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My apologies to those whose knowledge of the fierce territoriality of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds might make the above scene a perplexing distortion of reality. Rarely will the local male allow birds others than his mate to use a food source in his territory, so a feeding flock like this is impossible, and has a biological spookiness to it, like cloned pets. In a sense, the distorted reality is due only to the integration over time that is a feature of all GigaPan panoramas. It’s just highlighted here by selectively capturing the moments to integrate. This image is a record of one visit to my patio by a male (dark throat) and three visits by females (probably the same one).
In case Mom asks: EVERY ONE OF THE BIRDS IN THE PANO IS SHAUN WHITE (and his boo). (see http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15884) Notes: The Epic 100 did not capture any birds in the panorama, so afterwards I turned off the imager, set the D40 to continuous shutter at 1/1600 second and single area autofocus, and waited. One can get carried away with this, so I made sure to drop in birds (and insects) only where they were actually photographed in the scene. |
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Cliffs of La Jolla, north of San Diego, California, overlooking the La Jolla underwater park ecological reserve encompassing the area back to the fishing activity and halfway to the opposite shore. This panorama was taken at low tide which which makes the tops of the kelp beds visible. The chimney of the electric power plant up the coast is 20 miles north. Snow covered peaks are visible in the farthest distance, 75-100 miles away. The view to the left of this panorama can be seen in the separate panorama: http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=2768 |
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This panorama records a scene which may never be seen again in the near future. In recent years, a colony of harbor seals has reclaimed it's traditional haul out site on La Jolla's Casa Beach, creating an ideal situation for viewing natural seal behavior. Unfortunately for the seals and the thousands of people who are delighted by them, a woman has successfully brought a lawsuit through the California courts to assert her right to use the beach and force the city of San Diego to dredge it to evict the seals. Their only hope now is that the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act will trump the state court rulings and allow them this one small patch of sand.
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Cliffs of La Jolla, north of San Diego, California – overlooking La Jolla underwater park ecological reserve. The electric power plant with chimney visible up the coast is about 20 miles away. The view to the right of this panorama can be seen in this Gigapan: http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=2781
More La Jolla wildlife can be seen in this Gigapan of the nearby Casa Beach Harbor Seal Colony: http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=3846 |
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This view is from a mile north of the very southwest corner of the United States at the southern end of Imperial Beach, south of San Diego, CA. The tidal marsh at left is the Tijuana Estuary Reserve which drains into the seasonal Tijuana River at its outlet to the Pacific Ocean just south of this sand ridge. The Tijuana River's watershed is largely in Mexico. The US/Mexico border cuts along the top edge of the low hills in the distance. Closer views of the border can be seen in these Gigapans:
http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=4317 http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=4318 |
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This segment of the U.S. - Mexico border wall spans from Naco, Sonora westward to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area -- just a small segment of the 350 miles currently being constructed along nearly the entire length of the Arizona-California border with Sonora. The San Pedro River is one of the last undammed, free-flowing rivers in the American Southwest. The river and Conservation Area are known as one of the most biologically diverse areas in the U.S., hosting an estimated 83 species of mammals, more than 100 species of breeding birds and an additional 250 species of migratory and wintering birds. The border wall: 1) is planned to cross the San Pedro River and its floodplain, as well as over 60 seasonal streams and desert washes causing significant erosion and sedimentation into the river impacting habitat, 2) blocks wildlife movements that ensure healthy wildlife populations, with especially concerning impact on such rare and sensitive species as Sonoran pronghorn, jaguar, Mexican wolves, Mexican Black Bear and ocelot, 3) increases the likelihood that invasive species will colonize an ecosystem of international importance, 4) shifts undocumented migrant traffic, enforcement activities and associated degredation into adjacent wildlands, including rugged and ecologically-sensitive Sky Island mountain ranges (Sky Islands are tall mountain ranges that rise up from a "sea" of surrounding desert to support diverse ecosystems. These mountains receive enough moisture to sustain woodlands and forests, and provide niches for unique species that can only be found in these isolated "islands" of habitat.) www.defenders.org www.northernjaguarproject.org |
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This gigapan is one of several gigapan-based "Gigaplots" established at the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora. This image was taken 14 months after livestock were removed to support ecological restoration. Compare this to "Los Chinos Flats Gigaplot June 08 (below), which was taken the last day livestock were present on the reserve. |
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Nancy's Meadow is a large area in which brown bears forage for sedges and grasses. We saw three big brown bears in a short time while watching the meadow.
This pano was created under difficult conditions; wind gusts to 35 knots and rain. Canon 5D2 on tripod, at a very recent bear bed site. |
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This view of La Jolla's Casa Beach sea wall faces northwest. The wall was built in 1931 over rocks which had previously provided natural resting areas for harbor seals. In recent years, the wall has become an ideal viewing platform for observing harbor seal behavior up close. The seals are usually unconcerned about people on the wall but are instinctually skittish and easily flushed into the water if approached or disturbed at beach level. Although enjoyed by many thousands of people, the seal colony is at risk due to a lawsuit which may soon force the city to dredge the beach to evict the seals. (See http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=3846 for another view with more seals)
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Awesome place to visit in the summer and pretty cool place to visit in the winter as well. |