Nearby nature ~ Amazing photos taken in Big Sur

These are gray whales, probably a mother and calf, headed north.  I took the photo from a cliff in Big Sur. MK

California condors need our help

California condor photos taken by Michael Klatt during a March 2016 trip up the coast to San Simeon. In 2013 nine condors released in central California died.  Lead toxicosis, when it could be determined, was the cause of the deaths.  During that same year, 22 other condors tested high in lead and would have added to the fatalities had they not received treatment.  We need to further educate those using guns to not use lead bullets in their hunting and shooting activities.  The condors need our help.  

Micro trash is also a problem for the condors.  They sometimes ingest small pieces of plastic that they find.  It is important to keep our cars clean when traveling along the Big Sur coastline.  The high winds that are frequent in the area, blow the trash and tiny pieces of plastic out of our cars when we open doors.  The condors eating the trash and plastic can get sick and die.  When we see trash alongside the roadside, we can help the condors by picking it up and disposing of it properly. 

Winter visitors

February 9, 2016 post from Mike and Ruby: This evening we watched cedar waxwings catching and eating insects in flight.  They usually eat fruit, but sometimes they will eat insects.  There must have been about fifty of them in the small oak trees in front of our house.  Quite beautiful birds that visit us in winter.  Their summer home range looks to be just a bit north of us.  We have only seen them once before in our yard.