Mile 147 - Oregon Dunes NRA, North Spit Umpqua River, Winchester Bay - December 27, 2014

Report Details

Our miles are difficult to get to as from the end of Sparrow Park Road you have to cross the soft sand and then head 5 miles south along the beach. This was an unusual visit, with a dead whale, a ray of some kind, a very decomposed sealion and a little red crab with thin arms and tiny pincers that looked more like he belonged in Mexico than on an Oregon beach. We also found almost enough plastic junk to fill our pickup. We took that to the transfer facility in Florence where we dumped it for free--except for the tire which was $4 to dump but I got the Old Guy's Discount--$1 off at the dump. Getting old's not all bad.It was an interesting trip to visit our miles.Mike & Chris Helm

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 2.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 11. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 3. Playing in surf: 3. Photography: 2. Other Activities: exploring. Six people, including two kids playing in the surf, were north of our miles nearer the beach entrance.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 5.

Notable Wildlife

1 small red crab with very thin legs and tiny pincers--not a Dungeness--like a Mexican land crab. I 've never seen a crab like that in Oregon before.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

1 dead whale about 25 feet long, 1 enormous dead sea lion, 1 dead stingray. I'll add pictures

Driftline Content

Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.