A toothy trip (I hope!)

For the most part, the borders of San Francisco County line up with the city limits, which means a great deal of it is paved over and densely populated. What wildlife does survive there often seems to live along margins, hidden away in vacant lots and parks. While there is some truth to that, there is a surprising delight for the naturalist who can look beyond the skyscrapers or take quiet pleasure in seeing wild plants and animals not just eking out a life, but in some cases, thriving among the buildings and boats, trains and traffic. For this reason, it can come as a surprise that one of the ruggedest, wildest places in California resides in San Francisco County; the Farallon Islands. Due to their jagged morphology, they used to be referred to as "The Devil's Teeth", and today, they are uninhabited except by a handful of seasonal researchers. Lying almost 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco, they now house the largest North Pacific seabird rookery south of Alaska.

The Farallon Islands are also home to five species of seal and sea lion. Numerous cetaceans feed in the rich waters that surround them, and in mid-October, Great White Sharks congregate there. With the developing El Nino conditions unusual sea life is showing up all along the California coast. That is why this weekend, bulk Dramamine and ginger in hand, I'm going on an all day trip out to the Farallons in search of some of this wildlife, and if we are really lucky, see a Great White Shark at the surface.

With regards to the 58-250 project, this might make a wonderful contrast. My San Francisco photos might show Rock Pigeons in The City, gulls flying under the Golden Gate, weeds in vacant lots, squirrels, ducks in park ponds, butterflies in block gardens, and, with the right role of the bony, bloody dice, a Great White Shark tearing into a seal carcass!

I will post the photos and write up when I return. Cheers everyone!

Posted on October 17, 2015 12:16 AM by rjadams55