Cape Arago
Blog 322: Life’s a Beach
Coasting
Five years ago, we RV’d the Oregon coast with good friends and loved the seascapes, the sandy beaches, and friendly people. We have wanted to come back ever since. This year the stars aligned, the gears all meshed, and the opportunity bubbled up granting our wish.
Working in the Wild
This summer we are volunteers for the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex comprised of six refuges responsible for protecting a variety of wildlife and coastal habitats along Oregon’s 320 miles of coastline. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/oregon_islands/
We are based near the quaint town of Bandon on the Southern Pacific coast (small red marker on the upper left of the map). We are 83 miles north of California, 246 miles south and a little west of Portland, 420 miles from Seattle, 1,373 miles from Denver, 2,384 miles from Kalamazoo, 3,584 miles from Key West, and one hop and two skips from the ocean.
We serve as interpreters on the beach at Coquille Point in Bandon, and also from the Simpson Reef viewing platform along the Pacific at Cape Arago.
Coquille Point
Like the owners of a small restaurant—seating the guests, cooking the hash, and then bussing the tables—we have several roles to perform:
Interpreter: Armed with binoculars and spotting scopes, we point out and talk about marine mammals, birds, and tide pool critters to visitors on the beach. We answer questions and try to help our guests better understand and connect with nature. We hope that they leave the beach with a little more knowledge in their head and a smile on their face.
Quality Controller: Nesting birds and momma marine mammals are easily disturbed, so we ask folks to give the wildlife a stress-free environment by respecting critters and not getting too close.
Ambassador: Although there are 565 refuges responsible for wildlife and habitat for an area larger than three states of Texas, the National Wildlife Refuge system is a lousy marketer, as most people are clueless about the organization! Being on site at popular locations and helping give hundreds of people a great experience creates awareness and builds the NWR brand.
Harbor Seals
OK, I have a quiz for you: Take a look at this seal…what words come to mind?
When seeing a seal like the picture above close up and personal through a spotting scope, about 93.5% of the viewers have a similar reaction with their first words being “auwwh,” quickly followed by a big smile and a “he/she/it is so cute.” What were your first words? Not many things in life are cuter than a seal.
April-May-June is a special time here at Coquille Point as female Harbor Seals come here to give birth, nurse their pups, and ready them for life. In order below, here is a momma and her newborn pup within 10 minutes of birthing and a few more seal shots.
Harbor Seal Factoid: Newborns’ eyes are open at birth and they can swim within just a few minutes.
Seabirds and Shorebirds
In the next blog I share some info and pics of birds, including many I have not seen elsewhere.
Tide Pools
Experienced beach pros check the tide tables hoping for low tides—the lower the better. When the seas pull back, once-hidden critters appear—anemones, starfish, urchins, clams, crabs, and scores of others. The more you stop and stare, the more you can see.
Jack on the Beach
Many of Oregon’s beaches are managed by the State Parks (often in partnership with Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, NOAA, US Coast Guard, and/or other agencies).
Very few Oregon State Parks charge a fee, almost all allow dogs on the beach, and many allow pups to be off-leash if they are smart, good looking, and trained to voice commands like our Jackson. Almost every morning around sunrise, Jack and I go out on the beach for an hour walk/run. Many times, we see no other people and rarely we see more than three or four.
Circles in the Sand
On select mornings of very low tides, Denny, a Bandon local, and his team create art labyrinths on the beach adjacent to Face Rock, just around the corner from where we work. Each maze is unique, and over 40,000 pairs of feet have walked upon his sandy paths. Quite fun, although Jack didn’t like walking within the lines.
http://www.sandypathbandon.com
Alex Favorite Bird Photos
I have put together a grouping of my 50 favorite bird photos. If interested, take a look: https://www.onceuponatruck.com/Alex-Birds/Favorite-Bird-Photos/n-LCpQw6
What fun!
Old Trucks
Meet Christine
Check out www.onceuponatruck.com. Sign up for my What the Truck! blog, and get a sweet gal in your in-basket once a week.
See you soon.
Five years ago, we RV’d the Oregon coast with good friends and loved the seascapes, the sandy beaches, and friendly people. We have wanted to come back ever since. This year the stars aligned, the gears all meshed, and the opportunity bubbled up granting our wish.
Working in the Wild
This summer we are volunteers for the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex comprised of six refuges responsible for protecting a variety of wildlife and coastal habitats along Oregon’s 320 miles of coastline. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/oregon_islands/
We are based near the quaint town of Bandon on the Southern Pacific coast (small red marker on the upper left of the map). We are 83 miles north of California, 246 miles south and a little west of Portland, 420 miles from Seattle, 1,373 miles from Denver, 2,384 miles from Kalamazoo, 3,584 miles from Key West, and one hop and two skips from the ocean.
We serve as interpreters on the beach at Coquille Point in Bandon, and also from the Simpson Reef viewing platform along the Pacific at Cape Arago.
Coquille Point
Like the owners of a small restaurant—seating the guests, cooking the hash, and then bussing the tables—we have several roles to perform:
Interpreter: Armed with binoculars and spotting scopes, we point out and talk about marine mammals, birds, and tide pool critters to visitors on the beach. We answer questions and try to help our guests better understand and connect with nature. We hope that they leave the beach with a little more knowledge in their head and a smile on their face.
Quality Controller: Nesting birds and momma marine mammals are easily disturbed, so we ask folks to give the wildlife a stress-free environment by respecting critters and not getting too close.
Ambassador: Although there are 565 refuges responsible for wildlife and habitat for an area larger than three states of Texas, the National Wildlife Refuge system is a lousy marketer, as most people are clueless about the organization! Being on site at popular locations and helping give hundreds of people a great experience creates awareness and builds the NWR brand.
Harbor Seals
OK, I have a quiz for you: Take a look at this seal…what words come to mind?
When seeing a seal like the picture above close up and personal through a spotting scope, about 93.5% of the viewers have a similar reaction with their first words being “auwwh,” quickly followed by a big smile and a “he/she/it is so cute.” What were your first words? Not many things in life are cuter than a seal.
April-May-June is a special time here at Coquille Point as female Harbor Seals come here to give birth, nurse their pups, and ready them for life. In order below, here is a momma and her newborn pup within 10 minutes of birthing and a few more seal shots.
Harbor Seal Factoid: Newborns’ eyes are open at birth and they can swim within just a few minutes.
Seabirds and Shorebirds
In the next blog I share some info and pics of birds, including many I have not seen elsewhere.
Tide Pools
Experienced beach pros check the tide tables hoping for low tides—the lower the better. When the seas pull back, once-hidden critters appear—anemones, starfish, urchins, clams, crabs, and scores of others. The more you stop and stare, the more you can see.
Jack on the Beach
Many of Oregon’s beaches are managed by the State Parks (often in partnership with Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, NOAA, US Coast Guard, and/or other agencies).
Very few Oregon State Parks charge a fee, almost all allow dogs on the beach, and many allow pups to be off-leash if they are smart, good looking, and trained to voice commands like our Jackson. Almost every morning around sunrise, Jack and I go out on the beach for an hour walk/run. Many times, we see no other people and rarely we see more than three or four.
Circles in the Sand
On select mornings of very low tides, Denny, a Bandon local, and his team create art labyrinths on the beach adjacent to Face Rock, just around the corner from where we work. Each maze is unique, and over 40,000 pairs of feet have walked upon his sandy paths. Quite fun, although Jack didn’t like walking within the lines.
http://www.sandypathbandon.com
Alex Favorite Bird Photos
I have put together a grouping of my 50 favorite bird photos. If interested, take a look: https://www.onceuponatruck.com/Alex-Birds/Favorite-Bird-Photos/n-LCpQw6
What fun!
Old Trucks
Meet Christine
Check out www.onceuponatruck.com. Sign up for my What the Truck! blog, and get a sweet gal in your in-basket once a week.
See you soon.