Home Sweet Home. A $500 San Diego IPT Discount Offer

San Diego 2026 IPTs

$500.00 Discount Offer

I am offering two IPTs in San Diego early next year, as below. It is one of my favorite places in the world to photograph. The Pacific-race Brown Pelicans, the nesting Brandt’s Cormorants, and the handsome Heermann’s Gulls are three of my favorite avian subjects on the planet. I have reservations for a wonderful AirBnB. I am able to cancel for free no later than 5 December 2025. Staying at an IPT AirBnB maximizes learning and allows for more time in the field. Scroll down for the complete IPT information. Please call or text me at 863-221-2372 with questions or to register. If nobody sign up, I will go on my own.

What’s Up?

All three morning sessions with David Pugsley were osprey-less yet productive. We created lots of sunrise silhouettes with his last morning — Sunday, featuring the most spectacular sky colors and reflections. I was free on Monday morning. So, what did I do after 60 straight mornings of bird photography, nearly all of them at Sebastian Inlet State Park? I woke early and headed to Sebastian Inlet State Park. No shock there. Jim came by that morning on his way from his home in Melbourne to ILE and loaded up his vehicle to lighten my load. After sweeping the sand out of the garage of my rental home I vacated at 10:38am and was back home just after 11:45am.

Today is Tuesday 25 November. I woke early as is usual. Most can guess that I headed down to the lake early to do some bird photography. I was pleasantly surprised on a gloriously sunny morning as there was lots to shoot. See two of my favorites below. Which of the two photos do you find most interesting? Whatever you opt to do, I hope that you choose to have a wonderful and productive day. Wednesday evening I fly to Long Island for Thanksgiving to visit my two daughters and their families. It will be a short trip filled with family, food and football.

If an item — a Delkin flash card or reader, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate or low foot — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Supporting My Efforts Here

If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here. If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.

In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.

If an item — a Delkin flash card, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

This image was created on 25 November 2025 by yours truly down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS lens (Sony E) (at 800mm) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 1600: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was 1/3-stop short of perfect. AWB at 7:51:53am on a gloriously sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: Sandhill Crane colt about nine months of age — head portrait Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

A New Realization

Not sure why I realized just today when I made image that the irises of crane colts are amber. I checked my Sandhill Crane files and noted that the irises crane chicks are a dark amber often appearing blackish. They lighten progressively with age. Adult Sandhill Cranes have bright yellow irises.

Subject in Sun, Background in Shade …

Regular readers know that one of my favorite situations is subject in shade, background in sun. But the opposite ain’t shabby either. Especially if you love dramatic black backgrounds.

This image was also created on 25 November 2025 by yours truly down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 1600: 1/2500 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 8:05:05am on a gloriously sunny morning. Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle adult funky double-down wing stretch Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Funky Yet Regal

A somewhat dirty-headed adult Bald Eagle was sitting at the very top of the original nest tree from three years ago, the long dead pine tree now devoid of nearly all of its branches. I went with the 2X TC and 1200mm to reduce the angle of inclination to the bird. For the same reason I raised the driver’s side window as much as I could with the 600 on the BLUBB. I got on sun angle and the plan was to create a few not-too-interesting portraits. But the eagle had other plans. It kept my attention for ten minutes with a variety of strange postures and funky wing stretches. Then it flew off to the northwest.

This is an eagle behavior that I have never seen before. I am not sure if this posture involves sun-bathing. If you have any ideas as to what this bird was doing, please do share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

San Diego offers an incredible variety of attractive avian subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of Brown Pelican. Clockwise from top left back to center: juvenile and sub-adult Brown Pelicans; Heermann’s Gull; Western Gull; Allen’s Hummingbird; Brandt’s Cormorant; Gadwall hen; Wood Duck drake; Willet; Brown Pelican tight flight. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2026 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPTs

San Diego IPT #1: 4 1/2 DAYS: THURS 8 JAN thru the morning session on MON 12 JAN 2026: $2599.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers.

San Diego IPT #2: 4 1/2 DAYS: FRI 16 JAN thru the morning session on TUES 20 JAN 2026: $2599.00. Limit: 6 photographers.

Morning BAA In-the-Field Instructional Sessions (ITFIS) followed by brunch and an Image Review & Photoshop session: $449.00/per session

Available dates: JAN 14 & 15, 2026. Please get in touch with questions or to register with an e-mail to samandmayasgrandpa@att.net and please shoot me a text to 863-221-2372.

AirBnB accommodations and ground transport with the leader are available for both IPTs and for In the Field Instructional Sessions on a first come, first served basis. Please e-mail for details and information on personalized pre- and post-IPT morning sessions.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Ducks; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Northern Shoveler and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions (both depending on the current regulations and restrictions). And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or bread.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on exposure along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and SONY Zebras. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode so that you can get the right exposure every time (as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant). Or two seconds with SONY zebras … And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning, there is usually some excellent flight photography, at times with 70-200mm lenses! And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of those opportunities. Depending on the weather, the local conditions, and the tides, there are a variety of other fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego. Each IPT will include one or two duck sessions.

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter? Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The San Diego Details

These IPTs will include five 3-hour morning photo sessions, four 1 1/2-hour afternoon photo sessions, and four working brunches (included) that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy days, we may — at the leader’s discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip that afternoon shoot. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own as well. In the extremely unlikely event that Goldfish Point is closed due to local ordinance (or whimsy) — that has never happened in the past fifty years, I will of course do my very best to maximize our photographic opportunities.

AirBnB Details

I have reservations for a wonderful AirBnB. I am able to cancel for free no later than 5 December 2025. Staying at an IPT AirBnB maximizes learning and allows for more time in the field. The cost of your private room in a lovely home will be $150/night. Explore the possibility of arriving early and/or staying on for additional photography sessions by getting in touch via e-mail. Brunch is on me. Dinners are provided for $25/day. I am an excellent chef and the food is both healthy and of high quality.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Deposit Info

A $699 deposit (plus half the cost of your lodging and meals) is required to hold your slot for one of the 2026 San Diego IPTs. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due two months before the trip.

Variety is surely the spice of life in San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.