April 23, 2025

Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Strong. Tide Level: 0.5 feet.

Other Activities: I didn't see anyone along Mile 288, although I did find footprints in the wet sand from earlier in the day.. I didn't see anyone along Mile 288, although I did find footprints in the wet sand from earlier in the day.

There were multiple flocks of plovers flying low along the wet sand during my visit. I also noted (from a distance), a fast-moving bird flying into the wind close to the ground along the foredune through the Western Snowy Plover nesting area causing a small bird to take flight. Possibly a predator of the plover? I also saw seagulls throughout Mile 288.

Total dead birds: 1. I found one dead bird in Mile 288. It did not have a leg band and was approximately 6 inches long with brown feathers and a white belly (see photo).

I avoided the wrack line which is entirely within the marked Western Snowy Plover nesting area, however the above content was found across the beach in front of the dune. Myself and 5 other residents of Cape Meares picked up debris along Mile 288 March 9th before the nesting season began and as such very little debris was observed during my visit. During our cleanup efforts, I noticed significantly less debris had washed ashore over the winter than in previous years. I have heard this is true for other areas of the beach as well.

Posts, signs and rope were installed around the Western Snowy Plover nesting area for the entire distance of Mile 288. Two educational signs in Spanish and English (real estate style) were posted in the sand where the northern most E-W spit trail enters the beach at the south end of the Western Snowy Plover nesting area.

Significant sand deposition occurred over the winter/spring.