Mile 184 - N of Ocean Beach Picnic Area, S of Squaw Creek - October 21, 2012

Report Details

It was a beautiful day on the beach. the sand was very flat and swept clean of big logs. All were piled up on the rocks close to the bank. there were no more small dunes that covered part of the beach a few weeks ago. Obviously the strong waves from the recent storms were responsible for this. The Nancy Creek was full and hard to cross. Groups of Pelicans were flying low over the waves, some Cormorants were higher and further out. Too far to ID. A Song Sparrow was calling from one of the caves and the voice echoed off the rocks. Two ravens followed me overhead. Think they are the ones I befriended that live on the hill above our house. The male is quite a bit bigger than the female. I was upset to see so many dead Common Murres on the beach. Wonder if the storm was hard on them and they could not find food. Not much human debris- just some pieces of styrofoam.

Conditions

Temperature: 56 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: S. Tide Level: 3.5 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 9. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 9. Everyone I saw seemed to be enjoying the beautiful weather and low tide.

Concerns

Apparent violations: NONE.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 3. RVs/Buses parking: 1.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 8. All were common Murres, recently dead. No leg bands.Most partially eaten by Gulls?

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.

Natural Changes

Landslides/major boulder falls.