MudNCrud Forums
Sitting and Day Dreaming => Mud Puddle => Topic started by: clink on December 04, 2021, 08:35:49 AM
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A few months ago I joined the Beachcombers volunteers surveying a local beach, overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sharon McGuire, a twenty year volunteer has been mentoring me. The surveying is quite fascinating and has captivated my interest.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51720351045_d2a290c8eb_z.jpg)
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Beachcombers began surveying over 20 years ago with 22 volunteers working 11 beaches in the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. It now encompasses beaches from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles Counties and has around 90 volunteers collecting data.
There are beaches locally that need volunteers, if anyone is interested.
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Pics from yesterday's survey;
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51724477324_3a923d839c_z.jpg)
Our starting point of Del Monte Beach.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51724698205_3cb63f9f1a_z.jpg)
A Mola mola, one of the few fish we record.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51724066923_2d28b475bd_z.jpg)
A Brandt's Cormorant
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51723009717_d2d39c404f_z.jpg)
A sea lion carcass, found originally in October's survey.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51723011987_5f97fd6a43_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51724070868_793bce5397_z.jpg)
identifying a Common Murre(#5 on the chart)
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51723013797_9ba98cc841_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51724474954_6103120f02_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51724072883_129e895bdf_z.jpg)
This is an unidentified(as to a volunteers expertise) Marine Mammal(MM), a Pinniped(PINN), most likely a sea lion.
Noted as:
MM 1st photo
PINN
0/1 twine
Unidentified Pinniped
Decomposing
Scavenged
145-160cm length (no head or tail)
36.606'N 121.867'W
The survey APP is cool. You check boxes(which has enormous appeal to some and can be addictive) and can make observation notes, record your current GPS location, and take a pic of the subject.
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Very cool, thanks for sharing.
The house on the VERY edge of the cliff in your last photo definitely caught my attention too.
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Kink, we will have to meet up in Monterey sometime for a few beverages.
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Thanks, I really do look forward to going.
The house on the seawall grabbed my attention too. I had only had only seen it from a distance and had no idea that the condo's were constructed as such.
F4, I was going to put this on your Diving topic page, thinking that it correlated. What happened to it? Let me know when you are coming to Monterey next.
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Depends on my pinnacles agenda...which is hard to balance with the nice ocean conditions.
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carnage
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Great appetite suppressant.
Watch you don't burn that Flikr candle at both ends.
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Non-carnage pics at Garrapata beach.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795762731_71efbe4561_z.jpg)
-1.8 low tide yesterday
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794816262_acc6461b41_z.jpg)
Walk the Plank in the sun, for those who boulder there.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796495880_7a47d9e33c_z.jpg)
Only two birds found, one had a small amount of tar on it.
Del Monte Beach survey is tomorrow.
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Cool window in that outcrop.
Walk the Plank looks pretty friable - does it slant up and lead to the corner/exit (decent sandstone?) - at least the landing looks good.
Great reflection shot - nice catch.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800772774_2254a1fdfd_z.jpg)
Here is another view of Walk the Plank. The sand is low now so it is probably 20 feet . Goes through the tapered rectangle shaped shadow. Off balance. Munge would like.
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Del Monte Beach survey today.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799452552_f0b8d56a18_z.jpg)
26 of the 33 birds we found today were Northern Fulmars. Much higher rate of death than normal.
"When under attack from predatory eagles, the fulmar chick will projectile a stream of putrid bright orange vomit at the intruder." These birds stink!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800398276_b29cd452c1_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799453927_9bf8cfaa30_z.jpg)
Seafoam bubbles from heavy surf.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800765734_9066199844_z.jpg)
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Trivia for the day:
Fulmar was the name of a British World War Two carrier based fighter airplane. It wasn't a very good fighter, but it could land and take off from a carrier at sea.
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Under 10 birds, the lowest found since I started! There are a lot of factors affecting this including tides, molting, breeding and migration. Much to learn.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51863621058_4492a9b436_z.jpg)
This guy/gal's corpse isn't aging as well as Brad's legs.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51863867619_5047648c16_z.jpg)
The end of our beach/survey when going south to north to avoid the afternoon sun in our eyes. I wonder if Aaron was one of the human birds above the horizon on Tuesday?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51862579192_126275440f_z.jpg)
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Looks like horrible weather!
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Looks like horrible weather!
The climate here sucks, the Central Valley on the other hand...
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...this guy/gal's corpse isn't aging as well as Brad's legs.
I show this shit to Vicki and I'm not sure whether she's laughing at you or with you.
Maybe both.
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I show this shit to Vicki and I'm not sure whether she's laughing at you or with you.
Maybe both.
You really should donate your body to science.
Where Vicki and I may differ is that I'm somewhat jealous of your legs, but I suppose we both might be the same in that when I consider you as a whole, I want to hug you and tell you "It's going to be okay".
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On the March survey we had a new volunteer accompany us, as an observer.
1 marine mammal and 61 birds recorded on Del Monte beach, which was quite a bit more than the previous high of 35 in the 6 months I have been participating.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51914596067_fa83c6ab34_z.jpg)
This guy/gal is not a marine mammal even though it may have wanted to be, similar to human surfers. He was not reported(if we found a human surfer in similar condition, we would report it). Nice teeth though. Probably was about to get married and got cold feet.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51915662228_7102637ea8_z.jpg)
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This thread should either be Quest for Corpses (Special Edition) or Try Not to Lose Your Lunch (I guess that would be breakfast for you).
Appetite Control could work too. You could start the next great weight loss program.
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That made me laugh. Yes, it takes getting used to. The weight loss part is lacking evidence on my frame
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For the June survey I filled in for a team on Zmumdowsi Beach, which runs from the Moss Landing Jetty to the mouth of the Pajaro River.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52126641122_58cea3e64b_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52126642337_05575a7323_z.jpg)
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We found an elephant seal, which was a first for me, has claw-like nails on it's flippers. These are used primarily for scratching itches. I wonder if they can catch poison oak?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52127906909_6c2d11da1b_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52127668381_db260a76b2_z.jpg)
The birds were sampling a passing school of fish.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52126646432_7ba62e7576_z.jpg)
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Those are some good shots.
I like the feeding frenzy and the fisherman.
Now I feel a million miles away.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52585548326_67da886d04_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52571507580_f44d3708c8_c.jpg)
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Yesterday we went out on the bay whale watching. It's amazing to watch the feeding of the sea lions, birds and whales.
The survey this month was routine.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52585983300_e3be0bbde1_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52585570836_d176843f7e_z.jpg)
BTW, is it just me or is the breaching whale giving the finger to us whale watchers?
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he is!
WTF, yer getting soft there Klink.
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That first breach shot is great.
I could have done without seeing the dead bird just after breakfast but I knew it was a possibility given the history of this thread.
What do you mean "getting" soft F4? I think he may have been out climbing less than I have in the past almost 2 years and he can see clearly!
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I have a gorilla index now.
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With the avian flu outbreak, we don’t handle or clip the birds until further notice.
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nice pics