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(233 views)
This photo shows a sea lion swimming in the late afternoon sunlight beneath the wharf in Santa Cruz. Lovely light on a lovely animal.
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To our left as we exited the harbor and entered the slough, we saw an old pier covered with sea lions. We slowly motored past them. It was quite satisfying to be at their level and so close to them. I feel like I ended up with a family portrait instead of a wildlife photo.
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For an unforgettable wildlife experience, I highly recommend the Elkhorn Slough Safari in Moss Landing. We saw over one hundred sea otters, almost eighty harbor seals and dozens of sea lions very up close and personal.
This photo shows a raft of about eighty sea otters. Raft is the official label for a bunch of otters hanging out together, looking like a raft.
In addition to sea mammals, I also photographed sixteen species of birds. The trip was two hours of wildlife bliss. There were a few . . . |
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A female sea lion tried to appear very demure.
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This bedraggled juvenile black-crowned night heron was perched on the dock near the boat we were going to use. I hoped it wasn't a harbinger of how our trip would turn out.
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This group shot of harbor seals illustrates their cuteness and wide variations in colors.
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Portrait of a large male sea lion sleepily surveying his domain.
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Close up of a male sea lion. According to Wiki, "Zalophus californianus" means "Californian big-head" because a male grows a crest of bone on top of his head that causes a bulging forehead.
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King of the mountain and he knows it.
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Harbor seals are close to the top of the cute list, right up there next to sea otters.
We saw close to eighty harbor seals that day, most of them lying on shore watching us watching them.
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Bette Davis eyes? Bedroom eyes? Puppy dog eyes? They've got nothing on harbor seal eyes!
The little slit behind the eye is the ear which is an easy way to distinguish it from a sea lion with its little external ear.
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A very young sea lion was sleepily curious about his observers.
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An adult night heron in full breeding plumage showing off its pink legs which are yellow the rest of the year.
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A very large male sea lion with a much smaller female.
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Sea Lions swam in and out of sunlight and shade beneath the wharf in Santa Cruz.
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Two Harbor Seal were of quite different fur colors but all the whiskers were blonde.
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This is one otter trying to persuade another otter to share its meal. It wasn't very successful.
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A very pregnant Harbor Seal looking quite pleased with herself.
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The Harbor Seal was very curious about us as we motored past, but not curious enough to actually move.
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More of the endless variation of facial expressions you can always find in sea lions.
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A shell was almost the size of the otter's head, but was no match for its appetite.
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Sea Otters appeared to spend a great deal of their time grooming themselves. They use their bodies as tables, so have to keep food scraps washed off. While they clean, they also push and sometimes blow air bubbles into their fur. The extra air trapped in their fur contributes to their buoyancy and increases insulation.
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The otter balanced his "plate" on his stomach while enjoying that last little morsel.
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A lone individual popped up out of the water after a dive for food. We suspected he has a clam grasped in his paws. Otters love shellfish.
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I know they are wild animals with big teeth and claws but jeez, don't they look cuddly?!
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