ML136105001

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

I was sitting on the bluff looking out to sea when at 7:30am I noticed a very large bird flying over the ocean approximately 1/2 mile out. Its dark coloration and flight pattern struck me as unusual and when I got binoculars on the bird I was astounded to see a frigatebird! In January! It was a large bird almost entirely black in coloration. Although there were no other birds in the vicinity its large size was apparent even at the distance I was viewing it at. It was about the size I would expect for an Ospre. The face and breast were white. The belly also had a small white patch roughly diamond shaped. A dark band extended down from the sides of the breast separating the white areas of the belly and breast. Owing to my viewing angle and the distance I could not tell if the band completely connected across the breast or if it left a narrow gap allowing the white belly and breast to touch. The wings were very long but narrow and tapered to a point. The wrist or bend of the wing as it flew was considerably closer to the body than the tip. The wings were very large in proportion to the body. The black tail was very long and thin, almost like a needle, tapering to a sharp point at the end. The tail was about as long as the combined length of the body, head and bill of the bird. The bill was very long, moderately thick but even along its entire width from base to tip, and ended in a blunt, almost squared off tip. The bill appeared pale but was slightly darker than the white face. Its flight style was remarkable. It beat its wings in a very slow, deliberate manner and then subsequently glided for a similar amount of time before beating its wings again. Although a large bird it seemed to float through the air with minimal effort. The altitude it flew at was high - at least a couple hundred feet up by my best estimate - and flew considerably higher than the gulls, crows, and other birds around. I watched the bird turn onshore, fly inland over the north end of Bolsa Chica, make one great circle and then resume its northward journey over Huntington Harbor.

Technical information

Model

E-510

ISO

1600

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/9.0

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

1200 pixels x 900 pixels

Original file size

270.46 KB