Glimpses from the California Coast

I haven't visited the West coast in years, so it was very refreshing to spend some time exploring and soaking up the rugged beauty along the coastline. For a few hours I filled my senses with the roar of crashing waves, the smell of seaweed, the sight of seagulls gliding over shinning waters, and the embrace of the salty wind.

Walking along the beach I meandered around piles of driftwood and occasionally stepped over Bullwhip Kelp that had washed ashore. From the vantage point of a cliff I could look down over the ocean and see forests of kelp swaying with each wave that rolled in. These forests offer protection to young fish, snails, crabs, and other creatures, and sea otters thrive in them as well. But, though I strained my eyes trying to spot an otter, I never did.

Bullwhip kelp

Along the cliffs grew colorful carpets of iceplants. These plants were originally from South Africa and were brought to California in the early 1900s for stabilizing soil, controlling erosion, and as an ornamental home garden plant.

 I also enjoyed watching the birds. There were Oystercatchers, Seagulls, Cormorants, a Red tailed-hawk, Ravens and others. Before I was able to snap a picture of the beautiful hawk though, several ravens attacked it and ended up chasing it far into the distance.

Black oystercatcher

At low tide, the oystercatchers forage along the rocky shoreline, searching for limpets and mussels. They make a nest out of pebbles and pieces of shells which they position just above the high water mark.

Western gull

I had no idea how many different types of gulls there were until I tried to identify this one. These were definitely not shy birds and bombarded us as soon as we brought some bread out to feed them. A flock of maybe 30 birds swooped in and hovered so close, I could have reached out and touched one.

The Western gull is known for breaking open the shells of their prey (sea urchins and clams) by dropping them from high in the air onto a hard surface below. They will steal from other birds, scavenge from picnic areas, harass pelicans until they regurgitate their food, catch fish or jellyfish that are near the surface of the water, and feed on whatever else they can find along the shore.



However, despite seeing so many wonderful birds, what excited me the most that day was spotting a group of seals hanging out on the rocks a good ways from shore. They appeared to be Harbor seals.

Harbor seals

Seals typically dive for about three minutes, but they can stay under water for as long as 30 minutes and can dive as deep as 600 feet. Unlike sea otters, they don't rely on fur to stay warm. Instead, their thick layer of blubber provides insulation while also storing energy, adding buoyancy in the water and contributing to their streamlined shape.












Spending time in God's nature is always refreshing, but somehow, taking a walk along that rocky shoreline in the brisk ocean air was truly rejuvenating.

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea."

~ Isak Dinesen