Spending Sunday morning at Point Dume turned into a wildlife bonanza with ocean views and sunny skies. In less than one hour I had the chance to see:

• A gray whale milling about right near shore!
• California sea lions porpoising and hanging out on the rocks.
• California brown pelicans watching the waves.
• Western gulls relaxing on the sand.
• Sanderlings running and running with the tide.
• Cormorants drying off on the rocks near the sea lions.
• Little lizards scurrying away from the trail.
• An Allen’s hummingbird and a mourning dove sitting on a telephone wire.

I felt compelled to share this and remind my fellow Southern Californians that we have the opportunity to see so many different types of ocean animals at the beach. Right now the gray whale migration is in full swing and the ACS/LA Census is seeing record numbers of whales. So head to the coast and enjoy the view, you never know what you might see!