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1. Cliffs with Boulder Foreshore
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| The south end of the bluff on North Taylor Beach. 2006 |
Below the cliffs at the south end, this glacial erratic made of Pillow lava reflects some of the interesting geological history of the area. |
Development on property on the top of the bluff has allowed destabilization of the bluff and this massive slide. 2007. |
A closer examination of the problems of erosion along this part of the shorefront can be found in this anthropogenic impacts file. |
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| The cliffs along North Taylor Beach |
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At high tide, the waves erode directly at the toe of this cliff. |
Link to the file on Anthropogenic Impacts on Habitat modification for this area. |
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| A Great Blue heron flies along the shore where it is often seen perched on rocks. |
The rocks provide a stable substrate for attached algal species such as this Fucus |
The green algae, Spongomorpha covers a few of the rocks at the end of summer. |
Red filamentous algae forms a mat over some of the intertidal rocks. Fucus and Ulva also grow here. |
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| At low tide in the fall, a wide range of drift algal and invertebrate species can be found on the rocks along the beach |
The holes in this red blade algae are not random, but grow that way so that the blade is exposed to less drag and better aeration |
Hair like Desmarestia has drifted onto the rocks. It contains high quantities of Sulfuric acid which leads to rapid breakdown of its tissues. |
Along with the decaying algae come masses of grazing littorine snails. |
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| During low tide, the snails often cluster in the shade of a protective rock although they can seal water in to prevent dessication. |
Limpets can even gather a covering of green algae by the end of summer. |
A collection of various molluscs which form part of the energy web among the rocks |
The giant gumboot chiton grazes Ulva or sea lettuce in the low intertidal zone. |
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The algae and invertebrate images in this section were taken in one walk on the shore in the fall of 2007. G. Fletcher |
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| The top surface of the mossy chiton Mopalia . |
--and the inside with the shell chevrons remaining after the animal has been eaten by a shorebird. |
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November 15, 2008: tube worms show up in the strand line after the winter winds from the north and east agitate the offshore sand bar. These tube worms have provided a valuable resource of food for fish ad invertebrates. |
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| Winter brings a variety of birds foraging in this section of Parry Bay along Taylor Beach. Here a flock of common mergansers dive for food on the shallow sandy bottom. |
Canada geese which are an unwelcome pest for farmers in the area, find the shores of Parry Bay a good habitat for moulting season in the summer. Mount Baker in Washington State shows up over Victoria in the northeast. |
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2. North End of Taylor Beach-Gooch Creek to Cliffs |
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| A winter storm on Taylor Beach. |
A view up to the cliffs on the north end of Taylor Beach. |
Forage Fish on our beaches. Photos from a field session to document the Taylor Beach habitat. |
This file shows how the bull kelp Nereocystis can pile up on the beach after a winter storm bringing attached materials with it. |
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| The algae can pile high on the shore and then get eroded away by high tides on successive days. |
Subjected to wave action from winds blowing from the east, the algae ends up looking like it has gone through a food blender. Here green, brown and red algae are homogenized. |
In this state, nutrients are more easily released in the decomposition process. They are then recycled offshore. |
An important part of energy conversion are the large numbers of amphipods or beach hoppers which use the cover of the algae to feed on decomposing material. |
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| A berm, well vegetated with Lemus mollis protects the beach from erosion in front of Gooch Creek Lagoon |
The dune grass, Lemus mollis binds the loose sandy soil by growth of extensive rhizomes, (underground creeping stems) and roots. |
From the well-vegetated berm in front of Gooch Creek lagoon |
Beach Pea helps fix nitrogen for other plants on the berm |
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| Sand Burr has deep woody roots which help stabilize sand... |
Unfortunately this plant is often the first removed if humans use the beach since it has prickly seeds. |
This vegetation will pro baby not last through winter storms, but since it is anchored by tough roots it may be recovered with sand and new shoots will emerge. |
American Sea Rocket can tolerate high salinity and often grows closest to the shore. |
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3. Gooch Creek and Lagoon |
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| Report by Moralea Milne on the Ecology of Gooch Creek |
Outflow for Gooch Creek on Taylor Beach, winter 2007 |
Lagoon partially flooded in the fall. (2007) |
Marsh grass Phragmites australis in the lagoon. See this interesting reference on native vs. non-native varieties |
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| Duckweed, (Lemna sp.) covers the stream in late summer, and is later flushed out to sea when the rains flood the lagoon |
Triglochin maritimum, a salt marsh plant poisonous to livestock is common in the lagoon/saltmarsh. Its seeds provide nutrient to ducks in the fall |
Lagoon salt tolerant species. |
Phragmites in September |
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| River Otter scat near the entrance to Gooch Creek. Note: fish bones. |
The otters have a den under the bank at the entrance to Gooch Creek. |
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4. Middle Reach of Taylor Beach
( from Taylor Road to Gooch Creek) |
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| The sand beach is often covered with drift logs. These usually have sawn ends, indicating they have escaped from log booms. May 2008 |
South from Gooch Creek with William Head in the distance. Fall 2007 |
In the winter storms from the northeast, the logs are tossed around like toothpicks. Sea foam can build up on the shore as well. This is caused from broken down plankton bodies. |
Strand line with drift algae along the beach representing the height of the previous high tide. |
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5. Devonian Park Cobble Beach and Lagoon (South of Taylor road)
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| Looking south to the out wash plume from Sherwood creek |
The channel washout of the rock beach for the discharge of the creek. |
Centre of the erosion from the creek. |
Houses at the foot of Taylor Road January 2009 |
| Sherwood Creek is held back from the ocean by a high ridge of coarse gravel. Throughout the early winter and late spring, the water seeps through the berm of gravel. After heavy rains the and will break out and erode the beach. The next big storm will fill the gravel berm back n again. |
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The out wash of Sherwood Creek after heavy rains in January 2009. (Looking seaward) |
Erosion bares the seagrass rhizomes which are essential for stabilizing the beach |
The rhizomes of the beach grass |
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| Behind the berm on the south end of Taylor beach lies Sherwood pond. |
A winter view of the tall rushes that fill much of the pond area. |
The Devonian Park entrance from Taylor Beach. |
Devonian Park protects the riparian zone along the creek feeding Sherwood pond. This is an important habitat for preservation of sea run cutthroat trout. |
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The southern part of Taylor beach is made of coarse and fine cobbles. The profile of the beach changes from winter to summer as the wind patterns change. |
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| The pebble beach at the end of Taylor Road. |
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6 Rocky Shore of Lower Taylor Beach |
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| A glacial erratic perched on basaltic bedrock near a pebble beach |
Pebble beach north of Weir's beach |
Rocky shoreline. Many of the rocks are not from the local substrate but have arrived through glaciation. |
A vernal pool perched above the beach among the Garry Oak. These pools offer a valuable reservoir for retaining moisture and habitat for amphibians |
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7. Weir's Beach and Lagoon |
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| Weir's Beach .. Helicopter Photo- GEOBC |
Detail of Lagoon |
A wide gradually sloping foreshore provides an ideal environment for this accretional beach . Originally a class 1 beach with undisturbed porous berm and backshore lagoon, it has been heavily impacted by human modification . ( see link to Anthropogenic Impacts) |
The ideal berm for long term sustainable beach integrity is vegetated with dune grass is made of coarse sediments, cobbles and wood chips thrown up by storms. |
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| At the northern end of Weir's beach, this undisturbed berm offers the best protection. Here a movable substrate in heavy storm wave action curtails erosion |
.A fall die-off of sea lettuce, Ulva lactuca results in a build up of rotting vegetation in September. |
No doubt this algal growth is heavily supported by the concentration of residences, each with their own septic field in the Weir's beach development. |
The rotting mass can lead to strong odours in the area. |
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| Weir's Beach aerial view in 1921 |
Weirs beach aerial view in 1965 |
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Weir's Beach to Taylor Beach: Anthropogenic impacts on habitat |
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