Category Archives: wildlife

Black-Footed Albatross

The albatross is a pretty amazing flyer. A large wing span and a very high aspect ratio make for an efficient cruiser. The wandering albatross is perhaps the most impressive with its ability to cruise the southern oceans for months at a time. I haven’t had a chance to go south to see one of those. However, while out in Monterey Bay on the whale watching trip we did have an encounter with a black footed albatross. It might be a bit smaller but it still has the same characteristics. Great efficiency and the ability to soar about the surface of the water with ease. What a cool bird.

No Need to be Koi

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During our walk around the Chicago Botanic Gardens, we walked across a couple of the bridges over the lakes. The lakes are home to a variety of wildlife including plenty of koi carp. I guess they are pretty smart fish as the appearance of a few people seems to attract them rapidly. I guess they get fed enough times to learn. So much for fish having short memories.

These guys showed up in force. They came up from the depths so, for a while they weren’t apparent but then suddenly their form would solidify. They would drift around making it look like it was a coincidence but soon they were right underneath us. Obviously this was no coincidence at all.

Molting Elephant Seals

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It had been a few months since we had last visited Ano Nuevo State Park so Nancy suggested we take a trip there. On a hot day inland, a run to the coast is certainly a good idea. Besides, the elephant seals were in their molting season so were lying up on the beaches as they shed their winter skins. Things were a lot quieter than is the case in the mating season. A few immature males were practicing their fighting techniques in the shallows but nothing too serious.

The molting process takes a while. As the seals lie on the beach, you can see them going through the process with significant chunks of the old skin gone but a lot still left. Over time they shed the whole thing and then can head back out to sea to resume their normal plan of eating, eating and more eating.

Raccoon Family Outing

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Roger and I were on a wildlife roll. We had been visited by an osprey, we had seen a rat, what else could be lurking along the shoreline? Roger had mentioned that he had seen some raccoons along there at various times. I guess raccoons have good hearing. It was not long after he mentioned this that a face appeared in the rocks. Next thing you know, out pops a raccoon. Not just one though. This was a mom with a youngster in tow. They were heading from the rocks along the shore towards the brush on the other side of the trail. They scampered across the path in our direction and through the fencing. Our presence did not seem to bother them at all.

Ratty and Tales of the Riverbank (Well, Bayshore)

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Rats have a bad reputation. It’s not tricky to work out why people don’t like them but I think they are rather cool. It’s hardly their fault that stuff has been built on top of their homes and they have had to adapt. The fact we waste so much crap that they can feed on is our fault, not theirs. They are, of course, a creature that likes living near water. While sitting alongside the bay near San Francisco, we got a visit from a local rat. He was busy gathering material for a nest I assume. He (or she) popped up from amongst the rocks by the water and headed into the brush. A little while later, back he came. He grabbed some material and dragged it off where he needed it. We were not making a lot of noise so he didn’t seem in the least bit bothered by our presence.

Bird Versus Orca – I Don’t Think One of Them Was Trying

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While we were following the orcas, we saw a sudden display of power combined with a lack of interest on the part of the whale. We had passed a number of different creatures on the way included a baby fur seal and a sea lion which, while one of them had freaked out and bolted for safety, the whales had shown no interest in. Then, there were some birds sitting on the surface. One of the orcas decided this was a training exercise. It was alongside us and then dropped below the surface. I could see the silhouette under the surface and the acceleration was scary. A couple of pumps of its tail and it shot off towards the bird. It knew something bad was coming and tried to get away. It fluttered violently to try and escape but was overtaken by the whale and then vanished below the surface.

Just as suddenly as it went away, it suddenly popped up again and started fluttering in the onsite direction. I guess the whale had a bit of a play with chasing it and then lost interest. The bird survived to live another day but the whale probably never really cared about it in the first place. I guess if the bird could comprehend how little the attack had meant to the whale, it might be a touch annoyed!

Osprey Checks Us Out

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One fun aspect of shooting by San Francisco Bay is that you get a lot of wildlife while you are killing time. Roger and I were sitting by the shore waiting for a few movements when a bird started flying in our direction. We both paid attention when we realized that it was not a gull as is normally the case. Instead, it was an osprey. They are not a rarity but they are still noteworthy. It certainly wasn’t bothered by us as it flew right over us as it headed along the shoreline. Looking up you could stare straight into its eyes as it surveyed the scene looking for its next snack. Sadly, nothing was nearby for it to dive onto and it flew off. Even so, a brief moment like this with such a cool bird made me happy for a long time afterwards. Actually, I am still happy when I think about it.

Cormorant Takeoff Run

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My like for the cormorant is no secret if you read this blog. I think they are a cool bird with a prehistoric look to them. One thing I enjoy when seeing them is watching the way they take off from the water’s surface. They run across the water getting some speed up as they flap. I have wanted to get good shots of this for ages but they usually do it a fair distance from the shore. When they onshore, they launch from whatever they are on. Fortunately, when out whale watching, we got a cormorant that was very close to the boat before it decided to take off. I happened to be looking the right way at the time and got something close to what I had been after. It was backlit but still close. I’ll still be hoping for something better but this was a good result for me.

Lunge Feeding Humpbacks

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This seems to be a really good year for sea life. Having had a really successful trip out watching whales from Monterey Bay, the whales have decided to come closer. There have been sightings of humpbacks inside San Francisco Bay this year. More recently, my friend Roger has seen them feeding on the coast just south of the city. I joined him for a while. We could see a number of the humpbacks lunge feeding just off the beach. They were a little far from us but we still had a good view.

The whales start below the surface and surge upwards with their mouths open grabbing a mouth full of water and fish. They then spot out the water and eat the remnants. We found that the seagulls were the guide to where the whales would be next. They would mill around, awaiting the next feeding, hoping to get a spare fish in the process. As they spotted the whale coming to the surface, they would all converge and this would be the guide to where the whale would be next. Sometimes, the whale was just coming up for breath so you never knew which it would be. When there is only one whale, it tends to alternate although not always. With more than one, it is a guess.

A few days later, I was out with Nancy and we decided to see if there was any activity. The previous spot was not showing any sign of whales inshore. A couple of spouts further out but nothing feeding in the shallows. Instead we tried Pacifica where they sometimes come in near the pier. Again, nothing. We were just starting to drive off when I saw what appeared to be a spout inshore. I parked up and wandered over to see if there was anything. Nancy stayed in the car but knew something was up when she saw me turn and run back to the car. A whale was in the surf feeding.

We moved along the beach watching the whale burst to the surface and grab mouthfuls of water and fish. A lot of people quickly gathered to watch the feeding. The birds were still the clue but now we were down on the level of the waves so sometimes things got obscured by the water. Even so, we were right there to see what was going on. Soon the whale appeared to be full and moved offshore. It was still swimming around near the pier when we headed off. I don’t know whether this was a regular feature or we got lucky but it was very cool to watch.

Are You Waving at Me?

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Tail slapping wasn’t the only thing that the humpbacks were doing a lot of. Waving with a flipper was also going on a lot. I don’t know what this means but it is cool to see because it makes it seem like the whales are waving at you. Since they are underwater when they do it and can’t see you, they obviously aren’t bothered by our presence but who cares? It feels like you are being waved at!