At The Backroads

I went to La Jolla for a walk last Wednesday after work thinking I would be missing the sun for several days. I was thinking there would be a lot of clouds rolling in that day since Thursday was forecasted to have rain. However, when I got there, the sky was still so blue with only a thin wall of marine layer at the far horizon.

California Brown Pelicans

 I started my walk a little bit disappointed because I was imagining rolling clouds that were not there. However, it seemed the wildlife covered up for what I was missing. California brown pelicans and gulls kept on flying above me,

Gull in Flight

some of them resting on bluffs,

Brown Pelica’s Red Pouch, Winter Breeding Color

 some sea gulls sharing the rocks with the seals,

Gulls and Harbor Seals

that in time I was entertained by what I was seeing while walking and not minding anymore the clouds that I was missing. What surprised me most are the presence of wildflowers on the slopes of the coastal hills already.

La Jolla Wildflowers

The sight of these wildflowers put joy into my heart, I love flowers and I always look forward for spring to see a lot more flowers in the trails. I am not seeing a lot yet in the trails, but a little bloom here and there, and seeing a carpeting yellow on the slopes made me excited for the coming spring, which for San Diego standard comes late February or early March, that is the time I usually see a lot more flowers in the trail.

Carpeting Flowers on the Slopes

Looking at the flowers makes it an almost spring now, and the presence of wildflowers seem like a smile to me beyond compare.

The Smile of Spring

Anyway, these sights just make me dreamy hoping to see more colors in the next weeks to come, especially we had been enjoying rain since Thursday. Today is a nice day with very little rain, and we managed to hike to Woodson Mountain, which I will make a post sometime this week.  I had all my wished clouds today, no sunset though since the West is filled with dark clouds.

Here are some more pictures from my leisurely walk last Wednesday at La Jolla.

Moon Over Dragon Trees

The Dragon Tree is a succulent type of tree-size species with stout trunks and dense umbrella-shaped canopy of thick leaves. The tree got its name from its red sap, which was thought to be dragon’s blood by early inhabitants of the tree’s native Canary Islands.

Cormorants on La Jolla Caves

Sea Lions

Pelican Bluff (the bluff is where you can view best the pelicans and the sea lions)

La Jolla Cove 

We went last weekend to La Jolla Cove, hoping to photograph the breeding color of the pelicans which can be observed at winter. We usually watch for the pelicans by the cliffs below La Jolla Coast Walk, or below the Sunny Jim Cave entrance.

Viewing Cliff for Pelicans

 However, when we got to the cliff, there were not a lot of pelicans . I mean, there were several pelicans on the bluffs, but not a lot of them showing off their red bill pouch. I did not get lucky enough to take one picture of a pelican with the red bill pouch or with their breeding colors. It seemed they did not cooperate with me in showing off their gular pouch :).

California Brown Pelican

 Winter is the breeding season of the brown pelicans, and during this time, their bill pouch turn a bright red. Since I did not feel lucky at all photographing the pelicans that day, I instead took some pictures of the noisy sea lions below the bluffs.

Brown Pelicans and Sea Lions

Sea Lions 

 The most common marine mammals in California Coast are sea lions and harbor seals.

Harbor Seals 

They are both pinniped with fur, flippers and with fat bodies. However, two of the very obvious differences between the two are the ear flaps and the noise. The sea lions have ear flaps while harbor seals don’t have. When harbor seals rest quietly on shore, the sea lions can be very noisy, they utter a dog-like bark . Also, seals have smaller front flippes compared to sea lions, so when seals walk, they flop around their bellies When sea lions can be assertive around humans compared to seals which are more timid.  Also, if sea lions have mostly brown coat, the seals have spotted coats. 

And at winter, is the time for sea lions, seals and pelicans to breed. It is the best time to watch their unusual behavior and color. It is also the time where most of them are on shore.

 And when sea lions mate, I pity the female, looks like they are hurting them, biting them into submission ( see picture).