Point Loma Cliffs: A Seiko-accompanied Nature Walk
Photography

Point Loma Cliffs: A Seiko-accompanied Nature Walk

By cazalea · Jan 22, 2021 · 5 replies
cazalea
WPS member · Seiko forum
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Cazalea takes readers on an unexpected journey to the Point Loma Tidepools, where dramatic skies and abundant wildlife transform a planned tidepool visit into a birdwatching adventure. His evocative photography captures the rugged beauty of the cliffs and the dynamic presence of pelicans and cormorants, offering a unique perspective on nature's precision.

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We set out late this morning as a few raindrops were hitting our windscreen. We'd thought of a place we hadn't walked in our 77 previous ventures -- the Point Loma Tidepools, on the western side of the peninsula from the Bayside Trail. The drops stopped, so we walked under dramatic skies.



My wife immediately spotted this bird, so I thought the bird close-up portion of the walk was already done! 



We watched the old surfers hard at work, having a boat which brought them out to the break since there's no (safe or legal) way to enter from the shore here.



There were some big boats bobbing around, going nowhere.



Fast.



As we looked north up the coast we could see a small but animated crowd at the tidepools. I sighed. I like them alone or not at all.



Well, more or less alone. The Marines are always within a few miles, drifting up and down the shoreline keeping an eye on things.



Then I was nearly knocked off my bench by a pelican who came close enough to hit us. He carried on and I changed our game plan! No tidepools today. Birds instead!
Please see Precision Flying in the Photography section for more images.



Synchronize watches, please.



We wandered up and down the cliffs, working our way northwards.



Looking up (long distance)



and down (a painful drop, no doubt).



We spotted a rookery -- cormorants at the far end, pelicans in the middle, and sea gulls (and a few pelicans) at the near end.



Maybe it's more like a giant pub with three gardens, where the birds mingle a bit but mostly keep to their own kind.







The pelicans kept flying around us and I took about 100 photos, until my camera battery and I were both nearly exhausted.



We walked back to the car for a quick tossing of jackets into the back seat, then set off for home.



However, not in such a hurry that we would miss the century plant in bloom.



We had another unplanned stop to look at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific "tidepool". They do military stuff here. One amazing thing is the bridge is only inches above, but does not touch, the water.



Once upon a time, they floated these brass babies around in the pool and tested radar and sonar gear against the scale model ships.



Now it's just a graveyard of scale models. I think these are way cool but can't work out how I could obtain one. Notice the antenna array in the photo below which is above the ships.







Just sitting out there, dissolving slowly for the last 40 years ...



Thanks for coming along on our continuing walks.

Cazalea



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IN
InDebtButOnTime
Jan 22, 2021
Fantastic Mike! Just fantastic... I just did a road bicycle ride past those amazing models and had to explain them to a friend. Really nice images!... especially the Pelicans! ;-)

GE
George Gently
Jan 23, 2021
Mike, everytime I read your post, describing your morning walks,

I feel like I’m right in the middle of you two, watching, enjoying and sometimes being amazed by nature’s beauty (Flora and fauna). Almost forget about watches, almost, because there’s always a Seiko somewhere. Thanks...

AR
ArmisT
Jan 23, 2021
Amazing pictorial!

I love these early morning excursions, a lot! That century plant was totally new to me; however, in my online search I didn’t find such colorful plants, so I wonder if the one is a different species? Thank you for allowing us to join you on your adventures...

CA
cazalea
Jan 23, 2021
I would say it is Agave Americana

It is often called a century plant or sentinel. Here are some photos taken about 20 years ago in Mexico, approximately 100 miles south of where my original photo was taken yesterday. But on the same kind of coastal slope. This Agave Attenuata might be the one you saw online. It is also called century plant, but its bloom looks completely different. This one is in my back yard, as shown HERE and HERE a couple years ago on WPS ... Cazalea

RO
Ronald Held
Jan 23, 2021
NiceSeiko. Cannot take home any parts..

On a plane.

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