Oregon coast – Page 3

The World of Water

Ours is a world of water but not so much as theirs, particularly on days of water above and below. You should have seen the smile on my face when the rain really started chucking it down as I watched the harbor seals frolic in the surf. Water defines so much of what I love about the Pacific Northwest, the lush greens of the forests, the snow on the mountains, the waterfalls, the seasonal ponds, the wetlands, the mountain streams, the rivers, the oceans, the tide pools. All the animals therein. I’m trying to soak it in while I can in case I end up in a world still defined by water, but by its absence rather than its abundance. But I’ll love photographing those places too, I learned long ago to focus on what you love about where you are rather than what you miss about where you were.

Whiskers and Claws

The dramatic pose of this stretching harbor seal shows off the claws on each of the toes of its flippers, as well as the network of whiskers that help it navigate its environment as it swims.

The Solitary Scoter

A solitary surf scoter is dwarfed by an approaching wave at Heceta Head on the Oregon coast.

Things Are Not Always As They Appear

It might look like this western gull has just caught a red rock crab but the crab was long dead. No flesh yet remained, yet the shell and legs were still held together by a thin material. Usually the dead crabs are scattered in pieces around the beach so I was surprised to see the crab of a piece, and perhaps the gull was too, as it quickly dropped it when it realized there was nothing left to eat.

Wave Rider

Don’t Look Back

Harbor seals use multiple techniques to slip past these waves, wave after wave, as they play and feed just offshore in the Pacific. I spent hours watching them and could have spent days, it’s mesmerizing how naturally they move about this environment.

Hanging On, Holding In

An old windswept tree at Seal Rock on the Oregon coast, barely hanging onto the cliffside and to life. Much of the fragile ground has already crumbled away beneath its roots, leaving them exposed, but its remaining roots still help hold the ground in place.

A Bed of Tide Pools

While I was watching a larger harbor seal that was perched nearby, this smaller one climbed up onto higher ground for a little extra rest as the sun rose, before the incoming tide took away even this, its bed of tide pools.

Trixie by the Seaside

The mottled coloring of this harbor seal at Yaquina Head reminded me of our tortoiseshell cat Trixie, who I would see shortly, as this was the last day of my short trip to the coast.

Legs Crossed, Holding Tightly

Pity the starfish that does not take advantage of the cover of high tide to go to the bathroom when no one is watching. This poor fellow clinging to a large boulder was left high-and-dry by the receding tide and could do naught but cross its legs and hold it in. Waiting for the inevitable return of the sea but tortured always by the sound of splashing water.