February 21, 2010

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Despite warmer than normal temperatures since December, the main sign of the coming change of seasons was the widespread growth of bright green algae around pools and runoff areas on all the rocky shelves we explored. We saw only one or two wildflowers along the bluffs. There was little new erosion to report, although there was much new driftwood and a fair amount of garbage, some marine (particularly rope) and some land-based (mostly plastic pieces and styrofoam). We gathered as much as we could carry. We noted last year in March that many mussel colonies seemed patchy and smaller, and the same seemed true this year. Also there were fewer barnacles, unlike two years ago when even rocky areas far from low waterline were covered with new, small barnacles. On most of the rocky shelves there were areas of sand, much more than we have seen after previous winters. There were seastars at waterline in some areas, as well as plentiful concentrations of anemones. Not many birds to report --- there were a few pelicans, some surf scoters diving in the inlets, a few cormorants, and gulls. We were treated to a 10 minute viewing of a female (we think) river otter sunning and preening herself on a small rocky island at the mouth of an inlet. Since we could approach no closer, she was unafraid and curious about our presence there. That was the first otter viewing of all our mile walks.