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(536 views)
This photo shows just part of a very large raft of otters we saw in the Elkhorn Slough. The older individuals had light faces, and such cute faces they were.
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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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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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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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I know they are wild animals with big teeth and claws but jeez, don't they look cuddly?!
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Here is another otter grooming or maybe he is thinking "oh, not another boatload of paparazzi!"
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A great egret at the edge of the bay looking for food. It is a very graceful bird whether walking or flying.
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Sea Lions swam in and out of sunlight and shade beneath the wharf in Santa Cruz.
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Here is an older otter, recognized by the light colored fur on its face. It is grooming itself after eating. Otters must have one of the cutest faces in the animal kingdom
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The otter balanced his "plate" on his stomach while enjoying that last little morsel.
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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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King of the mountain and he knows it.
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Two Macaws preening one another. A very intimate, gentle moment in a birds' life.
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The fisherman hadn't noticed that a pelican had just landed next to him on the pier.
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A very young sea lion was sleepily curious about his observers.
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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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The pelican glides effortlessly over the surface of the sea.
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A very large male sea lion with a much smaller female.
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A large group of pelicans were perched on the fish processing equipment.
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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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(529 views)
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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Portrait of a large male sea lion sleepily surveying his domain.
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The larger Great Egret was stalked by the smaller Snowy Egret.
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