Heightened Awareness

Ocean Shores (WA) COASSTers Don and Dalene are what I would consider to be ‘uber-volunteers’.  After retirement, they set out immediately to invest in multiple community organizations, engaging in projects they had always appreciated, but never had the time to entertain.   Happening upon COASST via volunteer colleagues, they jumped right in, being assigned one of the more active (in terms of dead birds) beaches in the area (South Taurus). Although Don and Dalene had taken an interest in birds when they first started sailing many years ago, the regular interactions with the coastal environment that are part of the program have opened up even more knowledge and awareness of the natural world. Now, they are tuned in like never before. Don shared of a recent experience on the water where a pair of Peregrine Falcons and their chicks were congregated nearby, the adults engaged in aerial antics, all the while folks passing by unaware of these magical birds in broad daylight.

Beaches in this part of Washington, like this one in the
southern part of the state, flatten out considerably
compared to their northern counterparts. Reminds me much
more of the beaches back home on the East Coast.

Dalene noted a habit she has acquired recently of catching the song of a passing bird in mid-conversation and 'tuning-out' her human counterparts to follow the avian audio train. This heightened awareness isn’t limited to birds, either. These COASSTers are also more attentive to the physical changes of the South Taurus landscape, the subtle shifts in weather, the phenology of bird migration, and the types and impacts of marine debris, especially plastic. Citizen science has allowed Don and Dalene to discover the world around them with fresh eyes, while opening up new avenues of exploration.