https://imgur.com/a/iyoLXeh

Today my brother and I went on a day trip to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, on the coast of California. I had an amazing time there, saw some wildlife (mostly birds but still fun), looked around at tide pools and hiked along the coast and inland amongst the cypress trees.

I got to see some Brandt's Cormorants nesting on the tops of offshore rocks. It was amazing to see a pair of cormorants build a nest together. Daddy cormorant would waddle off to find twigs, grass and other things to bring to the nest while mommy cormorant would sit and build the nest around her.

I also got to see some mother harbor seals with their young pups. One of the pups there today was just a day old. With binoculars, I noticed its freshly cut umbilical cord was still attached to the newly born pup's belly. The seals mostly just laid on the shore sleeping and basking in the sun, I could have watched them for hours.

The tide pools were fun to look at, I saw a lot of black turban snails, limpets and hermit crabs and also managed to find a few little purple shore crabs and some aggregated anemone. Hiking away from the coast, we were surrounded by towering Monterey cypress trees and the air smelled wonderful of wet earth and of Monterey pine trees, it was truly magical and I recommend everyone visit if you get the chance.

So the postcard offer, there are six different postcards available, I am offering to everyone as long as you have posted a thank you sometime this year. I will choose six people at random to receive one of the six postcards at random, please just comment anything you'd like below to be entered. On the card I will probably write about something I experienced at this or a previous visit or write an interesting or historical fact about the area. I will message those that are chosen tomorrow.

Images I took on my visit, thanks for looking!