Thread by @joelsax47

One of the attractions of the San Joaquin Marsh is an island in the middle of one of the ponds that is covered with White Pelicans and Double Crested Cormorants. I have a confession about the cormorants: I have...

...never been close enough or had a powerful enough lens to see the tiny wisps of hair that constitute the "crests" on these birds. There are those who doubt that they exist. As far as I know there are only a handful of photos showing the crests...

...and even they are not impressive. The best practice is to assume that any cormorant that you see in the San Joaquin Marsh is a Double Crested and check it of your life list as one. I get many questions about the cormorants...

...when I lead hikes in the marsh because of their habit of spreading their wings to dry after diving for fish. The photo that I posted today doesn't show such a bird, though. It is just mingling with the pelicans, looking a bit like a fat penguin.

#photography #photograph #pelicans #cormorants #marsh #wetland #marsh
Joel Sax shared a photo with you from the Flickr app! Check it out:
flic.kr/p/2jxGHYX

The ponds are surrounded by thick growths of trees such as sycamores, willows, and cottonwoods and the ubiquitous tules (pronounced toolies). Back in my childhood, when we said that someplace was out in the tules...

...we meant that it was out in the middle of nowhere in a swampy place overrun by these reeds -- usually in the Central Valley. Tules grow tall -- taller than me in some cases (I am 6' 6 1/2" or about two meters), so they form...

...an impenetrable screen around the ponds, breached only by a few viewpoints that let you see the birds. Today's photo comes from a place where they are starting to overgrow and block the view of the adjacent pond. Sepia toning suited the shot.

#photography #photograph #sepia #toning #tules #reeds #waterplants #marsh #wetlands
Joel Sax shared a photo with you from the Flickr app! Check it out:
flic.kr/p/2jxGJyz

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