Rounding up Leopard Sharks

I was at Pillar Point Harbor today when a group of about 12 people showed up carrying some strange equipment including a small row boat and a very long specialized looking net. Since the bird activity was quiet I decided to watch this group and see what was up. They rowed the boat out into the harbor and about 6 or so people walked and swam in the water and guided the net in a semi-circle and started pulling it toward shore.

Leopard Shark and Researcher

Finally when it was all the way in, low and behold it contained 5 Leopard Sharks from about 1 foot to 3 feet long. They quickly measured them and did other test including sexing them and then released them. I did not talk to anyone as they seemed occupied in their tasks. When I got home, I noticed RTC Marine Ops on the back of one of the vests. Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies. Marine Operations supports San Francisco State University students, faculty, and staff in conducting marine research by providing research vessels, oceanographic sampling equipment, operator training and field logistics support.

Now I wished I had talked to them.

I’m amazed at what lies just below the surface invisible to most people. I’ve been out there for years and never saw a shark. Occasionally  I’ve seen a Bat Ray.

 

Side note: While attempting this post it's abundantly clear the Blogger interface is horrible.



RTC Researchers

 

 

Leopard Sharks Netted

Leopard Shark

Corporate and Local News

Yellow-rumped Warbler

CNN came into popularity during the first Iraq assault in 1990. I guess these type of events are very profitable for Corporate news outlets. So CNN, Fox New and MSNBC relish and may even help to create major events such as the Iraq War. Most of the main news anchors such as Wolf Blitzer were cheer leaders for the Bush administrations push for an invasion. I think perpetual wars and perpetual 24/7 news are closely intertwined. The two most commonly used phrases on cable news channels are "We'll be back after a short break" and "Breaking News". I've not done any research on this, but I would guess cable news has more advertisement time than any other channel. Breaking News is so over used as to be a joke.

I'm a news junkie type so I will scan TV stations and the Internet for legitimate news both nationally and internationally. Over the years cable news and network news have steered away from serious news in favor of more tabloid content ranging from celebrity ad nauseam to political drivel. This week has been a fine example as two non-stories have received much coverage, Beyonce's possibly lip-synced performance and the fake girl friend of a college football player.

On the local news front I estimate that there is actually about 5 minutes of interesting local news in any given day. Local news coverage begins about 6am and runs to about 9am and is covered here in the San Francisco area by 5 major news outlets. Most of the news time is taken up by some attractive weather person looking at a map and reading off temperatures that vary about 3 degrees. It goes something like this, humm Santa Rosa 51, Oakland 53, Kentfield 52 and burrr Berkeley 49. This is not made up!

I woke up to the local San Francisco news last week and the lead story was how some places in the SF Bay area had temperatures below freezing, like OMG 31 degrees. For 7 minutes they interviewed people complaining of cold hands and premature cold coffee. Despite 4 people murdered in Oakland the night before, the lead story is 31 degrees!
Yikes, these bozos really know how to waste time!!!!!

White-tailed Kite Vole Meal

White-tailed Kite swallowing vole whole!

Yesterday while checking the preparations for the Maverick contest down at Pillar Point I photographed this White-tailed Kite swallow a vole whole.
I always thought most raptors ate by ripping the prey into small bits.

King Tides

Surfer Beach Tide 6.4 feet swell 15 feet 1/22/12

King Tides are formed in the winter months of December-February are are caused by the position of the sun and moon. From my experience in the Half Moon Bay area, king tides are generally about 1 foot higher than normal high tides.
Surfers Beach is the closest that the ocean comes to highway 1 in the Half Moon Bay area.  This photo shows a swell 15 feet from the WNW at a 6.4 ft high tide. Surfers Beach faces SW.  Once I saw large pieces of driftwood on hwy 1 after a storm. I'm looking for the combination King Tide with large storm surge from the west . I believe under these conditions this would be a very dramatic scene.................I'm waiting!



I've been collecting the King Tide Photos for 3 years now and this year I've added some new places in Pacifica California.


King Tides Rockaway Beach Tide 6.9 Swell 13-15 WNW



Surfers Beach at low tide 1.1 feet 1/22/11

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve tide 6.7  looking S  121412

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve tide -1.4 looking S  121212

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve tide 6.7  looking N toward Moss Beach 121412

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve tide -1.4 looking N toward Moss Beach 121212