Mile 202 Report
North Spit Alsea River
February 16, 2015
Beautiful President's Day on the Bayshore near Waldport, OR.
Report Details
Beautiful President's Day on the Bayshore near Waldport, OR. Enjoyed a very sunny day with record high temps. Noted approximately 20 humans on beach - one family flying kites and playing in the surf, while the rest were walking along the water's edge. Noted lots of driftwood and debris close to the spit where the Alsea Bay drains out to the ocean. Large, notable items included a big tire and a large waterproof bag to hold liquids. We saw a small group of sea lions playing out in the surf along with the usual gulls. We identified three dead shorebirds - one California Gull and two Cassin's Auklets. Trash picked up included mostly plastic and styrofoam.
Conditions
Temperature: 71 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: E. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 20. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 15. Playing in sand: 5. Other Activities: kite flying. We noted one family of 5 flying kites and playing in the surf. The rest were out walking or exploring the beach.
Concerns
Litter
Notable Wildlife
Spotted 3-5 sea lions playing in water offshore.
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 3. We noted the following 3 dead birds on our beach and assigned them the following band numbers:Cassin's auklet 318California gull 319Cassin's auklet 320
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. Big tire, some sort of big waterproof bag to hold fluid
Man-made Modifications
Beachgrass planting or removal. Noted progress on ongoing project to fortify dunes near Bayshore spit
Report Images
unbound
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All Mile 202 Reports
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Today was the first windless day in awhile, shirtsleeve weather with a calm sea and a distinct marine layer offshore.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Bayshore's HOA recently spent $2,500 for permits and bulldozing a path down to the beach behind the Bayshore clubhouse, a designated public access, smoothing out the drop-off resulting from winter erosion and restoring access for beach goers and our State Parks ranger's ATV.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Mile 202 beach accesses and exits are now restricted because of erosion and sheering off of the sand cliffs along its northern portion, so I now need to plan for a receding tide if I want to walk the entire mile safely.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
After finding forty beached Cassin's Auklets on Jan.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
A beautifully calm, sunny day, maybe the last for awhile, with a fifteen mile view from Seal Rock to Cape Perpetua and hardly anyone on the beach except for two surf fishers and a couple valiantly trying to launch a kite with no wind.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
As I began yesterday's mile walk and monthly COASST beached bird survey, a light rain began to fall, the first in months.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
As I have done before, I combined today's walk with my monthly COASST survey for dead seabirds.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
The beach was fairly cool today after 99 degrees two days ago.
Jon French