Eggs

Tags

Black-crowned Night Heron, Ocean City Welcome Center, photography, postaday, yellow-crowned night heron

Yesterday I went back to Ocean City Welcome Center to check on the Night Herons, both Yellow-Crowned and Black-Crowned kinds. They now have eggs, and this was the first time I was able to photograph bird eggs in their nests.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron eggs. The parents left them untended for about a minute.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron re-arranging nest.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron breaking another branch to add to nest.

Black-Crowned Night Heron with eggs.

Black-Crowned Night Heron with eggs.

In case your are wondering, here’s a picture of Ocean City Welcome Center.

Ocean City Welcome Center.

And here’s a shot of the place from where I’ve been photographing the Night Herons.

Observation railing at Ocean City Welcome Center. Two photographers are in the picture, one at the railing, and another walking in the shadows on a path below.

Finally, a photo of a Night Heron incubating.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron incubating.

Incubation lasts up to 25 days, so next week, there may be new hatchlings.

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Peonies and Irises

Tags

irises, peonies, photography, podtaday

We have many irises and peonies growing in our front and backyard. They seem to be doing well this year, thanks to the ample rain of the past few weeks. Here are a few early morning shots of them.

Pink Peony.

Red Peonies.

Red Peonies.

Red Peonies.

Siberian Irises.

Siberian Irises.

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

Tags

fort ord, postaday, salinas, wildflowers

I am concluding this series on Salinas and its surrounding area with photos of flowers seen almost everywhere we went. Enjoy and have a nice Memorial Day weekend.

Wildflower at Moss Landing.

Wildflower at Garrapata.

Rose at The Farm.

The Farm is an organic farm open to the public, with guided tours, a store, and animals that children can view and maybe even pet. We arrived too early in the morning, before they opened, but they let me walk around and take pictures.

California Poppy.

Unknown flowers at The Farm.

Apple blossoms at The Farm.

Dahlias (guessing) at The Farm.

Flower at The Farm.

Flower at The Farm.

Wildflower at Fort Ord National Monument.

Three Views of a Bridge

Tags

Bixby Bridge, photography, postaday

A trip to Big Sur would not be the same if you never drove over Bixby Bridge. Even if you didn’t know where it was, you cannot avoid noticing it as you came near the bridge. First the graceful curve of the coast where Bixby spans over rocky pillars at the two ends of a gorgeous beach, then the throngs of tourists at the north end taking selfies or having their pictures taken, some hovering near an almost vertical drop to the rocks below.

Bixby Bridge, built in 1932. This is the view from the north end of the bridge.

There are several other bridges before and after Bixby, most built in the same year, in the same style, but Bixby stands out because its beautiful lines and setting.

Fleeing the throngs of tourists with an insatiable appetite for photos, I walked to the other side of the road and made a short hike inland. That side also had several cars parked there, and one pickup truck went deep inland, maybe looking for a way to get down near the waves. That was to be proven fruitless. The only way to go down was to hike a treacherous and slippery trail, and you would be trespassing over private land.

Bixby Bridge, back view.

Seeing no one at the southern end, I drove over, parked the car and climbed on top of a small earth mound and took the following shot.

Bixby Bridge, view from the south end.

Then looking down, the view of the beach was simply breathtaking.

Beach below Bixby Bridge.

Bixby is the most photographed on the Pacific Coast, and has been featured in movies and commercials, especially car commercials. As I was thinking about that, a red convertible Ford Mustang glided over the bridge toward me. Maybe another career was opening up, who knows?

Red Mustang driving over Bixby Bridge.

Moss Landing: More Birds

Tags

bonaparte gull, long-bille curlew, loon, marbled godwit, Marina beach, photography, postaday, song sparrow, surf scoter

The area between the Pacific Ocean and Jetty Road at Moss Landing is small, just a sliver of land in comparison to other wildlife refuges, but it contained a good variety of birds, some I had never seen. I kept going back there, three times in all on different days, and there was always some new animal or bird to photograph.

A colorful duck was a Surf Scoter swimming near the human surfers.

Surf Scoter at Moss Landing beach.

Surf Scoter flapping its wings at Moss Landing beach.

Not to be outdone, a Loon was doing the same thing.

Loon flapping wings at Moss Landing beach.

A young bird counter helpfully pointed out to me a juvenile Bonaparte Gull strolling near the Sea Otters.

Young Bonaparte Gull on a bank of Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing.

Nearby a Song Sparrow was in full singing mode.

Song Sparrow at Moss Landing.

A Brown Pelican occasionally flew by the surfers, checking them out and making sure they knew what they were doing.

Brown Pelican at Moss Landing beach.

Only a couple miles from Moss Landing beach, Cliff Swallows had built their nests under the overhang of a building.

Cliff Swallow in nest.

On the beach, many Long-billed Curlews and Marbled Godwits were strolling on the sand, looking for food morsels.

Long-billed Curlew on Moss Landing beach.

Marbled Godwit at Moss Landing Beach.

Moss Landing Pelicans

Tags

brown pelican, garrapata, oss l;anding, photography, postaday, surfer, white pelican

On our first day in Moss Landing, driving over Jetty Road, I saw a band of White Pelicans standing in Elkhorn Slough. They were the first white ones I ever saw, and the rest of the time that we were in the Salinas area, there were only Brown Pelicans visible.

White Pelicans in Moss Landing.

Brown Pelicans flew almost all the time above us, in squadrons or solo. They were at Moss Landing, Garrapata State Park, and all along that windy road down the coast to McWay Falls.

Part of a squadron of Brown Pelicans flying over the beach at Moss Landing by Jetty Road.

Brown Pelican.

Brown Pelican.

Some were giving surfing lessons to humans.

Brown Pelican coaching surfer.

The humans learned fast!

Surfer at Moss Landing beach.

Surfer at Moss Lading beach.

Brown Pelican over Garrapata State Park.

Marina Dunes Preserve

Tags

Marina Dunes Preserve, postaday, sea fig, Yellow Sand Verbena

Marina Dunes Preserve, on the western side of the city of Marina, CA, was actually our first stop on this last trip to the Salinas area. By the time we got there the sun was setting, but there was enough light to photograph the dunes and their flowers.

Marina dunes vegetation, mainly Sea Figs (Ice Plants) and Verbena

Yellow Sand Verbena and pink Sea Fig.

Only a couple of fishermen were on the beach, as a seagull checked them over.

Beach at Marina Dunes Preserve.

The sun was setting, but I was still on East Coast time and could not wait for it to disappear completely. Still it allowed for some colorful shots with the surf relentlessly pounding the sand.

Setting sun at Marina Dunes Preserve beach.

Setting sun at Marina Dunes Preserve beach.

 

Año Nuevo State Park

Tags

Año Nuevo State Park, black-headed grosbeak, elephant seals, photography, postaday

Año Nuevo State Park is 20 miles (32 km) north of Santa Cruz. It is known for Elephant Seals, huge animals that can be as long as 15 ft (4.5 m) and as heavy as 5,500 lbs (2,500 kg). In the 19th century they were hunted to near extinction because their blubber or fat could be turned into oil. Only 200 were alive at the beginning of the 20th century when the Mexican and American governments gave them protected status.

They began arriving in Año Nuevo (New Year) point in 1955 to breed and molt. They now number about 124,000 and people go to Año Nuevo State Park to see them from November to May, or perhaps even all year round. We drove to the park one cloudy day to see what it was all about.

From the parking area, it was a 3-mile (4.8 km) round trip to a viewing area. Here’s a view of a deserted beach we saw while hiking the trail.

Coastline at Año Nuevo State Park.

On the way, a Spotted Towhee was singing merrily. This was the first time I had ever seen one.

Spotted Towhee.

At this time of the year seals come and lay on the beach to molt over 30 days, without eating anything. When we came near the beach where they lounged about, the unpleasant smell of their body waste was unmistakable.

Elephant Seals molting on a beach at Año Nuevo.

Elephant Seals molting on a beach at Año Nuevo.

Two male Elephant Seals confronting each other.

We didn’t stay too long at the viewpoint because of the smell, and also because it started raining and I only had a plastic bag to protect my camera.

Carmel Mission

Tags

bird of paradise, carmel mission, photography, postaday, sunflower

Carmel Mission, Mission San Carlos Borromeo del río Carmelo, is in the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, bordering Monterey, CA. At its current location since 1771, it is the second oldest mission in Northern California. We went there on a cloudy Saturday with rain threatening, but the weather eventually turned out fine. Busloads of tourists kept arriving and soon there were lines and throngs of people inside the mission gates. Luckily many went into the church so the grounds were soon cleared.

The mission looked old, but all kinds of colorful plants and flowers grew around its perimeter. I chose not to go inside the gates, and walked around the outside taking many shots of flowers, some of which I could not name.

Carmel Mission, front view.

Carmel Mission, side view.

Sunflower near the gate of Carmel Mission.

Carmel Mission flower.

Bird of Paradise at Carmel Mission.

Flowers at Carmel Mission.

Passion Flower at Carmel Mission.

Flowers at Carmel Mission.

Salinas: Salad Bowl of the World

Tags

fort ord, lettuce, photography, postaday, salinas

Salinas claims that it grows 80% of the salad greens consumed in the United States. It grows many varieties of lettuce: green leaf, red leaf, romaine, iceberg, endive. There are also fields of beans, strawberries, broccoli, and a few orchards. Some parts of the movie East of Eden showing landscape and beanfields were filmed in Salinas.

Lettuce matures in 45 to 55 days, but looseleaf and butterhead can be harvested younger to satisfy demand. This allows Salinas farmers to grow several crops a year in winter and spring. So when we stayed in Salinas during our trip we could not fail to notice lettuce fields everywhere we went. There were fields at different stages, from just after being plowed to harvest ready.

Plowed field in Salinas, CA.

Lettuce field in Salinas, CA, right next to the plowed field above.

Workers weeding a lettuce field.

Fort Ord is an abandoned military base in Salinas that was converted to a park. We went hiking there one day, climbed a long hill and were rewarded with nice aerial views of the valley below. Wildflowers were an additional bonus.

Irrigation sprinklers.

Tent covered field. The tents can be opened partially or fully.

Field with a darker green crop, maybe strawberries.

Salinas fields.

Thistle flowers at Fort Ord.

Wildflower at Fort Ord.

Salinas: John Steinbeck

Tags

john steinbeck, national steinbeck center, photography, postaday, salinas

John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas and lived there and in the Monterey area for most of his life. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. Several of his novels were made into movies, notably The Red Pony, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men.

Growing up as a teenager in South Viet Nam, I read most of his novels, first in French then in English. He remains one of my favorite authors, so it was no surprise that we went into downtown Salinas one day to visit his house.

John Steinbeck house in Salinas, CA.

Steinbeck was born there, and inside you could see the bed on which his mother gave birth, the child chair where he sat, and a host of other memorabilia. The upper level was a restaurant run by a group of women called the Valley Guild. The food was supposed to be good, but by the time we arrived the restaurant had closed for the day as they only served lunch.

Coming out of the house, I was struck by the beautiful flowers planted around the foundation. Here are a few shots of them. I haven’t yet learned of their names, so if you recognize them, please let me know.

Flower grown at Steinbeck House.

Flower grown at Steinbeck House.

Flowers grown at Steinbeck House.

Flowers grown at Steinbeck House.

Flower grown at Steinbeck House.

A couple of blocks from his house was the National Steinbeck Center. We went to visit it on a following day, but some parade or political event was happening, so we didn’t go into it as many streets were blocked off. I did manage to take a photo of the back of the building.

National Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA.

Garrapata State Park II

Tags

Big Sur, garrapata state park, photography, postaday

We went back to Garrapata State Park the following day hoping that it would turn out to be nicer than the rainy and cloudy days that preceded it. However, mornings along the coast was usually cloudy, until the fog was blown inland and the sun was able to come out.

This time we went to gates 4, 7 (again), and 18. Gate 4 has some of the most rugged coastline, with no easy trail to get down closer to the swirling water. It was beautiful, but you could only look, not touch.

Garrapata State Park, at gate 4.

Garrapata State Park, at gate 4.

At gate 7, I used a neutral density filter at the two waterfalls to shoot them again and try for a silky water effect.

Garrapata State Park, gate 7, first waterfall.

Garrapata State Park, gate 7, second waterfall.

Gate 18 was the next to last gate. There were vast expanses of Sea Figs and other wild flowers, all competing for attention.

Sea Figs and other wildflowers at gate 18, Garrapata State Park.

More Sea Figs at gate 18, Garrapata State Park.

There was a good path ending with stairs to go down to Garrapata Beach, but it was closed off. The beach was reputed to be a “clothing optional” beach, however there was not one person on it. By the way “clothing optional” was not legally allowed and one could be arrested for practicing it.

Garrapata Beach.

Leaving Garrapata, I had to take one last shot of the hills covered with flowers, even though the sun was still in hiding.

Southern end of Garrapata State Park.

Garrapata State Park

Tags

garrapata, photography, postaday

If you drive south from Carmel toward Big Sur, Garrapata State Park is on your right after about 6 miles. Many people usually hurry on to Big Sur without stopping, which is what I used to do.

However, on this last trip, I did some research and discovered that over a distance of 2 miles (3.2 km) Garrapata has 19 access points called gates, each with several trails that lead you down to view points or a beach. Other trails turn inland toward hills with excellent views of the coast from more than 1,000 ft (300 m). I did not go inland, but found the scenery along the ocean simply stunning with its colors and physical features. Spring flowers were in full bloom, and birds and other animals could be seen practically everywhere. If you read this, be sure to click on any photo to see it in a larger size.

View from gate 1 at Garrapata State Park. Pelicans, seen as a faint line in the center of the picture, were flying toward us from a distance.

View of the shoreline from Garrapata State Park gate 1. No idea what the two men in orange suits were doing.

View from the end of one trail at gate 4, Garrapata State Park.

Gate 7 is my favorite because it has two small waterfalls created by Soberanes Creek as it flows toward the ocean.

First waterfall at gate 7, Garrapata State Park.

Second waterfall at gate 7, Garrapata State Park.

Looking down at a cove at gate 7, Garrapata State Park.

McWay Falls 2016

Tags

McWay Falls, pelton wheel, photography, postaday

I’ve been taking pictures of McWay Falls in the heart of Big Sur for several years, always hiking the 1/4 mile (1.2 km) trail, going through a tunnel under the highway, and to a small shaded area at the end. This year, I decided to turn left, or south, to go over to the other side of the cove. On the way I took this photo of McWay Creek as it flows resolutely toward the ocean.

McWay Creek.

Many years ago, using the force of the water, Lathrop Brown, the owner of the property generated electricity for his house with a Pelton wheel which is still displayed in a small shack.

Pelton wheel used long ago to generate electricity from McWay Creek.

Past Pelton wheel, the trail went upward until the top of the falls was reached. There was a fence to prevent people from going over and bracing myself against it I shot the following photo. The vertical drop is about 80 ft (24 m).

View from the top of McWay Falls.

Turning around, I retraced my steps and went to the other side to take the classic shots of the falls. While the previous days were cloudy and rainy, on that day the sun shone brightly and you could see forever out toward the ocean.

McWay Falls.

Going back I noticed several Agave plants growing on the slopes, and one had an incongruously tall flower towering over the cove.

McWay Falls and Agave bloom.

Moss Landing Sea Otters

Tags

moss landing wildlife area, photography, postaday, sea otter

Sea Otters, seen mostly on the Pacific Coast from Japan to Alaska and California were almost driven to extinction as people hunted them for their fur. At one time last century their numbers had plunged from a million to several thousand. An international ban on hunting has halted the decline, and today it is estimated that there are 100,000 of them, with 3,000 on the coastline of California.

When we arrived at Moss Landing Wildlife Area, we were pleasantly surprised to see dozens of them swimming on their backs in Elkhorn Slough.

Sea Otters floating in Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing Wildlife Area.

Sea Otters at Moss Landing Wildlife Area. The two in the middle were intertwined and twisted in the water as they swam.

Sea Otters at Moss Landing Wildlife Area.

Sea Otters at Moss Landing Wildlife Area.

Sea Otter at Moss Landing Wildlife Area. Note right leg crossed over left leg. Very relaxed.

Some climbed ashore to rest and sleep.

Sea Otther climbing on the beach.

Sea Otter turning back to look who was taking pictures.

Sea Otter resting or sleeping.

This one was definitely sleeping. It did not move for a long time until disturbed by noises.

Baby Sea Otter swimming along its mother.

Moss Landing Snowy Plover

Tags

ice plant, moss landing state beach, photography, postaday, sea fig, snowy plover

Part of the beach at Moss Landing State Beach was roped off, with signs indicating that it was to protect the Snowy Plover, cousin of the Piping Plover found in New Jersey and the East Coast in general.

Snowy Plovers live and breed on the sand dunes covered with Sea Figs (also called Ice Plants) and they did not seem to mind the humans who fished, surfed, or strolled along the beach. Some even ran from the roped off sections down to the surf looking for food, then ran back. They trilled and whistled when they saw me, but they continued their activities as long as I kept a respectful distance.

In New Jersey the Holgate section of the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is completely roped off for several months starting in April to allow Piping Plovers to breed there. No mere mortal is allowed to cross into that area. As a result I have never seen one, so I was thrilled to see Snowy Plovers at Moss Landing.

Snowy Plover at Moss Landing State Beach.

Two Snowy Plovers with banded legs at Moss Landing State Beach.

Snowy Plover with leg bands at Moss Landing State Beach.

Snowy Plover with banded legs at Moss Landing State Beach.

Snowy Plover without leg bands at Moss Landing State Beach. 

The Snowy Plover population was estimated at 2,900 in 2012 on the Pacific Coast. They are considered a threatened or endangered species, depending on the state.

Moss Landing Sunset

Tags

moss landing state beach, photography, postaday, sunset

Last week I went to Northern California, choosing Salinas as a center for several day trips to Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur. These cities have some of the most amazing scenery on the West Coast, probably causing me to take too many pictures.

One of the places I liked best was Moss Landing State Beach, 26 miles south of Santa Cruz. I spent two late afternoons there, waiting for and finally, on the second day, photographing a very colorful sunset. The following photos were taken within a span of 16 minutes. By that time the beach was almost deserted, except for a couple of fishermen.

Sunset at Moss Landing State Beach, 7:52 PM.

Sunset at Moss Landing State Beach, 8:02 PM.

Sunset at Moss Landing State Beach, 8:06 PM.

Sunset at Moss Landing State Beach, 8:08 PM.

 

Miniature Horses II

Tags

miniature horse, photography, postaday, Woodstown NJ

It rained all day long yesterday, from dawn to dusk and into the night, so I had a chance to go through my photos of miniature horses in Woodstown, NJ, and I found some more to display here.

Miniature pinto horse.

Miniature pinto horse.

Miniature horse and baby.

Baby trying to find mother’s milk teats without success.

Baby miniature horse approaching mother from another angle, still trying to feed.

Miniature horses eating bread!

Blond miniature horse.

Miniature horses, the blond and a pinto stallion.

Group of miniature mares. The mares and stallions were kept separately in two adjacent fields.