Bowerbird Photography Published in Seven Ponds

    We had the opportunity to serve a wonderful non-profit organization, Josie's Place, that offers peer-facilitated grief counseling to children and teens by taking photos at their 5th year anniversary celebration.  Sacred work.  Seven Ponds interviewed co-founder/director of Josie's Place, Pat Murphy.  In the article, Pat Murphy describes the grieving process and provides advice to people who have experienced loss.  The article also features some of Bowerbird Photography's photography.  We are grateful and proud to be photographers; to be chosen to document the rich texture of people's lives.  Photographs honor.  They cherish.  They remember.  We are ever mindful of our duty to create art that speaks simply and beautifully of the values we cherish the most.
    Click here to read the interview and see photos we took of the event, on Seven Ponds.   Or, click on the screenshot of the Seven Ponds homepage, to see some of our photos.

Brewer's Blackbirds and Starlings at the Presidio, by San Francisco photographers Bowerbird Photography

   Starlings my darlings!


  This is the last part of our three-part series on the birds Sam photographed at the Presidio in San Francisco.

   Starling on the lookout!

    Brewer's blackbirds (euphagus cyanocephalus)- female in foreground, male behind.

Gulls by the Bay, San Francisco Photographers - Bowerbird Photography

  Walking the plank.  


  This is the second part, in a three-part photography series, devoted to the birds of the bay that Sam took while in the Presidio last Saturday.  These, we believe, are Western Gulls, (larus occidentalis) if we are mistaken, please comment.

  Those feathers under the wing look so soft!       

  I love the focus on the landing gear here; it is an unusual angle to take of a bird.   

Brown Pelican in the Presidio, Taken by San Francisco Photographers, Bowerbird Photography

    Bowerbird Photography had a family portrait session in the Presidio last Saturday.  The day was gorgeous and sunny.  Sam couldn't resist the opportunity to take some bird portraits.  Here are a collection of photographs taken of a juvenile Brown Pelican, also known as the American brown pelican or common pelican (pelacanus occidentalis).  The juveniles have distinctive brown plumage, while adults have beautiful white necks and crowns - that's how I know this is a youth.  
    Pelicans have suffered the vicissitudes of population decline and recovery throughout the century.  In the early 1900s these birds, without many natural predators, were hunted by man for their beautiful feathers.  While women at that time cut striking figures with elegant (and awesomely outrageous) hats, the  headgear came with a mortal price.  However, in 1918 the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed giving some protection to the birds.
    During the First World War, times were tough for all: fisherman killed these birds thinking that they were unfairly poaching on their fish harvests.  Luckily, in recent times, these birds seem to have shed their pariah image. (Other species, like the wolf, have not fared so well, falling victim to farmers and aerial gunners like Sarah Palin.)  In recent memory, the bird was all but decimated with the introduction of that notorious pesticide, DDT.  According to Ariel's parents, who were frequent beach goers in the the 60s, hardly a bird could be seen on the California Coast.  The government took action and the pelican was listed as an endangered species and DDT was banned.  Pelicans made a wonderful comeback, and it's hard to imagine our coasts without them, or how we ever let their populations ebb so low.  However, I think it is important to remain vigilant.  The last two years Brown Pelicans have been dying for unknown reasons.  Their stomachs have contained a different diet from the usual meal of anchovies and sardines, and their feathers have been found coated with a mysterious substance.   (This reminds me of the other odd diseases we hear about in the the news that are striking other species, like the colony collapse disorder affecting bees.)  Nevertheless, the species does not appear in jeopardy of extinction right now, unlike in years passed.
    I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these wonderful birds, but it comes with the reminder that we must clean up our act.  I once worked for Northern California River Watch, and personally endorse them as a great, local environmental organization, in case your were wondering who to donate some money to this holiday season :)
    I hope you like these pictures.  Feel free to contact us at lovebirds@bowerbirdphotography.com, if you are interested in purchasing some prints.  Also, check back the next few days, as I will be posting photographs of different birds I encountered at the Presidio.

What would life be like if your mouth was bigger than your belly?

Alcatraz can just be seen in the background.

  I caught one of the pelicans in flight.

    Love the mohawk!  Or, is that a faux-hawk?  The Pelican is looking out over downtown San Francisco.  This bird looks so fly, and just itching to hit the clubs.