Season Story: Summer
- Helen Gilbert Gaus
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Out in the Ocean
A pod of humpback whales are moving north along the California coast. Deep, cold ocean waters upwell here, bringing yummy krill and small fish for the whales to eat. A baby Humpbak whale, Amari, was born 3 months ago in the warm waters off the coast of Mexico. He nursed milk from his mother for the past months, and now he is migrating north alongside his protective parents.
They have come to the northern coasts of California to feed on sardines, anchovies, and ocean krill—who look like tiny shrimp, and swim in big group swarms. Amari follows his parents example to swim straight through the swarms of krill, mouth open, and gulp as many as he can. He is having so much fun that sometimes he bursts out of the swarm and rises up, up, up to the surface and lunges out of the water! He splashes sideways and slaps his fins, playing.
Suddenly he realizes he has lost track of the adult whales. He calls out to his mom in a low, long song. She calls back, from deeper down. He swims down to find her, relieved. He will stay close by her side for the whole year.
You can see humpback and gray whales from several spots along the shore here in the Bay. You will occasionally see them breech or lunge out of the water, and also blow spouts of water. Check the Pacifica Whale Guide website, and join the Pacifica Whale Spotting Facebook group to find out if whales have recently been spotted feeding off shore. They can often be seen from Mori Point or Mussel Rock Park in Pacifica.
If you go:
Bring binoculars, which help you see much more of the action.
Be safe along cliffs and bluffs, and always respect signs and warnings.
Along the Coast
Along our coast, the waves crash on the rocky shore. If you wait for the ocean to retreat at low tide, you can find tiny worlds in the pools of water left behind. In one of these tidepools, an Ochre Sea Star named Min moves slowly along.
She has hundreds of tiny tube feet that she carefully suctions to the rocks so the waves do not sweep her away. She is bright orangey red. She is feeling hungry, and is looking for food. When she was just a juvenile, she was the size of a dime, and ate mostly tiny plankton. Now she is larger than an adult human hand, and will eat snails, mussels, and sea urchins.
A hermit crab scuttles close by, and she pauses. He notices Min, and disappears into his shell. She keeps moving, looking for a meal that won't scurry away so quickly.
Join us for a tide pooling field trip in September!
In the Parks
Ever since he hatched in February, Precious the Great Horned Owlet has been sleeping through the lengthening spring and summer days, and exploring his tree by night. He fledged—learned to fly—back in the springtime, and he can now fly from tree to tree and explore. However, he is still learning how to be a good and silent hunter, and he still needs is parents to catch his food for him! He will stay with them until he learns. His family eats mostly rats, gophers, and mice, which are plentiful in Golden Gate Park. He play fights with his brother and sister to practice is skills, and they also groom each other.
In the fall, Precious will have to find his own food and his own tree to roost in. But for now, the owlets snuggle together as the sun rises up into the sky again.
You can see baby owlets here in San Francisco! Both Great Horned Owls and Barn Owls live in our parks. Great Horned Owls shelter out in the open, on shady branches of tall trees. They stay still and sleeping until the sun sets, then begin hooting and flying out to hunt. There has been a nesting pair with owlets near the pond in the Botanical Gardens this year. You can take a walk in your nearest park, and see if you find any owl signs.
If you go on an owl walk:
Bring binoculars and look up under the top branches of cypress trees.
Go in the evening, and listen for hoots right around sunset.
Keep your eye out for owl pellets at the base of trees. These often have tiny bones and hair from rodents the owls eat.
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