Whale-Watching

Yesterday, I went whale-watching on a sailboat with my brother and some relatives who are visiting. It was a bit different than last time; this time we set out from Oceanside and the sailboat was a bit smaller. It's been unusually hot this week, but it was very cool and breezy over the ocean. Below are some views of Oceanside.

We stood around for a short while and I noticed a rather large Western Fence-Lizard near my foot. It didn't notice me until I took out my camera, then it ran a short ways away and looked back at me. I walked back a few steps and it ran back up, grabbed a bug from the grass, and hurried away to some rocks. It then hopped around from rock to rock for a while. Below is a photo of it.

Western Fence Lizard

There was also a California Ground Squirrel hopping around some different rocks. It was a bit fat; it was probably getting some handouts. Below is a photo of it.

California Ground Squirrel

A little Spotted Sandpiper was also hopping quickly from rock to rock down by the water. It was very hard to photograph. Below is the Spotted Sandpiper.

Spotted Sandpiper

A Black-crowned Night-Heron was hiding up in a pine tree. It was very well hidden among the thick branches. Below is a photo of it.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

There were many cormorants in the harbor and out on the ocean, but very few of them were Double-crested Cormorants. There were one or two here and there in the harbor, often hanging around with groups of Heermann's Gulls. Below are two photos of Double-crested Cormorants with the gulls.

Double-crested Cormorant and Heermann's Gull

Heermann's Gulls and Double-crested Cormorant

There weren't as many California Sea-Lions as there were on the last whale-watching trip, but there were still quite a few of them. Most of them were pretty small and just lying around. Below are three photos of them.

California Sea-Lion

California Sea-Lions

California Sea-Lion

There were a lot of Brandt's Cormorants. They were everywhere. Many came pretty close to the boat, such as the one in the photo below. Notice the blue eyes; they're particularly noticeable on Brandt's Cormorants.

Brandt's Cormorant

Brandt's Cormorants and Brown Pelicans

There were also many Brown Pelicans in beautiful breeding plumage. They sat on the rocks, floated on the water, and flew past the sailboat in lines. Below are three photos of them.

Brown Pelican

Heerman's Gull and Brown Pelican

Brown Pelicans

There were a few snowy egrets hanging around in the harbor. Below is a photo of one.

Snowy Egret

We saw several Common Bottlenose Dolphins. They were quite a distance away, but then came up close to the boat and swam along beside us. Below are two photos of them.

Common Bottlenose Dolphins

Common Bottlenose Dolphins

I saw one bird I'd never seen before. It was a Black-vented Shearwater. Black-vented Shearwaters are found all year round in Baja California, and in fall and winter venture up to southern California. They are rather plain-looking birds with white bellies and dark backs, tails, and heads. Their wings are dark above and light below. They have long, straight, pointed wings and thin bills. Black-vented Shearwaters often fly closer to land than other shearwaters. Below is a photo of one. Sorry the photo isn't that great; it was pretty far away.

Black-vented Shearwater

We actually saw several whales this time, and they came pretty close to the boat. They were Gray Whales. As shown in the photo below, the whales weren't very far out; they actually came between us and the shore. It was really amazing to see them so close.

Gray Whale

There were a few Western Grebes out on the ocean. Below are two of them.

Western Grebes

There were a few loons here and there, both Red-throated and Pacific. Below is a Red-throated Loon in the harbor.

Red-throated Loon

There were also a few Western Gulls around, though far fewer of them than the Heermann's Gulls. Below are two photos of them.

Western Gull

Western Gull

There were Great Blue Herons in every tall pine tree. They were all in pairs or standing on large nests. Below are six photos of them. Except for the last two photos, the herons are different in every photo (eight birds all together). The last two herons are a pair greeting each other (one had just flown in). The Great Blue Herons seem to all be paired up and ready for spring (just in time for Valentine's Day).

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons