moss landing sea otters

sea otter / moss landing CA

wow, so many sea otters! humpback whales spouting and breaching right off the coast, brown pelicans soaring pteradactyl-like overhead by the dozens. two-foot diameter egg yolk jelly fish undulating just under the surface, offering a glimpse into another world, as if a specter appearing at midnight through a mist to an unbelieving eye. sea lions making a enough noise to drown out the ocean itself. harbor seals popping up like prairie dogs in a field, to take an inquisitive look at the strange creatures paddling around them – or with heads protruding vertically from the surface to nap and rest in the relative safety of the inlet. gulls, whimbrels, and other sea birds floating to and fro over the waves rolling into the bay, or picking their way over the sand flats in search of food.

this is a special place. monterey bay, and the monterey bay national marine sanctuary – a living testament to the efforts of many people to preserve an ecological diamond.

brown pelican / moss landing CA

otters in huge rafts, 15-40 of them in each. groups of male otters rolling, splashing, sparring, wrestling in the water. others grooming, some sleeping wrapped in their blanket of kelp to stay put in their rolling, flowing beds of water.

“raft” of sea otters / moss landing CA

sea otter eating a clam / moss landing CA

common murre taking a break / moss landing CA

they are a photogenic bunch. i could have watched them all day, despite the evidence of boredom shown by the subjects towards their onlookers …