The Oregon Coast
While we don’t have any groundhogs on the coast, we have seals, plovers, whales, and sea stars. @oregon_seagrant breaks down their behaviors signal spring on the Oregon coast.
Slide 1: Groundhog with its mouth open. Text: Forget the groundhog. Four animals found on the Oregon coast that actually signal the arrival of spring.
Slide 2: Gray whale in the ocean. Text: Starting in late March, thousands of gray whales migrate from winter breeding grounds in Hawaii and Mexico to summer feeding grounds in Alaska.
Slide 3: Sea star on a rock. Text: Sea stars signal spring by gathering in tide pools to spawn, releasing eggs and sperm when the water warms and days get longer.
Slide 4: Western Snowy Plover in the sand. Text: These tiny shorebirds begin to nest in the spring when sand temperatures begin to rise.
Slide 5: Harbor seal on a dock. Text: If you start to see baby harbor seals, spring has sprung! Harbor seal pups are born on the Oregon coast primarily from late March through April.