June 01, 2008:
American Goldfinch / Carduelis tristis
Sea Lion Point
Sea Lion Point
Monterey Cypress / Cupressus macrocarpa
California Sea Lions / Zalophus californianus
Aggregate rock formations
Seaside garden
Sea Lion Point
Seaside Daisies / Erigeron glaucus
Western Poison-oak / Toxicodendron diversilobum
Near Sea Lion Point
California Sea Otter / Enhydra lutris
Pinnacle Cove
Harbor Seal / Phoca vitulina
China Cove
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron /Nycticorax nycticorax
Displaying Brant’s Cormorants / Phalacrocorax penicillatus
Violet-green Swallow / Tachycineta thalassina
Nesting Black-crowned Night Heron /Nycticorax nycticorax
Hidden Beach
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Great shots as always! I especially liked seeing the ocean views. I hope the smoke from those fires isn’t too harsh on you folks!
WOW, how can I pick a favorite picture out of this bunch! All so amazing and those colors are amazing!
All of those photos are amazing. I love all of them. Is this somewhere near San Fran.
Montucky: Thanks! It was fairly smoky here in SF last week, but the winds have picked up, and we’re fortunate to be on the coast, so it’s clear here now.
Monarch: Thank you!
ScienceGuy: Fairly near – Point Lobos is just south of Monterey, which is ~2 hours south of SF. We go there several times a year as a weekend getaway. It’s a fantastic place to be sure!
Wonderful images Adam, especially the displaying Cormorants !!
Hi Adam – great photos, and of course, beautiful part of our great state. My daughter visited the same area back in May and she posted it on her blog. If you want to visit, here is the URL: http://mmatm.blogspot.com/2008/05/recent-nature-sightings.html
She also saw Brant’s cormorants. That is one bird I haven’t seen and she has, and she isn’t really a birder, although she’s coming around. She’s the one with the better camera and a knack for taking good photos. Even though I have seen and taken pix of the black-crowned night herons, I’ve never seen one of their offspring, so this was quite a treat to see your photo of “little junior.” Thanks for sharing.
I LOVE the Black and White Cypress! And the yawning seal. But all are really beautiful.
Hey Adam. I have another shot for you to look at concerning the peach (it’s not dead!) Seathrift. 😉
Can you please check it out and tell me what you think? I added a thumbnail in the lower part of the post with some commentary. It may still be a mystery flower.
http://jayleenb.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/peach-flowers-on-silver-rocks/
hello, my name is Valerio, an Italian boy with a passion for nature photography, your photos are really beautiful. I have a photoblog: istanti.fotoblog.it visit if you want and leave a comment yet compliments for your photos!
The Monterey Cypress? Woah! What a great shot! And excellent postwork treatment! But the rest stands out as well!You could drop me off there for a week and I wouldn’t get tired of it!
Cheers, Klaus
Bernie: Thanks – I was happy to see them displaying. There weren’t nearly as many as there will be come full-on breeding season (about now’ish).
Mary: Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the pointer to your daughter’s blog! You’ve really never seen Brant’s Cormorants? AFAIK, almost every cormorant you see on near-shore ocean rocks is a Brant’s (not inland; as I’m sure you know, of our native cormorants, only the Double-crested ventures even a little bit inland).
Jayleen: Thank you! I’ll comment on your seathrift presently.
Valerio: Welcome, and thanks for the kind words. You have some lovely photos on your photo blog!
Klaus: I wouldn’t get tired of it either! The weather there constantly is changing from foggy to sunny and back again (or just foggy). It’s a magical place – small wonder that both Ansel Adam & Edward Weston did a lot of work at Point Lobos, especially Weston, who has a beach there named for him.
Hi Adam 🙂
I just discovered my mom (Mary) linked me in here (via someone visiting) and I’m glad I followed the link. Now I know one (two actually) of my pictures from my post-Easter trip (march not may) had a locational name – Pinnacle Cove. I’ll be sure to write that down.
I saw the Brandt’s in May in Monterey. I think my mom hasn’t seen them yet because she rarely goes near the ocean.
Gorgeous pics! I just love highway 1 🙂 I’ll be back regular – my mom talks about your blog a lot and I just haven’t made the time to check it out.
Adam,
I’ve got to tell you that I’ve had a love affair with Point Lobos over the past fifty years or so… I really enjoyed seeing your photos of the place, and especially the one of the harbor seal with his mouth wide open… I grew up in Pacific Grove, but have made Marin County my home since… I see we have explored some of the same places and have walked some of the same paths…
I’ll have to put a link to you on my daily blog ( http://aphotoaday.blogspot.com ) so I can easily find you again… I still need to check out more of your work but I’ll be back for sure… Keep up the great work!
Best regards, Donald Kinney
Congrats on all these bird pictures. I have yet to manage a good picture of a bird sitting still.
Heidi: Thanks for visiting! I’ll check out your blog in my next round of blog catch-up – I’m woefully behind right now!
Donald: Welcome, and thank you for commenting! Point Lobos also holds a special place in our hearts. No wonder McComas’s called it “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world!”
Rachel: Thank you! It takes a lot of practice, and no small amount of gear, to get good bird photos!
awesome shots, in particular i liked your rendering of the monterey cyprus and the hidden beach
Thanks, Ankush!