2017 CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP - 5-3-17 - MONTEREY AQUARIUM

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017

10.14 p.m.  It is late in the evening now.  We have had a lovely time at the Monterey Aquarium.  Some of the things we saw were the birds in the aviary.  I remember these from our last visit.  They are all injured birds brought here to recuperate and if it is possible they will be freed.  There is an aviary cam which you can watch here.

This is a Snowy Plover 

(Charadrius nivosus)

The sign read as follows: "When a small, plump, sand-colored plover sits still, it nearly disappears into the dunes.  It's more likely you will see one when it starts to run - then watch for its sudden stop.

Not a very good photo but the bird on the hill is a Black-knecked Stilt.  You can read about him at this link.

Black Oystercatcher

You can read about him here.

An American Avocet

(Recurvirostra americana)

The sign read: "This bird's long bill curves up at the tip - a twist that helps it scrape up food.  As an avocet searches the mudflats and shallows, it sweeps its bill through the water like a scythe."

Not as close as I would have liked but this photo shows the curve in its bill.

We also enjoyed observing birds from the observation deck.    This one was right below us.  I believe it is a Gillemot.

There is a board where recent sightings are recorded.

We saw a Cormorant.

Lots of them.

These two were building a nest.

We watched as several of them scooted along the water and pulled tufts of seaweed, carrying them off in their bills.

Another Cormorant?  He went by in a bit of a blur but I liked the patterns the seaweed and water created.

As did this one.  A Pigeon Gillemot?

A young lady walked up to me.  She was one of the staff and she was eager to tell me what we were looking at.  I asked her about those birds. She seemed happy to be talking about them and said she was still learning.   

There were a few kayakers out in the bay.  Maybe one day we will try this?  They got up pretty close to the sea otters and the birds, and it looked very calm out there.

We could see the sea otters but they were a little bit too far for a decent shot.

There were other things to see besides the birds and the otters.

After this we left the viewing area and went inside.  There are always very interesting fish in the tanks.  

I liked this particular fish.

Gregg took this short video of these small fish.

 

Checking out the information on sea otters.

A full sized Orca and a baby looking down.

We had lunch in the cafeteria, good but nothing out of the ordinary.  What really made me happy was seeing this.  Water in a box instead of a plastic bottle.

I noticed this as we left the aquarium and turned a corner.  I take pictures of anything to do with sea otters.

We took a short ride along Monterey's rocky shore.  Gregg and his sister got out for a walk.   I stayed in the car, as the beach looked very rocky and I didn't want to jinx myself by twisting an ankle.  

Gregg took this photo of his sister and the one below.  In fact, he has enjoyed taking many of the photos I have shared throughout our road trip.  

On our way back she took us to a great ice-cream shop called Icicles. It serves Thai ice-cream.  The video below shows you how its done.  

It takes a while because everything is made to order and the line is usually long.  My sister-in-law said when it first opened, the line was around the corner and way, way up the block.

Take my word for it, the wait is worth every minute.  It was the best ice-cream I have had in a very long time.

It kind of looks like mini jam rolls when they put it into the cup.  You also get your choice of toppings and 'drizzles'.  I chose strawberries and bananas, with a drizzle of raspberry sauce.  It was the most delicious ice cream

and we enjoyed eating it at one of the tables outside.  

Next stop was an Italian deli, a fun friendly place. Gregg's sister picked up a large sub sandwich to share, plus meatballs and also a caprice salad for us to take home for dinner.  (We ate very well that day, again.)

We walked over to Starbucks as I was looking forward to a venti and it wasn't too many shops away from the ice-cream store, just across the street.

And how does a pedestrian cross the road around here?   You grab a small, bright orange flag out of a container at waist height, which is attached to the pole right next to the crosswalk, wait for a safe gap between traffic and wave it at any vehicle that approaches after you have stepped out into the road.  Make sure that vehicle is slowing down to stop of course.  They are pretty narrow roads but busy.  Then when you are safely across you pop your flag back into another container on the opposite side and go along your merry way.  Gregg insisted I pick one up and try it out.  Pedestrians do have the right of way here but this is a good visual aid which I think is a great idea.  Gregg took this photo of his sister when they were out the day before.

Our last evening with the family and it was a lovely one as always. We will be leaving tomorrow morning at about 9.00 a.m.  It is time to head home via Yosemite National Park.