Endangered Species Yin 'n Yang at El Cap State Beach

Southern California coastal areas are EXTREMELY diverse. Not only for the 'Left Coasters' who live here, but for the wide variety of animals and plants. I set out on a walk this morning from El Capitan State Beach, where El Capitan Creek enters the Pacific (above).

The beach is rocky at the outflow, and a popular 'surf break' - Refugio State Beach's point is evident in the center of the photo, about two and a half miles to the west.

As I said, it was an EARLY start, just at sunrise (6:15am) and with a 'minus tide', sun to my back, great for taking photos - like an old gunfighter, gaining any advantage. [I learned this from my birdin' buddy, Adam Lewis.] The beach is quite sandy for the next mile or so, and the ravages of winter storms' removal of sand has been nicely reversed this spring.

Nearing half-way to Refugio, exists outcroppings of rocks forming 'tidal pools' - habitat for small fish, crustaceans, insects and this Great Blue Heron. Most notable however, for the purposes of this post is the background of this photo. Notice the floating seaweed? It's kelp. We'll see it again in a few more photos.

While I saw many small-ish birds (Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Sanderling, Semi-palmated Sandpiper) and other shorebirds (Willet, Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel), it was the bird above that stood out to me - a Snowy Plover.

The Snowy Plover is quite well-known locally as it's presence - for breeding purposes - can shut down public beaches for months at a time.

Like the Snail Darter or the Spotted Owl, this tiny (one to two OUNCES!) bird is also protected by the Endangered Species Act - as Threatened. Perhaps less than 1,500 exist along the western coast and only 10 nesting sites.

Entire beaches are closed during the nesting season to protect these threatened birds from inadvertent trampling (the eggs are very hard to see) and human disturbances. Vandalism is not unknown.

Literally moments after taking photos of the plovers, THIS showed up! And very close to shore - at a very low tide. Remember the kelp in the heron photo? Yep. This Gray Whale is INSIDE the kelp zone! And at 50,000 pounds PLUS, this 40+' endangered mammal clearly out-weighs its feathered brethren on the beach.

Gray Whales are the winners of the 'Long-distance Mammalian Migrating Award' - making a round trip each year from the cold Pacific Ocean & Bering Sea of Alaska to the welcome waters of the northern Gulf of California - a total round trip of over 12,000 miles!

In the warm and shallow waters of the Gulf of California females breed one year, and calve in the next. Above there are two 'spouts' visible, a confirmation that this is a female Gray Whale with her calf, returning to Alaskan waters at the walking speed of 3mph.

This photo shows the blowhole of the calf, born tail-first at 12' long. Note that it is clear of any marks or parasites.

Mom, however, shows some of the wear of time. Typical, ain't it?

Again here is mom in the lead, and always to the ocean-side of her calf - running interference and protecting her precious contribution to a shrinking gene pool from the ever-present predators. Even now at 20' long, the calf is very susceptible to attack by Orcas. The Gray Whales' only other predator? Humans. You know, Homo sapiens - the WISE species of Homo...

Moments later, mom and calf headed around this point and steered up the coast. Next passage? Refugio Beach State Beach - only another mile ahead. And then another. And another.

More photos and information on my Flickr site with this slideshow.

Downed Pilot Remembered

Sunday night, it was all about the emergency responders - professionals working quickly and surely as their training guided them to swift action.

However, by Monday, it was about the family. And on Tuesday the Birch Family & Friends came to El Capitan State Beach to think, feel and to breath a bit of the air over the Pacific where Steve Birch last flew. (Family Photo)

Jim Rydell, Steve's brother-in-law contacted me as he was approaching El Cap on Tuesday noon. He was grateful for the photos and information I had posted previously and wished to introduce me to other family and friends that had also seen my postings. By the time we reached the beach, the Family had already been hard at work, setting stones in the sand to cherish their thoughts of Steve.

This photo overlooks the special stones and the 'aerial acrobatic box' where Steve had been flying.

My wife and I have lived as Camp Hosts at El Capitan State Beach for eight months last year and now six months this year. During that time I have become very fond of the rock cairns that seemingly sprout like mushrooms.... and often arrive just as they are needed. This one appeared on Sunday late afternoon, bringing with it a particularly splendid sunset. The rock cairn in the lead photo of this posting appeared on Tuesday morning, just prior to the Family's arrival...


Additional photos and information regarding the Birches and El Cap can be found on my Flickr Site. You may click on the photos or chose a slideshow in the upper right corner.

Emergency Search at El Cap State Beach

Yesterday evening, as my wife Jeanne Miller and I were headed to the beach at El Capitan for our nearly-ritual sunset watch, we ran into many emergency responders. Above, State Parks Supervising Life Guard/Ranger Al Fimlaid is at the controls while Life Guard Dion Von Der Leith provides support on the State Parks watercraft. I'm sure all were pleased to see calm seas with a near-glassy surface.

The local State Parks Rangers and Life Guards were joined by the Santa Barbara County Fire Search & Rescue.

Here the first of two County watercraft jet skis were launched in search of a reported downed small plane. I noted that all were very business-like and well-prepared. Check the 'raft' above - with many rope-loops for hand holds for both a rider or many hangers-on. After gearing up with wet suits, lights, fins and other equipment, each person then wore a bright yellow top t-shirt with agency ID.


Iris King, California State Parks Ranger prepares the State watercraft for off-loading. These folks are pros - from Ranger suit to wet suit in just a blink - all equipment necessary seemed to be well at hand and its proper use well-understood.

I found it curious that the sunset was one of the best ones of the spring season so far... and with an anonymous camper's rock cairn a fitting tribute to the downed pilot.


More photos and info can be seen at my Flickr site:

Now a BALD EAGLE Over Goleta???

YES! Amazing how birders network these days. And with a lot fewer birds about than when J.J. Audubon or even R.T. Peterson were birding - it's a good thing or we'd never find these neat birds before they 'flew the coop'.

This morning at 10:30 I had seen a post on 'SBCoBirding' or the local listserv for birders (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sbcobirding/) that my birdin' buddy Kyle had seen a BALD EAGLE over Goleta Beach and that he had seen it fly to a large Eucalyptus at the UCSB Eastern Entrance. The post was made because the original spotter, Kyle had made a cell-phone call to another birder asking him to post this interesting news.

Even in the middle of our much-needed rain (one inch so far!) birders were coming to see a Bald Eagle in Goleta. About noon, while the rain was pounding down, I got a call from another good birdin' buddy Adam. He was at the Euc and was watching the bird with yet another birdin' buddy Roger - and the bird was sticking around in the drizzle. Who knows where the Eagle would be by the time Kyle had gotten home and called several people on a land-line ala 1980 or so.?.

Now Eagles are special. First of all, they are HUGE - and while they are found this time of year 'nearby' - that 'nearby' is across the Santa Ynez Mts. in the Santa Ynez Valley in and around Lake Cachuma. This is about twenty-five miles (as the Eagle flies) over mountains about 3,000' in altitude. So Eagles are quite unusual here on the this part of the coast (Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA). Most Eagles seem to stay rather near the lake, where I saw this mature Bald Eagle with my wife Jeanne and my birdin' buddy Adam:

Two views of mature Bald Eagle near Los Olivos, CA on 13Jan09

So as crazy as it sounds - driving nearly 15 miles (one way) in a heavy rain to see an immature Bald Eagle when I had just seen a gorgeous one also in Santa Barbara County - it is crazy. And wonderful. Birds are great survivors in our World - and are a bonus to have around - besides their important role in our ecosystems. And raptors - Eagles especially have a great presence and spirit about them. It was well worth the ride and the 20 minutes standing in the rain.

Turns out this Bald Eagle, A-46 is a 'celebrity eagle' as he was sponsored by Stephen Colbert of the Report fame. Yet another birder, Nina had posted that tidbit of information! I suppose this wet, tawdry-marked bird is worthy of Stephen Colbert and his 'reporting' on our National Economy - which is also rather tattered and sodden.

"Stephen Colbert, Jr." getting an education at UCSB, Goleta, CA 6Feb09

Goshawk Over Goleta??

Well... yes. And not actually. This bird is most certainly a Northern Goshawk, and I did take this photo yesterday on the UCSB Campus near 'Area K' behind the Campus Police complex, so it would be accurate to state that there was a Goshawk over Goleta yesterday.



And isn't it a GLORIOUS animal??? By now you can tell that there is more to the story. This is quite clearly a falconer's bird, due to the leg straps or jesses and the long slender antenna of the transmitter.


If you're a rabbit or a duck, you could also be toast! What an intense focus.

The Northern Goshawk belongs to Dave, of Carpinteria, whom I met him while out birding and offered to let me tag along for my own amusement and photo-ops. And yes, I asked. He has A SLEW of licenses, certificates, and the proper authority and training to keep and handle these wild species. He has had the Northern Goshawk for nine years, and the Prairie Falcon, below, for about two years.

Dave is 'holding' the Prairie Falcon, as the bird is mostly simply perching on his hand.


The falcon waits until the breezes are understood and correct, and when the time is right, he spreads his wings...

.... And flies away!

Being a true falcon, the Prairie Falcon is great in the air, as are Peregrine Falcons and American Kestrals - which we also find in Santa Barbara County. The goshawk while an accipter (like our smaller Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks), hunts much like our own Red-tailed Hawk, from a perch or pole as seen in the first photo.Hunting on the wing, the leg straps (jesses) and transmitter are visible trailing behind.

I heard Dave use a whistle, and he also swings a leather pouch holding small pieces of dried meat as a lure. He said that the falcon can see him swing that lure from several (10?) miles away and return in seconds! So much for me thinking I'm 'sneaking up' on a raptor for a photograph from only 25 yards away...

2008 From End-to-End in Two Pictures

First Light of the New Year - 2008; Sunrise El Capitan State Beach 1Jan08

The Year 2008 was like most years in many ways: some good weather and some natural disasters, politicians being politicians, the Santa Barbara mountains, ocean and islands remained startlingly beautiful, friends continue to be wonderful and supportive, birds and plants continue to amaze and inspire me, and the love of a good (great!) woman is a wonderful thing.

However, 2008 also saw changes from the 'norm': The BIG change is the ChangeMasterObama himself, bringing me a true sense of hope after feeling like an alien in my own country for nearly eight years. 2008 also had an extra day - something that Leaps out at us only every four years.

The Summer Olympics were also different from a normal year, following in each Leap Year - with Michael Phelps making us all feel like underachievers, as well as being too short and too fat.

Continuing my search for our 'next adventure', I traveled to Bozeman, Montana, Decorah, Iowa and TWO visits to Singapore.... which is becoming very appealing! Many friends and all family remain sequestered on the East Coast, while we continue to find new friends on the Left Coast. Birding became a focus; I was able to devote enough time to it, and I got to know Adam, a very good new friend in birding, sports, and life.

I paid $4.69/gal regular (ALWAYS seeking the lowest price!) in early July and now find myself paying $1.77/gal. Now I'm NOT complaining, but what's up with THAT price range? Didn't you find it odd that eight years ago Dick Cheney convened a secret/private meeting with oil ambassadors to consider his administration's new 'energy policy'... and during the Bush/Cheney years the price of oil topped $150/barrel - only to be 'done in' by their complete lack of financial regulations which put our economy in places where the sun don't shine, dragging the price of their oil with it...

So, what will 2009 bring? Who the heck knows??? Who could have predicted anything or much of anything about this year? At least I am able to ring in the New Year with my Sweet Darlin' Baby Doll who is at least as healthy as I am, and know that we will be GREAT, no matter where our adventures take us.

Oh, the year in only two pictures? That was much easier than sorting through the nearly 30,000 images I took this year and finding the best. Hopefully, they will show themselves here on my 'blog' in the coming weeks and months. And the "First Light" photo at the top won a FIRST PLACE Award in the Carpinteria Valley Arts Council's art gallery's (855 at the Arts Center) show titled 'Atmosphere, Wind and Shadows' and juried by Thomas Van Stein! Thomas OBVIOUSLY knows quality when he sees it!!!

While the year 2008 ended photographically within a fog bank at El Cap StBch, I remain hopeful that I will have sunny days and sharp shadows for 2009.

Happy New Year.

Mike

Last Light of the Year 2008; Sunset El Capitan State Beach 31Jan08

Surf's Up at Hendry's!

A change in the weather has made the leaves fly all over town, folks are digging for that blanket they put away in April and surfers have headed into the water. A quick sunset look at Hendry's Beach/Arroyo Burro County Park at sunset Friday evening showed decent waves and a dozen or more surfers in the water.

As you can see, the waves were large enough to have some fun, although they didn't appear to be too predictable or regular to me - a non-surfer.

The waves provided enough fun to turn this surfer board-over-teacup - or some other equally cool surfin' lingo-speak....

This wave had a size and shape to attract more riders than it could hold. Surprise, here we all are!

Now who's gonna ride and who's gonna watch?

Well, maybe we both watch...???

All's well that ends with a grin.!.




This guy had some nice rides!

I found him on several waves.

Just another grand day on Hendry's....