Tag / morro bay

by kritterspaw

Morro Bay, CA

We have frequented Morro Bay numerous times over the last fews years since we discovered it. Morro Bay’s prominent landmark is Morro Rock.

It is not only a small working fishing town where fresh caught tuna, sand dabs, halibut, dungenous crabs, and fresh oysters can all be had from local dock stores, but also features a small lagoon providing natural bay habitat.

Personally, I could watch the sea otters that find shelter in the bay for hours.

We were fortunate to see the endangered sea otters floating in rafts caring for their pups feeding off local kelp beds, rolling around playing, and cleaning themselves. It’s a great place to see them in action, up close and personal.

Whether one comes for the shops, the seafood, or the otters, Morro Bay has a lot to offer.

See more of our California trip photos here… https://kritterspix.com/2023/03/08/santa-ynez-valley-ca/

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by kritterspaw

Christmas on the Beach

Sometimes when you need a distraction, you have to do something different.

It’s been a difficult year for us, so we decided a change of scenery for the holiday was in order.

We thought some beach wildlife was just the thing… and we knew just the place. Only 30 miles south of Paso Robles is a wonderful stretch of beach rich with sealife.

We camped out for nearly 2 weeks and took in the sea otters along Morro Bay.

When we got our fill of that, we moved on to Pismo Beach to check out the butterfly migration.

We took in blue heron fishing in a stream.

And were lucky enough to watch them catch supper.

It rained much of the time, but we managed to get some pix nonetheless.

If you are patient enough and persistent, one can capture beautiful moments.

It was a wonderful break. We are ready for a New Year full of positivity and promise.

by kritterspaw

Sea Critters

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Having just gotten back from the CA coast, we saw lots of cool ‘critters’, including the sea otter.

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I’m not sure I have ever seen a sea otter before.  I could watch them for hours.  They were just too adorable.  I didn’t realize that they are actually an endangered species.  There used to be some 150,000 – 200,000.

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In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s they were hunted for their fur.  They are now a protected species.  Their population has dipped to 1% of what they once were, at a low of only 1,000 – 2,000.  Now they are hovering at around 3,000 as they have plateau’d in their decline.

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Their facial expressions and mannerisms were priceless.

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We saw buzzards and blue herons, seals and sea lions.

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Even caught a sunset or two….

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Sometimes its good to get out of the woods and see the sea.

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We don’t get too much of this in our neck of the woods.

You can see more of my pix from my trip here… https://kritterspix.com/category/photo-musings/

 

 

 

by kritterspaw

Monarchs

MorroRockFog_IR.jpgLife is short – see and do those things that are important to you.

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I have always wanted to see the Monarch butterfly migration, ever since my friend Gary told us about it when he was down in Mexico years ago.  I don’t want to go to Mexico to see it, so we did the next best thing and headed to the coast of California.

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Of course, we headed to Paso Robles first to pick up some wine for the trip.  Just 2-1/2 hours south of San Jose, and a half hour from Morro Bay, we spent a couple days tasting great wines and buying some to enjoy on our trip down the coast.

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While we were amazed to see the eucalyptus trees dripping with butterflies, we were disgusted to realize that they are indeed a dying breed.  What used to be millions of butterflies, has dwindled to only 4,000 to visit Pismo Beach alone, and it lessens each year.

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The milkweed the butterflies like to eat and lay eggs in are dying off, as are the eucalyptus trees they shelter in.  Trees have blown down, washed away, or burned up and the monarchs don’t come anymore.  Areas from Morro Bay to Santa Barbara are now devoid of the annual migrations.

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Such a pity, as the monarch is such an amazing story of triumph and resilience.  The monarch butterfly only lives 2 months… a month of which it becomes a caterpillar, then morphs to a butterfly when it is focused on eating and laying eggs for a new generation.

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It takes 5 generations for the butterflies to fly from southern CA to British Columbia… and then 1 generation to coast back, and start all over again.

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I’m glad we were able to see the monarch migration.  It enriched our life for witnessing natures beauty.  Take time out to do those things that are important to you.

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