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I am writing this dispatch report for Coast Watch mile 330, Sunset Beach to document notable avifauna I observed during spring migration, which include 12 Ruddy Turnstone, 7 Black Turnstone, 3 Black-bellied Plovers along with Whimbrel, Semipalmated Plover, Western Sandpiper, and Dunlin. My photographs below show Black-bellied plovers in various plumages (winter vs. breeding). According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website: "Black-bellied plovers [in breeding plumage] are a dazzling mix of snow white and jet black, accented by checkerboard wings." Yet, the most exciting find of the afternoon was to observe a group of 12 (!) migrating Ruddy Turnstones working the wrack line on mile 330. First described by Swedish Biologist Carl Linneaus in 1758, the Ruddy Turnstone is a stout shorebird with bright orange legs, bright reddish/brown back, and a strikingly patterned black-and-white head and chest. They breed in the arctic tundra, migrating along rocky shorelines. I saw this flock foraging on the high tide wrack line. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "they use their stout, slightly upturned bill to flip debris on the beach to uncover insects and small crustaceans." I have never seen that many Ruddy Turnstones together at one beach locality, so this was a special moment for me. It also underscores the importance of driving responsibly on this mile of beach so as not to disturb long-distance migrating shorebirds, who are fueling up for their long journey and are in need of a safe place to feed, called "staging areas" (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2023). Also noted on the beach feeding on a dead seal carcass was a juvenile bald eagle (see photo below). This bald eagle plumage transformation is indicative of a bird around three years of age with the characteristic residual brown eye stripe and a mostly white feathered head.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Tide Level: 1.9 feet.

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All Mile 330 Reports

Showing 8 of 18 reports

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

May 4, 2024

I am writing this dispatch report for Coast Watch mile 330, Sunset Beach to document notable avifauna I observed during spring migration, which include 12 Ruddy Turnstone, 7 Black Turnstone, 3 Black-bellied Plovers along with Whimbrel, Semipalmated Plover, Western Sandpiper, and Dunlin. Also noted on the beach feeding on a dead seal carcass was a juvenile bald eagle (see photo below).

sultanym

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

April 27, 2024

An early morning walk on mile 330 with overcast skies, rain, and moderate wind revealed few humans (mainly people clamming at the low tide) yet significant marine debris along the wrack line.

sultanym

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

September 26, 2023

Three NPS staff went out to do a beach clean up and coast walk.

LEWI

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

July 5, 2023

We went out to do a beach clean up with the intention of walking our full mile.

LEWI

decorative elemnt for a coastwatch report.

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

June 21, 2023

Three Lewis and Clark National Historic Park employees went and walked the mile to pick up garbage and complete the survey.

LEWI

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

March 21, 2023

It was a sunny, clear day.

LEWI

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

December 21, 2022

On the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2022 at an outgoing 5ft tide, three people surveyed Mile 330 for an hour.

LEWI

Mile 330

Sunset Beach, Sunset Lake

September 21, 2022

There were many birds, living and dead (9), seen on the mile of beach.

LEWI