Caspian tern aerobatics
A Caspian tern (Sterna caspia) has been gracing Del Monte Beach for the past week or two. I typically see them around Monterey Bay this time of year. This is a stately bird, about the size of a gull,… Read More
Scrippsia bell jelly
Jelly blobs on the beach are a travesty, like this one I found recently among wave-tossed seagrasses on Del Monte Beach. Lifeless on the sand, such jellies are void of their pulsating grace, intricate structures and delicate colors. Yet I always watch for… Read More
Breakwater spring melee
See my new post on the fence blocking the view of the cormorants at Breakwater blues. Now is the time when California sea lions and Brandt’s cormorants battle for control of the Monterey Breakwater. The breakwater is a… Read More
Sea ducks by the seashore
Just beyond the breakers, dark blotches appear on Monterey Bay during winter (December to March). Sometimes they’re widely scattered, sometimes in patches. Sighted from shore, they’re a monochromatic, homogenous, nondescript sprinkling of floating birds. At least that’s what… Read More
Salps on the sand
How do you explain a salp? Especially when you find one or more stranded on a sandy beach and don’t know what it is? To start with, a salp is a tunicate (I’m sure that doesn’t mean much… Read More
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