Mile Report Browser

Nothing unusual.

Observed a beached Sunfish and took some photos.

After a rainy morning people were just starting to come out to Nadonna Beach. The tide seemed much lower than 1.7, and had created a sand bar forming a large shallow “lake” just at the shore south of the jetty. The NW wind was strong but the sea was fairly calm. The upper beach showed covered remnants of lots of bonfire pits from the Fourth of July holiday. Aside from two tires that had evidently been dumped in the parking lot and a wooden pallet stranded at the high tide mark about half a mile south of the jetty, I saw no human trash on the beach--the SOLVE beach cleanup on July 7 must have picked up all the fireworks remnants and bonfire trash. The jetty tip sports a new big driftwood tree, weathered white. It must’ve taken a huge wave to put it up that high on the rocks. The lower sand is smooth and hard-packed since the last high tide.

When I started the mile walk south from the jetty at 12:15, about 21 people were on the beach and five on the south jetty, and five dogs. Three teenage boys were peeling off their wet suits after surfing. When I returned north to the jetty, I counted some 40 people on the beach and 3 or 4 different dogs. Kids flying five kites took advantage of the strong winds. A couple of children played in the waves, a family grouping set up a wind tent, others brought beach chairs and sat in groups up near the dunes. Most people just walked on the beach near the water. A couple of runners strode by, and one cyclist on a fat-tired bike rode up from the south to the jetty, then turned around and rode back south along the hard-packed beach. By the time I left at 1:30, two of the surfers were now dressed and starting a small bonfire at one of the many 'fort' shelters up by the dunes.

The highlight of my walk was finding two small 4-inch fish at the edge of the water, one dead, one flopping its last flops, about 3/4 of a mile south of the jetty.  First time I found a fish still (barely) alive. Not much else had been washed up. The wrack contained a mix of small stones, shell parts, some foam and a little seaweed here and there, as well as a few crab bodies and legs and an occasional jellyfish.

Arrived at Mile 246 around 12:30 pm and ended the walk about 2:30pm.  During my time there I saw 40 people and 8 dogs.  I am not counting the 2 people and 2 dogs that came with me.  Saw quite a few shrimp and crab casings along with lots of mussel clusters, some with banacles attached to them. Didn't see any water flowing down the dry streams, the tide was out so access to the rock areas was very accessible with dry pools.  The tree at the top of the hill is still clinging to the rocks above.  The beach was exceptionally clean, I  collected 2 plastic ropes, 1 starbucks cup, a motts snack package and a clump of plastic twine attached to each other.  

The beach is now very long, with the sand high against the cliffs.  The wrack is full of crab and sand shrimp shells.  20 people were there today, with 3 biking on the hard sand and 2 riding horses.  Little wood was visable.  There were no dead birds or human debris.  A group of about 50 gulls was resting on the sand and pelicans were fishing in the waves, but no flocks of shorebirds were around.  The area where the dunes had been bulldozed to enhance the habitat for the snowy plover is growing grass back.  And the zone set aside throughout this mile to protect the nesting for the plover is mostly undamage although there were a few dog tracks moving through from the back dunes. It was a good day to walk the beach with no problems to report. 

Lots of people enjoying Ocean Beach on this warm day.  Lots of sand lance burrowing, un-burrowing, dead and dying along the surf line.  There was a bald eagle walking along eating them the entire time we were at the beach, about 2 hours.  Noticed 2 gapers burrowing into the sand.  Large flocks of cormorants and surf scooters right off the beach.  There was only one rock field on the beach compared to other visits.  Very few exposed rocks.  The waterfall at mid beach is still flowing.  

I drove this mile in my vehicle while birdwatching. Notable dead animal sightings included a dead elk being scavenged by turkey vultures (see photos below), a dead harbor seal being eaten by turkey vultures (see photo) and a recently dead harbor porpoise 95% intact but had its eyes pecked out (see photo). I submitted an Oregon OSU Dead Marine Mammal Stranding Report via email. With a low tide of 0.5ft during my drive, many clammers had parked cars on the beach and were actively searching for clams, along with plentiful numbers of western and california gulls, as well as whimbrels foraging in the shallow water pools near a great blue heron. A sea watch yieleded the following avifauna: surf scoters, white-winged scoters, caspian terns (some males carrying fish in their bills to present to females for breeding), and brown pelicans. 

Summer was in full swing on Manzanita's beach with 82 people noted along with 13 dogs. Folks were kiteboarding in the moderate north wind, playing volleyball, building sand castles and dozing. Very few masks noted. Only 1 dead bird...a juvenile common murre.   

The summer has brought more sand in, and dunes developed. Both creeks are low with maximum depths below the knee. No evidence of advanced bluff erosion since the last survey. Suprisingly, there was minimal marine and land-based debris with only one bag collected. 

We thought it would be a good idea to take a look around on our mile after the 4th of July because in past years we have found quite a bit of fireworks debris.  To our pleasant surprise there was very little ... just a few paper casings.  Not much trash at all, in fact.  The sand at the end of the Salishan Spit had eroded into a steep dropoff, a natural phenomenon that occurs from time to time.  Eventually it will even out again.  Came across a dead harbor seal on the bay side of the Spit.  It obviously had been there a while.  Appeared to be an adult, although thinner than the live ones we see.  No visible signs of trauma.  The harbor seal colony looked large and healthy, maybe 200 animals.

The Morning After -- July 5th here in Bayshore, on an otherwise beautiful weekend, means residents spending hours beginning to clean up the fireworks debris left by the few thoughtless holiday visitors who don't believe the "Fireworks Prohibited" signs should restrict their freedom to trash the beach. Attached are photos of the debris my wife and I and neighbors have been collecting, piece by piece, some of it now being partially covered by blowing sand. Unfortunately, it's not harmless trash but also toxic stuff potentially deadly to wildlife. The little red plastic shards look vaguely edible, and there's no way of getting it all. I know this is just preaching to the choir, but it makes me feel better.

high sand level, able to clear Hug Point on foot by 50 yards at ~-1.0 tide, beach relatively flat, sporatic diftline content

Observation is from the first dune in the dry zone at NW 38th Street access.  I took photos north and south from that position.  This is my first day back on my beach walks in a long time.  While I can see my whole mile from most places along it, my report detail is abbreviated to a localized people - (4) and walking or airborn critter-count (0).  I did find a cave that had been pressed into the dense vegetation zone.  I took a photo of this too, but there was an error and the photo did not record.

Wow, today was a reminder that people love the beach. It was surprising so many people were in town, given the covid-19 increases. The humans overwhelmed the space, I don't have much comment for this report except about the people.  My counts are likely low, I did my best but it was impossible. The photos below tell the whole story .

I noted one section of recent erosion where the sand ends and the cliffs begin. There are huge boulders laying below and a gaping void in the cliff above. 
 

Tide pool life was very present, I was happy to see so many sea stars around again. I also noted anemones, and rock crabs all over as well. Common Murres, Guillemots, and Brandt's Cormorants we're nesting on the visible rocks and sea stacks. 

Overcast, maybe a few sprinkles. Not many people using the beach this morning. However there is a lot of burned driftwood, large logs and smaller fir pits towards back dunes, and in the midst of the dunes. This is very close to 4th of July, it appears that there is a lot of evening beach use/bonfires. I found a large pile of broken up furniture debris, presumably to be used in a beach fire. There was a gentleman that appeared to be making his home down in a hollow in the dunes, between and underneath some small shore pines.

sighting of 4 Snowy Plovers flying and foraging

sighting of 4 Snowy Plovers flying and foraging

A cloudy day with intermittent mist, with comfortable temperatures and light human activity for a summer day made the mile walk very enjoyable. Most visitors to the beach were walking, with a few clusters of people sitting in the upper area soft sand. A line of wood chips was visible, almost continuous, through mile 313. The line of wood chips existed in 2 places along the beach:1) the high tide line from a prior day and 2) the high tide line from this morning.

Trail is very steep and difficult to keep footing due to loose gravel. Water from the culvert is growing bright orange algae. 

Spotted a bald eagle fighting with a gull over food. 

Several driftwood forts, but not much trash.

Pleasant day, first chance to visit since Covid lock down. Beach is very wide and cleanest we have seen since starting Coast Watch program. Beach grass appears to be advancing at north end of mile. 

Many people enjoying the tidepools and beach as the weather began to get better in general. Wasn't able to get to S. Cove during the parks shutdown. This was the second low tide happening on the weekend in reasonable daylight hours since the reopening. I must have a very low tide to get to all of my mile, so this was my second chance, taken.

A lovely day on the beach. Arriving at the tail end of Circles in the Sand, many folks enjoying the beach after going to the Circles. Four horseback riders also riding along the beach. Only 1 dog on leash today. Lot's of children with their parents, and 2 kids running sprints on the sand. Looked to be highschool age. Due to such a low tide, many starfish and tidepooling to enjoy.

Graffiti at shallow cave entrance at north end of beach (past Maxwell point but before Lost Boy Beach).

I walked Mile 204 today for CoastWatch along with Miles 203-205 looking for snowy plover nests.  Three chicks have hatched this nesting season on Miles 203/205, and beach ranger Doug Sestrich roped off a new nest on the northern border of 203 this morning, but no nests have been found so far on Mile 204. I began walking at a minus tide, and the flat Driftwood beach seemed to go out to sea forever. The beach was misty and almost deserted, just a few people walking along the shore, a couple of people on those new fat tire electric bicycles, and one intrepid surf fisherman.

Twenty five people spent their time looking at the animals on Arch Cape or on the rocks near Arch Cape.  Four sea stars were found on one rock (see pictures).  The beach was very clean.   There was no land or ocean based debris.

Nesting Snowy Plover, firecracker debris and signs of campfire activity.  

Calm and warm day. No clouds. Gentle breeze from NW. Beach was very clean. Did find a golf ball from Sheep Ranch. Observed golfers on bluff. Low tide. ATVs observed on north end of beach (off-loaded from trailer/truck on beach). Trash was gathered, bagged, and left at parking lot entrance to beach. 

The only human activity noted was one couple fishing off the rocks - the only shoreline access point - at the extreme north end of the mile.  Only common wildlife was observed: a few gulls and comorants.  No physical changes have occurred to the mile in the last three months, a situation quite common with the erosion-resistant basalts of the mile.  The inaccessibility of the cliffed coastline of the mile also severely limits potential for any human modifications.  The gift shop area at the Lookout is blocked off, so the observation point for observing driftline content was not accessible.

It was a quiet day on the spit, but very busy on the Mo's part of mile (probably due to it being Father's Day.  Last week we did see horses on the beach for the first time.  Weather was comfortable with blue sky streaking along the clouds.

Hard to see the second needle and syringe (in the past 2 weeks!!) on our beach, lots of dogs and kids who easily could have stepped on it. The sea grass amount was notable. Eagles and turkey viltures abound...esp near the carcass of the Juv sea lion. Still quite a bit of small plastics in the wrackline for this time of year. The paved road has brought a lot more traffic to this beach.

Mattress dumped alongside trail near Highway 101 turnout just north of Whaleshead Trailhead.

This was my 1st time back on my mile since February.  Lack of trash was surprising to me(see the photo of what I picked up)  Driftwood on the shore was minimal.  We have had a lot of windy days with abundant sand movement which may have buried trash and driftwood.  I believe lack of human traffic has allowed for the plants to expand out into the sand a good 20-30 feet (see 3 photos of plants)  There were a lot of dead crab shells, probably the most I have observed on my mile.

Cosidering the phase 2 of the covid-19 for Clatsop Co., there were not that many people here on the beach and what few were here were socially distancing.

Beautiful day; exceptionally clean driftline; only a few shorebirds.

This is the first mile report I have filed since the re-opening of the Neskowin Beach State Recreation Area following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. There were more people on the beach than is normal for a weekday at this time of year, perhaps because people are not at work because of Covid-19 social distancing guidelines.

Mid-morning walk on mile 327 with no wind and sunny weather. Observed 6 people recreating on the beach close to the Del Rey entrance road. One dead pinniped eared seal family Otariidae (photographed below) and one dead bird (too far gone to identify) and a mystery pinniped skull). I collected 15 lbs of trash along wrackline including 3 lighters, cigarette butts, food trash from campfires, McDonalds and Subway cups, plastic bags, bottles, and bottle caps. Found large tangle of fishing line, four abadoned socks, a flipflop, and a glove. Multiple discarded dog poop bags were found on the beach (3 bags full) and dog poop along along the Del Rey entrance road. 

A pretty clean beach with lots of seagulls and a fair number of people and dogs.  An unusual amount of crab shells and body parts on the entire mile, along with lots of seaweed and kelp.  Human debris was less than usual surely due to the lack of beach traffic during the past few months.  Picked up mostly just small pieces of plastic, a few cans and bottles, some rope, assorted articles of clothing and beach toys.  For the first time we found graffiti on some rip rap...hope it's the last time.  Maybe we can blame it on COVID-19.

*Note: This report was originally submitted on 6/16/20, but did not print.  This submission is on 7/5/20.

Overall not much new at South Beach mile 214. The gradient from teh water to the dunes seem a little less steep and the dunes a little shorter but 

We missed our spring beach walk due to the closures of state parks so were happy to experience the wonder of the beach today. People were enjoying clam digging, hang gliding, picnicing, walking and one wheeling. We had never seen this on our mile. A skateboard that runs similar to a Segway.

There was very little on the beach today - very few logs, some dried seaweed but not much, a few people walking and agate-hunting, calm sea. A few accesses are usable, but not 50A or Circle Road. 

Mile 247, at the Salmon River Estuary, continues to be a very clean and pristine beach, likely owing to its remote location.  One difference on this inspection was the total lack of dead seabirds, which we had documented previously.  There were also very few live birds, perhaps due to bald eagles that live near the mouth of the Salmon River.

bonefire and campfire set ups

SAND202001 Snowy Plover Nest Failed

Driftwood Snowy Plover nest still ok.

A cloudy day at the beach.  Not many people in my mile. About a dozen in all.  4 dogs, all off-leash.  I found just a few pieces of marine debris in the wrack, small plastic pieces.  Lots of shell fragments, seaweed, crab molts, and a couple feathers.  It was a pretty low tide, about 0.4 feet.  A half dozen seagulls were working the area where a small creek emptied onto the beach, and some crows on the wet sand swash area eating mole crabs (?)   I enclosed a couple photos of them.  I also put up a photo of a plant that grows right out of the sand, up near the bluffy edges or the beach.  Anyone?   

More than 10 previously unobserved drainage pipes in places with already existing pipes.  Relatively large number of people on beach, presumably seeking respite from sheltering in place.  Weather was sunny but with low fog over beach, low tide so that beach was very wide, mild temperature and little wind, so that beach was an inviting place to visit.  

Everything looked stable and little change since last month.

Misty, overcast cloudy day, light wind mid week but noted singificant increase in people and dogs on the beach. Lincoln City is supposed to be in Coronavirus Phase 1 with only essential travel but parks and beach access has opened. The signs the NW 34th access limiting vehicles to specific area have been repositions... were taken down all winter. 

A windy and rainy day so not many people out on the beach. I was not able to take photos since the weather was so poor.

NW 68th street is open. The city has moved its pumping station closer to HWY 101 and sealed off the former gravel parking with a paved lot with 5 slots.

A total of 4 walkers and a dog.

I've walked this mile for Plover Patrol; this is my first time for CoastWatch. The photos show the future landfall site of PacWave South, OSU's project to install and test wave energy collection devices six miles off the coast between Waldport and Newport, with seafloor transmission cables coming ashore at Driftwood Beach. In the wayside's parking area, the seafloor cables will connect to terrestrial cables which will proceed underground to an OSU facility just east of Highway 101, where the electricity generated will be transmitted to Central Lincoln PUD.  Although the project will generate electricity, it's primary purpose is to test different wave energy collection devices along with the infrastructure necessary for such a project. OSU has prepared a detailed environmental assessment plan, and it doesn't appear that there will be adverse impact to the shore. All terrestrial drilling will occur underground through "horizontal directional drilling," although in the Driftwood parking lot underground concrete vaults will be installed for transitioning between seafloor and terrestrial cables. The project is to begin later this year, with the first phase scheduled to last six to eight months. Information, maps, photos, and schematics, can be found by Googling PacWave South

Met with Tara DuBois from Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve and received public education material regarding the reserve that I could give out to beach goers.

Day started out with ocean fog, air temp was 53 degrees F, Wind speed 10-12 mph.

Surveyed North Stonefield Beach first.

There was less of a quantity of small debris on the beach, but the debris was not as concentrated as it usually is. Debris at driftline was seen throughout the mile but most of it was on the beach west of Sea Perch RV Resort north to where there is an outlet from a spring crossing the beach. (approx. 1/3 mile)

I usually see quite a few seagulls on the beach but today there were none on the beach.

Found a 45”x45” insulated lid that appears to be from a container that fish or crabs are carried in. The writing on top was:

DYNO

Made in Canada

Ph: (604) 444-3500

Message has been left with a Beach Ranger for removal.

There was a lady that told me she had been collecting “seaweed” from the beach to use in her garden at home. I gave her some information on the Marine Reserve and said that she should check to make sure what she was doing was legal.

The pathway from the parking lot at State Location #86 has a lot of vegetation encroaching over the path.

Observed 13 people walking on the beach and 1-person rock hunting.

Observed 1 dog on the beach.

The large deposit of stones that was at the outlet on Tenmile Creek last year and which changed the course of the outlet has disappeared. The outlet for the creek has straighten out.

A very nice day for this mile, with a minus tide. Only 2 sea stars observed on the exposed rocks. Land slides seem more prominent than last time observed. First time on mile since early March, with the COVID 19 virus and stay home orders.  

Discovery of New Snowy Plover nest labelled SAND202001 on beach near Sandpiper Shores and being attended by Snowy Plover Patrol.  Unbanded bird.

A joy to be able to return to the beach!! This was first time I was able to visit Mile 287 after Covid-19 restrictions had closed beach access in Tillamook County for almost 3 months. I was surprised by how quickly the beach approach paths had become overgrown due to the absence of visitors. Even though the spring beach clean-up had been cancelled, the beach was remarkably clean. It was a delight to see four bald eagles soaring over the foredune on northern section of the mile, and fun to watch whimbrels foraging in the surf. All in all, a lovely day with nothing untoward to report.

Sunny quiet morning. No dogs on beach, and virtually no birds either. Only a minimal amount of plastic debris in wrackline. Some molted crab shells on sand.

Dead harbor seal.  No head.  About 200 ft north of the 72nd/73rd St beach access.  Submitted Marine Mammal Report.

Lots of people out enjoying the beach.  Noted numerous sea stars on many exposed rocks.  Didn't note any plastics in the debris line.  

Normal bird and seal (including several pups) activitie, strong north wind, nothing of note.

Dead whale on beach. Intact. 

Arrived at mile 246 at 2:35 pm and ended the mile walk at 3:22 pm. During that time we saw 11 people and 1 dog not including the two of us and the 1 dog we brought. Saw what appeared to be two new streams coming down the side of the cliffs on the eastern edge of the mile. One was fairly active, cutting a channel to the ocean. The other was very small and not very active. There was evidence along the east cliffs of rock fall with numerous pieces of broken rock on the sand. The north end of the cliff had a tide pool area and the water was too high to get around into the cove on the north end of god's thumb. The tree at the top of the north cliff is still clinging to the rocks above. There was more debris than usual on the mile, especially bagged dog poop and bits of plastic in the wrack line. The most surprising garbage was a retirement plan's worth of toilet paper. As we walked south across part of mile 245 to the parking area we picked up more garbage such as Starbuck's cups, a Mike's Hard Lemonade can and food wrappers.

Shoreline Wildlife - 

We found, we believe, a dead sturgeon on the shore without its head.  We have included a picture with a penny for size reference.

We picked up two 2.5 gallon buckets of ocean debris.  Pictures show bucket and examples of the debris

I saw a blue heron looking for fish. 
There was a dead sea lion on the South end of the beach. Still intact.

A lot less garbage than last time.  Am curious if driving on this portion of the beach is legal, seems like you shouldn't be allowed to drive north of Five mile point.  

Lots of commotion near the jetty on the north end of Nedonna Beach on this overcast morning! Earlier today a small rental boat had capsized, a man and a dog fell into the water. Both swam to the jetty safely, but the capsized boat could still be seen overturned in the water not far from shore just south of the jetty. Several vehicles (2 Sheriffs Dept, 2 Fire Dept, 1 truck from boat rental co) were parked by the jetty and several men and one woman were figuring out how to retrieve the boat. Several people were sitting/standing around watching whatever would unfold. I watched two men walk out in the surf to the boat, one climbed onto the overturned boat to assess the situation. They said the engines were stuck in the sand so the tide was unlikely to push the boat to shore. The men left in their truck to get rope and a winch, but almost immediately two Fire Department vehicles arrived with a big winch on a heavy duty pickup. I had to go before they retrieved the boat, but the incident will probably be in the newspaper next week! The beach was quite clean, not much debris in the driftline, a bit of foam and natural debris but no noticeable human debris. Two dead sea birds had washed up. About 55 people were walking, sitting, playing, or watching the boat incident. Despite what sounds like a lot of people, the beach remained quite empty, plenty of social distancing to go around. Nobody was wearing a mask.

Looking forward to the day no vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach.

The one good thing about the new Sheep Ranch golf course is the abatement of some gorse on the bluff.

People with several dogs walking and rock hounding around China creek and Big creek.Lots of dead baby crabs in the wrack line. Much less or hardly any trash or plastic seen today. Continued erosion of sand dunes an d cliff walls on Muriel Ponsler.

In addition to the usual dungeness crab and razor clam shells, I spotted a clutch of squid eggs (see photos) towards the northern end of Mile 325.

I met with Oregon Parks & Recreation Dept Beach Ranger Doug Sestrich on the beach to show him a Western Snowy Plover nest I had discovered 5/15 so that he could install a pole and rope buffer around the nest, which had contained one egg on 5/15, two eggs on 5/19, and the optimum clutch size of three eggs this date with two birds at the nest. The male ran off, with the female skittish and moving away from the nest and back while Doug installed poles, rope, and signs. The female was back on the nest by the time we left.  Incubation period is 28 days after the last egg laid.

Two new bluff-top houses currently under construction.

More plastics than usual.

Whimbrels and sanderlings were feeding in the surf wash zone.  A recently deceased harbour porpoise, about 1/3 mile north of the Siuslaw River North Jetty, appears to have washed ashore with today's high tide (photos).  Little scavanger damage indicates this creature recently died.

I was out on Heceta Beach several times this weekend,  There were a lot of people out enjoying the nice weather, but everyone (including family groups) was doing a good job with the recommended social distancing.

It was a beautiful, sunny day and a lot of phase 1 visitors hit the beach. Lots of families playing in the sand/surf and just enjoying the sun. 

A rainy day--Hatfield had 0.05 inches in the hour I was on beach, while my backyard rain gauge had 0.08 inch (my daily total was 0.24 miles).

On the walk down from 57th street--there are now some trail markings. There are more surfers using this way to access Sea Star Beach.

I was rather surprised that there was anyone on the beach with the rain--but I guess some people needed to get out, suffering from cabin fever.

This beach walk was done during the COVID beach closure. 3 local and 2 nonlocal people on the beach. Someone had an overnight tent perched on the dunes in a noncamping closed area. 

There were several pairs of Willets in the surf. There was a 25 foot dead Pacific Gray whale, male at the beginning of the mile. The whale had been reported 24 hours earlier and authorities had already been out and had taken samples. The rest of the beach seemed quite clean.

Quite the stranding of squid egg sacs all along Roads End beach.  A wedding was taking place at the north end.

Beach quite clean despite being popular. No porta-potty as usual; I anticipate human sanitation issues. 

Staircase in poor shape, and missing handrails have been draped in yellow danger tape. 

I feel guilty being able to walk my miles, 202 and 203, within walking distance from my home, when others aren't able to because of COVID-19 restrictions.  I apologize for so many reports, but when I walk my miles I always find something that I think others might find interesting and which I think should be reported on. In addition to the eagle I watched this day, I came upon two Western Snowy Plovers, a male and female I think, just south of Beach Access 66C.  Further north, I found a new plover nest (see photos) in the same approximate location as the plover nest which had been photographed by my neighbor a few weeks ago but which had then vanished. Just one egg in this new nest.  Oregon Parks will install an approximately 50 meter radius (165 feet) roped buffer around the nest if and when there are two eggs in the nest, which would more clearly indicate an active nest.  I will continue to check the nest (still only one egg as of May 16th).

Ospreys atop nest platform, Bayshore Beach Club parking lot.  Osprey couple settling in atop a very exposed nest platform I didn't think would be occupied.  Now for a little work on that nest!

High tide surge appears to have cleaned the beach of debris, and took out at least two snowy plover nests that were high on the beach.  Small woody debris and some large logs were moved up to the high tide line.

All was well on Mile 21 in the early morning of 8 May on a very low tide (-1.5).  An apparently orphaned Harbor Seal pup was observed on the beach in the cove at the southernmost end of Mile 21.  It crawled safely back to the ocean.

A beautiful day on the beach, with little human activity on the beach, around Haystack Rock and Ecola Creek.  Limited beach activity is due to Covid-19 social distancing and the fact that Cannon Beach continues to be closed to visitors.  The weather was amazing, sunny and 60's. It has been fun to watch, through these reports, how the location of the mouth of Ecola Creek continues to change in location, the mouth moving farther north over time.  Overall it was a quiet, beautiful day.

Another beautiful day on the beach.  Human activity was very limited, covid-19 social distancing restrictions continue and Cannon Beach continues to be closed to visitors.  Winds were NNE 10-20 MPH, and the weather was sunny, warm, and beautiful.

(This is part two of my report as I divided up the mile into two trips.  This represents Mile 208 .5 to 208.9). observed more cliff erosion and noted that the house I have reported on several times because it was "hanging" off the cliff is now gone.  I drove up to the housing site and it has certainly been removed.  There are two other houses, as noted in my previous report, that are in jeaprody. About mid-mile I observed a small group of Ploves and 4 Whimbrels along the shore line. 

What a fabulous day on 220! I am pretty sure I found a Laysan Albatross, what a majestic bird, the wings so long but incredibly light. We had quite a storm last night with hail and wind...perhaps what blew the bird onto the shore? He was a recent arrival as only his eyes and breast were eaten. The tide was low and the sand was expansive, not nearly the rockiness that is off and on on our beach. Lots of small plastics, nurdles, one large piece of rope with a buoy attached. 

Beach looks like it was swept clean by the tides. Left deposits of seaweed and bits of wood and stuff high up on near dunes. Scattered razor clam and blue muscle shells, crab body shells of small crabs, broken sand dollars. Small bits of wood from trees, black and brown stones. I see no trash washed up. 15 or so people and several dogs out enjoying the sunshine on a Sunday, which was quite busy for during COVID-19 shelter-at-home times. A short rain shower chased most of them away.

Never been to this beach, but will be back.  The weather was great, warm, and dry.  Ocean was low tide, plenty of beaches to walk.  No dead marine mammals or birds to report.  Island off the bluff, with common murres, pelagic cormorants, and gulls.  Plenty of social distancing, maybe 12 people on the beach.  

It was a beautiful day. I saw more people walking/jogging the road than usual but fewer people on the beach. Social distancing was observed, but most people weren't wearing masks. The parking areas closest to the beach access at both State Parks were cordoned off areas, but people were able to park at other turn-outs to get to the beach. 

I did not appreciate any significant changes in the erosion along Yachats Ocean Road or Ocean View Drive, although the fences along Ocean View Drive seem to be slipping down the bluff.   

Tide was low. Beach was smoothed over from last night's high tide, all the way in to the grass line. Accesses are still hard to maneuver, except 50B and an unmarked one near house #281. No debris (marine or otherwise), few logs. No birds.

Another beautiful day on Mile 202.  I watched a flock of 18 whimbrels feeding along the shoreline, probably migrants headed north to breed on the tundra.  Someone in the past attached an osprey nest platform atop a utility pole in a parking lot across from the Bayshore Beach Club.  I've seen an osprey there once this Spring, and a little work has been done on constructing a flimsy nest, but the location is very exposed to the wind.  I've seen ospreys flying along the shoreline on Mile 203 and over Alsea Bay, but I can't imagine this exposed Beach Club nest platform will be successful.

Because of the pandemic-related closure of the state parks, I accessed the beach via the steps at Deane's Lodging, by the kind permission of the owner. It was a mild, sunny afternoon. More visitors were out than I would have expected, given the current restrictions and closures -- a total of 22 people, 5 children and 17 adults, with 8 dogs accompanying them, 6 off leash. There were 1 bicyclist and 3 surfers. 

The drift line was well delineated by dried foam. (See photo.) There were numerous crab carapaces and legs as well as many dead sand fleas. I saw 4 whimbrels and a few gulls; also a couple of dead birds, which I couldn't identify. I'll attach a photo of the better preserved one. 

The large chunk of bluff that's been threatening to come down since December was still standing, although even more battered-looking. A little farther south, some bluff-top vegetation had collapsed, taking some of the Tillicum campground's fencing with it. (See photos.) Additional large chunks of bluff had fallen at a couple of other spots as well. 

Some kelp piles scattered about and evidence of upwelling.  Tire tracks suggest the park ranger had been by recently.   73rd St beach access closed to vehicle parking only, people OK.

Pleasant day with a southerly wind.  Normally there would be more visitors on the Taft side of the Siletz River, but tourism has been curtailed by coronavirus restrictions.  The harbor seals were difficult to count due to their position on the Spit, but we estimated there were at least 100 in the group.  Did not readily spot any pups.  Very little trash on the beach; we only picked up a few small items (plus a piece of plastic tubing). 

Occupants of RV camped on Highway 101 at North Isle Trailhead are dumping trash down hillside above Coast Trail.

Noticed a dead sea lion washed ashore.

The cliff erosion is significant.  One in particular is almost up to the house.  

My neighbor in Bayshore came upon and photographed this rare Western Snowy Plover nest approx 4/23/2020.  My neighbor didn't notice any birds incubating the eggs, but snowy plovers are very inconspicuous (see the plover photographs in my Mile 202 reports), and the incubating plover probably ran off without being seen. The photo shows a classic Western Snowy Plover nest, 3 speckled eggs in a shallow depression or scrape in the sand, this nest in a debris field of small rocks safely above the high tide line.  Western Snowy Plovers are the only birds, except Killdeers rarely, that nest like this on Oregon's sandy beaches, and no Killdeers, which are highly visible and vocal and usually lay more than 3 eggs, have been seen in the area.  When my neighbor told me about the nest, I went out and with her help tried to locate and document it, but the nest was gone without a trace.  There are coyotes in the dunes, and Bald Eagles in the area, but no indication of what happened to this nest.  A few days later, heavy winds and blowing sand almost covered the rocky debris field, which is now more exposed again after recent rains.  Even though the nest was no longer there, I named it DRI202001and reported it to Oregon Parks & Recreation Department, which administers a Western Snowy Plover protection program in cooperation with Portland Audubon and for which I volunteer as a Plover Patrol member. Miles 202 and 203 are not part of an area managed for Western Snowy Plovers, but if active plover nests are located here they are to be protected by OPRD.

A first for me (and sadly not alive), an octopus in the rocky area. Still beautiful, even in death. Large plastic/rubber mat was on top of one leg but I doubt that is why it died.