I decided on an early afternoon trip to the cove to see what the bird situation would be like. It was very warm and the birds decided to take a midday siesta leaving me with nothing to photograph. I climbed around the rocks, down the cliff only to find the same four fully-grown western gull chicks peering over at me.

I waited a while, stuck in a dilemma of whether to go down to the wet rocks a level lower. From my vantage point, I could only see a few cormorants and gulls sitting on the rocks minding their own business. For some odd reason, it took me much longer to decide against progressing further than it should have. On second thought, maybe it was my preoccupation with the incredible bird dropping buildup my shoes were dealing with at that moment.

Kayakers are common around the cove area since there is a designated kayaking lane from the shores to the cove to see the wildlife. The usual sightings from sea-level are of sea lions on the lower rocks beneath the cliffs. As a consolation prize, I decided to take a look at the sluggish animals myself. Out of the water and upon the rocks slept four female sea lions, using each other as pillows, and one male, proudly sunbathing in pride and glory, and sun, of course.