I haven’t posted many photos lately, so here’s a visual summary of what’s happening in the universe parallel to mine in California: the natural cycles and connections that persist against all odds, sometimes in front of my lens, helping to keep me sane.
And also — a little music therapy from Lucky Dube, for all of us navigating This Crazy World right now:
* The shorebirds are back, the ones who took flight months ago and flew thousands of miles here to forage and rest:
Black-Bellied Plover Preening
* Hungry Brown Pelicans are chasing the herring and sardines, taking cues from each other as they amass with the tides
* Little sea otters are growing up, learning to swim, dive and find mussels under the tutelage of mom (otter dads don’t help):
* Monarch butterflies, diaphanous beings, miraculously survived the hazards of migration, and now over-winter on eucalyptus, sometimes indistinguishable from leaves:
Monarch and Tropical Milkweed
Monarch Cluster on Eucalyptus
* Rufous Hummingbirds are stopping by for nectar on their 4000-mile journey to Mexico from Alaska and Canada:
* Thousands of ducks made land after long flights, finding comfort in their flocks and sanctuaries during the hunting season that marks their arrival:
Eurasian Wigeon
* Squirrels shelter in place in palm trees:
Squirrel in Palm Tree
* Crows are still barking orders at hawks, and hawks are still ignoring them:
* Elephant seals are coming home to their rookeries, the first babies will be born in December:
Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas
* Finally, the zebras of San Simeon, escapees from the Hearst Castle days, still graze along Highway 1 with the deer and elk … reminding me that California is still refuge for rebels and outliers.
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“So far so good, we still living today
But we don’t know what tomorrow brings
In this crazy world …”
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