Category

Sea Lion

La JollaSea Lion

California Sea Lions Bodysurfing at La Jolla Cove

I've been waiting and watching for weeks for the California sea lions at La Jolla Cove to begin bodysurfing. It's usually a winter behavior.  I've seen small bouts of surfing from them recently but nothing worth photographing, until a few days ago. I guess they were waiting for last June's…
January 15, 2024
La JollaSea Lion

La Jolla’s Amazing Body Surfing Sea Lions

One of my photographic projects the last couple years has been the California Sea Lion colony in La Jolla. I spend a lot of time making portraits of them on rocky Point La Jolla.  These are beautiful animals and I try to depict them as such.  But where sea lions…
March 14, 2022
La JollaSea Lion

New California Sea Lion Portraits in La Jolla

I photograph California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) often, and this winter has been no exception. We have had ideal weather for photographing the local colony of sea lions and I've tried to take advantage of it, making more portraits of them in the golden morning sun. I repeat this every year…
March 8, 2021
Marine LifeSea Lion

Killer Whales (Orca) attacking California Sea Lion

I saw Wild Kingdom in action yesterday: killer whales preying upon California sea lions. Classified as Biggs transient orcas, these individuals are well known (CA51) for terrorizing other marine mammals along the Southern California coast. "Biggs transients" are one of four distinct populations (some insist they are species) of killer…
February 9, 2015
Sea Lion

Sea Lions of Santa Barbara Island

Santa Barbara Island Sea Lions Santa Barbara Island, part of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, is home to a large population of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Since Santa Barbara Island lies only 38 miles off the coast of Southern California, it is possible to visit the island by boat…
December 8, 2009
La JollaSea Lion

Photo of La Jolla Sea Lions

There is a big spawning aggregation of market squid assembled on the sand flats at about 60' off of La Jolla Shores beach right now. As a consequence, many California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are now in the area, feeding on the squid and hauling out on rocks to rest…
January 23, 2008
Pelicans of La JollaSea LionSeabird

Overcast Day in La Jolla

Check out our Guide to Photographing Pelicans in La Jolla. It looked beautiful out my front window this morning, so I headed off to La Jolla hoping for some sharp brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flight shots. Not to be. The clouds had built up around Mt. Soledad by the time…
December 30, 2007
Islas CoronadoMexicoSea Lion

California Sea Lions, Baja California

Each winter California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) gather in the hundreds on the rock slopes of North Coronado Island, just south of the US/Mexico border. The bottom diving is unremarkable here the remainder of the year, but when the sea lions are gathered in such numbers it is worth making…
March 15, 2005