Mile 208 Report
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
May 27, 2007
This was the morning the gray whale washed ashore.
Report Details
This was the morning the gray whale washed ashore. State Parks vehicle down on beach early. Been observing & recording steller sea lions on 2 offshore islands since April 3. On May 16 reported 14 dove when boat approached. Pretty certain I saw 1-5 marbled murrelets in ocean past month.(Later on June 5 a steller sea lion also washed up, ust about on top of the first burial site of the whale. I measured it (12 feet) and emailed Jim Rice. He was here within the hour and removed it. I believe it was a male, not dead long. And yes, I have photos of the whale and the sea lion.)
Conditions
Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 5.4 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 37. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 14. Playing in sand: 2. Photography: 6. Fishing: 2. Other Activities: 1 frisbee 1 kite 2 horses.
Concerns
Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs
Notable Wildlife
offshore islands 2 steller sea lions ~ 10 brown pelicans roosting
Stranded Marine Mammals
1 gray whale deadjust north of Seal Rock wayside
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.
All Mile 208 Reports
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
(This is part two of my report as I divided up the mile into two trips.
Batthecat
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
The cliff erosion is significant.
Batthecat
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
Photos show how high the surf got.
Batthecat
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
Not much happening on this beach except human invasive use (driving on beach)
Batthecat
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
Ona beach is now buried in sand - come winter this will be pulled off again.
Batthecat
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
Most notable is the extent to which large chuncks of the cliff have worked loose.
Batthecat
Mile 208
Ona Beach, south of Beaver Creek
First beach visit after the major storm surges.
Batthecat