Saturday, during our visit to the cliffs at Point Vicente, we saw this flight of California Brown Pelicans soaring along the shoreline in the updrafts.
The four lead pelicans are seen in the image below. You can see the entire flight of ten by clicking on the image. See this article for a close up of a California Brown.
The eleventh bird in the large picture is a seagull who was also soaring the cliffs.
Bear is such a faithful and gentle dog. She was watching me take pictures in the back yard when I turned and shot this one of her. I had the zoom set for close up, and luckily got her face centered in the frame.
The bright orange fish seen just below the ocean surface are called Garibaldi; they are fish of the damselfish family that are native to the northern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Monterey Bay to Guadalupe Island, Baja California. The Garibaldi is the official “marine fish” of the state of California and is protected in California coastal waters.
As we walk along the shoreline in Avalon, we often see Garibaldi just below the surface close to shore or in the waters below the piers and landings. The waters are fairly calm since this part of the island is opposite the prevailing west winds. I took this picture near the Casino point where there were several Garibaldi feeding by the rocks. Click on the image for a larger view.
Whenever we take the Catalina Express to or from Catalina, we never fail to see several California Sea Lions basking on the harbor navigation buoys. I took this picture as we passed into the harbor returning to the San Pedro Catalina Terminal.
Most pinnipeds are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection act, and organizations such as the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur (we are supporting members) provide rescue, rehab and restoration to the habitat for injured critters.
It’s not uncommon for sea lions to rest on buoys; they will also often gather at marinas and wharves. These man-made environments provide them safety from their natural predators: orcas and white sharks.
You can click on the image for a larger view.
This hard-to-describe beetle perched on a basil leaf in the patio, so I grabbed the camera and got a couple of shots of it. I couldn’t quite describe it to Bob, so creepy or not, a picture was in order. This Halloween-colored critter certainly doesn’t blend in the foliage like other more stealthy bugs. Click on the image for a larger view.
After reading news accounts about the contribution of pigeon dung to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I was reminded about how pigeons similarly factored into the destruction of the famous “RENO – The Biggest little city in the world” sign that spans the entrance to the downtown gambling district. I recall reading a the story in the 1980’s about how the old sign became inhabited by pigeons that roosted or nested in the sign. They got in through gaps in the sign and, of course, pooped while they were in there.
Image right: Reno sign, 1980’s – click to enlarge
Eventually, despite having been evicted several times by the city’s maintenance crews, the pigeon problem persisted until one day there was an electrical short-circuit in the sign. The methane from the dung ignited; there was a minor explosion and a fire afterwards that damaged the sign beyond repair. The sign was removed and subsequently replaced by a newer Vegas-style beauty which electronically beckons visitors to the downtown district. While it’s a beautiful sight, the new sign doesn’t have the old sign’s charm and breaks the promise for a “little city” beyond. Recent visitors to the new Reno, if they knew the old Reno, will know what I mean.
Image left: New Reno sign – click to enlarge
As for pigeons? They’re just rats with wings.
