A seagull found the perfect perch on a rooftop at the beach.
I have taken many photos and videos I want to share from sea lions to beach birds, beach and harbor views, the farmer’s market and fish tacos. I think I’ll be posting photos and videos from this vacation after we return home. In the meantime, here are a few photos and videos of wildlife.
We went to dinner by boat the other night and saw sea lions lounging on docks. There’s a little glare from the boat’s window in this pic.
I’ve never seen Mallards in the ocean before. Below is a flock of terns taking off.
Lone pelican floating in the waves.
Ducks waddling on the shore.
Sea Lions upset because we woke them up.
Pelicans in flight.
My favorite of the photos and videos on this post is the last one of pelicans flying low over the ocean.
What’s your favorite?
This reminds me of Ogden Nash and his famous Pelican limerick my dad used to read to us when we were young:
A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill can hold more than his belican. He can hold in his beak Enough food for a week, But I’m damned if I see how the helican.
I was watching this Great Egret on the beach during one of my twice daily walks. FYI, all photos are from my iphone since I left my Nikon and telephoto lens at home.
I had to look this guy up. He’s a Long-Billed Curlew.
The Long-billed Curlew is North America’s largest shorebird and is a member of the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. Although it is considered a wading shorebird, it is primarily ground-dwelling, using short-growth grassland prairies for survival. The genus, Numenius, is Greek and refers to the crescent-shaped bill. https://sanctuarysimon.org/dbtools/species-database/id/649/numenius/americanus/long-billed-curlew#
These guys are Sandpipers.
Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. Most species have a narrow bill, but the form and length are variable. They are small to medium-sized birds, measuring 12 to 66 cm (4.7–26.0 in) in length. The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpiper
This gull was checking us out for snacks. They are very crafty and can get into bags of food the minute you walk away. Fortunately, we haven’t been taking snacks to the beach.
Seagulls are widely considered to be intelligent birds, exhibiting problem-solving skills, memory, and complex communication. They are known to learn from experience, adapt to different environments, and even pass on learned behaviors. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/how-identify/identify-gulls
The shore birds are different than my desert bird buddies. What they have in common is they are all fun to watch. I doubt I’ll get a chance to make friends with shore birds the way I have Red and Mrs. I hope you enjoyed my short lesson on Shore Birds. I learned about them by writing this post!
Which Shore Bird do you like best out of these four species?
Do you have any of these birds where you live?
We ran into this flock during an evening walk. I’m thinking they are Plovers. Anyone know for sure?
This does not look like my desert view from home because it’s not. It’s the view from a living room window of the cottage we’ve rented for vacation each summer since 2018. It’s a nice break from the heat to be in the cool weather by the beach. Plus a change of scenery isn’t so bad, either.
Here are some more views:
The living room is upstairs and has a view of the ocean. The kitchen and bathroom are upstairs, too. Downstairs is the master bedroom.
The kitchen may be tiny, but it’s full of charm.
The stairs are proving to be a challenge for my ankle. All the ups and downs to unload the car were something else! This photo doesn’t capture the steepness.
Then we went for a beach walk with friends. I made it with a little push and pull, plus encouragement, to get over the rocks and boulders to the sandy beach. Hopefully, I’ll manage it without help in a day or two. It’s a short trail, only a few yards, but with obstacles that were in my way!
One of my favorite things about the beaches in this area is they are not crowded. You almost feel like you have the entire beach to yourself.
My friend pointed out that Ashton Kutcher and his wife are remodeling their $17 million beach house. It had a small cottage in front, that they scrapped completely and they’re making the main house bigger.
Here’s a photo I took of their property last year. I read that the small cottage in front got damaged by a mudslide. So now they’re going to have a different view as well.
What do you like best about a different view than your normal everyday one?
I used to look forward to our beach vacation every year. Until this year, that is.
I literally lived for beach time. Especially when the kids were young and we’d go to Laguna Beach for two months — or even the entire summer. Living in the desert, I’d need to get out of the heat. The kids would have swim lessons at the city pool and we’d head to the beach for the rest of the day. They’d have hours of free play, using their imaginations building drip castles or building a restaurant and serving me assorted dishes made from sand and seaweed.
My kids when they used their imaginations to play in the sand.
Now that it’s almost beach vacation time, albeit much shorter than the vacations in the past, I’m apprehensive. Why? Because I have been on two trips the past few months. And they didn’t go well.
First, we explored the mountains and forests of Arizona. I tripped on our first hike. I thought I had a sprain, but I broke my ankle. Within a week of coming home, I was rushed into surgery. That put a damper on my summer.
Next, we flew to a friend’s daughter’s wedding in Northern California. We came home and got terribly sick with COVID.
Needless to say, I worry about what’s going to happen on our upcoming vacation. Shark attack? Car accident? Food poisoning? My imagination is going wild. This morning I asked my husband, “What’s wrong with staying home? I like it here.” After all, there’s no place like home.
Two summer vacations ago, we were worried about our Daughter-In-Law’s cancer. I was so worried about her tests, surgery, etc. It puts a harsh reality on our summer vacation — that everything is not beach mode and real life worries take hold — regardless of vacation or not.
FYI, If you think it’s a good time to break into our home, think twice. I have two neighbors watching out, plus a house sitter. Good luck!
I’m sure once I get to our destination, everything will be okay. At least I hope so.
A new friend at the beach bringing a ball to my husband.
After our evening beach walk and swim, we were relaxing in beach chairs watching the waves. Suddenly, a small dog ran to my husband and dropped a ball at his feet. We looked around for his owners, but there was nobody close by.
My husband threw the ball. The speedy little pup raced after the ball and ran back to us, dropping the ball at my feet. It was my turn.
The pup alternated between the two of us for 30 minutes, never tiring of chasing the ball.
The dog is waiting in anticipation for the ball to be thrown. If you look in the ocean there is a couple out there.
Eventually the couple who were body surfing in the waves came onshore.
“Is this your dog?” my husband called out to them.
“No, he’s yours now,” the man replied. We all laughed. The dog trotted over excitedly to his rightful owners.
The dogs on the beach are so entertaining to watch. There’s a man who lives a few houses away from Kevin Costner, who walks his black lab every morning with a tennis ball launcher. That dog is so excited and jumps and circles, crying for the ball to be thrown. He runs back and forth chasing and retrieving the ball for an entire hour walk. We watched a pair of Vizlas chasing balls from their owner’s tennis ball launcher, leaping to catch the balls in the air before they hit the sand. Then there are dogs who pick up sticks two to three times the size of their bodies and proudly trot them down the beach.
Here’s a video of our new friend racing after the ball:
If you have a dog, do they like to swim, chase after balls or carry sticks?
What other creatures are as happy as a dog at the beach?
We’re enjoying our beach time. We start the day with a morning walk and end with the same. In the evenings, we visit the beach with our towels and chairs. After our walk, my husband swims while I do my favorite thing — read a book at the beach.
Every day there is something new to see. Here are a few more pics:
I’ve complained about Mexican food in Arizona. I haven’t found anything with the same flavors I’m used to in SoCal. This is a dinner prepared by our friends in Carpinteria. Chicken mole, rice, beans and sauteed peppers. Delicious! We’re going back for leftovers!
Low tide standing near Kevin Costner’s estate. I’ve never seen the tide so low that we could walk on this part of the beach. It’s usually under water. Around the corner of the point in the distance is our beach. Well, the beach a few blocks from our VRBO.
This is the view looking back from Costner’s estate at the beach where we take our daily walks.
More incredible Mexican food. Al Pastor tacos from Kim’s Liquor a mile from our VRBO. What’s interesting, is most liquor/convenience stores have kitchens with amazing Mexican food to go. Maybe I should let Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives know about this?
Sandpipers lined the beach this morning. I don’t have any quail at the beach, like at home, but there are plenty of sandpipers, pelicans and gulls.
My daughter once said her favorite comfort food she grew up with was Mexican food (which I do not make.) I thought she’d say one of my specialities like pan friend sole, chicken and dumplings or oxtail soup. Nope.
There are certain flavors and cuisines served in different areas of the country and the world that we enjoy and love.
What’s your is your favorite Mexican food or comfort food?
