Sea Lion Caves

Habitat and Birds

Birding the rocky areas from the headlands above the cave can be very productive. The best place to find birds is from the large pulloff area north of the Sea Lion Caves administration building. The same birds that can be found from the caves can also be found from the pull-off by scanning the rocks and ocean with a scope. Check the rocks and surf for Rhinoceros Auklet, Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants, and Pigeon Guillemot. If you have a scope, you might be able to find Marbled Murrelets a little farther out. Since this location is high on a headland, a scope is handy for seeing almost all of the birds here. Rhinoceros Auklet nests inside the caves and, when present, may be viewed by paying the entrance fee and descending into the caves. Brandt’s Cormorant nests on the grassy slope below the pullout. A Common/King Eider was spotted here in December 2000.