La Jolla is a location that’s been on my bird photography bucket lists for a long time. Specifically the cliffs at La Jolla Cove where Brown Pelicans spend the winter months. These birds are anything but dull and brown during the winter when they sport some amazing breeding colors.

Last week I finally made it to La Jolla to photograph the Pelicans and was not disappointed! As my photographs above shows, when breeding, these birds have beautiful reddish brown coloring running down the back of their necks and reddish coloring on the side of their necks. The top photo is a shot of one of the La Jolla Brown Pelicans in flight over the Pacific Ocean.

I only had about two hours with the La Jolla Brown Pelicans as this year’s trip was just a scouting mission appended to a family vacation. I intend to head back sometime over the next few years to spend much more time photographing these wonderful birds.