BajaNomad

California Central Coast

Ken Bondy - 11-19-2011 at 07:18 PM

Elephant seals starting to arrive on the San Simeon beaches:






Zebra from Hearst herd:


Windy Cove, Morro Bay, looking towards The Rock:


Blue heron in Windy Cove:


Shorebird in Windy Cove:


Fringehead:


Flabellina trilineata:


Triopha catalinae:


Acanthodoris lutea:

Mexitron - 11-19-2011 at 07:25 PM

Those are all beautiful photos Ken! I especially like the one of Morro Rock.

Paulina - 11-19-2011 at 08:00 PM

Thanks Ken!

Love them as always!

P>*)))>{

Coast

tehag - 11-19-2011 at 08:19 PM

Super photos, thank you.

DianaT - 11-19-2011 at 08:44 PM

Nice collection----they are great. If I had to pick a couple of favorites, one would be the single sea lion, another would be the shore bird, and I always have a soft spot for the fringeheads (sp) ----they just scream, adopt me, adopt me.

Thanks for sharing these.

wessongroup - 11-19-2011 at 08:47 PM

Thanks for sharing ... great stuff .. :):)

goldhuntress - 11-19-2011 at 08:51 PM

Great pics. Nice zebra sighting, love when that happens.

motoged - 11-19-2011 at 10:43 PM

VEry nice....LOVE the light in the one of the rock in Morro Bay :bounce:

Skipjack Joe - 11-19-2011 at 11:28 PM

The fringhead portrait came out really good, Ken.

Last year we also walked along that beach by the museum.

Ateo - 11-19-2011 at 11:47 PM

Looks like Baja.......that's why I love the Central Coast of CA.

mcfez - 11-20-2011 at 06:44 AM

Ken...did you stop in at Cayucos?
http://www.cayucosbythesea.com/about.html


GREAT hide away

Curt63 - 11-20-2011 at 08:16 AM

Beautiful pics.

I'll be spending the week in SLO with my daughter who attends Poly.

Montana de Oro, hiking the peaks and Firestones BBQ are my favorites!

Bob H - 11-20-2011 at 10:30 AM

WOW... thanks... as usual, I loved them ALL!

Ken Bondy - 11-20-2011 at 10:44 AM

Thank you all for the very nice comments. mcfez we used to stop in Cayucos prettty regularly when they had a small dive shop at the base of the pier, but it's gone now and we generally just fly by. We should really spend some more time there, a charming little community and the pier is a good photo opportunity. Igor that little beach by the museum (Windy Cove) never disappoints. It is always scenic particularly in flat morning and late afternoon light, always a lot of bird action particularly when the herons and cormorants are nesting, and you can usually find a blue heron near Fairbanks Point, the point at the north end of the cove, farthest from the museum.

David K - 11-20-2011 at 10:56 AM

Awesome Ken, thank you!

Jack Swords - 11-20-2011 at 11:46 AM

Ken, as a longtime resident of the Central Coast and avid hiker, I'd like to show you some of the pristine coastline scenes for your camera. Hikes range from 10 miles to 17 miles roundtrip, take a day, and there will be no people to clog the lenses. Best in spring, few if any footprints on the beaches. Have really enjoyed your photographs of our area. Remember fondly Al's Sporting Goods in Cayucos, got air without C Card (before C Card) and challenged Wink's class to get it when required. Thanks for your contributions.

Ken Bondy - 11-20-2011 at 12:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jack Swords
Ken, as a longtime resident of the Central Coast and avid hiker, I'd like to show you some of the pristine coastline scenes for your camera. Hikes range from 10 miles to 17 miles roundtrip, take a day, and there will be no people to clog the lenses. Best in spring, few if any footprints on the beaches. Have really enjoyed your photographs of our area. Remember fondly Al's Sporting Goods in Cayucos, got air without C Card (before C Card) and challenged Wink's class to get it when required. Thanks for your contributions.


Very generous offer Jack, would love to take you up on that sometime. I must confess that the primary purpose for our bi-monthly visits is to dive in Morro Bay, however the topside Central Coast scenery is so magnificent that we always make some time for it. The elephant seals in San Simeon are a big magnet for us, we think it is one of the most amazing natural sights to be seen. We have wandered all over Montana de Oro and have hiked some of the trailheads to the north like Harmony Headlands and a few others, but would love to have a guide like you to show us the more spectacular trails. Let's keep in touch :)

stimbo - 11-20-2011 at 01:48 PM

Nice images Ken. They are always a treat.

Jack Swords - 11-20-2011 at 01:48 PM

Great Ken...looking specifically at Pt. Sal, adjacent to Vandenburg AFB, a million miles from civilization. Will stay in touch.

Mexitron - 11-20-2011 at 03:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jack Swords
Great Ken...looking specifically at Pt. Sal, adjacent to Vandenburg AFB, a million miles from civilization. Will stay in touch.


We used to go out there but the road was closed last time I tried---just hoofing it in is okay? BTW, my field botany class in college got to go on a tour of Vandenburg---some of the most beautiful intact coastal ecosystems I've ever seen, but don't know if one can get in there without some kind of connection....

Bajahowodd - 11-20-2011 at 05:06 PM

The elephant seal has not been a long time resident of the Piedras Blancas area. And yet, today there are hundreds of them. Marine biologists posit that conditions found elsewhere in their historical environment caused them to migrate to this area.

All the better for the average citizen, in that a parking lot off Highway One can afford us the amazing experience of seeing these creatures sunning on the beach.

Jack Swords - 11-20-2011 at 07:52 PM

Closed road to Pt Sal beach, hiking OK. Paradise beach etc. never had a road, still pristine. Vandenburg is a giant preserve adjacent to Pt Sal, but requires permission to enter.

elgatoloco - 11-20-2011 at 07:59 PM

Fabulous! Thanks for sharing. :coolup:

Osprey - 11-21-2011 at 08:08 AM

Ken, you got me again. As soon as I spy those otherworldly nudibranchs I start humming the tune from the movie Fantasia. Can't be helped.

Thanks again for letting us into your world one click at a time.

BajaBlanca - 11-21-2011 at 09:13 AM

spectacular !!

tripledigitken - 11-21-2011 at 09:26 AM

Thanks for posting Ken. One of our favorite stops along the coast too.




[Edited on 11-21-2011 by tripledigitken]

Natalie Ann - 11-21-2011 at 10:17 AM

Excellent pictorial, Ken, of that beautiful stretch of coastline - both above and below the water line.
Thank you.

nena

DianaT - 11-21-2011 at 11:40 AM

OK Guys,

I think you like these elephant seals so much because the big old males have harems and seem to be in control!







But then again, after standing there for a very long time and watching their behavior, one begins to see the real picture. A female moves too far away and he has to herd her back in, then there is the constant threat from the other males, then there are the mating duties with so many----poor guy, never gets any rest. :biggrin:

I still want to adopt a fringehead. Ken you are the only person who has ever made me think about learning to scuba dive! And you have so many more beautiful photos of the Central Coast---post them, please.

I think it is also time for one of your collections of underwater shots from many different places---lots of people have not seen them and they are ALWAYS worth seeing.



[Edited on 11-21-2011 by DianaT]

Skipjack Joe - 11-21-2011 at 02:13 PM

Tripledigit vs Diane,

The two images show well the difference between canon and nikon color rendition. I'm assuming yours were shot with a canon, Diane.

DianaT - 11-21-2011 at 03:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Tripledigit vs Diane,

The two images show well the difference between canon and nikon color rendition. I'm assuming yours were shot with a canon, Diane.


Yes, and usually it is cloudy, but this was a very bright day and if I remember, I had on my old polarizer which has been replaced.

Curious as to what color differences there are between the two products? Opps, this may be a hijack.

Remember, keep it simple as I am very low on the learning curve about photography --- but always looking to learn more.

[Edited on 11-21-2011 by DianaT]

surfer jim - 11-29-2011 at 10:29 PM

Those seals.........are STINKY.:spingrin:

Skipjack Joe - 11-29-2011 at 11:58 PM

Here is a link to an image that shows how remarkably similar their flippers are to our human hands.

http://davidburren.com/gallery/wildlife/photos/200312051501_A1_37E1.jpg

tripledigitken - 11-30-2011 at 10:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Here is a link to an image that shows how remarkably similar their flippers are to our human hands.

http://davidburren.com/gallery/wildlife/photos/200312051501_A1_37E1.jpg


Igor,

Have to agree, though this shot doesn't quite match and human like fingers on your link. This is the same location at San Simeon.