Coastal Wildlife Safari

Part of the attraction of the Oregon Coast is the rocky shoreline and the tide pools it enables. Look in the right area, like the protected tide pools of Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and you'll find everything from tide pool regulars like limpets and sculpin (tiny tidepool fish) to colorful nudibranchs, sea stars, and (if you're lucky) maybe a young octopus! I didn't get to see some of those less common tide pool dwellers, but I've seen my fair share those dauntless critters and their shallow homes.

Other invertebrates, such as razor clams, are common on the beach, and must also deal with the retreating tides that expose them to hungry predators. Consider the Pacific Mole Crab, Emerita analoga. It's rather defenseless when the tide rolls out, so it needs to be able to quickly bury itself in the sand before it's spotted by an enterprising gull (I had a video of this behavior, but I've lost it).

Invertebrates are also well-represented away from the coast's beaches. Given the moderate climate, arthropods (insects, arachnids, etc) and mollusks such as the banana slug below alike thrive and prosper year-round. Their presence enables the presence of animals that have to migrate south further inland.

The coast is home to various species of reptiles and amphibians, none of whom I managed to photograph. There are 7 species of salamander, 5 species of frog, the elusive Rough-Skinned Newt, and 2 species of squamate, the Northern Alligator Lizard and the Common Garter Snake. Of these, I only saw the Rough-Skinned Newt and the Bullfrog, which has more to do with the time of year than it does with their relative abundances.

Now, this shouldn't come as a shock to you, but the Oregon coast is a great place for fish. Rockfish of just about every shape and size inhabit the waters of the coast of, in addition to wolf eels, lingcod, kelp greenling, cod, mackeral, herring, sharks, and skates, in addition to prized game fish like salmon and the mighty Pacific Halibut. A wide variety of crab can be found, including the common (and tasty) Dungeness Crab.

 

Note: All pictures taken at Oregon Coast Aquarium (because duh).

Some of the coasts' most popular and easy-to-see residents are mammals. No, not people, you dolts, but rodents. Rats are quite common, perhaps not surprisingly, given the easy access to fish scraps and trash. Rabbits and beavers can be found further inland, and let's not forget that most ubiquitous-seeming of mammals, the squirrel. It's mainly Western Gray and Douglas' squirrels found on the coast, but the state of Oregon is home to no less than 20 species of squirrel, including the Northern Flying Squirrel.

The second most common mammals to be seen on the coast that don't wear fisherman's boots are marine mammals. Gray whales, humpback whales, and harbor porpoises are common out at sea, but the marine mammals most often seen on the coast are pinnipeds, most commonly the chubby Harbor Seal and the boisterous California Sea Lion, though it's not impossible to find the larger Steller's Sea Lion. Under strict protection, these marine mammals don't seem too shy of humans, occasionally poking their heads up from beneath the water to check out fishermen on the public fishing pier, or hauling out and dozing within a dozen yards of human admirers at Yaquina Head, or even directly below observers in the Bayfront district of Newport.

So yeah, that's about it for animal life on the coast. Nothing else, clearly. Is there? Could I be forgetting something?

Find out next time.

In Which the State of Oregon Should Pay Me for Advertising its Beauty

If there's a place to get in touch with nature, it is definitely the Oregon coast. There are so many opportunities  to just get lost in natural wonders, there's almost not enough time to hit them all. I had 3 and a half months, and I only scraped the tip of the iceberg.

Let's start with the obvious. There are some excellent opportunities for beach-goers here, both for relaxation and for more active exploits, like tide-pooling (I tend to favor the latter). Ecologically, the Lincoln county coast is a cool area because of the sheer variety of habitats you have access to.

Closer to home (for me anyway) is the Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center. They have a nice nature trail that gives you a chance to experience estuary habitat, which most of the country doesn't get to see. For those of you not in the know, an estuary is basically a coastal marsh, so there's an inflow of both fresh and salt water. It creates a really unique sort of habitat, excellent especially for my purposes (namely birding, but that's another post entirely).

The jetty at South Beach state park is an excellent place just for relaxation as well as for doing some low-key tide-pooling. Walking out to the end of the jetty is a bit nerve-wracking and difficult, but well worth it for the view.

Head south from here a far enough way, and you'll find yourself at Seal Rock. While I didn't see any seals here, there's some excellent beach to be found, along with other things if you know where to look.

Further south, you'll hit the jackpot of Oregon coast views at Cape Perpetua. Most of the going uphill can be done in the car, and what's waiting for you at the top is definitely worth it.

Why look! It's yours truly. 

Looking epic as usual.

If you went north from South Beach, you'd be crossing the mighty Yaquina Bay bridge...

...and be well on your way to another one of Newport's main attractions, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area. Nature lovers and history buffs alike will dig this state park, with its winding trails, excellent tide-pooling opportunities, interpretive center, and, of course, the lighthouse itself, which has friendly and informative interpreters to educate visitors about the building's past, both on the bottom floor and at the top of the 114 lighthouse steps. In the right season, thousands of Common Murres come here to breed, and can be seen on Colony Rock just next to the lighthouse.

Colony Rock

The lighthouse.

 Head out of and past Yaquina Head, and you're on your way up to some real beauty in Depoe Bay. Boiler Bay state park, the Devil's Punch Bowl, and Otter Rock offer some fantastic views and tidepooling...just be sure you don't get caught down there when the tide comes in!

You don't just get beaches and rocks out here, though. Turn your back to the sea, and you'll be faced with some of the most beautiful forests you've ever seen. Having grown up in the woods of the Northeast, I was impressed with just how much more green there was here. Oh, and remember, this is just winter. There's rarely snow out here, and the temperature almost never gets below freezing.

As an immense fan of all things mushroom (guess you could say I'm a 'fun gi'. Hahaha. Ugh.), the Oregon Coast was an absolute treasure trove for me. Big, small, and in a variety of colors, fascinating mushrooms can be found throughout the coastal region, which make me really wish I had studied up before coming out here.

There's also some lovely flowers and other miscellaneous plants.

Occasionally, you're reminded that it's winter...

...and there's rain. LOTS. And lots. Of rain (occasionally with hail).

.

But where there's lots of rain, there's lots of rainbows.

And the sunrises/sunsets are definitely worth it.

Next time,  we're on safari for some coastal animal life!