Something you can never miss descending down Coast Boulevard from the village area into La Jolla Cove is the vast colony of California brown pelicans perched upon the weathered rocks that jet out into the ocean. These craggy cliffs are not only a hub for this unique bird, which was listed as endangered for almost four decades, but they are a nature photographer’s dream. The ocean backdrop is the perfect distance away from these long-billed subjects to yield stunning shots. Or so says nature photographer Arthur “Artie” Morris, who is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier bird photographers and a top nature photography educator of his time. He has dedicated much of his life to sitting near those cliffs and observing the brown-bodied birds, and his shots have been featured in hundreds of books and calendars, as well as a variety of magazines and galleries. “There are lots of places to photograph California brown pelicans,” said Morris. “But none that I know of where you can photograph them that beautifully. People come from all over the world to La Jolla to photograph this bird.” He declines to give away his “secret spot,” as he doesn’t want it to become congested with photographers trying to capture images as remarkable as his own, but with a little exploration of the La Jolla cliffs, it wouldn’t be hard to find a secret spot of one’s own. Morris will be in San Diego to give seminars Nov. 13 and 14 for Photo Expo West, taking place at the Del Mar Fairgrounds’ Bing Crosby Hall.