Mile 202 Report
North Spit Alsea River
May 16, 2023
The beach was fairly cool today after 99 degrees two days ago.
Report Details
The beach was fairly cool today after 99 degrees two days ago. My wife, Trish, helped me combine today's mile walk with a COASST beached bird survey. We didn't find any beached birds today, but I still submitted the required data form with beach information.There is now an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department roped enclosure with Do Not Enter signs around each of three Western Snowy Plover nests here. Trish went up to a woman unknowingly approaching a nest enclosure with a very rambunctious unleashed dog and explained that a threatened shorebird was nesting there, and the woman nicely leashed her dog and walked away. Some people think secrecy and censorship help protect Snowy Plovers. I believe instead in information sharing and education, like the Plover signs Oregon Parks posts on beach accesses, and the roped nest enclosures, and talking to people and otherwise trying to inform them. In 2020 through 2022, I spent hundreds of volunteer hours for Oregon Parks and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service helping locate and monitor Snowy Plovers from Waldport to Seal Rock, and it is my experience that these brave little birds are threatened not by people knowing too much about them but rather by people not knowing they exist.
Conditions
Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Tide Level: 5.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 6. Number of dogs: 5. Walking or running: 6. See Summary for human/Snowy Plover comments.
Vehicles
Cars/trucks parking: 2.
Notable Wildlife
Western Snowy Plovers (see Summary and photos). Also, a pair of Ospreys is again attempting to nest atop the old repurposed tsunami siren pole in the Bayshore Beach Club parking lot. Previous nesting attempts have failed in this exposed, windy location, but this year the pair has been diligently gathering sticks from the beach and has weathered recent strong winds, so here's hoping for some Osprey chicks!
Beached Birds
I submitted my monthly report to COASST showing no dead birds found.
Stranded Marine Mammals
Total stranded mammals: 1. Last remains of a very old carcass, previously reported by others, which I had been told was the remains of a whale that had been buried in sand and had now reappeared, being scavenged today by two Turkey Vultures.
Driftline Content
Very little driftline content today, but on my walk 4/25/2023 there was a large accumulation of Vellela vellela along the northern portion of Mile 202.
Man-made Modifications
Sand removal. During the past week, I have seen multiple dual tandem gravel trucks hauling off full loads of sand from the southern, "Sahara Desert" portion of Oceania Drive paralleling Mile 202. It's my understanding that this clean up is required, is paid for by homeowners, and that no permit is required for removal of sand east of the beachfront houses on Oceania Dr.
Natural Changes
Erosion of vegetated foredune. The foredune on the northern portion of Mile 202 has been undercut by winter storms and is now eroding (see photo).
Banded Western Snowy Plover and driftline of Vellela vellela
Snowy Plover incubating in nest enclosure, people and dogs
Cut bank and erosion nearing high tide
Driftline of Vellela vellela
Cluster of Corvid tracks
Cleaning up the remains of a carcass
A fresh looking beaver chew
Taking a break beside Alsea Bay at high tide
Osprey scouting for nest sticks
Osprey on nest atop repurposed tsunami siren pole
Report Images
Jon French
CoastWatcher
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