A Day @ Monterey Bay

Two weeks ago, we decided to drive down to Monterey Bay which is ~80 miles away from where we live and see the whales that everyone was talking about. Monterey Bay is the vacation spot for Humpback whales, Gray whales, Blue whales, Orcas, Dolphins, Sea Lions, Otters and a huge population of various bird species. Trust me, i ain't talking about the Aquarium or the Zoo; Monterey bay is one of the stops in the migration paths of these big fishes. The weather channel promised us bright sunny skies but the weather was cold, windy, cloudy and bleahhhh. Here are a few pictures from our adventure trip.

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Brandt's Cormorants

Brandt's Cormorants are strictly marine birds that inhabit the Pacific coast of North America. They build nests on cliffs and rocks and guard them all the time as the Sea gulls have a reputation of robbing their nests. The blue patch around the throat and the blue eyes appear only during mating season. They fly very fast and are known to dive great depths into the water to catch fish.

California Sea Lions

Sea Lions are very similar to Seals with the only difference that Sea Lions have tiny ears sticking out whereas the Seals don't. They are most noisy, like to take group naps and eat just about anything they find. They love to hang around the shore, perched up on rocks. Sometimes, they invade the beach in hundreds and take- over boats, parks, parking lots and the waterfronts. Don't believe me? Read this.

Few Lazy Whales
Humpback whales spend most of their summer and fall season in Monterey Bay feeding on Anchovies, Sardines and Krill and head back to Mexico in the winter. To see these whales close up in action, one needs to take a boat and sail ~2-3 miles into the bay. Morning boat trips are fun as the big fishes are on a feeding frenzy and are very active and playful. You could spot atleast 50 Humpback whales, a couple of Blue Whales, a few hundred Dolphins and some Orcas. We could not get the morning trip as it was sold out and took the afternoon trip instead. Here are a few Humpback and Blue whales that were lazing around.