Mile 178 - Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves - March 20, 2009

Report Details

On my visit to the beach today I found one thing to be most out of the ordinary, it was the complete lack of sea lions. There were none to be seen on the rocks or in the water. Typically, there is a constant background noise of sea lions barking, but not this time. I stopped in at Sea Lion Caves on my way home and inquired about the sea lions presence in the caves and was told they were plentiful inside. The count was about 220. The erosion issues I have been monitoring at every visit hadn't escalated much since my last visit. The wave action has been scouring the cobble beach however, thereby exposing previously unseen agates. I was not making as fast of headway on my hike because of bending over picking up agates. I gathered a pocket full, also carried back some fishing floats that had washed up.

Conditions

Temperature: 52 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: S. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.

Human Activities

This beach, although one of the most photographed beaches on the coast, with the picturesqe Heceta Head light house in the background, Remains largely inaccessible to the public, so there is little to ever report in this category.

Concerns

Litter

Notable Wildlife

To my surprise, there was a complete lack of sea lions on the rocks or in the water. As I climbed along the rocks on Sea Lion Point, I could observe dozens of purple shore crabs scattering for cover everytime I came into their view.

Stranded Marine Mammals

I didn't observe any today, but I thought it would be noteworthy to mention that the imfamous fin whale that was beached on mile 179 a couple weeks ago, was beached on my mile (178), the day before. Tide took it back out and the Southerly winds pushed on to mile 179, where it was subsequently buried.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.

Natural Changes

Erosion of vegetated foredune, Newly exposed roots/trees falling.

Actions & Comments

I was expecting to find some major erosion problems since my last report because there has been some weather events since then. There has been some change, but nothing too dramatic. I am taking pictures of one problem area each time I visit, and I try to stand in the same place each time so the pictures will be easier to compare with each other.