Brian Smith's Photos

Monterey Waterfront and Pescadero Beach

Last day of the trip, and the drive home up the coast rather than inland. A morning walk along the Monterey waterfront, then a stop at Pescadero Beach in the afternoon that turned into the bird session of the whole trip.

Monterey Waterfront

Out along the city walk early, before the crowds got going.

A large ocean wave crashes and breaks into white foam, its crest curling over in a dynamic burst of water.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk
Large ocean waves crash against dark, jagged rocks along the Monterey waterfront, sending white spray high into the air.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk

The usual waterfront crowd were all in — a Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, and a Heermann’s Gull, Larus heermanni, then a California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi, taking an interest, and a Brandt’s Cormorant, Urile penicillatus.

A flock of brown pelicans flies low over the ocean while two people in wetsuits float on surfboards below.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A Heermann's Gull stands on a weathered rock, its orange beak and black legs contrasting with the soft blue water behind it.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk – Heermann’s Gull, Larus heermanni
A California ground squirrel sits on a mossy rock, grooming its face with its front paws.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk – California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
A group of Brandt's Cormorants perched on coastal rocks, with one in the center spreading its wings wide.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk – Brandt’s Cormorant, Urile penicillatus

On round the front through the rest of the morning, with one more squirrel to see us off.

A black and white view of the Monterey waterfront with waves crashing on rocks and silhouetted cypress trees lining a coastal road.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk
Brown pelicans fly over crashing waves near a stone seawall and rocky outcrop along the Monterey waterfront.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk
A flock of brown pelicans flies low over the churning surf and dark rocks of the Monterey waterfront under a heavy, overcast sky.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk
A close-up of a breaking ocean wave with white foam and spray, captured in cool blue and grey tones.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk
A man in a black wetsuit crouches on a surfboard, carving a sharp turn through a breaking wave and spraying a fan of white water.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk
A California ground squirrel with a yellowish chest and short dark ears sits on a lichen-covered rock, looking toward the camera.
Monterey Waterfront City Walk – California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi

Pescadero Beach

North up Highway 1 and down onto the beach at Pescadero, where the tideline was busy.

A brown pelican glides low over a crashing ocean wave, its wings spread wide against the backdrop of a calm sea and clear sky.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A large colony of brown pelicans roosts on a rugged, rocky cliffside under a clear, pale blue sky.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
Black and white photo of a wave crashing against a dark rock at Pescadero Beach, sending a spray of water high into the air.
Pescadero Beach
Black and white view of waves crashing on dark rocks at Pescadero Beach, with a large cumulus cloud above distant mountains.
Pescadero Beach
A large wave crashes against dark rocks at Pescadero Beach, sending a dramatic spray of water high into the air under a hazy sky.
Pescadero Beach

A Surfbird, Calidris virgata, working the rocks, a Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, and a Hudsonian Whimbrel, Numenius hudsonicus — that last one the pick of the day.

Surfbirds perch on a dark, barnacle-covered rock as a wave crashes against it, with a large breaking wave and a hazy blue sky behind.
Pescadero Beach – Surfbird, Calidris virgata
A Western Gull with mottled gray and white feathers walks on wet sand at the edge of a breaking wave.
Pescadero Beach – Western Gull, Larus occidentalis
A Hudsonian Whimbrel flies low over wet sand, its wings spread and legs trailing, with its reflection visible in the shallow water below.
Pescadero Beach – Hudsonian Whimbrel, Numenius hudsonicus
Black and white view of breaking ocean waves and white foam rolling onto the wet sand at Pescadero Beach under a cloudy sky.
Pescadero Beach

Then a Surf Scoter, Melanitta perspicillata, offshore.

Two surf scoters float on the ocean's surface, facing right, with a cresting white wave breaking behind them.
Pescadero Beach – Surf Scoter, Melanitta perspicillata

And after that it was pelicans, more or less continuously, for the last ten minutes I was there. Hard to stop shooting when they’re that close.

A brown pelican soars with wings fully extended against a clear, pale blue sky.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A seagull glides over crashing ocean waves at Pescadero Beach, its wings spread wide against the churning water.
Pescadero Beach
A flock of brown pelicans perches on a rugged, moss-covered cliff above the churning waves of the Pacific Ocean.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
Two brown pelicans at Pescadero Beach, one perched on a rocky outcrop and one flying with wings spread, as a large wave crashes behind them.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
Two brown pelicans at the ocean's edge, one soaring over a breaking wave while the other perches on a dark rock.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A brown pelican perches on a dark rock as a large wave crashes and sprays white foam behind it.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A brown pelican perches on a rugged rock, wings spread wide, as ocean waves crash behind it under a clear blue sky.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
Three brown pelicans soar through a clear blue sky, their long beaks and outstretched wings visible in flight.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A brown pelican glides through a clear blue sky above a large colony of brown pelicans gathered on a rocky outcrop.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
A brown pelican glides low over the ocean with its wings raised, its long beak pointing forward.
Pescadero Beach – Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis

A good way to finish — five days, and the birds saved the best for last.

Brian Smith

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