Mile Report Browser

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.

Beautiful calm sunny day on the beach. We spent most of the time down at the wrack line at low tide and saw very little non-natural debris and no dead birds or sea life other than shells and some crabs. This is the third or fourth weekend with gates closed and cars disallowed due to COVID-19, and what's most notable is not what is there, but what isn't. I.e. diesel fumes, cars speeding and doing cookies, trash piles, beer cans, yard debris, old furniture, fireworks, tire tracks over the clam beds. Clearly people are able to enjoy the beach without driving on it, as there were plenty of people but spread out and not crowded (it's a biiiig beach especially at low tide). This is my first mile report in a long time since we simply stopped coming to this beach as it's not enjoyable having to dodge cars and see the extra abuse it has to endure as a result of vehicle access. Now we've walked it more than half a dozen times in the last three weeks, and it's heavenly. If only it could last.

The beach is quiet although the same number of folks are there as there usually are!  No one in parking lot but parking along the street.  The erosion on the northern part of the mile is new.  We hear - but didn't see it - that there have been some unpleasant interactions with Cape Meares residents with those they deem to be "outsiders disobeying the beach closed injunction" due to the pandemic.  The community has rallied asking folks to calm down and be kind.  Very few birds.....

This report is a month late due to COVID19.....

The large sign on the sand at marker 34B of Sitka Sedge Park warning against driving any further north on the beach has been pushed down.

No Western Snowy Plovers were seen this visit, but extensive plover tracks were seen in the dry sand near the sloping dunes when walking south down the beach.  See attached photos.  The plover tracks are blurry in the soft sand, but they are a little "pigeon toed," not quite straight, and the tracks  zig-zag as the hunting plover finds a little edible morsel in the sand then abruptly changes direction. Although the wind was not strong (no blowing sand was seen), almost all the tracks had been obliterated by the time I walked back up the beach.  This is snowy plover nesting season, so hopefully there is a nest or nests somewhere in the dry sand area.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the park has been closed to all traffic (vehicle and non-vehicle). Despite this closure, there were 2 non-compliant walkers who were observed walking on paved roads through the park. With minimal human activity on the headland due to the park's closure, there has been a noticable increase in the number and variation of wildlife spotted at the park. Notable wildlife sightings include Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, Brown Pelicans, Brandt's and Pelagic Cormaorants, Pigeon Guillemots, and Common Murres. Common Murres have begun to consistantly colonize on the rocks just off the coast of the headland. 

A beautiful day on the coast; sunny, partly cloudy.  Survery was done near low tide.  There were a number of sand bars and tide pools that had formed. Ecola creek output, where it connects to the ocean, had spread across a wide area.  Gulls and Black Oystercatchers were enjoying the freshwater of Ecola Creek.  The beach was very clean; little human debris noted.  Human activity was higher than expected on the beach overall, and at Haystack Rock, considering Covid-19 restrictions.

I was pleasantly surprised with how many people were out on the beach given the shelter-in-place mandate. I think the weather was too good to miss. I had seen signs indicating snowy plovers are back but didn't see any birds or protective fencing for their nesting grounds as I have in the past. Overall, the beach was clean and clear.

A beautiful day on the beach, sunny and partly cloudy with little wind.  Covid -19 social distancing restrictions are still in place.  Activity on mile 313 was very light, looking south there were few people on the beach.  High tide line had little debris - cellophane worm casings, dead moe crabs, small sticks, shell pieces.  Overall the beach was clean.  Some sand bars and tide pools had formed. 

Spotted what appeared to be a beached Lancetfish, which appears unusual for this area.

No snowy plovers today, and very few birds at all.  Plover sightings have declined from 30-40 individuals during my walk on 1/30/2020, to approx 20 on 2/14, to 12-14 on 3/4, to 10 on 3/22, to 6 on 3/31, to none today.  Continuing sand accumulation and smoothing out of beach may result in poor nesting habitat.  I live midway on Mile 203 and regularly walk 203 and southern portion of 204 as well, and I've only seen one pair of plovers once along that entire stretch of sandy beach.

Nice morning on the beach, cleanest I've seen the beach in some time.  Face Rock SP wayside closed, exited beach at marker 152, about 1/2 mi south of FR

One place "Social Distancing" does not apply. Since 2013, the Sea Star Wasting Disease has been severely affecting the Pacific Ocean Sea Stars causing them to almost disappear. Low tide and low sand level revealed my favorite rocks and the first photo this year I have been able to take and I am delighted with the number and apparent health of these very plump sea stars and their food sources. 

Maybe there will be hope for us, too, in the future.

There were only 24 people walking, 1 bicyclist and 6 dogs on the beach. This is notably far fewer than usual due to covid-19 bans on lodging/accomodations and restrictions on oceanside parking (now blocked with gravel berms) and associated beach access. Nothing at all in the driftline. However an unusual beached bird find was a Black-Legged Kittiwake tagged with COASST (Coastal Observation Seabird and Survey Team) zipties on the right wing. This species is distinguished by relatively small black feet and solid black wingtips and joins gulls and terns in the Larid family of birds.    

Marine mammal migration in progress.

fishing trawler put out net possibly in marine zone.

Very little human activity today.  Short-term vacation rentals at Bayshore have now been banned due to COVID-19.

Either rainy day or Corona virus scare is keeping people off the beach. Still necessary to be completely vigilant when on the beach. No whale sightings here during this whalewatching week. Just 1 seal swimming in the ocean. 

Most notable today was the lack of human activity. The beach was quiet, sunny, and beautiful .

An overcast day with occasional light sprinkles, but overall pleasant. A few people in small separate groups. Everything appears fine on my 1.8 km-long stretch of beach.

 A beautiful day on the beach. The beach, tide line were relatively clean. The day was most noteworthy for the lack of human activity, corona virus precaution related. 

A nice morning walk today in the sunshine to practice my social distancing skills.  Nothing of significance to report - some surf grass, white squid/octopus egg clusters, and a few "cat's eye" comb jellies washed up at the high water line.

This, however, did get my attention.  Every gull on Mile 171 was standing in the running water of a small unnamed stream flowing to the surf (photo).  Does anyone know why gulls do this?  I haven't really noticed this behaviour before.

Spring Break Sunday on Mile 202.  I saw only 25 people on my walk south beginning at 11:15 a.m., but more were arriving by the time I ended my walk back at the Bayshore Beach Club beach entrance at 12:45 p.m.  Except for two groups of four people each (children and adults, sitting close to each other, not the 6 foot social distancing recommended for COVID-19), people were in singles or pairs, keeping to themselves on the beach as they usually do.

Very nice day.  Most of people noted were on the Mo's side.  On the Spit itself, only 5 people were seen.  More people coming to the beach area as we were leaving.  Little owl was sitting on log, believed to be nesting.  

Primary difference from last visit: because of winter high tides and storm surge there was considerable over topping of the dunes and lots of wood on the beach , much of it with a diameter over 14".  

This week was the beginning of the Covid -19 social distancing response. The beach parking lot was still open but soon to be closed in a couple/few days.  

This mile of Coast was very busy at the access points on what was to be the first weekend of Spring Break. The hard to get to stretches remained quiet and magnificent, as always. People were for the most part respectful of each other and the setting. I was surprised at how little plastic, styrofoam, and other evidence of human produced litter was evident on this visit. 

My husband and I were shocked seeing so many people what with the fear of spreading the virus. There was even a wedding group or a memorial group totally ignoring social distancing. There were more people on our mile than on the 4th of July. This was very disturbing seeing people ignoring requests to STAY HOME. I gave up counting the number of vehicles and people and simply estimated the number on our mile. It was like this all along the beach.

Mile 289 is again restricted due to bird nesting.  The family dog by definition is part of the family.  We will not walk the entire length of the spit leaving part of the family at home.  We stopped at the sign and tape that marks the start of the restriction.  The bird area must be a kilometer in length since about a 1/3 of mile 289 is still open to dogs.  High human usage was the story on this survey.  We have seldom seen campers at the far end of the spit but did today.   All along the spit from Cape Meares north,  humans and dogs were out enjoying the sun and getting away from Corona Virus isolation.  I cannot blame them.  But the crush of visitors is causing dismay among local leaders and residents.  Dogs may not be the only ones kept away.

My first time on this mile. The beach time I spent was at low tide and the beach area was very deep. No log on the beach but old looking driftwood and gnarly stump up near the dunes. In the middle of the my mile was this large long section of 1/2 to 1 inch shells about an inch thick. It was like a loose but thick mosaic of shells. Wished I'd had my camera. It was unusual. Like what you might see on a beach in the tropics.

There were no people observed near or at the shoreline on mile 226. Several vehicles were parked just north of mile 226 on Otter Crest Loop Road and occupants were likely accessing a fishing location near the south end of mile 227.  One couple was walking the road with two dogs.  Wildlife was quite typical, with a few gulls and cormorants observed on near offshore rocks, particularly the pyramidal rock at about the midpoint of the mile.  No physical changes were observed since the last observation. 

beautiful day with people keeping the prescribed distance apart on this Covid-19 sequester day. The vegetated cliff is now a sheer cut off with many small streams running out onto the beach. Two Black Oystercatchers were foraging on a shellfish covered rock offshore that was uncovered at this low tide.

More people than we expected to see in these days of social distancing; nice to see families sharing the time with their children.  Large amount of small rocks in the drift line at the south end of our mile.  (Apologies for no photo of the drift line - camera needed charging.)

The amount of trash and it's location on a steep slope make it difficult to retrieve. And a pickup truck is probably necessary to haul it away. Suggestion: To prevent future problems like this, some type of barrier should be installed to prevent vehicle access to this area.

Agate hunting seems to be the new pastime in this area. Ocean Beach Picnic was without gravel or rock, south of the Rocky Knoll on Rock Creek there was gravel and rock on beach. Driftline was clear of all debris.

Nothing unusual to report, not even much garbage to pick up.

Very clean beach. Counted six dead seaguls. There may have been more. Fewer birds than in previous visits. No dead birds found on previous visits. Low tide. 

Someone/organization has painted over the grafitti that had been sprayed all over the retaining wall under the freeway at the Gwynn Creek culvert (just north of the north Neptune Beach parking lot).  The grafitti is still visible inside the culvert, and a couple of the spray painted smile faces that someone sprayed on rocks and large logs are still there, but less are showing than last fall.

There is more grafitti added to the base of the Cummins Creek Bridge.

Dead sea lion, no head, located on north Roads End beach where the exposed cliffs begin.  Recent tire tracks indicate the Park Ranger may already be aware.  Submittted Marine Mammal report for Mr. Rice.

Very bright pretty day.  Only a few beach-walkers.  Small amount of trash collected - mostly styrofoam pieces.  Ranger Doug had already picked up two crab pots, one a commercial one with a tag which will be returned to its owner.  The colony of harbor seals had moved to a sand bar on the east side of Siletz Bay - too far away to estimate numbers but it looked like the normal size.

A beautiful day to have to practice social distancing at the beach! Tons of small plastics in the north half of 220, very little to none in the south 1/2. 4 beached birds, 3 NOFU's and 1 cormorant. Way too many plastic and cement pipes coming out of the bluff as the cliffs fall and expose them. The Substation work continues on Schooner Creek, very sad that the road is now twice as wide as it was but hopefully there will be no raw sewage flowing intot the ocean once the project is complete. 

Ten people and one dog were walking on the beach.   The beach was very clean.  There were five land slides on mile 306.  See photo.

Hazy 37'  morning with light N breeze.  2 people, 2 dogs walking beach. Beachside campground closed. 1 turkey vulture perched in tree near beach.  About 20 western and 1 ring-billed gull flying along beach.  Broken razor clam shells, mole crab parts, and pebbles on generally clean beach.  Notable was 1 2'X2' block of styrofoam on beach, removed. 

Heavy equipment in place, noise curtains installed and removal of all vegitation on the lot, save for a few feet between shoreline and chain link fencing.

A quiet day on the beach. Beautiful weather (where is everyone?!) Over the last few weeks sand has moved back onto the beach, covering rocks exposed during storms in January.

It was a warm day at Ocean Beach.  The rock fields typically noted at the north end of the beach are mostly covered.  There is a large rock field mid beach now.  The large rocks on the beach were completely visible in the low tide.  I noted one sea star but it was in the water possibly moving locations.  This was one of my first times observing on this beach when I didn't see many plastics in the debris line.  There are two large driftwood structures on the beach, one at the north end, one at the south.  Lots of driftwood in both of those areas.  Waterfalls at mid beach and north end are still running.  Many of the giant logs I noted on the beach in January have moved back out into the ocean.  I didn't note any sea bird activity.  

Human Activity - 10 people and 1 dog

Shore Wildlife - Possible 2 Plovers (photo attached), 7 dead birds, Quanities of plastic and wood chips.

Everything looked very similar to the last survey.

Usual amount of debris with the exception of a 4 foot plank with nails sticking out of it. Disgarded at home. No people or dogs on the beach today. Quite windy and chilly.

Both segments of this mile have significant erosion of vegetated foredunes. The northern part shows little impact on Bullard's State Park, apart from logs pushed from the beach onto the parking lot (unlike last year, when the logs jammed the beach). For the southern part, however, tides are moving closer to beachfront properties as well as threatening the jetty parking lot. Despite temps in the mid-30s, 6 people and 4 dogs were out at 7 a.m. near low tide at full moon. Shells, splintered wood pieces and rocks comprised the tide line. The only wildlife was a scattering of gulls. What litter I could find included styrofoam bits, plastic pieces and water bottles.

Was a sunny day at the beach today. Lots of people hanging out and lots of litter to be picked up. Lots of dog poop filled bags being left behind as well.

It was a beautiful mild day, there were a small handful of people out enjoing the day. The tide was very low, there were some people fishing in the surf, many people playing with their dogs, one person riding a dirt bike, a family flying a kite. The channel in the estuary had changed dramatically since the last time I visited this part of the beach. It was a couple hundred yards further North, and had changed shape further back in the estuary. Lots of cut lumber littered the area where the Necanicum feeds into the ocean. I found one black garbage bag full of marine debris, it looked like mostly plastic peices. It had been sitting long enough that seagulls had been picking at it trying to get to the contents. I'm not sure if it had fallen off of a ship, or if someone had been collecting garbage on the beach and never made it to the garbage can. There was also some sort of contraption made of a large bamboo pole bound on both ends with black elctrical tape, and tied to it with a piece of rope was a plastic bottle of toilet bowl cleaner, possibly from Japan?

Another calm day on a beautiful beach.  Aside from pieces of plastic, an ever present problem on many Oregon beaches, no reason to be concerned about the beach at Mile 247.

The 12-14 Plovers were seen in approximate area as on my 2-14-2020 walk, in the dry sand south of 67D beach entrance and landmark driftwood, located now precisely with Polaris navigation app and Bing map.  Plovers are standing, appearing to be pairing up.

Was too rocky for me to walk very far south starting at roughly the halfway point, sand moves out in October and November. Walked north to promontory where sand build up was evident. Most debris, plastic and rubber strips, was near the northern promontory.  Only saw oyster catchers and seagulls.

I began at the far north (Chapman Beach).  Almost entirely deserted (photo attached).  Like a sand-packed moonscape.  Understandable why some people like to come here to get away from it all, at least for an hour or two.  Going south, Ecola creek was unpassable due to heavy runoff, so it was necessary to go the long way around (sigh).  Light activity near 2nd Street, though later in the season this will clearly be a major chokepoint for human traffic, based on my past few year's experience.  Further south to Gower, little to no sign of disturbance, light traffic. A pleasant, if chilly, walk. 

This later winter day, we observed changes in the bluffs, with new rock slides. Some of the large bolders looked like mussels were removed in small patches.  No sea stars were observed this time.  Large flocks of black sea birds off shore fishing...not able to ID. Micro plastics in the upper shore line. Picked up small pieces of old rope and old plastic bottle. 

Windy, rainy day in Gearhart. Spotted three bald eagles sitting together on the beach, an adult and two juveniles.  See photos.

Beautiful day, every parking spot taken. Very few shorebirds. The end of the beach, near the basalt outcropping, continues to erode.

No significant changes to beach despite winter tides. Lots of small and medium plastic debris in wrack line. 

More micro plastics in the wrack line, continued erosion of dune bluffs on Roosevelt beach exposing large boulders that could fall.

Concerned about bluff erosion.  Recent King Tides seem to have chipped away at the bluffline and i dont know why anyone would buy a home that close anymore.

Our first entry so will try to expand notes as we go along

Nothing of note.

New cliff erosion, fallen trees/bushes on beach.  Large Velella Velella wash-up.  Sea Foam.  Micro Plastic.  12-14 plastic bottles

Tide still too high to walk entire mile.  

Dead bird we found on a walk was a Nazca Booby whose range is near the Galapagos Islands.

This is our first winter in Newport. Our Mile 217 is a dynamic area constantly changing due to King Tides, Winter Storm and heavy rainfall.

Observed at least 12 fulmar, 1 horned puffin, 1 rhinoceros auklet, 1 cassins auklet and 1 seal. all dead.

The mile north of 310 is not part of our Coastwatch mile, but we observe it for Coasst, and discovered 3 more fulmar and 1 seal. also all dead.

Pleasant day, moderate number of people. Small/moderate amount of trash predominantly of plastics, especially bottles, also numerous small chunks of styro foam.

A quiet afternoon on mile 287; only a few folks out enjoying walks on the sand. The resident pair of bald eagles were at play, soaring above the shoreline with an additional juvenile bald eagle; the resident herd of elk were grazing peacefully behind the foredune. The only unusual sighting was the substantial number of velella velella stranded in the driftline. Otherwise all was well on a lovely day.

Some kind person or group had done an extensive beach clean-up over the President's Day weekend, and there were numerous stacks of trash piled above the high tide line at intervals along the mile as well as along the entire BayOcean spit. We picked up another two bags of additional items, mostly plastic water bottles, and added them to the stacks. To make sure that they were aware of it, I notified the Parks Dept about the trash; they responded that they knew about the clean-up and had already scheduled a pick-up.  

Walked the beach at low tide. Beach appears very smooth, no potholes or undulations that I've observed last year. Evidence of the king tides was clear; sand soaked the beach grass higher than I've seen before, and driftwood was threatening a number of beachfront homes. Noticed a broken up dock washed ashore. Mostly sunny day, temp just below 50, light breeze. Did notice surfers north of my mile. Average number of beach walkers given the conditions.

This was a brisk day with big clouds on the long holiday weekend.  The beach is very long, sloping gently from above where the large amount of wood sits.  The sand has covered most of that wood.  There was little debris, natural or human on the mile.  12 people were out walking, fishing, photographing and running. No bird carcasses were seen, and only a few shorebirds and gulls were present.  What was notable was four ATV tracks that ran down the beach, and then multiple circles of tracks up where the dunes were leveled to encourage snowy plover nesting. Somebody, or somebodies seemed to be having a good time driving around in the sand. 

A large amount of debris on the beach, more than 15 pieces that were over 50cm in length. Lots of rope from crab/fishing, an intact Pacific Seafoods white tote, 2 pieces of possible tsunami debris: 1 fridge or freezer (47cm square) with Asian characters on inside and biofouled as well as a red plastic gas can with Asian characters on it as well (see photos). I carried off 2 full bags of trash/debris as well as one of the conglomerations of rope. Alerted Fawn and Jesse about the above-listed items. 

It was not a good day. It was cloudy, and during the 1.5 hours I was scrambling along the rocks, taking photos, etc. it rained 0.03 inches according to Hatfield. The wind was 8-12 miles/hour. Wave height was 11-15 feet according to Weather Service Surf forecast.

Fewer Western Snowy Plovers this walk than on 1/30/2020, approximately 20 total today (30-40 last visit) in two clusters south of beach access 67D (beyond the landmark driftwood in the attached photo and before the steep sand bluffs).  On my previous walk, the plovers were about a quarter of a mile further north, but that section of beach has been smoothed over by new sand/wind, and the plovers seem to prefer some roughness/undulations in the sand.

Bright, sunny Tuesday right after King Tides. Beach was scoured clean, logs rearranged and a few new ones deposited. Velella Velella were uniform in size, 3"-3.5", clear, and fairly fresh. Some erosion at MW 15th Street vehicle access but not enough to keep all cars from the beach. Maybe bette luck next time. Sand level noticibly lower, photo attached.