Observation date: 8 December 2015
With high winds and monstrous waves the harbor mouth is a frothing cauldron with waves 16 to 22 feet in height and gusts to 45 miles per hour. Access to the south side of Morro Rock has been closed for almost a week. Open to foot traffic only, there is an endless line of surfers and wave watchers walking out to see the spectacle.
High swells of the first El Niño storm Photo by Heather O’Connor
At low tide the surfers use the two breaks on the either side of the harbor mouth.
The north jetty called “Widow Walls.”
North jetty breakers Photo by Heather O’Connor
The south jetty called “Corners.”
“Corners” on the south jetty Photo by Heather O’Connor
Without the windbreak of my truck and shell, observing the falcons is next to impossible. With sustained winds of 20 miles an hour and gusts much higher, setting up optics is out of the question. However, from inside my truck, I have been able to see both pairs of falcons, north and south, coming and going. In their normal routine, but no breeding as of yet in either pair. They do, however, visit previous nest sites and continue to bond.
Happy trails, Bob
