How to Spot Dolphins

Pelicans, Gulls, Cormorants and Dolphins all mixed together! If you're looking for dolphins, look for the birds first. The birds gather to take advantage of the dolphins efforts at herding fish into a tight school, making an easy meal for the birds! The birds act as a beacon for you to spot the dolphins as the birds congregate in numbers and in mixed groups that would not otherwise occur. Then, if you watch the water, you will see occasional spouts and fins pop up. The same "bird trick" holds true for spotting schools of tuna or other large ocean carnivores that herd bait fish into tight schools or "bait balls." Where there are birds, there is typically something down below herding the bait fish.

Flock of Sanderlings

A picture of a flock of sanderlings that were flying up and down the San Diego river bed in unison. They are a sight to see when in flight. They decided to camp out on the mud flat with a gull for a short rest.

Defending The Ziplock

The aggressor gull in the picture snatched a ziplock back full of cookies from a neighboring beach blanket while the people were in the water. Immediately, other gulls came in seeking their share of the bounty. As you can see, the thief was not in the mood for sharing.

Frustrated Gull

This gull had a frustrated look about him as he stared at the spot light, seeming wanting to will it to turn on. Gulls are pretty common in San Diego, perhaps not quite as common as pigeons but pretty close. Still, they are very intelligent and fairly fun to watch as they do their gull antics. They have been known to snatch food from upheld hands or even in mid air from a gentle toss.

Garbage Stomach

Puts a new meaning to junk food, doesn't it? This gull had taken a liking to a condiment cup (it had tartar sauce in it originally). Unfortunately, the gulls and other wildlife often die with stomachs full of indigestible trash. Pretty sad really. Trying to get the cup back involved quite a chase and you can see the gull wasn't giving up easily.

Still Festive in the New Year

If the gulls can be festive, so can we! This little guy was posing by the Christmas wreaths that the city of Imperial Beach so graciously tied around the IB Pier. He was watching me carefully, just in case I had a handout or two but, alas, it was just another camera.

Gull Frenzy

The child in the picture was feeding the gulls. As you can tell, gulls are not at all shy about taking handouts. In fact, they're downright aggressive, swarming around the little guy begging for food. Yet another fine way to spend a warm Christmas afternoon.