Mile 217 - Newport, Nye Beach north, Agate Beach south - August 27, 2010

Report Details

It was a beautiful morning on the beach. There were only four cars counting ours at my access point at Agate Beach, and there were not a lot at Nye Beach Turnaround a little past the end of my mile, but somehow there were quite a few people enjoying the beach. I saw bicycle tracks and one (obscene) sand sculpture. There always seem to be people climbing on the exposed rocks at low tide, and today was no exception. The beach had formed more definite dunes than last month, and the water crossing the beach was of course lessened by the dryer weather.

Conditions

Temperature: 57 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 1.8 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 25. Number of dogs: 4. Walking or running: 16. Photography: 1. Other Activities: 2 Sitting on Rock, 6 coming down bluff. I was disturbed by the people who were walking/sliding down the sandy bluff near Jumpoff Joe. A lot of sand is being lost there, and it's unfortunate that people use those dunes as beach access.

Concerns

Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 4.

Notable Wildlife

I saw 18 crows and 13 gulls on my walk, and there was a flock of about 20 small shore birds (I didn't get close enough to see what kind, but they did fly and resettle in response to my walking by, I'm sorry to say).

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. There was a carcass of a murre chick.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. As usual, there were many small plastic chips.

Natural Changes

There continues to be slow erosion along the sandy bluffs and in particular in the Jumpoff Joe area.

firstrobin

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