Until recently, my experiences at this California state park had been limited to snorkeling. Winter is a great time to explore the tide pools a bit while the water is too chilly for many of us who don’t own wetsuits to swim in comfortably. I hope you’ll enjoy this brief photo essay about this beautiful park; I’ve only scratched the surface of what it has to offer visitors and will surely return to it.
Getting to watch this western snowy plover foraging in the outgoing tide was an utter delight. This is a threatened shorebird species that has been helped by the Endangered Species Act. You can learn more about this important protection here at the Center for Biological Diversity’s website.
These golden cliffs are filled with native vegetation that sustains wildlife.
Because the tide pools are part of the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area, collection is prohibited, but I made an exception for this plastic water bottle cap. I remove a great many of these from our beaches and parks.
You can see both solitary and aggregating anemones here at low tide with sea jewels applied to their backs.
We humans are a part of nature. Its condition reflects our behaviors and values.
The inflow and outflow of tides create striking compositions in the sand.
This lone sanderling and I stared at each other for awhile.
With the sun setting over Catalina Island, it was time to drive home to San Diego. Prints of this soothing photograph are available. Feel free to send me a message if you’re interesting in owning another piece I’ve shared here. Thanks for supporting living artists.
—Robin Street-Morris