San Diego, California is not just America’s finest city, it is also the wildest. It’s born of extremes. The mighty Pacific on the west and the desert on the east; and a profusion of light and water in between.
There are more than 3.3 million inhabiting this city, which has been reshaped, making it more comfortable and predictable.
From time immemorial waters wind its way to the sea. Today most of the rivers here are dammed. So unlike the past, the wildlife has no vote on how the water is controlled as when beavers engineered currents.
The Grebe dazzling spectacle with their synchronized dance is part of it’s mating ritual. They look at each other as if saying, not now, not yet — now! And off they go in amazing synchronization, tiptoeing on water, dancing gracefully. Two birds can also walk individually on water or dance a modified and fowl-version of the tango in dazzling timing.
After a couple have spent some time together and they decide to become permanent mates and parents, the dance celebrates their union. The great crested grebe can live for nearly 20 years. Their bond is for life.
The ground squirrels here grow tall, some 12 inches. Nothing seems to protect them from being hassled and furiously chased by dogs. And adding insult to injury, the dogs are not German Shepherds, but poodles sometimes donned in pink with white bonnets.
The area is a veritable menagerie of wildlife that swarms here. Here many walls hem in animals of all kinds. But no wall is a match for the sea or its many slippery denizens.
Small fishes in great biodiversity abound, but giant predators are always nearby and ever on the prowl.
Sharks are smart, fast and acrobatic. So catching them is no easy task even for orcas, killer whales. Hungry orcas isolate and surround sharks. Not being denied, orcas launch a fierce attack, not for the faint of heart to watch, but it is efficient and fatal.
Seals nap peacefully in the sun. In season, females give birth to their young. Minutes after birth, pups are ready for its first swim or so it thinks. However, it’s not long before persistence pays dividends and it’s swimming behind mom.
Crowds gather to watch the seals. They nap oblivious to their human audience. The warm sunlight feels so soothing.
Fierce storms push inward, bringing rain. This year is wetter than most. The dessert blooms, transforming before our eyes into a veritable flower garden. The super bloom comes to the city. Soon flowers join in a cacophony of colors. And life is good.
Hummingbirds join the feast and the fun. Sugar water is here as a year-round treat, not seasonal as it is in many other locations. The G-forces in their acrobatic maneuvers puts top gun to shame.
What an ideal place to raise a family, at least for humming birds. Their nest is bound by spiderwebs. With babies on the way, mom needs to get some rest while she can.
Fish out of water, though rare, does happen here. In season the grunions cover the beach as a mass of fish in heat. In contrast humans on a wild Saturday night are Puritans in comparison. The riotous orgy produces so much energy that it literally becomes electric and the water is aglow with electricity and the light-show is literal.
Sadly most humans in the city never witness this marvel. But at least they are safe at home and unbothered by this X-rated sex frenzy.
As for the fish, the safest place is under the sand. Females in heat are surrounded by eager males ready to fertilized her 3,000 eggs.
Birds know when the grunion run is on. And they have brought their appetite to the feast. Even after the birds have had their fill, there is such an abundance of fish remaining that it is as if the birds never came. But what a delicacy for the birds to gorge themselves of females full of eggs. What a special treat. There are so many grunions that the birds hardly made a dent in the population.
The only remaining evidence of the orgy are a few glittering eggs above ground. Most of the other eggs are snugly underground, safe and sound.
Grebes abound. They unite in a real commitment. Webfeet are built for swimming. And not much else. How clumsily this suitor is trying to make whoopee. It is difficult to tell if the female is amused or annoyed. But she waits motionless for her suitor to get on with the courtship.
He is at least persistent. Though all too eager to mount his belle, his slippery webfeet betrays his lack of skill and he clumsily slips off again and again. How embarrassing! Even when he eventually succeeds, how does one gracefully dismount? An awkward spill doesn’t seem to spoil the tender moment. And off they go their separate ways, no wiser of misfortune of their inglorious encounter.
Real roadrunners are clever and often hungry just like their animated counterparts. So many hummingbirds in one place is hard to resist. Just how fast must a roadrunner be to capture so many hummingbirds. Some feats are counter intuitive.
On a sunny day the beaches are packed with grunion eggs underground. The eggs have grown, complete with eyes and a beating heart. As long as the outer membrane are tough and intact, the eggs inside are still safe.
Humans don’t just love beaches; they love them clean. Spring beach cleaners jeopardize tiny eggs. But many survive nonetheless. And make their way irrepressibly to salt water.
In the churn of the surf and the calm of the waves, millions of grunions leave the sand behind and begins life in the vast Pacific.
The eggs of the Grebe are also near ready to hatch. But this is not a natural river. The dam releases water on command. The Grebe don’t get a vote. On this reservoir not a single egg survives.
A grown squirrel cares for three of its kits. They grow in spurts and soon are nibbling on everything the park offers.
Here comes the American crows. They want more to eat than leftovers today. The kits are yet clueless. However, they eventually sense danger and flee underground. The crows know that kits cannot stay in their tunnels forever. So the crows bide their time. And when they eventually venture out, guess who is slyly waiting, hungrier than before.
Crows can only eat so much. And the squirrel population is far from decimated. Life continues for all parties.
Squirrel siblings just learned a vital lesson. Predators have not been eliminated from the park. With full bellies, crows bed down for the night. Wiser kits sleep restfully.
Dinoflagellates have reproduced prolifically. Say Dino what?
Dinoflagellates are neither plants nor animals; they are classified as protists, meaning they have characteristics of both plants and animals, with some species able to photosynthesize like plants while others can ingest food like animals depending on their needs.These sea life forms multiply into uncountable numbers. And this vibrant activity results in an electric experience in the water when it emits a bright blue-light. Most residents never notice this show. Shortly the fireworks are done.
The west winds push the air inward, producing a gray fog. Some birds and animals come to rest here in turns on a certain rock. Animals drink and bathe here. Their frolicking animations are entertaining to watch.
Bobcats also thrive here. But then the water evaporates so too goes their livelihood. Water here is not just for drinking; it’s also ornamental and beautiful in fountains and artificial waterfalls. Birds must stay clean. So they unabashedly bathe when and where they can in public or in privacy.
Nocturnal animals creep right in where water now flows all year long. The way we manage water shapes the lives of creatures too. The Grebes somehow survive. But there are new challenges for the chicks. They can swim and climb one hour after hatching.
Here every meal is a competition, and an exercise in patience. With time, rapid growth makes the piggyback rides lose its luster, no matter how long chicks want to cling on imposing on dear mom.
As the summer draws to a close, nature’s cycle starts afresh. What natural beauty has drawn so many people here to live.
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