Mile 161 - Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River - April 9, 2019

Report Details

It was a stormy, wet and windy morning at Siltcoos Recreation Area today with dramatic clouds and storms coming and going. All visitors appeared to abide by rules to remain on wet sand in plover area. One volunteer plover monitor was on the beach and indicated that most of the plovers were further north today. Also mentioned that the one nest in the area had been lost over the stormy past few days. Saw two sanderlings, each hopping on one leg near the surf, 2 juvenile bald eagles, 2 turkey vultures, one hermit crab crawling and several gulls.

Conditions

Temperature: 45 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 0.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 6. Walking or running: 2. Playing in sand: 1. Photography: 1. Other Activities: One volunteer plover monitor picking up trash and also checking for plovers/nests.. All people on beach were staying on wet sand as directed by entrance signs for plover area.

Notable Wildlife

2 juvenile bald eagles; 2 turkey vultures; 2 sanderlings; a few gulls.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. Common Murre.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. A large number of baby by-the-wind-sailors (Valella).

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces.