A view of a blowing gray whale cow with calf very close to shore at Point Piedras Blancas.

A gray whale cow calf pair moving northward along the coast off Point Piedras Blancas.

A breaching gray whale off Point Piedras Blancas.

A dead stranded whale at Point Piedras Blancas. Dead whales are an important food source for scavengers based on land or sea. Scientific studies of dead whales also provide valuable information about their physiology and anatomy.

Researcher Susan Chivers taking a tissue sample from a young gray whale stranded on the central California coast. Tissue sample analysis provides valuable data about the life history of gray whales.

A view of a small elephant seal rookery with the Piedras Blancas lighthouse visible in the background.

An elephant seal cow baring its teeth.

Two elephant seal pups play fighting at Point Piedras Blancas.

Two weaned elephant seal pups playing at the Piedras Blancas rookery. Their loose baggy skin is a sign that their mother has left them to fish in the ocean, and that they have been living off their own fat reserves.

Harbor seal portrait at Granite Canyon. Harbor seals usually spend about half of their time resting on land, with the other half spent feeding on fish, crustaceans, squid, and octopus in the ocean.

Harbor seal resting on a rock at Granite Canyon.

Harbor seals lounging along the shore at Point Piedras Blancas as seen through big-eye lens.

Sea otter in the foam. Sea otters stay warm in the ocean through their very dense fur (up to a million hairs per square inch) and their high metabolism.

A great white egret fishing among several Heerman's gulls at Granite Canyon.

A California Gull seen through the big eye lens. The angle to the horizon is visible on the bottom of the picture. Using that angle and trigonometry, the distance to the object in the view finder can be calculated.

A brown pelican flying over the Central California coast. Brown pelicans dive into the water to catch fish.

Two California condors. All condors are tagged and monitored. Condors sometimes come to the Piedras Blancas to scavenge on dead, beached marine mammals. At one time there were only twenty-two condors left alive but through protection and a captive breeding program, now over 200 condors soar over the skies of southern and central California and another 179 live in captivity.

A soaring California condor, North America's largest land bird with a wing span of nearly 10 feet and weight up to 26 pounds. This bird was brought back from the edge of extinction with only twenty-two left alive but through protection and a captive breeding program, now over 200 condors soar over the skies of southern and central California and another 179 live in captivity.

"Bob-the-Crow," a crow who became accustomed to the whale researchers presence at Point Piedras Blancas and would land on their equipment, such as the big-eye binoculars.

A young red-tailed hawk flying near the rocks at Point Piedras Blancas.

Red-tailed hawk swooping near the ground at Point Piedras Blancas.

Peregrine falcon flying overhead. Peregrine falcons nest in the cliffs near Point Piedras Blancas.

Cormorants resting on a rock. They fish in the coastal waters near Point Piedras Blancas by diving for fish underwater.

Blue heron in flight

Tern in flight

Osprey perched on anemometer on NOAA Ship PISCES

Shore bird landed on NOAA ShipPISCES. Hopefully it found its way back to land safely.

Cattle egret blown lost offshore perched on compass stand alidade

A flock of small shorebirds taking refuge on the NOAA Ship PISCES.

Frigatebird in flight

Frigatebird in flight

Frigatebird in flight attempting to capture fish

Forster's ? tern in flight

A flock of Forster's ? terns in flight

A flock of Forster's ? terns in flight

A flock of Forster's ? terns in flight

A flock of Forster's ? terns in flight

Got an itch? Just go ahead and scratch. A brown booby

Brown booby

Brown booby

Juvenile masked booby in flight

Juvenile masked booby in flight

Juvenile masked booby in flight

Juvenile masked booby in flight

Laughing gull in flight

Laughing gull in flight

Laughing gull in flight

Second cycle laughing gull in flight

Gull in flight

Gull in flight