Today ecologist Susan Harrison features photos of everybody’s favorite sea mammal: sea otters! And for the ornithophiles, we also have some birds. The narrative is indented, and you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

Sea Otters & Others in Elkhorn Slough

Among the happier environmental news stories is the recovery of the Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) along parts of the West Coast after near-extinction from overhunting. Sea Otters are well-known as “keystone predators” in kelp forests, where their avid devouring of sea urchins ends up maintaining the kelp beds and their abundant fish and invertebrates.

In Elkhorn Slough, an estuary on Monterey Bay, Sea Otters have also resumed being keystone species in coastal salt marshes. Here, according to recent findings, otters maintain the all-important eelgrass beds by consuming crabs that burrow and destabilize the banks.

(Elkhorn Slough is itself quite the environmental success story, as there few coastal marshlands in California as large or as well-protected.)

On an electric catamaran tour of Elkhorn Slough we were amazed at all the Sea Otters. The guide told us there are about 150 otters in the slough, and I joked that we must have seen all of them.   The otters float saucily on their backs, gobbling seafood and grooming their marvelous fur with its 1 million hairs per square inch (about as many hairs as an entire d*g).

The weather during our trip was wet and wintry, and many of these photos were taken in a light rain.

Sea Otters:

An unrelated surprise was when our catamaran passed the Western Flyer, on which John Steinbeck and Capt. Ed Ricketts made their legendary trip to the Sea of Cortez in 1940. The boat then endured a long career in the fishing industry, sank twice, and was ‘rediscovered’ in terrible shape in a Washington seaport by a Steinbeck fan.   It’s now been lovingly restored to its original 1937 condition.

Western Flyer:

Moss Landing, at the mouth of Elkhorn Slough, with a storm approaching:

Double-Crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum):

Forster’s Terns (Sterna forsteri):

Common Loon (Gavia immer):

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus):

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) with Red-Throated Loon (Gavia stellata):

Brown Pelicans:

We have a new contributor today, William Terre Blanche, with some photos I find particularly interesting, for they’re from where I’m headed in August. William’s notes and captions are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

As promised, please find attached photos taken in the Kruger Park during my many visits over the years

The Kruger National Park is one of the premier nature reserves of the world, and at 2 000 000 hectares (almost 5 000 000 acres) also one of the largest. The park lies in the far eastern side of South Africa, on the border with Mozambique. On the western side the park is bordered by a number of private reserves, many of them sharing unfenced boundaries with the Kruger Park.

JAC: Here’s a map from Wikpedia showing Kruger in dark red. I’ll be there for several weeks in August!

Let’s start with the famous Big 5. The first 2 (Buffalo and Elephant) are almost guaranteed sightings in the Kruger Park, and with a bit of luck the other 3 as well. (The leopard, being almost exclusively nocturnal, is probably the toughest!)

I am keen birder, and have also included pictures of just some of the many bird species which make the Kruger Park a bird-watchers paradise.

All the below pictures were taken by myself, and all of them in the Kruger Park itself.

Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer).

Usually seen in large herds, although older males who are no longer able to keep up with the herd sometimes form small groups of 2 or 3 animals. They are grazers, and therefore mostly seen in grasslands. One of the favourite prey species of lions:

African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana).

By far the largest land animal on earth, a big male can weigh more than 6000kg and stand 4m high at the shoulder. They live in small family groups, which may come together to form larger herds. Family groups consist of females and young ones, always led by the matriarch:

Leopard (Panthera pardus)

One of the most sought after sightings in the Kruger Park, and getting a LIT (Leopard in a tree) is always extra special. Active at night, they often rest in a tree during the day. They are mostly solitary, except when mating or when a young cub is with its mother:

Lion (Panthera leo)

The most sociable member of the cat family, often seen in prides, which are always led by a big male, or sometimes a coalition of males (which are usually brothers):

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simun)

Larger and much more common than the Black Rhino. They are grazers and therefore mostly seen where enough grass is available (Black Rhinos are browsers, with a pointed upper lip adapted for this). Both black and white rhinos are actually grey, and can best be distinguished by the difference in size (white rhinos are much larger), and their method of feeding:

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibus)

Most often seen in rivers and dams, with just the head and ears sticking up above the water. They are selective grazers, and sometimes travel long distances outside of the water to feed, mostly at night:

European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)

As the name suggests, they are migrants, seen in South Africa from October to April, during the Southern Hemisphere summer. In winter they return to Europe and North Africa, where they also breed:

Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

The smallest bee-eater in the region, they are resident, but with some nomadic movements in response to changing conditions. Usually seen in pairs or small family groups:

African Green Pigeon (Treron calvus)

Often seen near rivers where they feed on the fruit of wild fig trees. They below picture was taken from the restaurant deck at Skukuza Restcamp, which overlooks the Sabi River:

Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)

Probably the most photographed bird in the Kruger Park, for obvious reasons! These brightly coloured birds are common in the Park, and can often be seen perched on small trees next to the road:

Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus)

One of the largest eagles in the region, with a wingspan of up to 2.4m (the female is considerable bigger than the male). The below picture was taken in the beautiful late afternoon light near Letaba Restcamp:

African Scops Owl (Otus senegalensis)

A small owl (about 15cm), their repetitive insect-like “kruupp” call is a familiar nocturnal sound in the Kruger Park restcamps, where they are often heard, but seldom seen:

Woodland Kingfisher (Halycon senegalensis}

The loud trilling call of the Woodland Kingfisher is probably the one sound that most South Africans associate with hot summer days in the Kruger Park. Despite the name their diet consists largely of insects, and they are mostly seen away from water:

Better late than never, I present you with today’s batch of wildlife photos, but also importune you to send in your photos lest we run out. Today’s batch comprises bird photos (and one mammal) from ecologist Susan Harrison from UC Davis, whose text and IDs are indented. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

Fall 2023 and winter 2024 birds

Here is my 50^th contribution, featuring various creatures seen in the western U.S. in late 2023 and early 2024.

Western Nevada (August)

Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), which live in colonies that move around after the seeds of Pinyon Pines (Pinus monophylla and others), and which appear to be in decline:

Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi), in the same habitat and much more plentiful than Pinyon Jays:

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, eastern Oregon (September)

Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) day-sleeping on a branch:

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) waiting by a bird feeder:

Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) lurking beneath reeds:

American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) sailing overhead:

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) juvenile in cottonwoods (Populus):

Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia), adult and juvenile at a nest:

Steens Mountain, looking east to the Alvord Desert:

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) enjoying an irrigated alfalfa field:

Butte Valley, south-central Oregon (November)

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), overwintering:

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), overwintering:

Sacramento Wildlife Refuge (January)

Common Gallinules (Gallinula galeata):

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius):

Peregrine Falcon, juvenile:

Northern Pintails (Anas acuta):