Is that a sea lion on a rock in the middle of Balboa Park’s Spanish Village?
No, it’s a life-size sea lion sculpture among other works of art at the San Diego Sculptors Guild! It’s the first of many more sea lion sculptures to come!
Sergey Gornushkin, President of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, is the creator. He’s part of a project that includes the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club and the Seal Society of San Diego. The goal: raise awareness concerning the protection of sea lions on our coast.
What is the plan? Sergey explained that his Whale of a Tale sculpture presently in the middle of the Spanish Village Art Center patio will soon be replaced by this sea lion. Then, eventually, a mold will be made of this sculpture, and 10 to 20 additional sea lions will be cast.
Those additional sea lions will be artistically painted by school children and artists from around the region, then placed in and around La Jolla, where there’s a great deal of concern about human encroachment on the sea lion population.
When I took photos today I learned this sea lion sculpture isn’t quite finished. But take a look. It’s already incredible!
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Every so often a new exhibit will be installed in the Visitor Center at Cabrillo National Monument. The latest is titled Ground Truth: Stories of Hope in Conservation.
A series of photographs demonstrates how National Park Service personnel, scientists and volunteers work to understand and conserve the complex natural environment at the tip of Point Loma.
Ground Truth is defined as the direct observation that supports a theory, confirms a recovery, and validates the hard work of restoration.
One sign in the exhibit continues to explain: From the recovery of a species to the restoration of a fragmented habitat, these photographs move beyond abstract headline to show the tangible reality of a world fighting back and those fearless leading the fight.
Photos show the measuring and mapping of life in tide pools, the removal of invasive plant species in the park, the intensive surveying of biodiversity, the monitoring of fog which provides moisture for coastal plant life, and more.
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If you love art that portrays coastal California landscapes and wildlife, you’ll love a free exhibition now showing in Balboa Park’s always wonderful Spanish Village Art Center. Simply step into Gallery 21!
The exhibition is titled Where the Sea Meets the Sky.
Three artists have beautiful pieces on display. I forgot to ask, but it appeared most or all of the art is available for purchase.
Ira Cosmos is Ukrainian born. She has contributed to the Art for Ukraine initiative. I noticed today that at least one of her beautiful paintings is dedicated to Ukraine.
During my visit, I was personally drawn to the ceramics created by Elena Miller. They’re organic, complex, full of life.
Approach Gallery 21 and you’ll notice a huge butterfly outside!
Friendly local artist Karen Haub was present and working on a canvas when I poked my head into the gallery. Her paintings are full of life, too, and bright California sunshine!
She described her plein air coastal landscapes as in the style of California Impressionism.
Make sure to visit Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center this week. The exhibition ends soon.
Where the Sea Meets the Sky continues in Gallery 21 through July 13, 2026.
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Walk for a few minutes south down Seacoast Drive from Imperial Beach Boulevard and you will come to the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge Viewing Station.
Near a pair of benches, two free scopes allow curious people to view the wide green Tijuana River Estuary and search for birds. Four information signs help describe what is seen.
I took photos of the signs, but glare from the bright sun can make them difficult to read. I altered the contrast quite a bit.
The first sign explains that Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is the largest remaining coastal wetland in Southern California.
The Tijuana River touches the lands and lives of people of three nations: the Kumeyaay Indian Nation, United States, and Mexico. Starting in the mountains of Baja California, the river crosses the international border just four miles from here before emptying into the Pacific Ocean…
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established the first wildlife refuge in Florida. Today there are more than 560 refuges… Tijuana Slough shares the mission of all refuges: to conserve wildlife, restore habitat, and protect threatened and endangered species for the benefit of present and future generations.
More than 370 species of birds frequent this area, including six threatened or endangered species, four of which can be seen from this spot. High diversity means healthy habitat, where many species find food and a safe place to rest or nest.
The landscape in front of you might appear flat and quiet, but there is more than meets the eye. Between the beach behind you and the bluffs at the southern end of this reserve, inches of elevation and slight changes in water level and chemistry create many different habitats–each specially suited to a surprising diversity of plants and animals. From the elusive long-tailed weasel hunting rodents to the tiny pygmy blue butterfly perching on pickleweed, fascinating creatures are everywhere.
This place has a pulse, and just like you, it depends on healthy circulation. At high tide, oxygen-rich ocean water pumps into the marsh, while the ebb of water at low tide carries sediment out to sea…
Scientists constantly monitor the marsh’s vital signs. Data loggers, placed around the estuary, record and transmit temperature, oxygen level, water level, and more…
The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of 29 and counting, was established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study how human activities and natural events affect estuarine habitats in the United States. People that work at the reserve include staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California State Parks, City and County of San Diego, the U.S. Navy, and the Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Associates.
An old plaque is embedded in a nearby rock…
Tijuana Estuary Restoration Project
1.25 Acres
Dedicated March 24, 1999
Trying to put this plaque in context, I found this website.
Peer through one of the scopes and you might see a yellow-crowned night heron!
(At least, I believe that’s the species. I framed the nearby bird with my camera.)
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I love this public art at Town Center Community Park East in Santee. It covers the four sides of a structure next to the playground.
San Diego River Wildlife is written large among images of birds and animals one might encounter nearby along the San Diego River.
On one side there’s a Cooper’s Hawk, Mallard Ducks, Great Egrets, Brown-headed Cowbird and California Gnatcatcher. On another side there’s a San Diego Gopher Snake, Two-striped Garter Snake and a third snake whose label has sadly become unreadable. A third side shows a Pacific Tree Frog, Western Pond Turtle and Western Fence Lizard. Finally, the side facing the playground shows a Red-Tailed Hawk, American Coots, Great Blue Herons, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and California Towhee.
I don’t know the origin of this beautiful but now weathered, sun-faded public art. If you know anything about it, or the artist(s), please leave a comment!
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Have you spotted native wildlife in the city near the San Diego River? It’s possible to sight unexpected wild animals in our urban environment!
At the east end of the SDSU Mission Valley river park, near Murphy Canyon Creek, beside Interstate 15, a sign shows some of the Animals of the San Diego River.
Featured on the sign are: Coyote, Southern Mule Deer, Bobcat, Desert Cottontail, American Badger and Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.
There’s a good chance you’ve observed coyotes, cottontails and even rattlesnakes, but how about those other critters?
Walk near this sign along the Ben & Nikki Clay San Diego River Trail, and you might experience an unexpected wildlife sighting!
Walking down one of the dirt paths off the main trail at the SDSU Mission Valley River Park, you might encounter this sign. It features birds you could see along the San Diego River.
Birds described in words and photos include California Scrub-jay, California Quail, Anna’s Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl and American Coot.
Of course, it’s possible to sight egrets, cormorants, different types of ducks, gulls, blackbirds, swallows and many, many different species. The San Diego River, stretching from the mountains of East County to the Pacific Ocean, supports enormous biodiversity. The river is also part of the Pacific Flyway, a major route of migratory birds.
The sign includes a paragraph about the Bird Songs of the indigenous Kumeyaay people. It concerns the bird-inspired singing and dancing in traditional Kumeyaay ceremonies and celebration.
How about my recent walk through the river park? I spotted small sparrows flitting about near the path, saw soaring crows and seagulls, and heard the calls of various birds in the trees beyond the fence that protects the river habitat from human intrusion.
If you love to walk, head down to the river park. There is sunshine, fresh air, people playing sports on the wide grass areas, easy access by trolley, and, best of all, it’s beautiful. (Bonus: look for the mile markers on the main walkway that were designed by James Hubbell!)
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These photographs were taken during a recent walk through La Jolla Shores, at the Kellogg Park playground. What you see is the 16-foot-long life-size bronze sculpture of J.J., an orphaned baby California gray whale.
The malnourished baby whale, near death, was rescued off the coast of Marina del Rey in 1997, and nursed back to health at SeaWorld. She would ultimately be released back into the Pacific Ocean to resume her migration to Alaska.
The sculpture of J.J., which children love to ride and play on, was created by sculptor D. Lynn Reeves. It was commissioned by Friends of La Jolla Shores and was installed at the Kellogg Park playground next to the beach boardwalk in 2011.
Signs posted beside J.J. tell the tale of her rescue and of the creation of her beautiful sculpture.
A giant butterfly now makes its home in a special Balboa Park garden. The butterfly can be seen among the native plants of the San Diego Natural History Museum‘s Nature Trail!
Today I spotted this butterfly sculpture on the north side of the museum building. It can be observed from the Wildlife Walkway portion of the Nature Trail. I was told it appeared in the past week or two.
It’s appropriate the butterfly now makes this garden home. Many of the native plants along the Nature Trail attract nectar loving pollinators.
I tried to ascertain who made this beautiful sculpture, but no luck yet. If you know anything about it, please leave a comment!
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