Mile 287 - Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2 - May 12, 2019

Report Details

A beautiful Mother's Day at the coast - overcast/partly cloudy skies with light winds and a moderate temperature made for very pleasant conditions. There was one jogger whose running right along the surf line disturbed the large numbers of whimbrels that were feeding in the shallow surf; all the other folks we saw were walking or running closer to the foredune and appeared to be enjoying the lovely day and the feeding shorebirds as much as we were. The spring/summer reaccumulation of sand has begun to fill in some of areas of erosion we had seen at our last visit and there was very little trash visible anywhere on the mile. All in all, another good visit to Mile 287!

Conditions

Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 2.5 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 27. Number of dogs: 6. Walking or running: 26. Fishing: 1. Other Activities: At least 6 of those walking were leaving the beach carrying large backpacks and pulling wagons of camping gear.. Most of the folks on the beach were walking slowly and enjoying the pleasant day. There were also several joggers, one of whom was running right along the edge of the water where large flocks of whimbrels were feeding in the surf. His running frightened the birds and forced them into flight.

Concerns

Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 18.

Notable Wildlife

Saw several large flocks of whimbrels feeding along the surf line; counted between 80-100 of them in the largest grouping. Have never seen whimbrels on this mile before.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. Noted greater than usual numbers of skeletons of pacific sand crabs in the drift line and on the sand along the surf line.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces.

C Nelson

CoastWatcher

All Mile 287 Reports

Date

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Mile 287

Bayocean Peninsula north of Bayocean site 2

March 17, 2024

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