August 19, 2010

I encountered a sleek, youthful sea lion that raised its head as it first detected me passing by about 15 feet away, then got up on all four flippers and charged directly toward me.

Report Details

I encountered a sleek, youthful sea lion that raised its head as it first detected me passing by about 15 feet away, then got up on all four flippers and charged directly toward me. Fortunately for me, even charging sea lions are pretty slow, so I was able to dash ahead of it as it chased me for a short distance, then settled back down to resume its nap on the beach. On the return trip, I gave it a wide berth and it was content to monitor my progress without taking any action. Other encounters included a lone seagull, a flock of sanderlings, several raptors, and a bunch of blackbirds. There have clearly been lots of horse riders on the beach, leaving clear and unpleasant evidence of their presence.

Conditions

Temperature: 65 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: 4.0 feet.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 2.

Notable Wildlife

I encountered a sleek, youthful sea lion that raised its head as it first detected me passing by about 15 feet away, then got up on all four flippers and charged directly toward me. Fortunately for me, even charging sea lions are pretty slow, so I was able to dash ahead of it as it chased me for a short distance, then settled back down to resume its nap on the beach. On the return trip, I gave it a wide berth and it was content to monitor my progress without taking any action. I also saw a lone seagull and a flock of sanderlings.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. Only the wings of a raptor remained

Man-made Modifications

-The snowy plover protection roping is absent this year, except for a small roped area that has been bulldozed near the intersection of mile 174 nd 173.