DUNES
AND BIRDS
Over
the President's Day Weekend I joined two fellow photographers on a venture to the Imperial
Dunes near Glamis, CA; and onto the Salton Sea.
The
Imperial Dunes are mostly a destination for those who like to ride dune buggies
and motorcycles. It is located in Imperial County and is bisected by State
route 78. Motorized vehicles are allowed on the South side of State Route 78.
However on the North side the only access is by foot or horseback. This makes
for some pristine dunes. We were looking to photograph in the North Section.
We
scouted the area, took pictures of the motorized fun,
and then retreated to the
Glamis Beach Store for a cold drink and a couple of pieces of pizza. We then headed
out to find a place for capturing the late afternoon and sunset light on the
dunes. After walking from the Overlook and crossing the Highway, we quickly
found a couple of spots. As there has not been any rain lately the dunes were
quite soft and we were glad that we did not have to stagger up a very steep
dune. It was a fun evening and the sunset was good.
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| Dry Grasses and Ripples |
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| Dunes and Grasses |
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| Dune Detail |
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| Dunes Sunset 1 |
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| Dunes Sunset 2 |
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| Dunes Sunset 3 |
After a good night’s sleep at the Brawley Inn we
were off early to the Salton Sea which is to the North for sunrise and bird
photography. Sunrise was not particularly noteworthy, but we did enjoy seeing
the Sea in soft light
.
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| Cormorants and Moon |
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| Tree Skeletons |
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| Salton Sea Morning |
We went in search of the burrowing owl, but
were not successful in seeing any. I was able to spot a couple of burrows
though. Then it was onto Unit 1 where we did succeed in capturing some birds –
Black-Necked
Stilts —
White
Pelicans –
and
high overhead some Sandhill Cranes --
The
drive home was through the Southern part of Anza-Borrego State Park, Julian,
and Ramona via the Old Julian Highway and Wildcat Canyon Road which my passengers
were not really familiar with and they enjoyed the back roads tour.
Nice action shots at the the dunes but I prefer the natural side where you scored a magnificent sunset. I haven't stopped at the Sea yet. Were you on the south side at Sony Bono? Maybe I should stay on the shore before heading into Joshua Tree this week. Trying to photograph birds would be a good challenge.
ReplyDeleteYes, the quieter side of SR78 is my preference as well. What are you going to do in the middle of the afternoon when the sun is too high?
ReplyDeleteWe visited both the Headquarters of Sonny Bono as well as Unit 1. Most of the birds were around Unit 1.