This is a humpback whale, lunge feeding less than 20 yards from shore near New Brighton State Beach in Santa Cruz County. The humpbacks showed up a month or so ago, following massive schools of anchovies into the Monterey Bay. I used to get a thrill seeing far-distant spouts from the beach. I never expected to see such majesty so close to shore.
Each summer flocks of sooty shearwaters fly low over the Monterey Bay, diving and squawking as they feed on masses of bait fish – anchovies, sardines, squid, and krill – that school just below the water’s glistening surface. You see them coming in the distance, an impressive mass a mile or more in length; thousands of birds flying low over the water forming a cacophony of feathered missiles plunging headfirst for food.
Join me for visit to the studio of Big Sur artist Erin Lee Gafill topped with a bowl of Nepenthe’s delicious soup.
LL and I were picnicking on the deck of our quite luxurious digs at the Post Ranch Inn when this bird – a juvenile Western scrub-jay, according to my handy Sibley Field Guide – swooped down to snag a piece of baguette for himself. Check it out.
The oysters smelled like the air on still, foggy mornings when the tide is low and kelp is heaped on the sand and the only footprints are from marauding nighttime snails – an ancient smell of brine and salty tears.
A wasp eats a caterpillar – for real. Guts and all.
I'm Maggie, a food-loving, curiosity-seeking, nature-loving mom. I'm here serving up bite-sized recipes, raves, and reviews about food and family, food and culture, food and the environment, and food and travel. Thanks for stopping by!
