Visitor       Log In         Who We Are       Donate, Membership       Contact Us         Topics:          Beach Nourishment          Coast Conferences          Early Warnings          Goal 20 Proposal         Tour of the Miles       CoastWatch Stories       Sightings       Watchful Eyes       CoastWatcher's Bookshelf       Coastwatcher's Knapsack       Filing a Mile Report:          Getting Started Online          Online Mile Report          Online Mile Dispatch          Paper Report form          Observation Checklist          Mile Reports Browser          Summaries by County       OPRD Planning Maps       Stranded Marine Mammal       CoastWatch counties:          Clatsop          Tillamook          Lincoln          Lane          Douglas             Quarterlies          Coos             Quarterlies          Curry       Topics:          Coast Conferences          SOLV Cleanups         Gravel Mining Guide         The Wide, Wide Sea       Marine Reserves       OS Position on MR's       OS Position on Ocean Energy

MILE 305 on 6/12/10   -   SKYHAR8000 LOCATION Tillamook  •  Oswald West SP, Cape Falcon N CONDITIONS Saturday 6:30 AM  •  Cloudy  •  50° F  •  Wind: Calm/Light from the NW  •  Tide: -1.8 ft HUMANS People: 0  •  Dogs: 0 ACTIVITIES Walking/running: 0  •  Playing in surf: 0  •  Playing in sand: 0  •  Sitting: 0  •  Photography: 0  •  Rockhunting: 0  •  Tidepooling: 0  •  Surfing: 0  •  Windsurfing: 0  •  Kayaking: 0  •  Fishing: 0 CONCERNS DISTURBANCES VEHICLES Cars/Trucks parking: 0  •  ATVs/OHVs parking: 0  •  RVs/Buses parking: 0  •  Cars/Trucks on beach, allowed: 0  •  ATVs/OHVs on beach, allowed: 0  •  Cars/Trucks on beach, prohibited: 0  •  ATVs/OHVs on beach, prohibited: 0 ACTIV.COMMENTS I brought four friends to my mile. Two looked down at the cliff and declined to proceed. The other two were up for the challenge and accompanied me. Both are OSU students in their late teens. NOTABLE WILDLIFE 8-10 adult seals just offshore. This is the first time at least one seal was always shadowing us just a few yards out in the surf. Possible reason below. DEAD BIRDS Total: 1 STRANDED Total: 0 FISH & INVERTS DRIFTLINE Two dead seal pups (see below). NEW DEVELOPMENT MODIFICATIONS NATURAL CHANGES COMMENTS SUMMARY Found two seal pup corpses. One was headless and being eaten by five (yes, 5!) bald eagles. The other was intact and perhaps 1/4 mile away. No cause of death immediately apparent. No adult or pups on the shore. 8-10 adults offshore watching us, with 1 or 2 shadowing us. We hiked south as far as possible and collected trash all the way on back to the climb-out point. Hope to finish the trash picking and do a hoisting during the next few weeks. Because of the change in hoist location, and the (light) erosion in causes, we elected to toss large plastic floats back into the sea -- they will wash ashore elsewhere and be collected by someone. We picked up all garbage and other items unlikely to drift ashore in other locations. Good trip, but ground dampness made a lot of footing very treacherous, both during the ascent/descent and while hiking. Light wind, low waves, and a low tide made the tide "honest" -- a west wind and/or heavy surf can keep the waters from retreating as far as the tide table predicts they will go. Good trip, great to see so many eagles like that. One of the two seal pup bodies may have been the same as the one from my other trip a few weeks ago. Again, no cause of death apparent, but all corpses were lifeless prior to my/our arrival on the scene. OBSERVER skyhar8000 EMAIL   •  REPORT PUBLISHED 6/27/10 6:57 AM PHOTOS PRINTER-FRIENDLY ©2010 Oregon Shores •  CONTACT US