Elk, and Weather, and Bad Planning

The elk were out in the field at Beaver Prairie Sunday morning.

Lake Crescent, morning after spring storm, March 14, 2010 (Click for larger image.)Faraway Elk, March 14, 2010 (Click for large image showing context.)

I had gone to do my regular beached-birds survey for COASST, but was not early enough to catch enough low tide for both segments; only walked the Rialto Jetty part, scrambling up and down the beach face and peering into the drift. No beached birds. A little marine debris. The riprap at the near end of the extended jetty has shifted around a bit, spread out (because the new sand pumped in just there by the dredger changed the profile?) All the big wood is moved around again, including the really giant log near the trail from the parking lot. I heard a high-surf warning on the radio a few days ago, but assumed vaguely it couldn't mean much so late in the winter. Well.

James Island from Rialto Jetty, March 14, 2010. (Click for larger image.)

Then sat on a log and watched the tide come in, and in; then drove around to La Push to look for whales at First Beach. Weather was far too windy and rough to see whale blows, and though I looked anyway I didn't try very hard; mostly sat in the car reading or scanning with binoculars, hopping out in the blowing raindrops now and then to take pictures. I'll have to go back next weekend when the weather and tides are more cooperative, to survey the Ellen Creek beach, and look for whales again.

First Beach view of the ocean, full of white caps and little breakers that look like whale blows (Click for larger image.)For the Readers Who Like to Listen to the Surf (Click for larger image.)

These images are all dark. The day was like that.