Pay special attention to what happens around the :36 second mark – note the sudden, dramatic shift in the clouds, changing rather suddenly as if its a “tide” of sorts.

Also watch the pilings in the foreground and try to determine how many different seagulls there are.

Then look for another change around 1:08 when the sky clears up, but you can see two variations of wind/cloud variations flowing:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Special thanks to Susan for taking the time to shoot this and send it to us!

If you have an interesting video of photo you’d like to share, please email us.

According to the state:

“Sample results show bacteria concentrations have dropped to background levels.

The swimming beach was previously closed on September 16, 2011 due to a sewage spill.”

For more info on area beach closures, visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/beach/

Using a PlantCam placed on top a cabana courtesy Barbara Clevenger, and shot at a rate of 1 frame every 30 seconds, this video was Produced/Edited by BTB Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer.

Look for:

• The rush to (and from) the Community Breakfast
• The kid’s procession
• When a Burien Police cruiser parks
• When the first band, Jaguar Paw, starts
• When the 3 Tree Point Blues Band starts
• Dancing in the street
• Sun setting (a black dot due to the weak digital chip in the camera)
• And…can you spot yourself?

(for best results, view at 720p in full-screen mode):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sounds good, huh?

Well, all was well and good until the engine caught fire, and according to an unidentified Burien/Normandy Park firefighter, “someone from the shore called the fire department, and here we all are.”

Three fire engines and a Medic One arrived at the scene Tuesday evening.

A few excited neighbors witnessed the boat and passengers coming to shore with no apparent injuries.

BTB Sales Diva Janet Grella lives on the beach and sent us the following photos:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A “High Wind Warning” is in effect until 8pm tonight, and here’s the latest alert from the National Weather Service:

Statement as of 3:05 PM PST on March 10, 2011

… High Wind Warning in effect until 8 PM PST this evening…

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a High Wind Warning which is in effect until 8 PM PST this evening. The Wind Advisory is no longer in effect.

* Some affected locations… Everett… Seattle… Tacoma… Olympia… North Bend… and Montesano.

* Winds… south winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts 60 mph until the early evening hours. Winds easing to 15 to 25 mph after 8 PM and to 10 to 15 mph after midnight.

* Impacts… winds this strong can cause some power outages as well as topple trees. The potential for downed trees is greater due to the saturated soils in the area.

Precautionary/preparedness actions…

A High Wind Warning means that a hazardous wind event is imminent or occurring. High winds can topple trees… down power lines… and destroy property.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: If you have a Video or Photos you'd like to share with our Readers, please email us!]

Photos and story by Michael Brunk

This past Saturday (Jan 1) the Environmental Science Center sponsored a free “Moonlight Beach Walk” at Seahurst Park.

This event brings the public together with trained naturalists in a unique opportunity to explore Seahurst Beach in the dark. With the sun down, the beach at low tide reveals sea creatures that normally hide during the day.

Past night-time beach walks have had up to 70 attendees and from the overflowing parking lot and groups continuing to arrive throughout the three hour event, they likely matched or beat that record.

Just seeing Seahurst Park at night is something of a rare treat since this area park closes early. The first impression I had driving in was that the park is really dark at night. For this event the only lights on in the park were at the bathrooms.

Leaving the warm car really drove home how bitterly cold the sub-freezing night was. Fortunately I keep gloves and a scarf in the car for these occasions!

Normally, the ESC has a nice fire going to provide some warmth for attendees but a Stage 1 Burn Ban eliminated that option. They still provided hot water for tea or hot chocolate and a few munchies though.

Once the event got under way, small groups accompanied by naturalist and equipped with lanterns and flashlights would head out onto the beach ready to explore.

Given the conditions and the logistics of lugging camera gear around the beach in the dark, I opted to focus on capturing the ambiance of the park at night rather than focus on individual details.

Dimly illuminated by the glow of distant houses and small pools of bobbing lights held by beach explorers, Seahurst in the dark is eerie yet beautiful. A fantastic opportunity for a photographer!

Here are a few more photos. You can click on individual photos in this story to view them larger.

Full moon over Lake Burien by Gregory Rehmke, 7/24/10.

Osprey and airplane at Lake Burien by Gregory Rehmke, 7/30/10.

Scuba Divers at Sunset at 3 Tree Point by Scott Schaefer, 8/5/10.

Have a great photo you’d like to share with our Readers? Please email us a pic with a width of 500 pixels and we’ll consider it!

I was recently at Seahurst Park for one of our beautiful summer sunsets. I was just setting up my tripod and camera when I noticed a woman and small child on a paddle board silhouetted against the setting sun. I quickly snapped a few shots and liked the results so much I was inspired to seek out other silhouettes during my session that evening.

Here are a few of the photos that I captured, I hope you enjoy them. You can click on any image below to view a larger version.

When these low tides happen, you’ll find volunteer naturalists at Seahurst Beach and Des Moines Beach. They’re part of a program run by the Seattle Aquarium.

From late May until early August, naturalists are available during scheduled days and hours to help visitors explore the beaches and learn more about the creatures that make this habitat their home.

We’ll experience another lower than average tide tomorrow just after noon. Beach naturalists will again be available from 10 AM until 2 PM. This is a great, free, family outing right here in our own community!

You can find out the dates that beach naturalists will be available at area beaches and get information on tides at the Seattle Aquarium website.

Photographer Michael Brunk was at Des Moines Beach today for low tide and captured these photos. Click on the image to advance through the slideshow.

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Burien’s Seahurst Park Beach was recognized Monday (May 24) by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) as a winner of its 2010 Best Restored Beach Award.

The Best Restored Beach Award pertains to Seahurst’s beach area south of the beach parking lot. The City of Burien and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teamed up for the initial phase of the restoration project in 2004, which cost $1.5 million. This work involved removing a 1,400-foot seawall, restoring the beach to its natural state and restoring the marine habitat for federally listed threatened species such as Puget Sound Chinook salmon. In 2008, the City completed $1 million more in habitat and recreation improvements to complete the south shoreline project including rebuilding trails, adding picnic areas, replacing the restroom, and revegetating the shoreline with native plants. The City and Corps are again partnering to restore the beach at the northern section of Seahurst, a project twice the size of the southern beach restoration project. Work is expected to get underway in fall 2011.

Seahurst Park stands in tall company with its Best Restored Beach Award. Only four beaches in the nation are given the award, two on each coast. Other winners include:

• Seal Beach, California
• Navarre Beach, Florida
• Corpus Christi, Texas

According to the ASBPA website:

The Seahurst Park Project is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-funded effort through a Project Partnership Agreement with the city of Burien. Seahurst Park’s South Shoreline restoration project has reinvigorated a park and a fragile ecosystem. The design has restored the physical connection between the natural beach and its sediment supply.

The restored beach supports federally listed threatened and endangered species such as Chinook salmon. Residents of Burien and other communities throughout the region visit Seahurst Park to learn about the environment and enjoy the park’s shorelines. The Corps’ Seattle District has completed a general investigation and feasibility study for Puget Sound restoration.

The project was the first one funded by the Corps’ “Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters” program and has effectively served as a prototype project for addressing many Puget Sound ecosystem restoration issues, including bulkheading and sediment supply.

Illustration of Seahurst Park Beach by Dave Branson.

“We are so proud to have Seahurst Park receive this recognition,” said Mayor Joan McGilton. “Seahurst is the crown jewel of our parks system, and one of the finest waterfront parks in the region. It’s a park people can love and it’s a park that is vital to the ecosystem of Puget Sound.”

The Mayor credited City staff, the Army Corps of Engineers, local and especially national elected officials.

“None of this would have been possible without the help of our congressional delegation in securing funding,” she added.

Federal funding accounted for a large portion of the $2.5 million total cost of the south shoreline project, including $272,000 from the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board. The project was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers, and Anchor QEA, Seattle based environmental consulting firm. The beach restoration also was supported by a partnership of 16 cities and King County that is working across city boundaries to restore the lands and waters of southern King County.

One of the primary goals of the restoration project was to help re-establish and enhance the habitat for the threatened Chinook salmon and species they depend on. Restoration of the gravel beach provides a place for forage fish such as sand lance and surf smelt to spawn. These fish species are a primary food source for salmon.

In addition to helping salmon and the Puget Sound ecosystem, Seahurst Park is the most popular recreation and environmental education facility in Burien, and attracts visitors from a large area. Therefore another goal of the project was to improve the shoreline for use by the public for recreation and environmental education programs. Access along the shoreline, and to the beach was improved, and sandy beaches are wider and more useable than before restoration. Picnicking, parking, trails and the restroom have all been improved for the public to enjoy.

Building on success, the City is seeking grants to complete the northern beach restoration project, and has already received grant support from the Washington State Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program for $1.1 million, the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for $750,000 and the King Conservation District for $510,000 The 2,865 feet of northern shoreline currently includes a mix of rock and concrete seawalls which will be removed and replaced with sand, gravel, vegetation and other natural features. As with the southern beach project, the goal is to restore natural processes to sustain a naturally functioning park shoreline, and to provide the public with expanded and more accessible beaches.

For the last 40 years, beach restoration has been the preferred method of shore protection in coastal communities on the east, west and Gulf coasts, according to the ASBPA.

Coastal communities have restored more than 370 beaches in the United States, including such iconic beaches as Jones Beach in New York, Ocean City in Maryland, Virginia Beach, Miami Beach, Galveston Island in Texas and Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.

Coastal communities nominated their projects for consideration in the Best Restored Beach competition, and an independent panel of coastal managers and scientists selected the winners. Judging was based on the economic and ecological benefits the beach brings to its community, the short- and long-term success of the restoration project, and the challenges each community overcame during the course of the project.