Pups, Curlews, and Godwits - Oh My!

(January 3rd) Today I was fortunate to have a couple of friends from L.A. come up to hang out with me. I somehow managed to convince them to wakeup before sunrise, so we could be out shooting to capture the coast at dawn.

After we started to get some light, it was time for a morning with the seals. I spent most of my time concentrating on the pups. The newborn pups spend a good deal of their time nursing. At this young age, they are quite gangly and awkward.

In between watching the pups, I tried for a couple more "artsy" shots. This is a shot of the front flipper of an adult female.

After sleeping, nursing is the most common activity for the pups. But they can't always get it right. So they bark to get their mother's attention. All the elephant seals are quite loud, mothers included, so they have no qualms at barking back to their children.

For the afternoon we headed down to Morro Bay. We walked around Montana de Oro State Park, taking in some of the great scenery. This part of the coast is replete with jagged rocky outcroppings of all sorts of shapes.

We had a great day together, but my friends had to head back to L.A. I headed over to a different part of Montana de Oro for the last hour or so of light. Oh was that light incredible. On top of that, I was completely alone on the beach with some very friendly Marbled Godwits.

If the godwits weren't enough, I was completely amazed by the Long-billed Curlews who were walking right up to me. These birds are definitely one of my favorites. With the light, the scenery, and the sheer excitement, it was a great experience. I couldn't believe the number of fantastic shots I got in a single hour.