2. Beach and Bay, San Diego CA

Rose Creek Estuary

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Finding a desirable spot, the butterfly ray brakes to settle in place.
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Finding a desirable spot, the butterfly ray brakes to settle in place.

dbdimages20070812rose creek estuarygrand avenuepacific beachbridgebutterfly rayrose inlet

  • As a moderately low tide begins to turn, predators have gathered to feed at the tidal edge. The Little Blue Heron waits on a rock for prey to approach. The Snowy Egret pursues prey exposed along the concrete skirt of the bridge. A shy Eared Grebe dove as the image was taken and left only spreading rings at the top of the picture.
  • Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egret
  • Little Blue Heron
  • Little Blue Heron
  • Snowy Egret
  • Snowy Egret
  • Snowy Egret
  • Schools of minnows are starting to show in the darker parts of the reddish drainage channel.
  • Rings on the surface mark the schools of minnows even where glare hides them.
  • Schools of larger fish like these stripped mullet are skittish when they first enter shallow water. Swirls on the surface mark where the school has changed direction and accelerated away. Most of the mullet have moved off the top of the picture. One mullet is visible at the lower left.
  • When the water gets deep enough, the butterfly rays start gliding in.
  • Butterfly ray.
  • Butterfly ray.
  • The butterfly ray searches the bottom over rocks.
  • The butterfly ray searches the bottom over red algae.
  • The butterfly ray searches the bottom over green algae.
  • Finding a desirable spot, the butterfly ray brakes to settle in place.
  • Then the butterfly ray flaps the curling edges of it's disk to dig into the bottom.
  • Settling in, the butterfly ray disturbs the substrate into releasing gas bubbles.
  • As the last bubbles reach the surface the butterfly ray is well hidden in the algae.
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