Broad-Winged Hawk

A Broad-Winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus, hunting for rabbits, mice, lizards and other small prey at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.  This particular, rather large hawk appears to be staring directly at me, or perhaps my small dog which was walking with us, deciding if we were an appropriate meal.  With some relief, I note that it decided that we were not.

The Amazing Bodysurfing Dog!

Bodysurfing dog fetching balls out of the waves at Imperial Beach, California.  One cool dog!

California Least Tern, Sternula antillarum var brownii

California Least Tern, Sternula antillarum variety brownii, is the smallest tern found in San Diego, at about 22 cm in length.  These tiny little birds glide on the coastal breezes, seeming to hover until they dive at great speed into the shallow waters along the shoreline or in river estuaries to snatch minows and other small fish from the surface.  These lovely birds are under habitat pressure in their native Southern California, San Francisco Bay and Northwestern Mexico, where much of the beach has been utilized for human developments.  The California Least Tern (variety brownii) was listed as an endangered species in 1972 with only 600 pairs in existence.  That population has since rebounded to around 4,500 pairs.  This one here is nesting in a little patch in the sand at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach, California.  They appear to have recently laid eggs.  This particular nesting area is subject to floods, high tides and shifting sands, resulting in varying levels of nesting success from year to year.  From the looks of it, this year is turning out to be a pretty solid year.

Skate

Skate caught by a fisherman at the Imperial Beach Pier.

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, feeding in the sand; Imperial Beach, California. How do they find anything under all that sand? I've been told they have tiny hairs along their beak that sense or perhaps smell the small worms and crustaceans they feed on.

Kelp on a Rock

Kelp Roots on Rock, Imperial Beach, California.

Cormorant Surfing the Waves

Cormorant Surfing the Waves and looking for minnows, Imperial Beach, California. I really liked how the waves were just bubbling with motion while the cormorant calmly swam along, not the least bit flustered.

Everything is a Chew Toy!

Everything is a chew toy!

Surf's Up

Surfer surfing to cool off. It's been hot. Over 100F in some places. My air conditioning is back on. Whew. Thank goodness for that!

Riding the Pipe Overtime

No, it is not a shark. It is not a turtle. It is a surfer surfing under the curl of the wave.

There is a thrill to riding inside of the curl of the wave. I suppose part of that thrill is knowing that sometimes, the curl catches up with you. You can see this guy just barely peeping through the wave.

Sunny Days!

It's been gorgeous and sunny in San Diego. Excellent beach weather. What the heck am I doing at home studying anyhow? Big test on Tuesday. Yeah, I'm worried about it or I wouldn't be sitting at home studying all week. Wish me luck. Hate to miss all those beach days for nothing, eh? At least these two were having fun. Maybe some of it will rub off.

Turtle Surfing

I don't know what kind of turtle this was but he/she is a big one! Likes to surf too! Kawabunga dude! If you're wondering, I was randomly snapping pictures of the waves and this turtle just happened to pop up! What's the chance of that!

Surfing IB

What did you do on Father's Day? This guy was out surfing and enjoying a few nice ways and some peace and quiet.

Starfish on Pier

One of the fisherwomen on the Imperial Beach pier pulled up this starfish. Not the easiest thing to catch. I've never seen anyone pull up a starfish whether accidentally or on purpose. This one had suckered itself to the large lead sinker (not the bait and not the hook) and decided not to let go so....up it came!

Pelicans Drafting

I saw these Pelicans in a huge formation flying over Imperial Beach. The California Brown Pelican used to be endangered. DDT was causing their eggs to crack. However, they are now a success story species recovery and for a regulatory change that banned DDT. They are now one of the few species successfully being taken off of the endangered species list!

Surfing Imperial Beach

Imperial beach was empty today. There were some nice waves and only two surfers along the entire beach. It was a tad cold but if you don't like competing for waves, it doesn't get any better.

Posing with the Pelican

There was a stiff, cool breeze at Imperial Beach on Thursday. That didn't keep the bevy of fisherman home nor did it deter this friendly pelican from posing with me in hopes of a tasty handout. He eventually hopped off of the railing, oblivious to the sign he was perching on that said "no jumping or diving," nearly pouncing on and scaring the beejeebers out of a passing 10 year old that appeared to have some food. Poor kid will probably have "pelican phobia" for life (grin).