December 3, 2015 - Waves in California / Oregon and being used by sea lions
By contrast to Hawaii’s winter swells with waves of incomparable magnitude much of the Northern California coast has pounding waves in the summer! I can stand for hours trying to capture that perfect wave crash against a rock. This summer, we were lucky to find some very large rocks off shore to create some very large and picturesque splashes.
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Waves and rocks /Patrick’s Point State Park, CA / June 2015
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Steller Sea Lions inside the cave /Sea Lion Caves, OR / June 2015
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As we traveled farther up the coast into Oregon, we finally made a stop and paid to enter the Sea Lion Caves located right along Highway 101. We had driven past many times.
It is worth paying the fee to view these Steller Sea Lions in the huge cave. Sea Lion Caves / Steller Sea Lions
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Inside the elevator /Sea Lion Caves, OR / June 2015
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The cave is titled “America’s largest sea cave” and is accessed by an elevator that purports to go down 200 floors.
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Steller Sea Lion (female) using the waves /Sea Lion Caves, OR / June 2015
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At Sea Lion Caves, we found wildlife who are unfazed by rough waves.
In fact, these Steller Sea Lions use the waves.
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| Steller Sea Lion (female) using the waves /Sea Lion Caves, OR / June 2015 |
It was amazing to watch this female use the wave to bring her up onto the rocky shore!
The interaction between males and females throughout the area accessed by admission is fascinating to watch.
Steller Sea Lions on outside rocks /Sea Lion Caves, OR / June 2015
When my husband was at a conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I roamed around Boston on my own. I love the water and found that there were ferries to the islands in Boston Harbor. Riding ferries or tour boats in bodies of water is something I grew up with as we indulged my mother’s love of boats and the sea. So it was natural to pursue a ferry ride in Boston Harbor.
I chose to go to Spectacle Island. It is a small enough island that I could walk all the way around it.
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Over view of one hill of the Island / Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor / June 2011
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Some notes of interest were:
1) Boston Harbor Islands is a National Recreation Area;
2) there is a turkey roaming around Spectacle Island; Cornell Lab of Ornithology information
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Wild Turkey - South end of the Island / Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor / June 2011
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3) there are the glass and porcelain chips littering the shores (like the glass similarly found in Hawaii);
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On the shores / Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor / June 2011
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4) the island was inhabited in the past;
5) and the island was piled high with excavation from “the Big Dig” for a huge tunnel project in Boston done to alleviate traffic.
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Informational sign / Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor / June 2011
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It was a very nice day excursion and there is a small museum on that island. Read about this island’s transformation - NY Times article about the island's transformation
These photos will start my What is it? or Why is it? posts. These posts will deal with situations when I see something and wonder either: What is this? or Why did this happen right at this location?
This post is particularly about Cnidarians which are the group of invertebrates (in general, soft bodied with no bones) that have stinging cells. Many have stinging cells that do not cause harm to humans. Phylogeny (classification by evolution) of Cnidarians
I have already discussed the nature of questioning in an earlier post (November 5, 2015) and as mentioned earlier, questioning is vital to the scientific process. A good question is the beginning, and end, of all science investigating. It is only the end, because once a scientist is done with a study, the “answers” achieved will only lead to more questions. I love science!
 Velella - “Jack-sail-by-the-wind” / Carl Washburne State Park, OR / June 2015 |
The photos that provoked the most thought were taken in Oregon; all were taken at one of my favorite beaches, across Highway 101 from Carl Washburne State Park.
I have seen this jellyfish-like animal many times before in California and just found its name. More on Velella
The photo below showed me the living (or freshly died) with other carcasses.
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| Velella living and dead / Carl Washburne State Park, OR / June 2015 |
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| Velella carcasses / Carl Washburne State Park, OR / June 2015 |
The photo to the left was taken farther up the coast in Oregon provoked my favorite question. It may be hard to see but there are tens of thousands of carcasses. Why did this happen right at this location?
Is it possible these carcasses, found up high on the beach, were there for a year?
On the same beach, I also sighted these remains that looked like “sand shadows” and wondered what they were. The pattern of the “sand shadows” with the sand formations (caused by great winds) was a very thought provoking sight. I had a feeling they were some sort of jellyfish.
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| Moon Jellyfish / Carl Washburne State Park, OR / June 2015 |
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Moon Jellyfish / Carl Washburne State Park, OR / June 2015
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Later on the beach, I saw a fresh organism which I decided most likely made the “sand shadows.” After much Internet research, studying of posted photos, and cross-referencing, I have decided this Cnidarian was a moon jellyfish (Aurelia sp.) which is quite common. Moon Jellyfish source
The reasons I did not think it was a moon jellyfish was because it was smaller and I did not see the distinctive four ringed interior organs. Perhaps if I had picked it up, as was seen in many Internet photos, I would have seen more.
Perhaps the answers to some of the whys? of these cnidarian carcasses is because the beach there is long and stretched out and thus has a straight, unprotected exposure to the powerful ocean. It is very often incredibly windy along that beach. I have experienced that wind and the strong wind leaves great sand formations.
While walking on a forest trail, across Highway 101 from one of my favorite Oregon beaches, I spotted this flowery looking plant on the side of the trail. Since it was so pretty and unique I took lots of photos. I knew it was something very unusual. It was fascinating with the bright colors of its inflorescence.
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On side of trail / Carl Washburne State Park, OR / June 2015
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When I got home I spent quite awhile researching the plant on the Internet to try to identify it. I could only narrow it down to identify it as a parasitic plant. (Parasitic plant photos) I think the plant may be in the Broomrape family as the images look most like my photographed plant and species are found in Oregon. (Oregon parasitic plants source)
Parasitic plants are vascular plants with a haustorium (a modified root which attaches to another plant). Parasitic plants are classified as stem (like mistletoe) or root parasites. They can also be grouped according to whether the plant has chlorophyll or not and whether the plant can grow to maturity with or without the host. Parasitic plants can be, but are not always, pathogenic. The parasitic plant is pathogenic if the plant causes disease in addition to taking nutrients. (Great technical Parasitic plant source)
I believe this plant was a root parasite. Although one website says root parasitic plants grow in Mediterranean climates. It would have been great to observe this little plant over time to see how high it would grow. I did not put a hand in as a size marker but the plant was about three to four inches high.
When hiking on any trails, keep your eyes open to see if you could see such a pretty and unique plant!
For many summers, I worked at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. There are many Steller's jays around that park. The jays flit around and know uncannily when a picnic is about to happen. They are bold and friendly. I have also seen them around campgrounds and picnic tables in Oregon.
As an aside, please never feed birds that are not pets. (This includes chickens!)
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| Steller's jays at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California / June 2015 |
Bald eagle
I often began to see bald eagles once I began to travel in Washington State. They are usually found around bodies of water. At first, I always saw them around the ocean or Puget Sound (at Deception Pass, Whidbey / Fidalgo Island). Just recently, in Washington State, I saw a bald eagle flying along a beach as I walked along! The beach was near the Kalaloch Campground in Olympic National Park. When it was far away, I did not realize what it was. This shows you that one should always be ready to take photos; you never know what you might see!
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Kalaloch Campground, Olympic National Park / June 2015
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The pair of bald eagles below were spotted well inland and in Oregon - a first on both counts! I had to search the map to see if there was a river or lake near by. There was.
It was a very strange spotting as we first saw an eagle fly along the side of the highway but lost the eagle in a tree. Then after spotting these two right along the highway, we spotted other bald eagles on other posts farther away from the highway. Our guess was that perhaps the eagles were immature and all from one family.
Like osprey, bald eagles, build large nests often on the tops of skags (dead tops) of tall trees. Osprey also are found near bodies of water; I have primarily seen them around rivers. The osprey I have seen were sighted at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California. I have never been close enough to an osprey to get a photo.
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On southward-leading highway from Crater Lake National Park, Oregon / June 2015
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Love this picture of the two eagles!
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