Mile 327 Report
Clatsop Plains
December 30, 2015
Lovely cold day at beach with few recreational activities underway, including three horses out for a beach ride.
Report Details
Lovely cold day at beach with few recreational activities underway, including three horses out for a beach ride. Tides have been high into the dunes, to the very top over last week's king tides and deposited lots of sand to entirely cover the slope of the dunes.
Conditions
Temperature: 35 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light.
Human Activities
Number of people: 9. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 9. there are track marks of autos driving into the dunes in many places
Vehicles
Cars/trucks parking: 2. Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 8.
Notable Wildlife
sanderlings in surf, and killdeer along edge of dunes
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 5. Species/names: 1 black kittiwake, 2 cassins auklets, 1 large immature gull, and 1 northern fulmar
Stranded Marine Mammals
I did encounter a man driving the beach looking for a dead harbor seal that he indicated had been reported a couple days earlier on this stretch. I saw no signs of it.
Driftline Content
Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.).
Natural Changes
Erosion of vegetated foredune, Evidence of wave overtopping.
Report Images
Simonetal
CoastWatcher
All Mile 327 Reports
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A morning walk on mile 327 revealed 3 species of kelp: chain bladder kelp, bull kelp, and rockweed, and some interesting invertebrates: purple mahogany clam (Nuttallia) and pelagic gooseneck barnacles attached to a plastic soap pump bottle.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A late afternoon walk on mile 327 revealed three species of kelp washed up on the wrack line: bull kelp, sea palm, and giant kelp, and three species of dead avifauna: Common murre, Northern fulmar, and rhinocerus auklet.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A morning walk on mile 327 on July 5th revealed a significant amount of human trash from the fourth of July festivities on the beach, including hundreds of fireworks, abundant single-use plastics, and many food containers/food waste.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A cloudy yet mild afternoon walk on mile 327 revealed an interesting diversity of arthropod species in the wrack line: Say's Stink Bug, Large Yellow Underwing, 61 Serrated Darkling Beetles, and ladybird beetles (Coccinella and Hippodamia).
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A quiet, cloudy morning walk on the southern end of mile 327 reveals considerable trash from human activities around fire pits on the dry sand area above the high tide line.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
Today was a welcome respite from the recent heavy rain, high winds, and stormy weather that accompanied the King tides of Jan.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
Mid-morning walk south towards Gearhart beach at a very high tide along the tide line I saw a dead Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) carcass with bands on its legs.
sultanym
