Critter Country

Something unique about visiting Catalina, even in the "big city" of Avalon, you always seem to be pretty close to nature. You've got the ocean to the front, and hills and mountains all around.

As you get out of the city, you are more apt to see wildlife, but even within, there is some to be seen. The day we arrived, we went over a block to get some lunch, fairly late in the afternoon. My wife finished all she could of her sandwich, and left a fair amount of bread. There were a few sparrows, so we began tearing off chunks, as you do, as tossing them to 'em. Didn't take too long before a crow picked up on the free buffet!!!

Usually you don't see them that close, but we lured him to the next table, and then he hopped up on the railing. I've heard that crows have great memories, so perhaps we've made a friend for life!!!

On the way over to Descanto Beach on our first evening walk, I got a shot of a bunch of gulls roosting on a breakwater, with a glorious near full moon!!! After I took my shot, my boy ran out after them and scattered them while I took a video. I thought it would have been a funny vengance if one had circled back and pooped on him, but that didn't happen.

The next day when we were at Descanto Beach Club for breakfast, a gull came and perched on top of an umbrella directly at eye level with us... Hope they don't have long memories!

That evening, we walked out on the pier. Earlier in the day, we'd been out on the pier and several people were fishing off the end. The kelp bass were biting, and we got to see several get reeled in. As we left the hotel, my boy spied a dollar on the ground!!! He thinks it's a lucky dollar, because afterwards we saw a couple of the kind of animals we'd never see back home!!!

Out there, you've got the noise of the surf on the beach and the pilings, and the surrounding boats in the surf. Heard some splashes off the side, and looking over there, there's a gray blur under the surface... Then it pops up!!!

There was a porpoise, or several of them, in Avalon harbor!!! Didn't think I'd ever see that!!! Not a great picture, but I took some video, and it came out a little better, even though there's a lot of it with not much going on.

After that, we headed to the back of the town. One of the streets lead to a park as it goes back into the hills. If I'm not mistaken, as a teen when we'd gone on a couple of family vacations over there, my brother in law and I had biked back to the same park in the evening and sat there for a while. Anyway, as we walked back there, we caught sight of this guy!!! It was a Catalina Island fox, native only to the island!!!

Got a few pictures of him, and a video of him doing his thing. Then my son goes, "I'm going to see how close I can get to him!!!" OK, hold on, I'll take a video of that. Started the video, he starts towards him, and Mr. Fox skitters off up the hillside, all in about a two second clip!!!