Happy New Year! We're finally done with our holiday traveling and getting back into the swing of things again. Besides seeing friends and family, it's always nice to hike in a different place. Especially if that different place happens to be by the Pacific Ocean.
We saw quite a lot of wildlife on this trip. Hiking along Cape Meares in Oregon, we startled a pair of black Oystercatchers as they poked around for food along the rocky beach:
We saw lots of herons around the coast...
...even captaining a boat!
I love seeing Sandpipers. They're master foragers, spending most of their time at the water's edge, probing for food.
They move en masse...and they are
fast!
We saw more than birds. These clear blobs...
...are moon jellyfish! They aren't strong swimmers, which is why you see them washed up on beaches so much.
Even though a moon jellyfish sting is on the less painful side of the spectrum, it still hurts to get stung. Don't try to urinate on your sting, though...just rinse off in the ocean and apply a little baking soda/water paste mixture to the sting site if it still smarts.
Someone was here and gone before we crossed the trail.
Deer and elk scat are similar, but elk scat has trademark dimpling. Elks are
often seen around Cape Meares...I wish we would've seen a herd while we were out!
Of course, we did see one of the most common sea creatures of all,
Canis familiaris.
Everyone brings their dogs to the beach.
I loved watching them frolic in the surf. Interestingly, most of the dogs were off-leash, which is legal at many Oregon beaches.
We enjoyed a little beach frolic ourselves!
Triple-dressed against the cold, as usual!
Of course, our canine was back in Indiana. She made the most of her reunion time with "Dad," including cuddling up during one of his jet-lag naps.
Puppy love!
Have a great week!
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