Monthly Archives: August 2007

Inverted Sunflower Star

Pycnopodia helianthoides (AKA Sunflower Star or Sun Starfish) is a nasty customer. This is the T. Rex of the starfish, and can travel a blistering 40 inches per minute to boot. When you get one of these in a trap, … Continue reading

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Full Moon Pictures

Taking pictures in low light settings is challenging for me, but at least the moon stays still. Here are a few shots that I took from the past couple of nights: This picture was taken yesterday with the D-50. The … Continue reading

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Shark Attack near my apartment!

My sister wanted to bring a surfboard up from Orange County so she could learn how to surf, but she has changed her mind. I’m going to see if they’ve closed the beach over at Lover’s Point as well. Here’s … Continue reading

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The Hunters

The Yellowtails are the coolest fish in the Kelp Forest Exhibit. Not only are they my favorite sashimi fish and great fighting on the rod, but they’re also fun to watch under water. They cruise around like a pack of … Continue reading

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The most popular fish in the aquarium?

We spotted an object floating in the water, and went to investigate: From this distance, it is hard to make out. It was about the size of a small garbage can lid. A naturalist once saw something very similar to … Continue reading

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New Camera Day!

I love my Nikon D-50, but ever since I traded in my trusty old battle-scarred QV-R40, I’ve really noticed how handy a pocket-sized camera is. I’ve been waiting to find one that I really liked, and finally settled on the … Continue reading

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Giant Kelp: exploring a corner of the microcosm

A tiny sea urchin rests between closed fingers. This is a shot of a polychaete worm and the same urchin. The blurs in the background are (rotating clockwise from the upper top) a shrimp, an isopod, a melibe, a limpet, … Continue reading

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California Sea Lions and other noisy marine animals

Peace and quiet have once again departed from the harbor, with the return of the California Sea Lions. Adding to the cacophony, the Sea Otters have been shrieking like banshees lately. To top it off, the gulls consistently wake me … Continue reading

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An Afternoon on the Derek M. Baylis

If you’re wondering how I’ve been spending my summer, I think pictures would best illustrate what I’ve been doing four out of five days during the week: The Derek M. Baylis is designed to be a research vessel, and a … Continue reading

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Urban Graphics

Some of the most accessible public canvasses in the world reside under one bridge or another, even in Monterey. Unfortunately, graffiti in the US is dominated by taggers who lack skill and so desperately feel the need to be noticed. … Continue reading

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