Beach Walk with Phil

Date: 2/28/2022

Hours: .5

Event: Dump run

Today a dead otter was reported at Mariner Park. I went to check it out and it was the same otter that we found last week. Therefore, I took it to the dump so that it wouldn't be reported again.

Date: 3/1/2022

Hours: 6

Event: Beach walk at Dimond Creek with Phil, level A data, sample collection

Turkey tail fungus.

Walking with Phil.

Today we met up with Phil, who I met last week, to go down to Diamond Creek to find dead otters since not a lot of people walk here/there haven't been any reports of otters here. This is where we went for my outdoor adventure class where I made the fire. We asked Phil if he knew Taz Tally, the instructor and photographer, and he's heard of his work but never met him. We also asked him if he knows Lee Post, or the bone man, my instructor from last semester who loves bones, and he said he did. He says he goes to him about every month to identify a bone he found. He has also found woolly mammoth teeth while walking the beach because they fall onto the beach as erosion occurs. As we were walking down the trail, Phil was telling us about plants, fungus, geography, and anything related to nature. He pointed out a turkey tail fungus that we found along the trail. In addition, we found a bird's nest which he told us was a built by a magpie. He said that they build their nest like a bird house where there is a small hole where the bird can exit/enter so that their young are protected from other bird predators. Check it out: Anatomy of a Magpie Nest – Feathered Photography.

Magpie nest.

Once we got on the beach, Phil pointed out a dead tree that he identified as a Western red cedar. He explained how these trees come from many miles away in places like British Columbia and get transported by rivers until they eventually wash up on these beaches.

Phil with Western red cedar.

He also talked to us about erosion and the geology of the bluffs that we were seeing as we were walking along the beach. He told us that, on occasion, moose fall off these bluffs or die of starvation on the beach. As he was telling us this, we happened to find a dead, juvenile moose.

Phil talking about the bluffs.

Dead, juvenile moose.

Sea otter scat with mussel shells.

Diarrhea-like sea otter scat.

We continued to walk and found a dead sea otter. There were mostly bones and skin remaining suggesting either eagles had eaten it, or it has been there for so long that it has started to decompose. Shortly after, we found another dead otter in the same condition. We found so many that had bones exposed and none of them had been reported. In total we found 9 dead otters. One of the last ones we found was good enough to take level A data and an Aimee swab. We also found a lot of scats on the beach that we could collect. Diondre did the swab while I collected the scat. Some of the scat appeared to be like diarrhea, so I tried to collect them to see if there is any difference as to why it is not as solid as the ones found at the docks.

Although there were a lot of dead otters, we also came across otter rafts. Phil said that he sees live otters around here all the time. He also says he sees otters that are old and grizzled, and sometimes appear to have endocarditis. In fact, we found a male otter sleeping that awoke when the tide came it. It appeared to be very skinny and was dragging its legs when entering back into the water. Its swimming behavior also appeared off. We saw another live otter on the beach as well as otter tracks.

Otter tracks.

After the otter went back into the water, we started to head back. We told Phil about the Semester by the Bay program and our internship, and he was really interested in knowing more about otters, the bay, and things happening around Homer. We told him about being a volunteer with the SeaLife center and told him we would send him papers. This also shows how important education is and that the public is interested in their community and the things that are happening in the bay. We also talked a little bit about how we wish that our internship has more direction. Our mentor doesn't give us specific tasks to do and sometimes we are lost with what to do. We are just having trouble finding hours and we haven't had clear direction on where we should be walking for beach walks or what materials education wise that we should be focusing on. Not having deadlines, for me, makes it hard for me to be motivated to do as much as I think I could do, and I think during the midterm meeting this is something to discuss.

Green rock.

On the way back, we found a bunch of juvenile glaucus winged gulls and some cormorants on a rock. We also found some yellow cedar bark. Phil had us smell it because he likes the smell of it. I didn't like it, but Diondre thought it was great. I found a cool green rock and Phil told me that, in Hawaii, there are sometimes green gems in the lava of volcanos called olivine. Check it out: What Are Those Green Gems in Kilauea's Lava? (treehugger.com).

Diondre smelling yellow cedar.

Cormorants and otters.

When we got to the hiking trail, Phil asked if we wanted to take a shortcut over the bluff. We agreed and we hiked through the rose bushes. It was quite steep, but we managed to make it up to the top. The view was spectacular! Phil told us that we could eat the rose hips, which I did, as well as devil's clubs, which is also used for medicinal purposes. We were super tired by the time we got to the car, but it was well worth it. After that we went to the school to put our samples in the fridge. Overall, it was fun learning from Phil and being able to find otters that haven't been reported before.

Climbing through the roses.

Rose hip.

View from above.

Next week

Our meeting we were supposed to have about the Marine Mammal Forum has been rescheduled to next week. In addition, next week is spring break so next week's blog will focus on the meeting.