Old Railroad Bridge on the California Coast (And What Killed This Sea Lion?)

June 20th, 2023: Special thanks to Noah Alviz of Camarillo, California and Natasha Vos of Waite Park, Minnesota.
Info about WWII artillery batteries near the mouth of the Ventura River:
gunsofventura.....
But what about the “Pre-WWII Gun Placement”? I don’t think the article I linked to discusses that.
#roamingbenji #ventura #california #southerncalifornia #socal #beach #marine #sealife #wildlife #fish #scenery #nature #history #trainspotting #trains #railroad

[@Dpetree92]

You came to my hometown! I run by that rail bridge nearly everyday! This is the crossover I never thought would happen! To explain the seals and sea lions, there is a disease going around that is forcing them onto the beaches and they die, I’ve seen several on the same beach this summer As for the gun emplacements, they appear and disappear based upon the tides. They were constructed to protect the valuable oil drilling in Ventura during WW2. After the attack on the Goleta oil fields in early 1942 the paranoia of another attack was high. I teach this to my students every year as a part of our WW2 unit. So stoked to see you made it out here!

[@longzhang5737]

thanks for the info

[@roamingbenji]

Wow!! Thanks so much for your local knowledge. It's all very interesting. Ventura is a beautiful place!

[@konazhang1025]

Great contents 👍

[@yajun19johnson]

The water so colorful!

[@bhg123ful]

Now we know what time of the year the steelhead (assuming?) spawn. I think those cedars are Monterey cypress. Which is only native to the Monterrey peninsula area, but has been planted all up and down the central coast.

[@jerryb4453]

I asked a friend from Ventura who also happens to be a fisheries biologist and he told me those are Striped Mullet, common among the estuaries of California.

[@roamingbenji]

Thank you!!

[@bhg123ful]

Glad you enjoy the Ventura area! I definitely recommend checking out the Santa Barbara area next time your back in CA. The nice thing about Ventura is that is a bit overlooked and underrated compared to Santa Barbara. Ventura is like the "workingman's Santa Barbara" in that its more affordable, whereas Santa Barbara is more swanky. (generally speaking)

[@konazhang1025]

The plate says steelhead trout, perhaps that’s what you saw in the water

[@bhg123ful]

If so that’s a great sign ecologically speaking. They’re sensitive to habitat change - they need free flowing rivers to swim up and spawn.

[@thehapagirl92]

I was up in SB this past weekend with my friend. You need to hit up SB!

[@roamingbenji]

It's on my list!

[@konazhang1025]

Isn’t that our former governor last name jesse ventura!

[@roamingbenji]

Yes!

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

It is s beautiful town.

[@noahalviz7101]

Happy you got to visit my hometown. My favorite part were the fish - they look like miniature sharks 😂 RIP to the mighty sea lion. Such a beautiful animal. What was your favorite part of your trip to Ventura County?

[@roamingbenji]

My favorite part was the air! So fresh and cool with the right amount of humidity. Loved all the agriculture too. It's epic scenery.