I am so sad to report that three elephant seals on the beach at San Simeon were shot and killed this last weekend. I can't imagine why anyone would want to kill such an animal. They don't bother anyone, and are so interesting to watch that people come from all over the world to see them.
These animals used to be hunted for their blubber, and in the early 1900s were thought to be extinct, but there were a few left on an island off Baja California. Present day elephant seals are descended from that group. They began to appear on the beaches in the San Simeon area in the late 1990s. The growing rookery was visible from Highway 1, and began to attract the attention of passersby, sometimes even causing traffic jams as people stopped to look.
Now California State Parks owns the land, and wardens and rangers patrol there regularly. Docents provide information to visitors. There are barriers there to keep people from bothering the elephant seals, or vice versa, and a parking lot has been created for interested travelers in order to prevent traffic jams.
A friend and I went up to San Simeon a couple of months ago on a cold, windy, wet day. We were shivering as we approached the fence and saw hundreds of big blubbery bodies laid out on the beach basking in the horrible weather. Only an elephant seal could have enjoyed it.
As we were leaving, we saw a seal out of the enclosure and in the ditch along Highway 1. We wondered about it, and two or three days later we heard on the news that an elephant seal had crossed the road and ventured onto Hearst ranch. A day or two after that there were pictures in the paper of the seal enjoying himself in a little pool. All the powers that be were trying to figure out how to coax him back across the road, and back to the rookery. It took several more days for them to finally succeed in getting the runaway, well, the flopaway, back home safely.
There were no quotes from the miscreant seal, so there was no way to know how he felt about his experience, and whether or not he was glad to get back home. But I do know he looked awfully happy taking his ease in that private pool.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Unknown Beautiful Flowers
These lovely blooms were photographed and uploaded to Flickr by Luke Brown, who is located in England, and who also is responsible for the "robins" on one of my recent blogs which I did not believe were robins. Well, they are robins--European robins, which is why they are so different from American robins. It's never too late to learn, and learning is something I love to do.
I would like to learn what these beautiful flowers are. I hope someone will enlighten me by leaving a comment.
I would like to learn what these beautiful flowers are. I hope someone will enlighten me by leaving a comment.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
brant-geese-estero-bluffs
This simple and perfect picture of geese just being geese caught my eye, and I had to add it to the birds I have been intrigued by lately. It was uploaded to Flickr by Mike Baird, whose photos can be seen at http://bairdphotos.com, and who is one of my favorite photographers of bird life and other things in nature.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Watching Me
Another little bird person. They turn their heads to look at us. I love this one. More later.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Sparrow
Here's another bird I couldn't resist. I will soon be writing a blog about birds, and will make an attempt to tie together all my miscellaneous bird pictures.
I find birds endlessly fascinating. Even the Turkey Vulture, whom I used to dislike, now entrances me. He has such an interesting personality. Turkey Vultures are not aggressive, they are generous to each other, they like to play together in the wind currents, and often, when rescued by humans, they bond to them and will follow them around like a dog. One in California that was rescued when it was tiny, bonded with people even though its rescuers tried to prevent that. It was released it into the wild, but ended up in a parking lot following people around, so its rescuers had to take it back, concluding that it didn't qualify for release. In my mind's eye I could see this poor bird trying unsuccessfully to find a buddy in the parking lot.
Turkey Vultures are ugly, its true, but beautiful in other ways. They are beautiful when they fly, floating on the air currents without flapping their wings. Plus, they do a clean up job that none of the rest of us would want to do, a job that benefits us all.
I find birds endlessly fascinating. Even the Turkey Vulture, whom I used to dislike, now entrances me. He has such an interesting personality. Turkey Vultures are not aggressive, they are generous to each other, they like to play together in the wind currents, and often, when rescued by humans, they bond to them and will follow them around like a dog. One in California that was rescued when it was tiny, bonded with people even though its rescuers tried to prevent that. It was released it into the wild, but ended up in a parking lot following people around, so its rescuers had to take it back, concluding that it didn't qualify for release. In my mind's eye I could see this poor bird trying unsuccessfully to find a buddy in the parking lot.
Turkey Vultures are ugly, its true, but beautiful in other ways. They are beautiful when they fly, floating on the air currents without flapping their wings. Plus, they do a clean up job that none of the rest of us would want to do, a job that benefits us all.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
For President: What I Think Now
Now that I have only Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to choose between, I have given a great deal of thought to what the differences between them are. There are good things about both of them, and on many issues they seem to agree with each other--in fact, it's not so much on issues that they differ, but character and personality.
Hillary is a person of great accomplishments and is obviously very good at getting things done. She is effective and efficient. But...; I have always had a persistent "but..." in my mind about her, especially when it came time to think about whether or not I would be happy to have her running the country. What was the root of my hesitation? What made me, and some others, get a twinge of uncertainty about her in spite of all she has done?
The fact that she has been able to accomplish so much, and to be so doggedly persistent in the face of difficulties, seems to put her in an almost superhuman category, and out of the realm of being a person who could understand the feelings and problems of ordinary individuals. I have begun to have the uncomfortable feeling that she wants to be at the top so much, she would be willing to do almost anything to get there, and that the desire to excel might lead her to believe that ends justify means.
I first heard of Barack Obama when he gave such an outstanding keynote speech at the Democratic convention. It was beautiful, and many others reacted to it as I did. It was not like the usual political rhetoric, but somehow more reasonable, more adult, more imaginative, and more compelling. I thought at the time, "This is a guy to watch. He has something unusual to give."
Now that I have had many chances to see him and hear him, my initial reaction has been confirmed. It is not just that he is a good orator, it's not just his delivery, but the substance of what he chooses to say and the way he says it. He speaks from an inner calmness and balance that is reassuring. He talks about what "we" can all do together. He includes us in a very fundamental way. On the other hand, Hillary tells us what she has done in the past, and what she can do for us in the future. She doesn't include us. She may care very much about regular people, but she fails to express that, and instead exudes an aura of superiority and emotional coldness. Barack, on the other hand, gives the impression of being human and empathetic, in spite of being an unusually brilliant and capable man. His humanness and his balance are apparent even when he is making points.
A person who believes they must do it all is not likely to be good at delegating. I heard a quote from Hillary on just that subject, saying that a president who delegates power would not be effective. I think Hillary runs the danger of making herself responsible for everything, while Obama strikes me as more likely to recognize his own limitations, to seek information and advice from others, and to have the judgment to be able to use that information well.
His judgment and his ability to think creatively make up for the lack of experience that Hillary so often mentions. Experience isn't everything. I can think of many experienced and knowledgeable people that I wouldn't want for president. I have confidence in Obama because he is so intelligent, so adult in his outlook, and such a creative thinker that he could weather any storm that arises better than most people could, experienced or not. I feel he is a man of principle, and does not believe that ends justify means.
Lastly, it appears that Hillary's campaign is not nearly as organized, nor running as smoothly as Obama's, and that provides an important clue as to which one would be the most effective in the oval office.
Hillary is a person of great accomplishments and is obviously very good at getting things done. She is effective and efficient. But...; I have always had a persistent "but..." in my mind about her, especially when it came time to think about whether or not I would be happy to have her running the country. What was the root of my hesitation? What made me, and some others, get a twinge of uncertainty about her in spite of all she has done?
The fact that she has been able to accomplish so much, and to be so doggedly persistent in the face of difficulties, seems to put her in an almost superhuman category, and out of the realm of being a person who could understand the feelings and problems of ordinary individuals. I have begun to have the uncomfortable feeling that she wants to be at the top so much, she would be willing to do almost anything to get there, and that the desire to excel might lead her to believe that ends justify means.
I first heard of Barack Obama when he gave such an outstanding keynote speech at the Democratic convention. It was beautiful, and many others reacted to it as I did. It was not like the usual political rhetoric, but somehow more reasonable, more adult, more imaginative, and more compelling. I thought at the time, "This is a guy to watch. He has something unusual to give."
Now that I have had many chances to see him and hear him, my initial reaction has been confirmed. It is not just that he is a good orator, it's not just his delivery, but the substance of what he chooses to say and the way he says it. He speaks from an inner calmness and balance that is reassuring. He talks about what "we" can all do together. He includes us in a very fundamental way. On the other hand, Hillary tells us what she has done in the past, and what she can do for us in the future. She doesn't include us. She may care very much about regular people, but she fails to express that, and instead exudes an aura of superiority and emotional coldness. Barack, on the other hand, gives the impression of being human and empathetic, in spite of being an unusually brilliant and capable man. His humanness and his balance are apparent even when he is making points.
A person who believes they must do it all is not likely to be good at delegating. I heard a quote from Hillary on just that subject, saying that a president who delegates power would not be effective. I think Hillary runs the danger of making herself responsible for everything, while Obama strikes me as more likely to recognize his own limitations, to seek information and advice from others, and to have the judgment to be able to use that information well.
His judgment and his ability to think creatively make up for the lack of experience that Hillary so often mentions. Experience isn't everything. I can think of many experienced and knowledgeable people that I wouldn't want for president. I have confidence in Obama because he is so intelligent, so adult in his outlook, and such a creative thinker that he could weather any storm that arises better than most people could, experienced or not. I feel he is a man of principle, and does not believe that ends justify means.
Lastly, it appears that Hillary's campaign is not nearly as organized, nor running as smoothly as Obama's, and that provides an important clue as to which one would be the most effective in the oval office.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Robin with Result of Robins
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