Kayaking, Bellies, and Body Whomps

Sunday, we headed up to Newport Beach to do a little kayaking with a group led by a member of the Newport Back Bay Conservancy. 

We were a group of about 18, led by Bob (white hat) who told us about the workings of this saltwater estuary and the animals that depend on it.

The first stop was this osprey nest, which had to be relocated to this platform after a hotel was built next to his old nest.  Several ospreys live around the estuary year round.  A few minutes later, an osprey was flying above us, circling the group several times.

The bay is quite large, with good sized mullet frequently leaping out of the water.  The back part of the bay is off limits to people, as it is an important bird sanctuary.

The buoy ahead had several double crested cormorants drying their feathers.  It also marked the end of  public access.

Signs on the buoy explained about the most endangered residents, the light footed clapper rail, and least terns.

In order to hear Bob, we had to hang on to each other to avoid being carried off by the wind and current.

We worked up quite an appetite which was remedied at The Big Belly Deli in Huntington Beach - another good find!

On the way home we stopped for a swim and a little body whomping at one of our new favorite beaches - Crescent Bay.  The surf was pretty strong, and dumping hard.  We ended up bringing home a lot of sand in our swimsuits and body crevices!

After our trip through the rinse cycle, we headed home.