Mile 21 Report
Pistol River SP south
May 5, 2026
Millions of Velella velella "sails;" birth of harbor seal witnessed
Report Details
Millions of Velella velella "sails;" birth of harbor seal witnessed
Conditions
Temperature: 54 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: -0.6 feet.
Activities
Other Activities: This relatively isolated stretch of beach has little human recreational use..
Notable Wildlife
The big news: I saw a harbor seal giving birth on the isolated beach in the Wildlife refuge at the south end of Mile 21! In order not to disturb the animals I stayed far away, and that meant I couldn't take a good photo with my phone. Other wildlife: Black oystercatchers, brown pelicans, herring gulls A group of 20-25 sea lions floating on their backs with their flippers in the air just beyond the breaker line Fewer sea stars than I usually see at low tide on rocks at the south end of Milke 212
Wrackline Content
Small rocks, Shells, Animal casings or molts. Millions of dried Velella velella "sails" at the high tide line from the previous day or two; many recently-molted crab carapaces
Velella velella "sails" @ previous high tide line, Mile 21 on 05/05/2026
Report Images
Paul Sherman
CoastWatcher
All Mile 21 Reports
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
Millions of Velella velella "sails;" birth of harbor seal witnessed
Paul Sherman
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
Healthy-looking populations of sea stars, mussels, and anemones; numerous birds; one e-biker (is this prohibited?
PAUL SHERMAN
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
Mile 21 is rather isolated and it does not receive much human use or abuse. Can snyone identify the tracks in the attached photo?
Paul Sherman
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
Mile 21 looks to be in great shape. It's a beautiful, relatively isolated stretch of beach, and no human interference was observed. I forgot my phone, so I don't have any photos to submit.
PAUL SHERMAN
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
Mile 21 looks about the same as it has for the past 10 years.
Paul Sherman
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
I saw 2 coyotes, 1 grey fox, and 5 brown pelicans, in addition to many western gulls.
PaulSherman
Mile 21
Pistol River SP south
No violations or unusual environmental damage noted.
PaulSherman