Tag Archives: safety

What’s Washed In – February 6, 2015

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Hi COASSTers,
Thank you for all of your great emails, photos, and datasheets recently.  We really appreciate all of your efforts, especially with the Cassin’s Auklet wreck. For the 11th week running, Cassin’s Auklets still WAY outnumber other species on COASST surveys – you can view the updated graphic with December’s numbers here.

For Oregon COASSTers headed out this weekend, be aware that there is a potential “damaging wind storm” in the forecast for Sunday afternoon. Remember, your safety is always the #1 priority! Please avoid surveying if it is dangerous.

If you do have nice weather on your next survey, however, we’d love your help with a special project. COASST is looking to create a collection of high quality beach photos featuring you!

If you have a chance on your next survey to take a few photos of you or your survey partner/team with your beach in the background, we would love to gather these for future use on the new COASST website or in COASST presentations.

Hope you all have a great weekend! We can’t wait to see your photos!

Let’s take a look a what’s washed in lately:

Puale Bay (AK) 7/20/14 found by Susan, Jacob, Carrick, Jaime, and Sarah

Bill: 53 mm

Wing: 27.5 cm

Tarsus: 61 mm

Alaska Foot Key – page 34
West Coast Foot Key – page 22
Choose webbed (go to Q2), choose completely webbed (go to Q3), choose 4 toes, all webbed (Pouchbills: STOP).

Alaska Guide
On PB1, select wing chord less than 35cm. This bird doesn’t have a tan or orange chin, so it’s a Pelagic or Red-faced cormorant. Completely dark bill = Pelagic!

West Coast Guide
On PB1, bypass pelicans (bill larger than 10cm = 100mm) and move to cormorants. Dark chin and dark bill = Pelagic

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.Fort Flagler West (WA) 1/18/15 found by Nancy

Bill: 26 mm

Wing: 12 cm

Tarsus: 25 mm

Alaska Foot Key – page 34
West Coast Foot Key – page 22
Choose free (go to Q9), choose three toes, all front (Shorebirds: 3-toed: STOP).

Alaska Guide
On SB1, we have either a Black Oystercatcher (SB10) or Sanderling (rare). Black Oystercatcher is WAY too large – plumage and bill are not a match. Stick with the Sanderling.

West Coast Guide
At SB1, we’re left with Sandering (SB4), plovers and Black Oystercatcher (rare). Turns out, this IS a Sanderling – straight, black bill, dark wrist and wingtips.

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 Debris or not debris? That is the question…in the case of the mysterious “plastic strings” that Virginia and Jean often find in their marine debris samples at South Ocean (WA). After seeing these survey photos, Hillary was curious about their origin and identity. Virginia and Jean kindly sent samples into the COASST office, where we were all perplexed. Review under a microscope revealed that the strings had cell structures, indicating that they were likely actually dried up plant or algae material. Suspecting that they might be a seagrass or something similar, intern Ruth took the magnified images below and sent them, along with a few samples to a team of seagrass experts at Friday Harbor Labs.

Their conclusion? Sun bleached and dried Bur-reed, latin genus Sparganium, a plant closely related to cat-tails.  Mystery solved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not everyday that you see a fish washed in with another fish in its mouth! Take a look at the sculpins that Tasha and Chuck found at Spring Creek (AK). Sculpins are benthic, or bottom dwelling fish that can be found in a wide variety of habitats in both fresh and saltwater. While some sculpins are just centimeters in length like the ones pictured here, other species (of the 300+) can reach about 60 cm (or ~2 ft!).
Have you seen something on your beach you’ve always wondered about? Send us a photo!

What’s Washed In – January 14, 2015

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Hi COASSTers,

Happy 2015! Hope you’re all enjoying the start of the new year. Over the past few weeks, we’ve received many photos and datasheets documenting the wreck of Cassin’s Auklets. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and extra efforts.  We know it’s been a busy time, and we really appreciate all that you’ve done to help.

For more information on the Cassin’s Auklet wreck, check out our updated COASST news page. Here you can find links to a summary, updates on the blog, and recent news articles.

Also, for those of you who send in photos on a flash drive or memory card:
We’re sad to report that over the past few weeks, we’ve received a few envelopes with a slit in the side and missing media.  Your photos are extremely important to us! When sending in your media, if you could possibly wrap it in extra paper or padding to reduce to likelihood of loss, that would be fantastic. Thanks for your understanding.

Let’s take a look at what’s washed in recently:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mosquito Creek (WA) 12/14/14 found by Mike and Chiggers

Bill: 37 mm
Wing: 22 cm
Tarsus: 48 mm

Alaska foot key (page 34), West Coast foot key (page 22):
Webbed (go to Q2), completely webbed (go to Q3), 4 toes, 3 webbed, 4th free (go to Q5), tarsus not more than 12mm across (go to Q6), 4th toe shape is loped, w/ flap extending to nail – Waterfowl: Diving Ducks (WF1). Bill does have knob at bill base and extending towards nostril, which means we have a scoter or an eider.

Alaska guide:
We can eliminate White-winged Scoter (WF5) – no white in wing, and wing chord is too large. Feathers continue along top of bill, so Black Scoter (WF7) is out too. The bill does not match the shape or size of either the King, Common or Spectacled Eider, so this is a Surf Scoter – a female, because the bill is dark.

West Coast guide:
We can eliminate White-winged Scoter (WF3) – no white in wing, and wing chord is too large. Feathers continue along top of bill, so Black Scoter (WF17) is out too. The only other scoter in the guide is a Surf Scoter – this is a female because the bill is dark.

Coronado Shores (OR) 12/14/14 found by Steven and Nancy

Tarsus: 22 mm

Alaska foot key (page 34), West Coast foot key (page 22):
Lobed (go to Q14), multiple lobes, small tarsus <30mm: Shorebirds: Phalaropes (SB1). With a single foot, we can’t get any farther.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily, Nancy and Steven found more than just a foot!

Bill: 22 mm
Wing: 14 cm

With this additional evidence and the shape of the bill (wide, not needle-like), this is a Red Phalarope, not its cousin, the Red-necked Phalarope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fireworks, shotgun shells and wads…explosives and their components are not uncommon finds on the beach, but during his Dry Lagoon survey on Nov 22, Rich found an object with the words: “hazardous materials, contact police or military”, seen in the images above. “Marine location markers” like this one do show up on beaches occasionally. Launched from aircraft, they are designed to emit smoke and flames once they hit the water. This one was removed by the local Sheriff’s Office, who believe it originated in Canadian waters off British Columbia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not every day you see bright orange teeth on the beach! Here’s a photo of the beaver that Patty found on her December 26th survey at Oregon Mile 255. How does a beaver cut through wood so efficiently? Since their incisors are harder on the front than on the back, the back of these teeth wear down more quickly, making a sharp cutting edge.

Have you seen something on your beach you’ve always wondered about? Send us a photo!

Cheers,
Erika, Julia, Jane, Hillary, Charlie, Heidi, Jenn, and the COASST Interns