good-times-rollin

Friday, January 15, 2016

Brown Pelicans

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 15, 2015

Today was La Jolla day..definitely at the top of my list for things to do when here. From the KOA, it is about 22 miles to this hilly seaside village where streets are lined with unique boutiques, galleries, and cafes. But the most compelling highlight for me is the ocean. And yes, the pelicans.

If you want to see these elegant birds, the best time to visit La Jolla cliffs is December through February. This is the time of year the Brown Pelican displays it's most colorful plumage.

Brown Pelicans mostly eat small fish that form schools near the surface of the water. They catch fish by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun the fish.

I read that Brown Pelicans were part of the reason the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System was established in 1903. They were poisoned when they ate fish laced with pesticides, and were almost extinct. In 2009, they were removed from the endangered species list.

We waited and waited for the perfect picture of the "dramatic red throat pouch", but it just didn't happen today. The pouch can hold up to 3 gallons of water...about 25 pounds worth!

Young brown pelicans lose their feathers 6 times before they look like their parents. When they are 3-5 years old, they are gray-brown on top, blackish-brown on their belly and striped black and silver on their chest. Only after breeding, do their heads turn yellow and their necks turn white. Also, young brown pelicans have brown eyes that turn tan or blue during courtship.

Open wide!

It was the best pelican day ever! And as always, Joe had to drag me away. It was cloudy and quite chilly today, but I hardly noticed!

California dreaming on such a winter's day...

Until next time, let the good times roll...

HAPPY TRAILS!

( Information about Brown Pelicans were found on www.biokids.umich.edu, www.allaboutbirds.org, and animals.nationalgeographic.com .)

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Cabrillo Tidepools

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 8, 2016

Yeah, yeah, hip-hip hooray! Finally, play day at the tidepools. It rained, no poured all week with flash flood warnings posted everyday. Imagine waking up Friday morning to blue skies and sunshine. We were good to go!

We met Ronnie and Carol and Dave and Richie (We missed Lynn as she was at home with acute bronchitis.) a little after 1:00pm excited and ready to explore.

It's a short walk to the pools. My fingers were snapping pictures and my feet were hurrying as fast as they could go.

There is a good 11/2 hours before the low tide begins to come back in. I wanted every second to count exploring, experiencing, and learning.

Almost there....

Rocky Intertidal where land and water merge

The word "intertidal" refers to the unique ecosystem that lies between the high and low tides. Tidepools are the depressions where water is trapped during low tides.

We saw lots of Anemones.

The solitary sea anemoneis are the largest of the So Cal anemones reaching a diameter of 10 inches. Their color comes from the symbiotic algae that live in them.

I took the picture below with an underwater camera.

The rocks have amazing colors.

Kellet's Whelk

I think I climbed on everyone of these rocks! And often walked in between them...

Seagrasses are flowering plants that form large clumps.

Gooseneck Barnacles are found in clumps. Once they attach to the rocks as larvae, they do not move their entire lives.

A Hermit Crab taken with the underwater camera.

Sandstone cliffs undergo constant erosion. Geologically these cliffs are known as the Point Loma Formation. Fossils, including dinosaur fossils, (one of the few sites of dinosaur fossils in California) found here date back 75 million years.