Where’s Moby Dick when you need him?

Today was less windy than yesterday, but it rained most of the morning, and became partly cloudy by late afternoon.

While scanning Landing Lights Beach for shorebirds this morning, I spotted a carcass of some type being prodded by gulls several hundred yards up the beach. I hiked up to there and found a giant squid! It was at least twelve feet long from tip to tentacle. The second photo below shows my boot-print for size comparison.

Giant Squid, Landing Lights Beach, 09/25/12

Giant Squid, Landing Lights Beach, 09/25/12

We cruised around Clam Lagoon and spent some time at the seawall. The Emperor Geese had moved out to one of the small rock outcroppings south of the seawall. We had a few loons and grebes, saw some shearwaters in the distance, but added nothing new.

The rain had let up enough by the time we came back around Clam Lagoon so that I could walk out the peninsula and marsh edge. The flock of Sanderlings was out on the flats. When I had seen them the other day at the Seawall Breaches, I noticed one that had not attained winter plumage yet. But he kept hidden behind the other birds, so I couldn’t get a shot of him. Well, today he was more exposed.

Sanderlings, Clam Lagoon, 09/25/12

As I rounded the first bend in the peninsula, a small sandpiper flushed and flew away. I couldn’t tell if it were a stint or maybe one of the Westerns that had been hanging around. The only other shorebirds out there today were three Rock Sandpipers. No stint or Westerns.

I returned from the peninsula and started walking down the marsh edge. I flushed and got good looks at (after they landed) six Pectoral Sandpipers. No other shorebirds.

Only two more days left to find something good…