Mile 287 Report
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
January 9, 2025
A wonderful day on mile 287; sunny, relatively warm, light breeze.
Report Details
A wonderful day on mile 287; sunny, relatively warm, light breeze. There weren't many folks out and those that were spent their time walking beside the surf. There was very little trash in evidence, and relatively few birds as well: only a few gulls, a couple ravens, and one bald eagle. Most notable observation was the presence at the high tide line of a fairly fresh carcass of what I initially thought was a seal, but was later identified as a juvenile steller sea lion. There didn't appear to be significant impact from the recent king tides and winter storms, with little evidence of erosion or waves overtopping the foredune.
Conditions
Temperature: 59 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 1.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 11. Number of dogs: 7. Walking or running: 11. Gorgeous, sunny winter day. Folks were strolling along beach, apparently enjoying the lovely weather.
Notable Wildlife
Nice to see a mature bald eagle perched in the trees behind the dunes at the midpoint of the mile.
Stranded Marine Mammals
Carcass of what was identified as a juvenile steller sea lion encountered at north end of the mile; reported using stranded marine mammal report and provided photos and GPS coordinates.
Driftline Content
Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces. Very little human debris encountered on beach.
Natural Changes
Based on observations from prior years, had expected to see more evidence of erosion and wave overtopping from earlier king tides than I observed today.
C Nelson
CoastWatcher
All Mile 287 Reports
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
A wonderful day on mile 287; sunny, relatively warm, light breeze.
C Nelson
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
The cloudy marine layer that was present when we first arrived eventually burned off, providing us with a pleasant but breezy sunny afternoon for our visit. 1) We encountered an intact hull of a fiberglass boat on the mid-section of the mile; photos and location information was provided to the State Park Ranger so it could be retrieved from the beach. 2) There had been a massive influx of velella velella (by-the-wind sailors) washed ashore several days before our visit. 3) Given the number of folks in the parking area when we arrived, we had expected to see more folks on mile 287 but encountered just a typical number of visitors. 4) There was more detritus on the beach than we've seen in recent previous visits.
C NELSON
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
A lovely, busy day at the beach on this sunny, late summer SOLVE clean up day.
C Nelson
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
An absolutely gorgeous summer day -- warm, clear, sunny, light breeze.
C Nelson
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
We were disappointed that the SOLVE beach clean-ups have not been re-initiated following the pandemic, so decided to do our own.
C Nelson
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
The primary purpose of this visit was to observe the impact of the last of this winters king tides.
C Nelson
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
Remarkably clear smooth sand with small amount of driftwood pushed high up the beach.
JuliaH
Mile 287
Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2
A pleasant December afternoon.
C Nelson