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The Southern Sea Otter Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris Family: Mustelidae The Elkhorn Slough has the highest density of southern sea otters in the world.  With approximately 140 sea otters living year-round in the slough you will be sure to get your fill of these adorable creatures. Related to the weasel family they are energetic and inquisitive. Since…

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Caspian Tern Commonly seen in the spring, summer and fall in the Elkhorn Slough The Caspian Tern is the largest tern in the world and can be as large as a big seagull and can be easily identified by its coral red bill with a black tip. The tail is less forked…

Elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans) Commonly seen in the Elkhorn Slough during Summer and Fall, rarely in the spring and not seen in the winter A slender tern with a bill that is long thin and slightly drooping. This medium sized tern has a long, slender and pointed wing with a medium length forked tail. Their…

Nature Boat Tours Helping our Brains and Bodies Stay Healthy Lots to do in Mosslanding and the Elkhorn Slough Being close to sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, and a plethora of birds diving, and dabbling for food reconnects you to the natural world around you. Many studies show just looking at pictures of baby…

We Love Sea Otters One of our favorite marine mammals here on the Elkhorn slough is the Sea Otter. It turns out that they are not just the cutest most playful and curious of all the marine mammals on the slough, they have an important role in taking care of the Health of the Elkhorn…

The Ocean Cleaning Electric Sailboat A Sea Cleaning Electric Boat If you have spent time in the ocean or on the shoreline you may have noticed that the ocean collects a lot of garbage. We have trash that will float out there until it either washes up on shore or we clean it up and…

Moss Landing the Future that might have been Moss Landing and the Sloughs that are home to abundant wildlife Did you know there was almost an oil refinery built in the 1960’s in Moss Landing? Conservation was a new concept at that time and many thought it would be a boon to the economy. Check…

Foster’s Tern Fosters Tern Sterna Forsteri Commonly seen Spring, Summer and Fall on the Elkhorn Slough Often confused with a Common Tern being medium sized with silvery wings and a forked tail.  Forster’s Tern have a longer tail and when not breeding with display a black eyepatch. Flying slowly over the water Forster’s Terns scan…

Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa commonly seen in the fall, winter and spring and are unusual to see int he summer The Marbled Godwit is a large shorebird, about the size of a crow, with a small head and this neck its bill is slightly upturned and extremely long. When in flight the birds legs will stick…

Sea Otters, doing their part for conservation! Incredibly interesting article on the relationship between otters, sea urchins, and the kelp forest.  Did you know that sea otters are choosing to eat the more nutritious sea urchins that live off the kelp forests instead of the urchins found in the sea urchin barrens?  Scientists are working…