A partial lunar eclipse may be seen tonight, fog permitting, beginning at 10 p.m. and reaching maximum eclipse at 1:20 a.m. A spell of very high 5.5- to 6-foot morning tides accompanies the full moon of Friday, Nov. 19.
As usual, the winter ocean scours sand off beaches, revealing rock formations along Drakes Beach and bits of shipwrecks along Limantour Beach that are usually covered with sand in summer. Winter storms also bring up piles of debris, sand dollars, crab shells and kelp along the wrack line at Drakes. A recent moment there gave me a chance to watch a seagull attempting to swallow a sea star: It took several swallows, a few spit-outs, and some repositioning to get it all down, all while other gulls lurked around, hoping to grab the meal. Gulls and shorebirds of all kinds are snatching and pulling apart Pacific mole crabs—small, pinkish-grey crabs typically buried in the sand and presenting as a small mound. As the tide rolls in, they reach out for food in the water; as the tide recedes, they burrow.
Park roads, trails and the Bear Valley Visitor Center are open on Thanksgiving Day. The visitor center will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the lighthouse stairs will be closed.