January 30, 2024

Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 5.0 feet.

Number of people: 21. Number of dogs: 7. Walking or running: 18. Sitting: 3. Folks were walking their dogs, just enjoying the unseasonably warm day. One man sitting on a log (way out of the surf zone!) and two folks in chairs right near the end of Laneda, the main road in Manzanita, just watching the world.

Only three gulls on the beach today. Very quiet!

Total dead birds: 20. At least 20 dead birds, many (most) were the Cassin's Auklets. I think that many of these are the same birds that I reported on previously. There were many bird parts.

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.). There is a shocking amount of small plastic marine debris. With the recents storms and high winter tides, it's more than I've ever seen. Lots of fishing ropes, bait labels, nurdles, lure parts, lids, etc. Multiple wrack lines all full of plastic.

Erosion of vegetated foredune, Visible retreat of solid bluff, Evidence of wave overtopping. Over the past month the bluffs have retreated / been washed out. Where it was previously a slope up the bluff, now there is a four foot or so ledge. Beach grass roots are visible, as are old buried trees jutting out from the newly exposed sand. There are numerous streams that drain onto the beach, and with the heavy rains they are wider and larger. There are more large driftwood logs deposited near the dunes, too.