Mile 202 Report
North Spit Alsea River
September 26, 2020
After the recent storms, I was surprised not to find any marine debris of human origin.
Report Details
After the recent storms, I was surprised not to find any marine debris of human origin. Instead, along the driftline were hundreds of strange little jelly like pods with tiny tails. After a lot of Googling, these turned out to be dead "burrowing sea cucumbers" (Leptosynapta clarki), which live beneath the sand offshore but can get washed ashore after storms. Seehttps://www.beachconnection.net/news/seacuc091315_624.phpAlthough I haven't seen Western Snowy Plovers nesting along this stretch of the beach, they do winter here (40-50 seen at a time last winter). Today I came across a cluster of 15-16 settled down in little sand divots near the water. With few people on the beach, and surprisingly almost no dogs, the plovers, which forage mostly at night, seemed content to just rest in the sand.
Conditions
Temperature: 61 F. Cloud Cover: Foggy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 4.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 25. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 20. Sitting: 5.
Notable Wildlife
16 Western Snowy Plovers
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
Thousands of dead "burrowing sea cucumbers" along driftline
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt). Dead "burrowing sea cucumbers"
Man-made Modifications
Someone has decorated the small dead pine or spruce on the beach. The tree is anchored very solid in the sand, but I can't imagine it actually grew there. Maybe someone's recycled Christmas tree?
Natural Changes
The "landmark driftwood" first photographed in February, continues to be overtaken by sand.
Report Images
Jon French
CoastWatcher
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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.
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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.
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After finding forty beached Cassin's Auklets on Jan.
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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
