We went down along Route 1 on Saturday and headed to one of the prettiest beaches in Northern California. Down beyond Half Moon Bay but well before you get to Santa Cruz, San Gregorio State Beach has always been a favorite for people who like driftwood. Especially in the spring, people make elaborate huts and forts in the sand with the logs that have been washed to the shore.

There is still plenty of wood around, but the big attraction this day was a flock of pelicans that had decided to make a playpen out of the estuary there. They'd splash around in the water and then eventually decide that it was time to have another mission over the sea. They'd take off by the dozen, heading right for the horizon, then glide down to skim along the tops of the waves. A quarter of an hour later, they'd come swooping back over the cliffs and then glide in for a landing.

You don't need the longest lens in the world to get some decent shots. I was using a Canon 135mm prime, and for some of the shots I put on a 2x extender, so my reach was a maximum of 270mm. But that was plenty, given that the subjects were relatively close at hand.  I shot relatively fast, trying to freeze the motion of the birds.