Sea Lavender / Shack

Sea Lavender - Monterey County  2025

Shack, Cormorants, Gull - Monterey County  2025

I left the beach area to take a walk around the Coast Guard walkway and the Cannery Row area, with the commotion from the sea lions as background noise. 

Then, a blueberry muffin and coffee and the drive home.

Monday Sea Lion Blogging

Seals - Monterey County  2025

I'm usually able to walk down to the beach for photos, as I did in 2014, for example. 

Not this morning! As soon as I parked my car and got out I could hear them barking and honking. Quite the sight!

Please Stay Back - Monterey County  2025

Extra information on seals vs sea lions:

Both seals and sea lions, together with the walrus, are pinnipeds, which means "fin footed" in Latin.

But seals' furry, generally stubby front feet — thinly webbed flippers, actually, with a claw on each small toe — seem petite in comparison to the mostly skin-covered, elongated fore flippers that sea lions possess.

Secondly, sea lions have small flaps for outer ears. The "earless" or "true" seals lack external ears altogether. You have to get very close to see the tiny holes on the sides of a seal’s sleek head.

Third, sea lions are noisy. Seals are quieter, vocalizing via soft grunts.

Fourth, while both species spend time both in and out of the water, seals are better adapted to live in the water than on land. Though their bodies can appear chubby, seals are generally smaller and more aquadynamic than sea lions. At the same time, their hind flippers angle backward and don't rotate. This makes them fast in the water but basic belly crawlers on terra firma.

Sea lions, on the other hand, are able to "walk" on land by rotating their hind flippers forward and underneath their big bodies. This is why they are more likely to be employed in aquaria and marine shows.

Finally, seals are less social than their sea-lion cousins. They spend more time in the water than sea lions do and often lead solitary lives in the wild, coming ashore together only once a year to meet and mate.

Sea lions congregate in gregarious groups called herds or rafts that can reach upwards of 1,500 individuals. It's common for scores of them to haul out together and loll about in the sand, comprising an amorphous pile in the noonday sun.

Monterey Bay Sunrise

Sunrise - Monterey County  2025

Before I return to Marin I like to pay a morning visit down to the bay near the Coast Guard Station. This time the view over the bay was scenic as always, but not quite so serene. What noise! The beach that I was used to walking on had been taken over by a large colony of sea lions! Photo tomorrow.

Asilomar State Beach

California Buckwheat - Monterey County  2025

After taking some cemetery photos, Mike drove along the coast, parking at a pull out and going for a little walk. This was at Asilomar State Beach . . . nice firm trails with pretty ocean views. (Plant ID using Apple iPhone.)

Alas, the edge of the trail wasn't so firm: Mike stepped onto the edge and tumbled over! Yikes! Quickly got up, looked around to see if anyone had noticed. They hadn't. Whew.

Mike's Tumble Spot - Monterey County  2025

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay, Clouds - Monterey County  2025

Monterey Bay, Clouds - Monterey County  2025

I have a number of photos of Monterey Bay on the blog, but all taken from land. Now I have some photos taken on the bay itself!

Monday Whale Blogging

Whale - Monterey County  2025

Whale Spout - Monterey County  2025

From last April. We had a mini-vacation with our family in Monterey; our main tourist activity was a whale-watching excursion out of Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf. Not that many whales, but there were enough for me to grab a few shots (more of them were due to arrive in June.)

Also: seals! Apparently whales and seals can frequently be found together (same food sources).

I used an Olympus E-M1II with a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Seals - Monterey County  2025

Boats, Clouds

Boats, Clouds - Monterey County  2024

Photo taken with an iPhone 12 Max Pro. 

Earlier Monterey Bay boat photos can be seen here.

After this shot I stopped at my favorite downtown coffee shop for a muffin, drove back to have with some exquisite motel coffee, then onto highway 1 for the drive home.

Monterey Bay Sunrise

Rocks, Bay - Monterey County  2024

Sunrise, Bay - Monterey County  2024

Following my usual routine in Monterey. Quick drive over for photos of Monterey Bay at sunrise.

Monday Seal Blogging

Seals - Monterey County  2024

Those were rocks, right? Um, no. Pretty big seals.

Seal - Monterey County  2024

Wharf / Kitchen

Fisherman's Wharf - Monterey County  2024

Mama Garcia's Kitchen - Monterey County  2024

Top: Wandering around the plaza, eventually coming to a view of the bay and wharf.

Bottom: Tableau featured in one of the historic buildings on the site.

Monday Gull Blogging

Gull - Monterey County  2024

Another early morning  photo taken down by the bay. But there were also other bird photographers in evidence.

Woman, Gull - Monterey County  2024

Monday Gull and Cormorant Blogging

Gull, Cormorants - Monterey County  2024

Early morning down by Monterey Bay.

Monterey Bay Black and White

 

Flowers, Bay - Monterey County  2023

Fog Bank, Bay - Monterey County  2023

Photos taken in the morning prior to driving back home.

Fence, Fog, Building / Seaweed (Monterey County)

Fence, Fog, Building - Monterey County  2023

Seaweed, Rocks - Monterey County  2023

That fence scene is right across the street from the cemetery. I know I've taken photos there before, but can't seem to find them on the blog.

I drove along the Monterey Bay coast for a while, getting out of the car a few times. Ocean views were not too inspiring. Nice seaweed however. Then winding my way back to the motel for a rest.

Monday Phoebe Blogging

Phoebe - Monterey County  2023

It's been a while since there's been a phoebe post. This one seen flying around an under the hotel parking lot near the Monterey Bay overlook.

Monday Gull Blogging

Gull, Bay - Monterey County  2023

On an overcast day, gull perched on a railing overlooking Monterey Bay. Nikon Z5, 24-200mm lens.

Waves

Storm Waves - Monterey County  2023

Dog Walking - Monterey County  2023

The surf was boiling and churning. Nice weather for a walk on the beach with your dog!

The 2012 Pismo Beach waves were more spectacular, however.

Monterey Bay

Bush, Bay - Monterey County  2023

Receding Wave - Monterey County  2023

After wandering around downtown Monterey we drove over for some bay views. 

Alas, no ID for the nice looking bush in the top photo.

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay - Monterey County  2023

After our stay in Los Angeles, we headed up highway 5 to the Lost Hills exit and drove over to Paso Robles. We then headed north on highway 101, eventually ending up at our motel in Pacific Grove. Mike has always enjoyed the area, going back to his basic training days at Fort Ord.

Monterey Bay AM

 

Bay - Monterey County  2021

Early morning drive over to the bay for another in the series of photos taken here. Note pelicans in the distance . . . one wonders if they'd be recognizable in a print.

Then over to Plumes for coffee and a muffin. Then the drive home.