Riding With The Ranger

Today we got a good introduction to our work area with a morning spent riding with our Ranger. We first drove an access road out to the beach on the south side of the Siltcoos River, then south on the beach as far as Tahkenich Creek and back.  Next we covered the area on the north side of the Siltcoos River which involved a tour the off-road campground, Driftwood II which left me with the impression of a combination refuge camp/circus, and then a drive north thru the off-road area and then back to the Siltcoos Beach Access parking lot.

Right off the bat as we were driving out to the beach we spotted a person walking in the DO NOT ENTER area in the Siltcoos Estuary.  That led to a training moment in how to track down and inform trespassers.

As we drove along the beach looking for Western Snowy Plovers, on the ocean side I saw these Harbor Seals.

This is one of two Western Snowy Plovers we saw.  This was taken from the vehicle through dirty windows while moving.  I will be hoping for better pictures as the days and weeks go by.