October 17, 2010

Report Details

Human Activities: About 35 people mostly walking alone or with dogs. Did see two people playing briefly in the surf despite the cold temperatures, and some were sitting up on the sand enjoying the sun. There were about 10 kites being flown, primarily on the beach directly off the car turn-around. Shoreline Wildlife: Lots of diatoms in the water as the immediate surf line was very brown, and there were lots of brown stains and bubbles located on the beach at the tide lines. Did observe one live Dungeness crab (who was subsequently preyed upon by a gull while being observed), but saw many (10-15) dead crabs which had all been eaten by various birds. As a result, many gulls and crows were present at the tide line. Pelicans were seen flying off-shore. Many shells from razor clams were also observed along the driftline. Physical Changes: The beach already looks quite different from the summer in regard to the landscape as it begins to transition into the winter stage. There was a higher amount of sand pushed against the dunes with a large vertical stretch of dry sand. All in all, a beautiful day at the beach with lots of sunshine on a lovely fall day!