High surf has been pounding the beaches, they appear much smaller in winter as sand is carried to offshore bars. Safety first, do no turn your back on the waves and walk halfway up the beach, not near the water.
A pair of coyotes were spotted at South Beach approaching the small colony of elephant seals below the Lighthouse cliffs; perhaps to scavenge some dead pups. As the population of coyotes increases in West Marin, they have been taking advantage of seal pups on the beaches as an easy meal. These two were deflected by the size of the male seals in the area and decided to dine elsewhere. The seal colonies are flourishing with some loss of pups due to the high surf.
Lovely weather last Saturday reassured us that gray whales are passing, over 20 were seen under the clear skies at the point; the highest count for any day this season. They return in a month or so, More sightings are likely in March with February being the lull in sightings.
Marin County Open Space rangers will be leading a walk at Abbots Lagoon on Sunday, January 31 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; lot’s of resting birds and a possibility to see the freshwater otters who have a den there.
This weekend is the fifth annual ‘Fungus Fair’ with walks beginning at 10:00 am on Saturday, January 30 at the Bear Valley Visitor Center; Sunday, January 31 a display of fungi may be viewed at the Visitor Center.
Winter in Point Reyes often focuses on the wildlife. And the Park Service is partnering with local organizations to present a special week of events that focuses on wildlife and the area’s maritime heritage. Activities include field trips, slideshows, films, talks, volunteer field events, and special dinners.
Events denoted by an asterix (*) are hosted by local businesses and need additional reservation or payment. Space is limited. See the Special Events
Hosted by Local Businesses RSVP and Contact information below for more details.
Saturday, January 16 *9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. PRNSA Field Seminar, Drawing Nature’s Contours with Joan Hoffmann
Sunday, January 17 1:30 p.m., Gray whale interpretive talk & viewing at Point Reyes Lighthouse with rangers
Monday, January 18 *11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., Naturalist led kayak tour of Giacomini Wetlands, Blue Waters Kayak
4:00 p.m., Slideshow on marine protected areas and film: A Sheltered Sea (23 min) at Bear Valley Visitor Center
Tuesday, January 19 11:00 a.m., Films: Acid Test (15 min) and Our Synthetic Sea (22 min) at Bear Valley Visitor Center
2:00 p.m., Volunteer Event: Beach Cleanup at Drakes Beach
*5:00 p.m., Plate of Brass historical controversy talk with Edward Von der Porten and Dinner at Drakes Beach Café
Wednesday, January 20 11:00 a.m., Slideshow on the history of the Point Reyes Peninsula with historic photos at Bear Valley Visitor Center
2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m., Maritime Radio Historical Society open house at North District Operations Center
7:30 p.m., Talk on using underwater technology to explore Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary at the Red Barn Classroom; coffee and dessert provided
Thursday, January 21 1:00 p.m., Talk by Ralph Shanks on Life-Saving Service at Historic Lifeboat Station
2:00 p.m., Field trip, guided walk by marine mammal biologist to Elephant Seal viewing sites at Chimney Rock
*6:00 p.m., David McGuire’s shark films and discussion with dinner at the Farm House Restaurant
Friday, January 22 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Hike to Abbotts Lagoon & Habitat Restoration. RSVP to Theo Michaels, 415-464-5223 or by email
3:30–5:00 p.m., Talk and Film, Setting aside the Marin coast: Amy Meyer, conservationist & Nancy Kelly, documentary filmmaker, with showing of Moments in Time at Bear Valley Visitor Center
*5:30 p.m., Reception with Amy Meyer and Nancy Kelly at the Station House Café
Saturday, January 23 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Stream Team volunteer opportunity with coho salmon and steelhead trout program
Friday–Sunday, January 22–24 *7:00 p.m. Friday–4:00 p.m. Sunday, PRNSA Field Seminar, Photographing Birds with Oliver Klink
Special Events Hosted by Local Businesses RSVP and Contact information
Saturday, January 16 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
PRNSA Field Seminars
Drawing Nature’s Contours with Joan Hoffman
Price: $95 ($90 for PRNSA members)
To register, call: 415-663-1200 ext. 373
http://www.ptreyes.org
Monday, January 18 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Blue Waters Kayak
Naturalist-led Tomales Bay Giacomini Wetlands Tour
Price: $88 (10% of proceeds will benefit the Point Reyes National Seashore Association)
To sign-up, call: 415-669-2600 or (888) 5GO-BAJA
http://www.bwkayak.com
Tuesday, January 19 5 p.m.
Drakes Beach Café
“Plate of Brass” historical controversy with speaker Edward Von der Porten and prix fixe dinner
Price: $50
To RSVP (capacity: 35), leave a message at: 415-669-1297
Thursday, January 21 6 p.m.
Farm House Restaurant
Shark films and discussion with documentary filmmaker David McGuire and prix fixe dinner
To RSVP (capacity: 48), call: 415-663-1264
Friday, January 22 5:30 p.m.–6:15 p.m.
The Station House Café
Join acclaimed author and conservationist Amy Meyer and award-winning filmmaker Nancy Kelly for discussion, drinks & hors d’oeuvres following the Bear Valley Visitor Center “Moments in Time” event. Hors d’oeuvres & soft drinks from 5:30–6:15 p.m.
Price: $7.50 per person
No-host cocktails.
To RSVP, call: 415-663-1515
Dinner reservations recommended starting at 6:30 p.m. Group seating available.
To RSVP, call: 415-663-1515 or make online via OpenTable at www.stationhousecafe.com
Friday–Sunday, January 22–24 7 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Sunday
PRNSA Field Seminars
Photographing Birds with Oliver Klink
Price: $240 ($220 members for PRNSA members)
To register, call: 415-663-1200 ext. 373
For the last few years, there has been a pretty good controversy about the oyster farm located at Drakes Estero. The lease for the farm expires in a few years and battle lines have been drawn about the renewal of such a lease. Scott Shafer of KQED’s Forum moderated a lively debate among these guests:
Dianne Feinstein, U.S. senator
Dr. Corey Goodman, elected member of the National Academy of Sciences currently teaching anatomy and biochemistry at UCSF
Gordon Bennett, parks chairman with the Sierra Club’s Marin Group
Huey Johnson, president of the Resource Renewal Institute and former California secretary of resources
So far this year, one snowy plover nest is being monitored. Enclosures of string and metal fencing along the Great Beach are reminders of where they are attempting to nest, please avoid these areas, look for the annual closures signs especially from Kehoe Beach South to North Beach.
Springtime is also the beginning of annual bat monitoring – a healthy 212 Townsend Big eared bats in the first Olema Valley counts.
Spotted owl nest counts in older growth woods are also positive this year!
The usual sign of spring at Bear Valley – the gopher hunting great blue heron appeared last week.
This week is also peak harbor seal season – Bolinas Lagoon and the Estero Trail are good spots to observe from a safe distance. Or the newly repaired film at Bear Valley Visitor Center has some great images of onshore antics of these marine mammals.
New photography show at Bear Valley Visitor Center is nature images by Kevin Shea going up this week!
These are highlights from the National Park Service Park Wavelengths newsletter.
This weekend (Jan 18), we went out to Drakes’ Beach and saw some elephant seals up close and personal. One camped himself right next to parking lot; the one in the picture was about 3/4 miles south.
To see elephant seals at Point Reyes, get yourself to Drake’s Beach. From there, you can take the shuttle to Chimney Rock where 200+ seals are sparring, pupping, hanging. It’s a remarkable sight but you’re seeing it from a distance. At low tides (check Point Reyes tides) at Drakes’ Beach, you can probably see one of the loners hanging out as well.
Update: The National Park Service has produced a terrific video on the elephant seals. Check it out.
Turns out there is plenty to do in January in Point Reyes. On a nice, sunny day, the beaches and hikes are as pleasant as ever. Just bring another layer and get started a little earlier. Once the sun goes down early, it can get chilly.
But January also brings unique opportunities for those of us who want to see wildlife.
* Whale Watching from the Lighthouse and Chimney Rock. This is a popular enough event that the Park Service closes the road to the lighthouse point and runs buses from the Drakes Beach Visitors Center ($5 per person). While I have not ever caught site of a whale on these trips, I still enjoy the trip out to the point. The Park Service has a good page on whale watching from the point.
* Breeding Elephant Seals. I like to head out to Chimney Rock to watch the wales, because it is also possible that the elephant seals are on the beach hanging out and breeding. This year, they are out en masse! They are fun to watch as they lie and shift around in the sun. From the Chimney Rock parking lot, look for signs that direct you on a short trail heading south.
* Salmon Run. From mid-Dec to mid-January (over for 2008), SPAWN lead groups from the town of Lagunitas to find salmon that swam upstream and lay their eggs. The whole process is fascinating and newbies should take the tour as it can be difficult to find the salmon without an experienced eye. You can find out more at the SPAWN web site.
UPDATE: Nov 13, 2007, 5pm:In a email newsletter, the Audobon Canyon Ranch, which is located right on the Bolinas Lagoon, notes: ”despite news reports and our worst fears, indications to-date are that very little oil has reached the Bolinas Lagoon, and the threat to the Lagoon is abating.”
UPDATE: Nov 12, 2007, 9pm: The MarinIJ reports that most of the Point Reyes Peninsula was spared oil as winds and tides start to blow the oil back south. This means the beaches closer to the headlands may be resoiled. I spent a few hours on at North Beach today and all was normal (and beautiful) there.
UPDATE: Nov 11, 2007, 9pm: Reports that oiled bird have been spotted as far north as Drakes Beach. RCA Beach and Palomarin Beach (both in the southern tip of the Point Reyes Peninsula) have been closed to the public as a precaution. UPDATE: Nov 11, 2007, 1am: An inspirational story in the San Francisco Chronicle: On their own: In Bolinas, residents struggle to keep fragile lagoon safe. A quick excerpt:
The residents of Stinson Beach and Bolinas banded together Saturday with volunteer firefighters, local fishermen and county workers in a last-ditch attempt to protect the lagoon from oil contamination. There were no experts on oil booms, contractors, state or federal disaster relief workers…. It was the third day in a row the locals were left to their own devices, even as oil washed ashore on Stinson Beach, leaving speckles of tar in the sand.
UPDATE: Nov 10, 2007, 10am: The rangers at Point Reyes tell me that the spill have not reached the beaches yet, although they do expect it to happen. The booms to collect the oil are being put out at Drakes Bay to try to stop the oil before it reaches the shores.
The oil spill from the Cosco Busan container ship has affected the southern part of West Marin (esp the Headlands), but there have been reports of oil as far north as Stinson Beach and Bolinas Lagoon. The early focus has been cleanup and rescue of birds. The advice from bird experts regarding lay people trying to rescue birds have been mixed. The good folks at PRBO say: “Please do not collect oiled wildlife, the oil is toxic to handle. Collecting live birds without training can cause more harm than help and compromise their condition. Oiled LIVE mammals should be reported to the Marine Mammal Center at 415.464-5170. Oiled dead mammals should be reported to the California Academy of Science at 415.289.7325.”Volunteers have been referred to International Bird Rescue Research Center, where they do have some instructions for helping birds. Read up and use your best judgement if you encounter oiled birds in need.In the meantime, the Marin Independent Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle have good coverage of the spill. The Chronicle has put together this helpful map of the spill area. View Larger Map
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