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Whales, sea otters and sea lions have justifiably made Monterey Bay renowned for marine life, but visitors can also enjoy memorable animal encounters on land.

A licensed master falconer and educator, Antonio Balestreri doesn’t teach people how to hunt with birds — the definition of falconry — but hopes to impart an even more important lesson to his guests at Carmel Valley Ranch, Ventana Big Sur and Post Ranch Inn.

“Nature is the very thing that keeps us alive, and the more you learn about it, the more you’re likely to protect it,” Balestreri said. “I have a passion for these birds, which I like to share with people with an education and conservation component.”

In his typically 2-hour sessions, Balestreri starts by talking about the history of falconry and humans’ interactions with predatory birds.

“Falconry is a relatively new sport here, 80 to 90 years old, but in the Middle East, they believe it goes back 10,000 years, which predates most civilizations,” Balestreri said. “Eventually it moved westward into Europe and during the Middle Ages, from 500 to 1500, it was the sport of kings.”

But as the aristocracy faded, so did falconry, he noted.

“With no one to protect these birds, farmers and hunters slaughtered them,” he said. “The birds were eating the same animals that they wanted to eat.”

After introducing their history, Balestreri then brings out one of his four birds, discussing “what their role in the environment is, their conservation status, some of their original characteristics of the bird and what we can do to save these species because most are in decline.”

By law, falconers can only have captive-bred birds or formerly injured wild birds that can’t be released back in the wild. His 6-year-old great horned owl Cucu falls in the latter category, while 11-year-old red-tailed hawk Layla and peregrine falcon Lex Luthor and Harris’s hawk Diego, both 7, are in the former. Some guests are initially nervous about encountering them, according to Balestreri.

“Ninety percent of those people come away with much less fear of birds,” he said. “Education is what removes fear. My guests come away with a much better appreciation for birds of prey but also wildlife in general.”

Carmel Valley Ranch also offers many other animal experiences to its members and guests, including a hilltop meet-and-greet with goats, cows and alpacas, a garden meet-and-greet with chickens and herb picking and even a picnic with two Sicilian mini donkeys, Pablo and Paco.

Horses can also help you appreciate the great outdoors and gain greater self-awareness, thanks to two very different programs in Monterey County — one on the coast, the other in sunny Carmel Valley.

Beach lovers may be thrilled by the idea of a trail ride along the rugged shorelines of Salinas River State Beach, which Monterey Bay Equestrian Center has offered since 1988.

“It’s like riding on the edge of the world, it’s absolutely beautiful out there,” said Madaline Mastroianni, the center’s co-owner and co-founder. “Sometimes if the sun is out, the dolphins come along and follow you along the water. The occasional fishing boat will come by, and pelicans will be flying around.”

Although the center’s stables are in Prunedale, the 75-minute ride loop starts on the beach south of Moss Landing and goes out for about 3 miles before typically returning on an inland trail, according to Mastroianni. Available by reservation only, the rides take place year-round, “as long as it isn’t raining,” she added. “We don’t make employees work in the rain … and there’s nothing worse than riding in a wet saddle.”

Dr. Rob Magnelli, a clinical psychologist in practice for more than 45 years, and his wife, Nancy Magnelli, a registered psychiatric nurse, provide a different kind of horsepower in Carmel Valley. They’re the creators of the unique Horsepower Program, which offers equine assisted therapy and equine assisted growth and learning for people of all ages struggling with mental health conditions. It’s based on the idea that horses are finely attuned to human emotions and can reflect them back in a way that makes them easier to acknowledge and address.

“Horses are prey animals, so they’re constantly scanning the environment for their safety,” Dr. Rob explained. “They’re very sensitive to our body language and they’re always looking for authenticity. They respond to our emotions with their own body language, so it’s like seeing ourselves in a mirror.”

Guests of Carmel Valley Ranch can sample the soothing, stabilizing techniques the Magnellis use with their horses in private practice in three different experiences. Groups, adults and children as young as 3 can hone their emotional intelligence with the 90-minute “Equine Connection,” learning how to interact with the horses and seeing how horses interact with the herd. Tip: If the horse balks when you try to lead him, it’s time to figure out what’s going on with you, not with the horse.

Guests need to be of legal drinking age to enjoy “Equines & Wine,” another 90-minute experience including emotional assessment, where participants savor a glass of wine afterwards while the gentle giants chew their dinner. The 2-hour “Equine Mindfulness” session also cultivates emotional calibration and self-acceptance in the presence of horses, but adds techniques for focusing on the present — something these 1,500-pound mammals are particularly good at.

“Horses always act the way they really feel and remain in the present, while people often hide their true feelings and are often thinking of the past or future,” Nancy Magnelli said.

Monterey County also offers intriguing insect experiences. From mid-October through early March, the Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove provides an oasis for thousands of migrating Western monarch butterflies with numbers at their peak November through January.

The orange-and-black beauties cluster on pine, cypress and eucalyptus trees at the sanctuary, which is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Docents from the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History are on hand to help spot them and explain their behavior from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. most days, weather permitting, November through February.

The best time to see butterflies huddled like small pinecones on branches is before 11 a.m or on overcast days below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, while the best time to see them in flight is later in the day or on any clear day above 55 degrees, when they’re most likely to be on the south end, according to the museum.

At Carmel Valley Ranch year-round, beekeeper Rachel Sutton leads educational sessions for guests and members called “A Bee’s Life” that begin in the organic garden with a discussion of pollination. Afterwards, participants don protective suits to enter the apiary for an even closer encounter with honeybees.

“The most common reaction I see is the recognition that honey might just be the least interesting part of the honeybee,” Sutton noted. “After 90 minutes of diving into their intricate social hierarchies, incredibly efficient pollinating techniques and unique life cycles, I think people come away more amazed by the bee than the honey. Once you learn more about the bees, it’s hard not to leave with a greater appreciation for all that they do.”