Mile 185 Report
S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
October 21, 2015
A variable day from sunny to low overcast and windy.
Report Details
A variable day from sunny to low overcast and windy. The river otters were the most unusual sightings plus the Bald Eagle hunting fish in the ocean. Quite a few people mostly walking and poking around. They stay close to the parking lot area and the first rock section. It was strange to see the sand level so high in late Oct. Usually the cobbles are showing up but without any storms the sand isn't moving north as it normally does. It was nice to see big sea stars even if they were way out on the rocks. Quite a few more than last month. A busy day with 15 species of birds.
Conditions
Temperature: 57 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 13. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 10.
Vehicles
Cars/trucks parking: 7.
Notable Wildlife
2 Song Sparrows,1 Chestnut-backed Chickadee,1 Marsh Wren,1 Bald Eagle,2 Brandt's Cormorants,1 Pelagic Cormorant,5 Brown Pelicans,80 Herrmann's Gulls,2 Harlequin Ducks, 37 Surf Scoters,9 Surfbirds, 3 Ring-Bill Gulls,1 Great Blue Heron, crows and gulls.A very dead and smelly Harbor Seal near the parking lot. We saw two River Otters, one going over a rock and later preening on another rock, and the second down at the other end of the beach in the water. Very shy. A Bald Eagle was sitting on a tide pool rock, moved to another closer to the water, took off and grabbed a fish from the water, flew farther down the beach with a crow chasing it, landed and ate the fish. With binoculars we saw 11 large purple sea stars and 12 orange ones on the farthest out rocks. None in close.The sand was unusually high on the whole beach, maybe because we haven't had any big storms. No cobbles visible. Weather went from sunny to overcast and windy.
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 1. A gull with only feathers left. Been there awhile.
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
Dead Harbor Seal near parking lot. Head gone. Very smelly.
Driftline Content
Land-based debris (picnics, etc.). Beach very clean. Just one tin can.
Lfleming
CoastWatcher
All Mile 185 Reports
Mile 185
S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
When we arrived in the parking lot it was almost full but people seemed to be leaving.
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Mile 185
S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
It was a lovely day but the sand is gone from all but the first part of the beach so the rest is cobbles, making it hard to walk.
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S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
A lovely, mainly sunny day without wind.
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S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
The day was very foggy so we didn't expect to see many birds but were very surprised to see 18 species, which has only happened two other times since 2003.
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S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
A sunny, very windy day that brought out a lot of people to enjoy the beach, mostly staying in the first sandy area.
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S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
It was a beautiful clear day and the wind only started up about 3 in the afternoon.
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S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
Florence had some rain but when we got to the mile it was just overcast and kept getting brighter.
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S of Stonefield Beach Wayside, Tokatee Kloochman Wayside
A lovely day and the summer sand is still there making it easy to walk.
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