Tales of Whales in Monterey

Elegant Terns accompanied us on the way in and out of the harbor today

A few of the passengers on board in Monterey

 Today was day one of my birthday weekend full of salt water and hopefully, loads of birds. We set out from Monterey Harbor. My birding buddy Don was on board too.

On the way out of the harbor, passing the California Sea Lion & cormorant coated jetty

Passing by the Monterey Bay Aquarium on the way out to sea

This summer there was a lot of cold water along the coast. Cold water rises in up-wellings. I think it's because cold water floats - think ice cubes - which is weird because cold air does the opposite, it sinks. I mean, WTH? Cold water carries nutrients and mini-critters up to the surface so hoards of sea birds and whales show up for the feast.  So there were lots of Humpback Whales before we even navigated out of the harbor.

You can see how close to shore these Whales are.The birds are
gulls, some Brown Pelicans and hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters

Flukes as the Humpback dives

Humpback's back

 Barbara and her sister Suzi spent many days this summer, watching Humpback Whales diving and feeding just off shore. It was a wonderful phenomenon, enjoyed by hundreds if not thousands of landlubbers this year.

Sooty Shearwater taking to the sky

Red-necked Phalaropes

A pretty pair of cocoa-colored Common Murres, probably juvenile

Around noon an immense pod of Long-beaked Common Dolphins came up on the boat, riding the slipstream and headed at bat-out-of-hell speed to who knows where. I love dolphins and I particularly enjoy seeing them in massive pods because it so surreal. 

Hundreds of racing Long-beaked Common Dolphins

Faces!

Steep Leap

Everyone loves a Dolphin's tail

Not to be greedy or ungrateful, but whenever I get such nice close ups of dolphins I end up wishing that the day had been a tad sunnier. I mean, imagine the photos above all in blue? Hey, can't have it all I suppose.

The neatest things I saw all day were Dall's Porpoises. They are amazing! Shaped like old throw pillows these water babies can still scoot through the water faster than any other cetacean. They are always an immense treat. They're so fast they're hard to get shots of, even with video.

The only still shot I managed to get of a Dall's Porpoise - it's headed left

We hit a spot where everyone and their finny friends were fishing - Sea Lions, Whales and lots of shearwaters. It gave a nice chance for photographing genuine Whale Tails, by which individual whales are ID'd by nosy scientists.

Wrong side of the tail for an ID, but still a nice barnacled, sea weed edged tail

Look at the white marking, Orca or shark bite fluke and again with the barnacles

Not too many bites out of this tail and it's all black

You can see the Fur Seal (?) fins on the left, and a rather obvious Whale on the right

Stellar's Sea Lions, larger than California Sea Lions
are appreciative of a good little bouy

A Sea Otter in the Harbor as we head back to the pier

Well, it was great day for birds and mammals today, even if I didn't show off much of the birds we saw. Shame was, I was unable to get a bird that would have been a lifer for me; there were a few Manx Shearwaters. There were so many hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters in front of me and I couldn't pick out the one Manx. Rats! Oh well, another day perhaps.

Here is a look at the three Cetacean species we saw today. Oh, and keep in mind, when a Dall's Porpoise hits the surface for that scant fraction of a second, they're using that time to breathe.


It was a long day, around ten hours. When we hauled into port, Don headed home and I headed north to a Half Moon Bay motel, get some sleep and await tomorrow's pelagic.

Full report of this trip with Alvaro's Adventures.

Start of my Birthday Week

Suzi & Bob's Pear arrangement

Back in August I decided to celebrate my birthday with my favorite birthday activities, not with a birthday party, but with quietly anticipated pelagic birding trips. I booked a Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay pelagics. Therefore, a couple of days ago I headed to my buddy Barbara's house for a few days visit. She now lives in a pretty, one room studio, that stands on a hillside near Watsonville, California. Unbenownst to me, she told her sister Suzi and Suzi's SO Bob that my birthday is pending, and they decided I was in need of a birthday luncheon. Yippy!

Barbara and I met up with them at their current home in Carmel Valley. Its a beautiful valley surrounded by oak woodlands. I enjoyed a tour of Suzi & Bob's digs.

Barbara, Suzi and Bob on the back porch
the Carmel Hills in the distance

 Then we all headed off to a nearby Corkscrew Bistro.

Restaurant & International Hobbit Hovel: the Corkscrew Bistro

It was such a lovely day we took a nice shady table on the Corkscrew's back patio. I was something of a pain-in-the-butt, taking photos of anything and everything back there. I mean, how could I not take a quick shot of this horn-blowing cherub in that stunning stetson?

Tiny bit of Alamo-esq masonry at the back of the patio

Wine Fountain

Our lunches were delish; I had the pulled pork sliders and
 half those fries - hey, a girl could pop if she isn't careful!

As we ate and yakked, Suzi pulled out a birthday prezzie for me! It was a beautiful kaleidoscope that once belonged to her mother who was both wonderful & kind to me. The kaleidoscope was secreted in its own velvet pouch. Suzi knows how fond I am of such fanciful things. You know I had to spend some time photographing a pretty rainbow of crystals within.






Following our luncheon, we stopped  at a plant nursery up the road.  

The Plant Nursery

Oh temptation! The nursery had a great collection of Gesnariads, the African Violet family. I no longer have a north facing window as I did at my work office - the only thing I miss from my working days. No point in buying the plants which would only roast and die in my west facing picture window. I did get an old favorite, a 'string of hearts' which is a great little succulent that even a black-thumbed type like myself has no trouble growing.

Beautiful two-toned Streptocarpus

Suzi and Bob O suggested Barbara take me for a drive on the 17 mile scenic road that is located in Monterey, and is home of the famous Pebble Beach golf course. Seventeen mile drive is a pay-per-drive area littered with even fancier homes than those in Carmel Valley, but it's best attribute is its view of the Pacific. Plant shopping completed, we headed for the 17 mile drive. It was a typical over cast sky over the shoreline drive.

We stopped to view China Rock, and to listen to sea lions barking. I of course reported what birds I saw to eBird.

Sea Lion-coated island off shore

Close up of the hundreds of Sea Lions, cormorants wriggling about on the island

The Lone Cypress on the edge of the sea

Well it was a long, long day, and a nice one that kicked off my birthday week.

Brigadoon

Yay! Got another ushering gig at the Music Circus. This time the musical, quite an old one, was Brigadoon. It's a story about a magical spot of land in Scotland that is under a witch's spell. A couple of New York City type Yankees traveled there by accident where the lads met a pretty lass and a randy lass and yes, fun ensued.I always enjoy watching either the movie version of the musical or the rare treat of seeing it person. I mean whats not to like about a stage full of men in kilts? Aye lassie, we all like the tilt of a kilt!

But before I urge you to peek at highlights of the musical below, here's a cool thing. There was lots of liquid nitrogen used to make the Scottish highlands of the play foggy. As tonight was the last night of the musical there was wee bit of left over hot ice. So, just about twilight, the stage crew dumped it into the fountain outside the theater. Joy ensued and here it is on video.


 OK, as you've not suffered enough. Here are some musical highlights from Brigadoon.