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| Pelican-free Seal Rocks flecked with cormorants, and a giant container ship making for the Port of Oakland. |
I was surprised to find zero pelicans hanging out on Seal Rocks today. The cormorants were still out there, and I could hear a few black oystercatchers whistling, but there were no pelicans and very few Heermann's gulls, although a good-sized crowd of western gulls was hanging out at Sutro Baths. The wind wasn't terribly strong, but it was enough to dismantle the waves, and there wasn't a surfer in the water as far as I could see.
I watched a nearly brand-new container ship, the Singapore-flagged Wan Hai A05 (built in 2023), as it steamed toward the Golden Gate, and wondered where all the pelicans had gone. I didn't even see any flying around . . . until, after several minutes, a few squadrons passed by. Not one of them landed on the rocks to rest, though.
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| Bringing in the goods, with the Marin Headlands and the golden flanks of Mt. Tamalpais in the background. It seems most container ships have unimaginative names, like Wan Hai A05. I guess it's easier than fighting over who gets the name "Singapore Princess" or "Marco Polo Dreaming".... |
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| Pelican Squadron |
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| With high tides over six feet, an inland sea is created at Ocean Beach. |
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