Poetic Shutterbug

Love at first bite? :) Photos taken at Pier 39 in San Francisco Click the above widget for more Camera Critters fun.

Our beloved sea lions have been wandering back to K-dock at Pier 39 over the past few months. They mysteriously disappeared for a while, rumored to have "vacationed" up in Oregon and are now coming back home where they belong. There are about a third of them who migrated back in order to entertain the tourists and locals alike. I hadn't been to the Pier in a while but found myself in that area last week so I thought I'd check out our friends on K-dock. They are still barking away and drawing the tourists like ants to honey. For more information on them visit: http://www.pier39.com/Attractions/index.htm Once on that page you can scroll down to the Seal Lions link on the sidebar to learn more.

Seal Rock at Lands End in San Francisco is where our sea lions used to chill until they migrated over to Pier 39. This is located right below the Cliff House View of Seal Rock from Ocean Beach Closeup of Seal Rock Ocean Beach in San Francisco A view of the old Sutro Baths from the Cliff House View of the rock formations and path at Lands End Make sure to visit the participants in Watery Wednesday .

First and foremost, I am thrilled to report that there are about a dozen sea lions as you can see in the above photo who have returned to the docks at Pier 39. Now that is quite short of the hundreds that have been there for 20 years but it's a good sign that they have returned. The wayward injured sea lion was found at Monterey Bay though due to weather conditions etc... it was too dangerous to chase the lion in order to care for him so he again got away. The mystery still remains as to where all the sea lions have gone but as of now, their anniversary party is still planned for the 15 th . I do plan to be there to join in the festivities. Details below. Anniversary of the Sea Lions' Arrival Friday, January 15, 2010 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM PIER 39 commemorates the 20 th anniversary of the sea lions’ arrival at PIER 39. Through the years, California sea lions have taken over PIER 39’s K-Dock to the delight of spectators. Each January, these marine mammals return ...

Well I am not happy at all with what I just heard and saw on the news. Two sea lions were found injured by Pier 39 and Hyde Street Pier. The lions had fishing lines tied around their necks which caused serious wounds. I saw photos of them but did not want to post them here as they are too upsetting. As a result, this tells me that there was fowl play in their disappearance. See my previous post here. Fisherman and swimmers at the Hyde Street Pier months ago were furious over the lions showing up in the area. It sickens me to hear and see this however we still don't know if they just left the docks on their own or were all forced or injured by people who didn't want them around. I will definitely keep you all updated on this story.

I took both the photo and video about a year ago down at Pier 39 Just as quickly as they appeared twenty years ago along the docks @ Pier 39, our beloved sea lions have vanished overnight. What use to be a flock of hundreds of barking lions are now down to a mere half dozen. It's been a mystery and everyone is scratching their heads. The sea lions feed on herring during the Winter months and due to a shift in water currents etc... it is believed that their food source has vanished leaving them to find their food elsewhere. It has been reported in recent months that many swimmers and fisherman in the area do not like the lions treading on their space. As a result, no one really knows what has happened to our major source of tourist dollars. The sea lions are one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco and attract people to Pier 39 all year long. If not for the sea lions, especially during the Winter months, how will retail survive and more importantly, what is a tourist...

I visited my sea lion buddies a while ago at Pier 39. Walking through the pier I was surprised there were not many people around until I came upon the sea lion area only to find literally hundreds of people with their cameras getting shots of the lions. You could hear the barking from a block away. Years ago the sea lions for some unknown reason inhabited that area at pier 39 which was used as docks for small boats. At that time there was major distress over what to do with the sea lions. The boat owners were not happy, the city got involved and everyone was trying to come up with a solution. In the meantime the sea lions were drawing quite a crowd which made the pier 39 ownership sit up and take notice. Long story short Pier 39 won the endless discussions and allowed the sea lions to take residence. Where are the boats? They have docked in another area around pier 39. Unfortunately another controversy is brewing over these beautiful creatures. You can read the SF Examiner art...

Home to world class dining, shopping and entertainment, Pier 39 is located on Beach Street along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. This post will feature important facts and information. Information: The retail shops within the complex are open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm with extended hours of operation during Summer months. The full service restaurants are open from 11:30 am with some opening earlier for breakfast. There are also many small kiosks where you can buy coffee, hot chocolate, hot dogs, corn dogs, sodas etc… Security: Pier 39 is patrolled around the clock, 24 hours a day. The head of security is maintained by the SFPD and the security guards are experienced professionals who are certified in First Aid, CPR, The Automated External Defibrillator and Fire and Life Safety. They are well versed in law enforcement techniques and a wide range of emergency response scenarios. Directions & Parking: Pier 39 is a major destination and therefore accessible by all major thor...