Mile 269 - South of Cape Lookout, Camp Meriwether north, Rover Cr - January 26, 2009

Report Details

A chilly but gorgeous sunny day on 269. I arrived mid-afternoon at mid-tide as it was going out. Not a soul in sight. There was very little to be found on the beach. The beach was scoured clean save for large hunks of styrofoam and 1 dead pelican. Very little trash was found save a couple of water bottles. Very few shells or sea life was washed up and only a small amount of kelp and seaweed could be seen.Some sand has been washed away during the recent storms. The tree house that I talked about in the last report has been destroyed with the wood remnants scattered all about.One new rockslide has happened where a small waterfall/creek has been working on the cliff for some time. A few dump trucks' worth of rock and dirt are at the base of the creek. The slide started about 100 ft. above the beach.There was an Osprey cruising around the beach on this visit as well. Always fun to see a raptor in the area.

Conditions

Temperature: 47 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 1.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 3. Number of dogs: 1. Surfing: 3. The beach was empty during the several hours I spent there. Three surfers were leaving as I was arriving at the trailhead.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 2.

Notable Wildlife

Osprey

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. One dead pelican at the storm tide mark. Dead maybe a week, tops.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Styrofoam, Wood pieces.

Man-made Modifications

remnants and signs of surfer camping at beach edge.

Natural Changes

Landslides/major boulder falls. New rockslide beginning at top of cliff 100 ft up where seasonal creek/waterfall exists.

Actions & Comments

Some sand has been removed by the winter's storms. At mid-tide there were a lot more exposed rocks with a steeper beach incline compared to early autumn 08.