Mile 219 - North end of Agate Beach, Yaquina Head south - October 11, 2008

Report Details

Pelicans, pelicans, and more pelicans!!! Record numbers of pelicans in fact -- so this report is going to be pelican centric :-) I'm estimating there were 3600 Brown Pelicans roosting on the rocks associated with Yaquina Head and there were areas that could not be seen of course like the west side of Colony Rock (it would be fun to do an aerial survey), although I was able to count around 760 on that one rock alone. I did climb to the top of Salal Hill and could see into Hidden Cove and also a rock island on the north side of the headland that you can't see from the walkways/observation platforms. I also drove to areas both north and south to get looks in places I couldn't see from the park itself. Even Quarry Cove was full of pelicans. I've always had a special affinity for pelicans. My Grandma still teases me about all the rolls of film (before the days of digital cameras) I've (in her words) "wasted" on taking pics of pelicans. Seeing one of my favorite places on earth innudated with one of my favorite critters was a truly special experience.So, WHY is there an exceptionally high number of pelicans hanging out now? Given the plunge diving feeding frenzies I've recently observed in nearby Yaquina Bay and what the fishermen and others are telling me about this being an exceptionally good year for bait fish, I'm guessing the reason is an exceptionally abundant supply of their favorite food around.On the north end of Agate Beach (which I think is actually included in my mile) there were about 55 people (I didn't include these in the people count), mostly surfers...looked like maybe a surfing class. They had mostly cleared out when I arrived at Agate Beach (12:30ish) and I noticed the pelicans were starting to congregate on that beach (north end)...maybe 200 but they were still steadily coming in when I left.I love watching the behavior of pelicans and today I observed a couple of things I've never seen before. On the south and north sides of the headland, only a handful of pelicans were beginning to show the red patch that they develop for mating season but on Colony Rock, many more were showing this, a few quite far along...one pair in fact matched the intensity of coloration and pattern of birds in full breeding plumage in the Sibley Guide....and they were MUTUALLY preening!!! This is something I would not have expected to see as I associate it with courtship and pelicans do NOT breed in Oregon so this was really something that surprised me. The other thing I saw was one pelican with a "yawn" gape allowing another pelican to "peck" inside its mouth and for quite a while and intensely so. It was obviously not aggressive behavior in any way as both pelicans seemed to be completely willing participants.Other stuff today....Heermann's Gulls (the gulls with the bright red beaks) are known to associate with pelicans but today was the first time I ever recall seeing a Heermann's Gull at Yaquina Head. Heerman's Gull is on list of possible species but it is definitely not a common sight as I'm there all the time (or at least I used to be).An immature (2nd year I think) Bald Eagle flew in from the east and flew parallel to the south side and then around the headland and circled around a bit and then ended up perched in the trees on the northwest end. Many of the pelicans left the rocks when this happened as did the usual feisty battallion of gutsy gulls who team tagged the eagle. I think pelicans are too big for eagles to eat so not sure why they were so upset but it was chaos for a while. During nesting season, it is common to see eagles make a pass over the nesting murres, then go sit in the tree a while and then go back and nab what DIDN'T leave the rock...pretty smart. Today, however, most of the pelicans were back on the rocks within 5 minutes so the eagle was basically out of luck :-)Finding Membranipora, a colonial invertebrate I'm always on the hunt for, was an exciting find for me personally...see species notes.Very nice day overall.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 7.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 105. Number of dogs: 1. Other Activities: it was high tide so people mostly on observation decks/walkw. almost had the place to myself until about 10:30.

Concerns

Apparent violations: none.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 33. RVs/Buses parking: 2.

Notable Wildlife

Pelicans, pelicans, and more pelicans! Record numbers in fact. I counted 3600 roosting (a few in water but not many) on Yaquina Head and associated rocks. All roosting -- no feeding, although I have been seeing them having a plunge diving good time in the Yaquina Bay lately. This is accurate probably within about 200 and doesn't include the west side of Colony Rock and other areas. 2nd year immature Bald Eagle reeking havoc among the roosting pelicans and gulls, a pair of very vocal Black Oyster Catchers that did not seem to appreciate the pelicans, Pelagic and Brandt cormorants (more on the west side of Lion's Head than usual...probably displaced by the pelicans, lots of Western Gulls, one adult Heerman's Gull (I think is the first one I've ever see at Yaquina Head). Several whale sightings bu not many seals around though (and I'm always hoping and wishing for sea otters but of course never see one). Besides the pelicans on almost every rock, my best find was a piece of wood with Membranipora spp (a colonial bryozoan -- sometimes called the "lacy bryozoan" although there are several species)...I have been hard pressed to find this in Oregon....it doesn't seem to grow on kelp as much here which is surprising because I've been able to find it in fair quantities everywhere else I've lived....west coast and east coast. I have found it on wracks of bull kelp but not nearly as much as I expected to.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Not much of Cobble Beach was exposed and the upper beach was rather clean. I did note a bit of sea pork (probably Aplidium sp., a colonial tunicate), one clump of Clavelina (lightbulb tunicate), and the most fascinating find was a piece of wood encrusted with a small colony of Membranipora (a bryozoan).

Driftline Content

Styrofoam. one orange plastic float in Quarry Cove and a few bits of styrofoam

Actions & Comments

Still working on getting permanent signs put in the tidepool area to prevent disturbance to nesting seabird colonies. Joe Ashor, manager of Yaquina Head, is committed but the best time to get this accomplished may be the winter when there is less grounds work for the maintenance guys. Roy Lowe has offered some signage that may work.