December 13, 2022

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I entered the beach hoping to find and count the Western Snowy Plovers that winter here. I encountered the flock spread out loosely over about fifty yards near the wet sand line. A dying Snowy Plover had been discovered here a month ago which, after its death, reportedly tested positive for HPAI avian flu, so I watched the plovers and looked for any unusual behavior but didn't notice anything. Mostly the birds just sat resting in human footprints, so I was able to get a good count of 44 plovers and two sanderlings, similar to previous counts and suggesting a fairly stable and healthy population of wintering plovers here. This was a successful nesting season for plovers on Mile 202, prompting Oregon State Parks, which manages the beaches, to discuss with the City of Waldport the city's annual July 3rd fireworks display which shoots up from the north beach of Alsea Bay, the object being to insure that the city's fireworks don't negatively impact future plover nesting. Hopefully, this will be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.I formerly but no longer volunteer for the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, so my comments above are solely my own as a CoastWatch volunteer. Aside from seeing the plovers, I walked down to Alsea Bay on this beautiful morning and watched recreational boaters fishing and crabbing, then I turned back north with the sea and sand and sky stretched out in front of me and not a person in sight. Don't tell anyone.