Morning Otters

Last Hikers Bus of the Season this morning....hopped on....picked up danish and orange juice at Crane Flat Stop...breakfast sandwich at the Grill....and paddled out to sit awhile at Sept 1915 Bridge, and skygaze....cool, breezy, and the Magnificent Blue Sky quiet a long while...moved over to the Culvert on Lodgepole Lane, and after more than an hour, sighted Redtail Hawk...farfarfar away pics....lost sight....I moved out along the Dry Rivulet, and sat on its Bank... and after another hour or so, Peregrine Falcon flew over head....far away pics...missed some when Falcon was right over head....Sun was right over head too!...Sky clouding over in the West, and watched a long while where Falcon last seen....Redtail reappeared by the Bridge...picked up, and followed, but no luck....time...and walked through the Dry Meadows from the Bridge to the Store....One Junco by the Bridge, White Crowned Sparrow by the Culvert, pair of Bluebirds, Nutcracker call, Ravens, Blackbirds, Flicker call, Picket Pins, One Doe with One Buck...oh, from the Lane sighted once again Redtail being chased by Ravens--didn't know this until reviewing pics....a fine Tuolumne afternoon--cool breezy blue, with the clouds too...

back to the trip--Thursday morning: Hotel served a serve yourself breakfast--chose cheerios, biscuits and gravy, milk and orange juice...thought was to go to the Monterey Aquarium, and being close where I was at Marina, decided to keep the Hotel Room for another Night...geared up, put the long lens on the newer camera, and rolled back to Moss Landing....and the Otters were right where I had seen them the evening before!...local resident walking about reported Otters always there, and sometimes haul out on the Little Beach (see last night's link)....I'd always thought Otters just lived in Kelp Forests, which they do, but new to many since the Otter population has grown a bit, is that Sea Otters will live in Bays and such too.... took clips and pics with all the cameras...hd clips with the newer camera--these clips too big to upload to the blog...clip up is with newer camera set to 640, and mpeg1 for the upload....Otters have really made a home of the one area below the Picnic Bench...a Cable Strand through Iron Posts keeps hikers back, and on the Dirt Road...so couldn't go down to the Bay Shore....Otters are very wary...Kayakers got too close, and the Otter Raft moved as one slowly away....sometimes the Raft was closely bunched, other times, more spread out...took pics and clips until the Sun dispelled the morning low overcast, and Breeze began to make Waves...and I wanted to be off to the Aquarium....said goodbye for then to the Moss Landing Otters, and rolled off expectant to see their cousins at Monterey...more tomorrow.....it's Otter Week!