Monterey Bay. When we first saw her in the kelp, she was about 500 yards out, and we had to wait almost an hour for her to float in as she fished and ate. The Western Gull waited, too.
The otter's red nose tells that she has recently mated. That is crab that she is sharing, and she really didn't seem to mind the gull taking whatever it could.
Tags: Monterey Coast Sea Otter Western Gull DailyNature-TNC13 California wcswebsite Canon SX40 or SX50 DailyNature-TNC14 North America NA Ethan Winning E. A. Winning
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Just north of Big Sur and south of Monterey is Point Lobos, a magical nature preserve and phenomenally picturesque part of the California coast. We go to the Monterey coast every January, and have never been disappointed by what Mother Nature provides the senses. Sea otters, once near extinction, now have large populations which we could see from a point to the left of this vista. Harbor and other seals fish and breed in these waters. Cormorants, Black Oystercatchers, Surfbirds, herons and egrets, pelicans, and Black Turnstones are often present. The only thing missing are people, one more reason to go in January.
You might think that winter would be the foggiest time of year on the coast, but actually that would be summer. As Mark Twain said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Check the forecast (BY the hour) before you head off, but although I can guarantee a scene such as this one, we've had 15 years of Januarys with remarkable weather.
Nature Conservancy's Daily Nature Photo for Oct 28, 2014
Tags: Point Lobos Big Sur Monterey northern California coast northern California Ethan Winning E. A. Winning DailyNature-TNC14 North America North America outdoor rock formation People photo Add Additional info Viewing this Public Commenting Any Flickr member tags you follow Safety level Safe Provide feedback new page F Favorite C Comment S Search navigation Thumbnail Z
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Tags: Canon SX40 or SX50 DailyNature-TNC13 DailyNature-TNC14 North America NA Ethan Winning E. A. Winning
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Tags: Harbor Seal Monterey Coast Canon SX40 or SX50 DailyNature-TNC13 DailyNature-TNC14 North America NA Ethan Winning E. A. Winning
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Three trips to Point Lobos and the coast since this was taken, and we haven't seen another Black Oystercatcher since. It's either been too foggy, or they've stayed out too much for my lens, or they just weren't there. But this shot was one of MY favorites because it truly shows the feeding habitat of the oystercatcher. Seaweed, rocks, and even a green anemone, and I was darn near on the "beach" and in the surf with him.
That bright iridescent red beak can actually be seen for a couple of hundred yards from shore, and we're going to see if we can spot one or two on the way in today. And maybe, just maybe, I can get a surfbird and - of all things - a brown pelican! In all my years on both coasts, I have never been able to get a lowly brown pelican. How hard can it be?
Tags: Black Oystercatcher Oystercatchers Monterey Point Lobos Elkhorn Slough Northern California Coast North America Ethan Winning Birds DailyNature-TNC13 DailyNature-TNC14
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