Great blue heron at sunset, northern California
An edge habitat is a boundary where two ecosystems meet – like when a forest meets a meadow, or a wetland meets a dry grassland. These edges usually support a greater variety and abundance of animals because you’ll find species from either ecosystem, plus species that need both ecosystems.
Roosevelt elk, for example, are pretty common along the northern coast of California, but live only where forests and meadows meet. They use the meadows (and some more open forest areas) for feeding, while the dense redwood forests provide shelter and protection from predators.
The most dramatic edges in the world are coastlines, where the land meets the sea. There you can find animals that are primarily ocean goers, animals that are strictly landlubbers, and animals that use both the ocean and the land.
On our trip to Northern California last month Claudia and I spent a lot of time along the edge of the ocean, and had some wonderful opportunities to see and photograph the area’s abundant wildlife. We saw many Roosevelt elk – strictly landlubbers. We saw gray whales, who are of course ocean dwellers, but prefer to feed and migrate close to shore. We saw river otters, who, in this part of the world, often feed in the ocean but make their dens on land.
And we saw lots of coastal birds. Some of these, like black oystercatchers, live right along the edge, feeding on beaches and coastal rocks. Others, like common murres, spend most of their lives on the open ocean, and come ashore only to nest.
Brown pelicans, abundant in this area, nest and roost ashore, but feed in the ocean or in open bays. They’re one of only two pelican species that dive to catch fish, and their dives are spectacular. They’ll start by cruising over the water up to 60 or 70 feet above the surface. Then, spotting a fish, they twist and plunge into a vertical dive, going beak-first into the water.
These are big birds, with 7-foot wingspans. But they’re graceful flyers, and incredibly agile divers. I tried to capture photos of them diving, and when viewing photos of them later I could see that a bird would keep its head and beak pointed straight down, but rotate its body and wings around its neck to steer itself as it made its vertical plunge. Sometimes it would flip partially upside-down before entering the water. And it would keep its long neck bent until the last second, when it would uncoil its neck to strike at the fish. It’s spectacular to watch.
We’ve often seen flocks of pelicans feeding well offshore, circling over an area and making repeated dives to catch fish. But twice on this trip we found pelicans feeding in shallow water right along a beach. They were unconcerned about people, which allowed us to sit on shore and photograph them as long as we liked. It was still a challenge to catch the right moments in the right light, but super fun.
Here’s a collection of wildlife photographs from our trip to the Northern California coast. I love photographing the redwood forests of this area, and the beautiful coastline, but the wildlife makes it even more special.
— Michael Frye
Roosevelt elk, northern California
Black oystercatcher flying over a beach, northern California coast
Black oystercatchers, northern California coast
Black oystercatcher calling, northern California coast
Double-crested cormorant with a fish, northern California coast. (Might be an anchovy.)
Brown pelican with a fish, northern California coast. (Also possibly an anchovy.)
Diving brown pelican, northern California coast. Note how its head is twisted 90 degrees from its body. Also, the neck is bent, ready to strike out at the fish at the last second.
Brown pelicans and crashing wave, northern California coast
Brown pelicans in the surf, northern California coast
Brown pelicans fishing, northern California coast. The diving pelican has its belly facing toward the camera, while its head is rotated 90 degrees.
Brown pelicans and ocean reflections, northern California coast
Related Posts: Sea Stacks at Sunset; Sun Breaking Through Fog; Wave Party
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He lives near Yosemite National Park in California, but travels extensively to photograph natural landscapes in the American West and throughout the world.
Michael uses light, weather, and design to make photographs that capture the mood of the landscape, and convey the beauty, power, and mystery of nature. His work has received numerous awards, including the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2023 award for Fine Art in Nature Photography. Michael’s photographs have appeared in publications around the world, and he’s the author and/or principal photographer of several books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.
Michael loves to share his knowledge of photography through articles, books, workshops, online courses, and his blog. He’s taught over 200 workshops focused on landscape photography, night photography, digital image processing, and printing.
