McNear's Beach - Mar. 19, 2010

Walking Distance: 1.0 mile (as far as possible, from one end of the park to the other)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 49 minutes (between 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., including breaks, re-parking car)
Start and End Point: 1.) Beach Parking lot ($8.00 use fee); 2.) unpaved lot by park entrance/exit.


It was a beautiful day to explore McNear's Beach Park. There were very few people on the day (Friday) that I was there. Although, judging for the long line of portable restrooms I saw in the overflow parking lot, I'd say they were ready to handle larger crowds or events. This is one of the better beaches on the Bay. There were birds on the water, shells, and evidence of crabs on the beach. The fishing pier was closed, but a few rod-and-reelers were trying their luck close to shore.


Lesson Learned (again): Never, ever walk without the camera. Once again, some remarkable photographic pleasure unfolded in front of me, and I was unable to capture the image. In this case, in the 10-minute walk I took without my camera, I saw a herd (technically a rafter or gang) of wild turkeys walking through the woods, near the road, about 15 feet from me. The largest male looked like the kind we made in grade school by tracing our hands, and using brightly colored construction paper. Alas, no picture.

I also walked outside of the park, as far as the entrance to the Quarry, off Pt. San Pedro Road.

Wildlife Sightings:
44 ducks; 5 Canada geese; 1 large dredge?/sea crane? by (closed) fishing pier; 1 beehive? in tree/bush (I didn't investigate - just heard buzzing); 5 crows; 3 sea gulls; 7 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 cormorant; 1 unidentified brownish shorebird; 7 wild turkeys; 3 red-winged blackbirds; and 1 hummingbird on telephone wire. Partial credit for two deer that I took a picture of, but didn't see until I looked at photograph later.