the little insects it finds in the short , green, new-growth plants of late winter/early spring. In the background, two Cassin's kingbirds can be heard screeching at each other intermittently.
A photograph of the ocean at sunset. A slightly-out-of-focus wave, blue with shadow, churns seafoam as it approaches the camera. Flecks of orange-pink light glisten off the top of the wave. Along the horizon, the silhouettes of 15 brown pelicans can be seen, flying single file, almost evenly spaced, right to left. The smooth ocean is reflecting the light from the sunset sky, which is a smooth gradient from grey-purple at the horizon to bright orange at the top of the image.
A short video of a Northern Flicker - a large, tan woodpecker with a grey head, black stripes up and down its back, and black polka dots on its chest - investigating the top of a rotten tree and then calling loudly, with a laugh-like kwikwikwikwikwi.
A small-in-frame, almost completely silhouetted brown pelican, a very large bird with a massive, scoop-like bill, diving from a great height vertically into choppy water. The sky is uniform gold, and everything is lit by diffuse orange-yellow light. Large waves are frothing against the shore in the slightly-out-of-focus foreground.
A tan, light-grey, and dark brown coyote, mouth open comically, chewing on something unidentifiable covered in live oak leaf litter in front of two sawn log barriers to a parking lot. It is looking at the camera with its tail down in a mostly relaxed posture, standing amidst dried leaves and underbrush.
The dark brown, fan-shaped tail of a diving Ruddy Duck, poking just above the water, making a small splash. The background is bright gold, dry reeds reflecting the golden light of sunrise, and the water is extremely still, reflecting the same light, making the duck's tail appear suspended in smooth, golden light.
A high-key, black and white photograph of a female Nuttal's woodpecker - a small, black and white woodpecker with black back and wings striped with white, a white throat, chest, and belly speckled with dark grey, a black head adorned with a white face mask that wraps around to the back of the head, and a very sharp, shortish dark grey bill - perched on a diagonal branch free of foliage that hangs from a larger horizontal branch that has been photographed along the top edge of the image. It is facing to the left in profile.
A Marsh Wren - a small, round, fluffy brown Wren with buff belly and throat, dark brown cap, medium brown wings, and a rectangular striped brown and black tail - perched on a twisted root overlooking smooth, pale blue lake water, facing forward, looking at the boots of the photographer (that's me!) and considering getting too close for the camera and lens to focus on.
A puffed-up Marsh Wren - a small brown Wren with light tan breast and throat, dark, chocolate brown cap, striped tan and dark brown tail, a thin white eyering, and grey and medium brown smooth markings on its face and sides - perched on a curved dried reed, facing forward and looking left, surrounded by other tan, dried reeds.
A flock of many Black-vented Shearwaters - medium-sized, gull-like birds with longish slightly hooked bills, dark grey backs and bright white undersides - flying from right to left, tracked by the camera in a panning shot as they bank towards and away from the camera
A flock of hundreds of black and white seabirds, extremely distant, swimming and flying in both directions in choppy deep blue water.
A Loggerhead Shrike - a medium-sized white and grey bird with stark black facemask, long grey tail, and hooked bill - photographed at an extreme distance, facing left, perched atop a bunch of sticks free of foliage in front of a pale blue sky.
Two Black Phoebes - small, black and white flycatchers with long, dark bill with a tiny hook at the end - one juvenile, fluffier and rounder with orange stripes on the wing and yellow bill, and one adult, sleek and black , perched together on a broken branch in front of a completely out of focus bright green background. The juvenile is on the left, facing right, looking at the adult expectantly. The adult is on the right, facing left, looking towards the camera.
A Song Sparrow - a medium-sized brown and grey sparrow with brown cap, brown back and wings, and dark brown specks on its pale grey breast, standing legs clasped on a branch and a stalk of some willowy-leaved plant. The Song Sparrow is facing forward, looking to the left, bill open in song. The background is out-of-focus pale blue sky and yellow, dried reeds and foliage lit by the morning sun
Two American Wigeons - small, round, brown ducks with a white face speckled with dark grey and a iridescent green band going from the back of the head around the eye, and a short, kind of pointy, pale blue-grey bill tipped in black - swimming on calm water that, in the pale light of morning, is reflecting very pale, very light yellow. The wigeon in the foreground is in focus, facing forward to the right, and looking at the camera. The wigeon in the background is out-of-focus and facing to the left.
A nonbreeding-plumaged Ruddy Duck - a small, stubby, grey and white duck with white cheeks, a dark bill, and mottled dark-grey feathers - swimming in calm water reflecting sunrise yellows, oranges, and pale greens
A Common Yellowthroat - a yellow warbler with olive back and wings, highlighter yellow throat and chest, and black face mask outlined on top with bright white - perched at a 45 degree angle on a thin blue-green reed. The yellowthroat is facing left, looking at the camera. The background consists of many other out-of-focus blue-green reeds.
A Dark-eyed Junco - a small, black, white, and coral colored sparrow with a pale pink bill and round black eyes - perched jauntily on a curvy branch in a pine tree. Other scraggly branches are visible in the background, and a cluster of green pine needles points outward from the lower left corner. The background of the image is a pale blue sky.
A Clark's Grebe - a large, black and white grebe with black crown, grey-black back, and white throat, neck, and face, with large, red eyes and a slightly upcurved, long orange-yellow bill - swimming in calm water towards the camera, facing left. In the water is reflected yellow foliage, and the fore- and background water is out of focus.
A young Least Tern - a very small, white tern with grey eyes and nape and a sharp, dark grey bill - in flight, flying towards the camera, wings outstretched, on a foggy day, glistening with droplets of water, in front of a completely out of focus green and grey background
An Eared Grebe - a small, grey and white grebe with bright orange eyes, a short, sharp, dark grey bill, and a white throat - swimming in calm lakewater left to right, staring at the camera. The water is reflecting the warm yellows of winter foliage in coastal southern California.
A sanderling - a small, white, round shorebird with narrow black bill and dark legs - wading in shallow water, surrounded by grey sand, grey waves, and grey fog, making the entire picture almost entirely greyscale. It is walking towards the camera with its head lowered slightly, emphasizing its roundness
A winter-plumaged Eared Grebe - a small grey grebe with large, orange eyes, a short, dark pointed bill, a dark crest, and a white throat - swimming in water dotted with cattail debris and feathers that reflects the greens and browns of the tree line on the far shore. It is facing right and looking at the camera.
A Willet - a medium-sized, plain grey and white shorebird with long, grey-blue legs and a medium-length, straight and narrow dark bill, walks in shallow surf at sunset. Rolling waves are visible in the out of focus background, and the orange and purple tones of sunset are reflected in the shower water underfoot. The Willet is walking right to left, captured with a slow shutter speed so that there is visible motion blur.
A Marbled Godwit - a football-sized, brown shorebird with an extremely long, slightly upcurved pink-orange and black bill - attempting to choke a Willet - a grey shorebird with a medium-length black bill and conspicuous black and white patterned wings - for stealing a sandcrab it had dug up moments prior. The Godwit is using its prehensile bill to squeeze the neck of the Willet which is trying to run away, flapping its wings, with the sandcrab in its bill.
A close-up shot of a Black Phoebe - a small, black flycatcher with brown-red eyes, a prominent crest, a white belly, and a dark bill with a hooked tip - perched on a diagonal branch with smooth, grey brown bark, facing right with its bill open showing its bright yellow interior. The background is an out-of-focus tan and grey sycamore tree.
A Virginia Rail - a small, round, brown rail with a grey face, bright red eyes, and dark red, curved bill - standing facing towards the camera and to the left in muddy water surrounded by reeds and roots. A drop of clear water drips from its bill.
A California Least Tern adult hands a fish over to two juveniles, facing the camera, each grasping half the fish, on a grey dirt shore in front of a pale blue lake reflecting a cloudy sky. Two more out-of-focus terns wait in the background.
A photograph of a young pied-billed grebe - a medium-sized grebe with a piebald white and dark brown face, round, light brown eyes, and a sharp orange bill - swimming on calm water that is reflecting greenery and holding a catfish and shaking it back and forth, whipping droplets and rivulets of water around.
An in-flight Violet-Green Swallow, an aerodynamic swallow with brilliant white face, throat, chest, and belly, tan-colored underwings, a notched tail, and iridescent purple-green feathers on its crown and back. Its wings are outstretched and bent slightly, and the swallow is flying right to left, banking away from the camera with a level head. The background is completely out-of-focus greens, greys, and yellows.
A Green Heron - a small, red-brown heron with prominent blue-green crown, dark green-brown wings, a long, sharp, yellow and black bill, large, yellow eyes, and big, orange feet, perched in a peppertree (I believe S. terebinthifolia), looking to the left. Its head is haloed with a background of completely white sky, and it is surrounded by new, yellow-green foliage.
A Bewick's Wren, a brown wren with prominent white eyebrow, longish striped tail, and white face and throat perched on the lip of a small cavity in a dead oak tree, facing towards the entrance. It is covered in debris from inside the cavity, and its feathers are matted and look damp from bathing.
A female Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird (they cannot be definitively distinguished in the field), a very small pale green and white hummingbird with a black, needle-like bill and rufous tail, flapping her wings, spreading her tail, and puffing out her chest while perched with tiny black talons wrapped around a small, grey branch. She is looking to the left and is in the center-right of the picture, with a white and green out-of-focus background.
A Pied-billed Grebe chick - a small, downy, grey juvenile grebe with striking black and white striped face, with a bright orange pointed bill, orange eyelashes, and splotches of orange on the crown of its head. It is preening while swimming in pale blue water.
An Ash-throated Flycatcher - a medium-sized grey flycatcher with grey-white throat, white breast, and very pale highlighter-yellow belly, with a medium brown, long tail, perched on a horizontal stick surrounded by green leaves and 3 or 4 clusters of 3 or 4 small brown achenes each (at least, I think that is what they are - in any case, small, round, dry fruits containing many seeds) hanging from the underside of the stick
A Song Sparrow, a medium-sized grey sparrow with brown wings, dark brown stripes on its head, dark streaks on its light chest, pink legs and claws, and a triangular dark grey beak, backlit by harsh sunlight, photographed perched on a dark grey branch surrounded by soft, out-of-focus highlights and shadows of bright green and dull red foliage. It is facing forward, slightly to the left, and looking past the right side of the camera.
A White-throated Swift, a small black and white swift with wide, thin, mostly straight wings reminiscent of an old airplane, an extremely short, slightly curved black bill, large, round, black eyes, a white hawk-like face, a rump flanked in white, and a short, rectangular, stubby tail, captured in flight against a sky blue background flying left to right, turning away from the camera exposing its belly
The sun, rendered in dark orange, with several dark sun spots and a couple bright splotches visible on its surface, just barely being eclipsed by the moon, which is in total darkness.
Two Surf Scoters - large, black sea ducks; the male with a brightly patterned black, orange, red, and white bill, the female drab dark brown - diving into pale teal ocean water. The male scoter's back is arched as it dives to the right, with its face submerged just up to its pale off-white eye, wings tucked back. The female scoter is in front and diving down facing the camera, submerged up to its shoulders, its bill and neck visible distorted beneath the water.
An adult male Surf Scoter - a medium-sized, jet black duck with bright white forehead, round white eyes, and a traffic-cone orange, white, and red bill, swimming in pale grey-blue ocean water, surrounded by rings of foam. It is looking at the camera and covered in a layer of water. The water is reflecting the pale yellows and soft pinks of sunset.
A Lark Sparrow - a bright white sparrow with a small, diffuse triangle of brown-grey on its breast, dark white and chestnut brown stripes radiating from its face, a grey, triangular bill, and striped brown wings, standing amidst dew-covered weeds and grass, with an out of focus background and foreground, looking to the left of the camera
A Male Ruddy Duck - a cinnamon-colored duck with a dark black head, white cheeks, and a vibrant sky-blue bill, photographed in profile, swimming to the left in calm water reflecting the dry grasses and trees of early spring
A female Lesser Goldfinch - a small, dull yellow finch with a grey-pink-orange, triangular bill, and round dark-brown eyes - is standing amidst short, bright green grass and two dandelion flowers. It has two young dandelion seeds in its bill while one is falling from its bill onto the grass, giving it just a hint of motion blur. The background is out of focus bright green grass.
A Crested Caracara - a large carrion-eating falcon with bare pink face, blueish grey bill, black crest, pale yellow neck, throat, and tail, with wide, black wings with flight feathers tipped in white - flying, backlit with golden morning light in front of a slightly out-of-focus background of forest and houses.
A photo taken of a Crested Caracara - a medium sized brown-black falcon with a bare red face and a black crest, with pale legs and pale yellow throat and breast - perched in a tree on a very wet and cloudy day; the photo was taken with a cell phone through binoculars, so there is significant vignetting and aberration.
A Double-crested Cormorant - a large, grey-black cormorant with a long, straight, narrow yellow bill that ends in a fish-grabbing hook, with round blue-green eyes - swimming from left to right in calm water, dragging an absolutely massive dark olive-green catfish with long "whiskers" and gold eyes along in its bill. The cormorant's head is held down at an awkward angle by the weight of the catfish.
A Brown Pelican; a very large, dark grey-brown pelican with silvery feathers on its wings, a pale yellow cap, bright blue eyes surrounded by pink skin, green skin on its face, a bright red throat with a pouf of yellow and white feathers at its base, and an extraordinarily long pink and blue bill tipped with a stubby yellow, slightly hooked point. It is standing on two stout, black legs on the shore in front of grey and sand-colored surf, reflecting the grey skies above. Its wings are clutched close to its body, its neck is retracted, and its bill is held downward close to its chest.
A House Wren - a small brown wren with dull gray chest and faint dark brown stripes down its wings and tail. It is standing on the tip a shard of splintered, burnt wood in front of a vibrant green and dark green out-of-focus background