low tide

Shift: AM South
Coffee of the Day: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
Bird of the Day: common tern
Invisi-Bird Status: I don't have updated numbers for this week but I do know from talking to biological staff that the nest near the south boundary (the one I was so excited about a couple of weeks ago) got predated.
Weird Wrack Item of the Day: half a pair of glasses (right half - just in case you see somebody walking around with the left half)
Refuge Biological Staff Sighted: 1
Coast Guard Assets Sighted: 0.

Periwinkle among the Barnacles

The tide was out. It was busy. There were already three people well into the closed area when I got there. I put my coffee down, called Gatehouse, and went after them. I hate chasing trespassers before coffee. Anyway, they claimed they didn't know the beach was closed other than at the boardwalks from the refuge parking lots. Fortunately, they left when I asked them to.  I commenced trying to mark the boundary with driftwood (there was no rope)  and got about halfway to the waterline before I gave up. My coffee was still hot so I enjoyed it and was well-caffeinated by the time I had to chase an out of control toddler running wild in the closed area.  Succeeded in yelling loud enough to get the mother's attention. Once the mother rounded the kid up, I explained the danger to plovers as well as to the kid. I am not a lifeguard.

Barnacles

Too busy to do much birding, but did watch large numbers of common terns flying around with small fish in their bills. Other observations included a killdeer actually acting like a shorebird -- foraging at the water line -- and a great black back that stole a bag of Lay's potato chips, opened it, and ate them. The great black back had to fight off several herring gulls to maintain control of the potato chips. This is not the first time I've seen a gull steal unopened bagged snacks and open them. Both herring gulls and great black backs do it. How they know there is food in the bag is beyond me.

When things calmed down a little, I had a few minutes to take photos in the tide pools.

Kelp with Barnacles

At least I think it's kelp.

Unidentified Moth in the Sand

Feather Looking Like a Moth

Barnacles and Perwinkles

Shells Covered by Incoming Tide