Mile 204 Report
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
August 17, 2022
After the morning fog lifted and before the marine layer moved in, I walked from Seal Rock on Mile 205 to Beach Access 66C on Mile 203.
Report Details
After the morning fog lifted and before the marine layer moved in, I walked from Seal Rock on Mile 205 to Beach Access 66C on Mile 203. My wife, Trish, and our dog, Sweetie, met me, Sweetie wearing her spiked Coyote jacket because we know they're here (see my recent Dispatch from Mile 203). I was looking for late nesting Snowy Plovers, but it appears they're all down on Mile 202, where they've enjoyed a relatively successful season, with four of twenty-four nests hatching chicks. I was also scouting for a new NOAA marine debris survey site to replace the site I had selected earlier this year just south of Buckley Creek, where the creek's increasing southerly meander, the seasonal summer dunes, and water seeps at the back barrier have made debris surveying not so great. I'm still looking for a new site, but it was another beautiful walk on the beach.
Conditions
Temperature: 62 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 1.5 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 10. Number of dogs: 5. Walking or running: 8. Other Activities: 2 motorized bicyclists on the wet sand.
Concerns
Fire
Apparent violations: A couple of campfire remains too close to driftwood.Notable Wildlife
A few gulls and corvids, lots of Barn Swallows, a little "Peep" which I wasn't sure about identifying
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 2. Skeletons only, species unknown
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass. Little driftline; I walked high on beach
New Development
Construction of PacWave South's wave energy project infrastructure has been completed at the Driftwood Wayside parking area, and no new construction is occurring. PacWave is currently looking for proposals for constructing their "Medium Voltage Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility" on land owned by Oregon State University just east of Highway 101.
Man-made Modifications
Invasive European Beachgrass is spreading naturally on upper beach in places.
Natural Changes
The seasonal summer low sand dunes are still present
Report Images
Jon French
CoastWatcher
All Mile 204 Reports
Mile 204
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
Today marked my latest sighting of the old growth driftwood log that I've admired and whose comings and goings from Driftwood Beach I've documented since June 2020, when I first photographed it high on the beach south of Buckley Creek.
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Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
I had read that the 265-foot vessel Seacor Lee would be anchoring a mile off Driftwood Beach in support of OSU's PacWave South wave energy testing project, positioned so that divers from the ship could perform work on previously installed seafloor conduits.
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Mile 204
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
I haven't walked Driftwood Beach regularly since the PacWave South wave energy project completed work underground in the Driftwood parking lot.
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Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
By the time I got to Driftwood Wayside, a lot of people had already arrived for their New Years Day beach walks, some 30 vehicles in the parking lot and 30 - 40 people down on the beach, accompanied by at least half as many dogs, almost all leashed.
Jon French
Mile 204
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
This was probably the last dependably dry Mile 204 walk before the rains begin in earnest.
Jon French
Mile 204
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
After the morning fog lifted and before the marine layer moved in, I walked from Seal Rock on Mile 205 to Beach Access 66C on Mile 203.
Jon French
Mile 204
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
Driftwood Wayside is open again after PacWave's departure, but I was the only visitor on this breezy, drizzly day.
Jon French
Mile 204
Driftwood Beach Wayside, Buckley Creek
The PacWave South wave energy project hosted a BBQ today at Driftwood Wayside for staff and neighbors to celebrate the completion of construction work here and the reopening of the Wayside later this month.
Jon French