Chocomount Beach @ 1:21pm: The path towards the beach shows signs of a previous tidal surge furiously pounding towards the parking lot area. The pond on the western end has breached- tons of rocks have been sucked back towards the sea.
This small snapping turtle was seen on the apron of the 1st green.
Monday October 15@4:45pm: Hungry Point on the Island’s northern side is a major haul-out location for Harbor seals from Fall till late spring time. This year the seals arrived earlier than last and were observed basking in the sun’s warmth mid September.
I count 88 seals this evening. Coyote tracks are noted going westward along the small beach.
Wednesday October 10 around noontime: Winds have picked up considerably and rain whips sideways from the north. While surveying South beach I note the beach is vacant of any sea going birds .The neighborhood crows peck away at low tide’s tidbits This is the time of year when flocks of Herring Gulls and Great Black-Backed Gulls hunker down on the Golf Course sand traps and putting greens awaiting a vigorous round of “Gullf”
Some of us dream of finding a message in a bottle, you imagine during your life’s journeys along countless beaches of perhaps finding one. You imagine your reaction will be a joyous burst of laughter, that you will look upwards and thank the universe aloud for a nudge to journey on and the “hug” that reminds you of being in just the right place at the right time….and then I realize I am not imagining.
On this day of discovery I am in awe of the extraordinary coincidence of finding a message in a bottle thrown into the sea from Long Island only 4 minutes after receiving a text from Long Island.
I send along a hand written letter via postal mail to 12 year old Colton Barrett of Westbrook, CT who two weeks ago launched his message while on Long Island.
Saturday October 6: It is a spectacular fall morning, the sky putting on its bright and bluest face. One of those days when you look south across to Block Island you imagine that Island’s Salt Pond stretches for miles, or that there are actually two islands, and that sandy cliffs are a stone’s throw…all illusion without binoculars.
I try at least a couple times a month to venture along the outer coast of West Harbor, rock hopping precariously when the tides are extremely low.
Today I spy 14 Harbor Seals clumped together on the Big & Little “Clumps” off to the north side towards Noank, CT. The low tide and warm boulders provide a perfect haul-out for the seals to bask on- in their familiar “banana” pose.
King Fishers are abundant this year-chattering while they escort me deeper into West Harbor. There were particularly strong winds this past week so I am curious to see what debris the blankets of eel grass have draped ashore. After an hour or so of surveying the field of old boat remains, buoys, plastic bottles, ropes, beer cans, Bic lighters, deflated birthday balloons, tangled ribbon, fishing line, lures, flip-flops, etc, etc. I decide to go home. So much trash-but alas a treasure……
8:21am:
Stretching from log to rock then to boulders, I must be positioned perfectly because I receive connectivity from my cell phone (I rarely do out in the field) and smile at a beautiful text sent from a loved one in Long Island.
September 17 Evening @ Race Point: The Monarch butterflies are still very prevalent in numbers here. The Golden Rod seems to be a flower of choice this warm eve. Sunlight and shadows this time of month are my favorite. I am learning different seaweed types and note that the Irish moss, Sea Lettuce and Knotted Wrack appear healthy here.