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Mile Reports Browser
Include Counties: Clatsop   Tillamook   Lincoln   Lane   Douglas   Coos   Curry  
Created or Edited within:  Last 30 days  3 months  Year  All dates
MileObserverDateStatusSummary
256 jcameron5/1/13NEWLarge piece of Styrofoam. Reported to OPRD thru 211 -- not clear whether it's tsunami debris.1
35 Oceanhippie25/2/13
DISPATCH
PUBA Gray Whale swam close to the shore about 2-300 ft off the beach and then in the distance there was a large pod of whales swimming by to many to count.
35 Oceanhippie25/3/13
DISPATCH
PUBToday has been pretty busy with the small groups of whales swimming by I watched another 4 swim past but not together. 1 at 3:00 pm then another at 4:20pm and 2 later around 6pm
35 Oceanhippie25/4/13
DISPATCH
PUBa few Gray Whales this morning than an hour later a very large sea lion checking out the crab pods. Around 12noon and then again close to 4pm just 3 gray whales same as the day before. This must be a great spot to work on the removal of barnacles.
35 Oceanhippie25/5/13
DISPATCH
PUBAnother small group of just 2 swam by the beach for a short distance then out away from the shore.
35 Oceanhippie25/6/13
DISPATCH
PUBJust one whale swam by and did stay in the area for a little while then back out to sea. So far I have not seen any of the whales jump out the water. Later that day a small group of 3 swam by and the smallest one swam between to 2 larger ones and they were about 200 ft off the beach.
35 Oceanhippie25/7/13
DISPATCH
PUBIts been a bit busy today. I have seen about 8 Gray Whales swim by today and a few travelers pulled off to take pictures, One gentleman asked me if the whales swim in this close was normal. I said, Yes they have been swimming by a lot this month. The times for the whale observed started at 8:40 am, around 10 am, 11:30 am, around 1:00 pm and then again around 1:50 pm, 2:30pm, 3:35 pm, last one so far at 5:10pm They all seem to swim in and along the beach. Only seen their backs and a few tails but it was very nice to watch.
35 Oceanhippie25/8/13
DISPATCH
PUBA gray whale stopped by this late morning and popped its head out to look at the group of travelers that pulled off on the small view point to take pictures, then it swam along the beach and back out to sea. And then shortly after another gray whale swam by at 11:15 am.
207 Maxine C5/15/13PUBNormal human and dog activity for this time of year. Spring migration of birds underway--whimbrels on the beach, geese overhead. A bright red sea star, Pacific henricia, seen in a tidepool earlier this week. Lots of crab shell fragments in drift line. Recent erosion of the bluff noticed. A private concrete staircase down the bluff has been added near Deer Creek, approved after being built, State Parks permit BA-683-12.4
147 Lyndell5/13/13PUBMile 147 had no human activites going on. Campsites had been covered with blowing sand as if it were summer. The 4 miles leading to mile 147 did have some human activity in the form of fishing and kids playing on the beach out of Sparrow Park. There were many crabs washed up on the driftline. More than I ever remember. Many seals ( 6-10 ) were playing near the Jetty. Not much in the way of debris. I believe it had been covered by blowing sand. Did remove 4 garbage bags of litter between the surf and the foredune.
214 rasmussenschramm5/11/13PUBNot much has changed on our mile since our last report. It is very clean. The line of the bluff over the beach has softened a little since last time, but that's all we noticed.1
248 Dr Kayak5/9/13PUBNo humans at Cascade Head! But plenty of wildlife, wind, and choppy water ...
224 malachite5/6/13PUBMost notable sighting was of the many live and dead winged carpenter ants which might've been the reason for the unusual number of crows & gulls I saw on the beach today. Usually I see very few birds, today I saw 30+ gulls (some near where Johnson Creek flows into the ocean, others further south on the mile) and 10-15 crows (estimate) and 2 vultures (soaring). Observed crow harass vulture & persuade vulture to fly away from crows and gain altitude. Beach was surprisingly clean given how many people might've been on the beach this weekend (2 day heatwave, HMSC weather station listed high of 84+ on Saturday, 87+ on Sunday). I saw evidence of a fire in an area w/driftwood (near the base of the bluff) but otherwise beach looked very clean. Wonderful, beautiful walk on the beach. Started out sunny, fog bank moved in during the course of my walk. Report form needs to be revised so that people can enter the time they arrived on mile and time departed. I arrived about 4:30-4:40pm and left beach about 5:30pm, back at parking lot about 5:40pm.
102 beachnut5/6/13PUBHeading south from the Coquille River this mild and sunny morning was pure pleasure. Oyster catchers were noisy on the close islands. Also active were cormorants, gulls, crows. Couldn't tell if the common murres were on Table Rock. Two Canada geese were at the tide line. Except for a few pieces of picnic litter, this stretch was clean. And the sand mounding on the other side of the river was not evident. Shells, small rocks, small seaweed clumps marked the driftline. Three people and three vehicles: one rock hunter, one dog walker and one surf fisherman surfaced on my return walk.
198 bahngarten5/5/13PUB15 people, 4 dogs enjoying an early a.m. walk/run on this sunny beach. 1 Caspian Tern plunging beyond surfline for food. Almost continual northbound flights of small sandpipers--10-50 per group, at shoreline. Third day of this continuous migration in early morning. Mole crab parts showing at high tide line. Small pebbles/ shells at surfline. Small amount plastic debris removed from beach.
103 beachnut5/5/13PUBA perfect morning for our coastline: sunny at 6 a.m., little wind, a balmy 65 degrees. No one else was on this stretch, though I could see a couple of surf fishermen further north. Wildlife was abundant: numerous sanderlings feeding and dodging waves, some gulls and crows, several raptors scoping out the foredune for easy prey. The dead sea lion reported earlier is now just a smelly pile of skin and bones. Fierce northerly winds of recent days have buried logs and litter, as well as creating interesting mounds here and there. Only litter found was a light-truck tire coated with marine life (at northern end), and I moved it above the high line. Many baby dungeness molts in the drift line, also shell fragments, small stones, some seaweed.
102 beachnut5/5/13PUBWalking north from the Coquille River at 6 a.m. was pure pleasure on a sunny, light-wind, 65-degree day AND no one else was there until the end. Lots of sanderlings flew hither and yon seeking breakfast, as did gulls and crows on the beach. Several raptors flew over the foredune and inland from there. And several cormorants were out over the river on their way back to sea. Sand mounds covered whatever litter there was, apart from one beer can. We've had a few days of fierce north winds and the resulting sand accumulations are changing the beach terrain. Small stones and shell fragments were scattered along the drift line, along with a few pieces of seaweed.
35 Oceanhippie210/23/12
DISPATCH
PUBI do see the whales come through this area a lot during migration north and south directions. There are a few small groups that come in close and swim over the shelf which if I'm fast I can take a nice picture. This whale in the picture was by it's self.1
40 azbeach4/28/13
DISPATCH
PUBCorrection to previous reports, inadvertently identifying the grazing roamers on our mile as domestic goats. I've been informed, and confirmed, that these are actually sheep. I'm posting this in hopes that the 3 remaining renegades will be recognized by their owner.1
57 CapeWalker4/28/13PUBWandered from Hughes House to MILE 57. Few folks on beach, fishing and beach combing. NO Pets, some sheep on grassy hill sides. Saw Bald Eagle yesterday, none today. NO sea mammals, some sea birds, flocks of birds on Gull Island, need to check the inventory. Over all sunny day with good amount of Nw winds, especially on exposed beach or bluffs. Minus tide this weekend, could have rounded the cape maybe with tomorrow minus tide? Start from south side, see ya there.1
10 janhnlt4/28/13PUBVery low tide brought out the people with their children and dogs. The Beach was very clean with very little debris. The wind picked up considerably as we completed our survey. It was a beautiful day at Lone Ranch Beach.
255 bballentine5/3/13PUBBeach much wider than 2 months ago with sand spits projecting into ocean. Generally clean with less plastic foam than last visit. Several sections of heavy wood beams. Found structural section of fiberglass reinforced polyester about 4' x 1.5' that appears to be from gunwale of a small boat, blue on one side, white on the other. Interior full of barnacles and small bivalve shells. Also found large piece of fishing net. Saw crows and gulls, watched Great Blue Heron stalking fish in shallow water by sand spit. One family of two adults two children playing in sand. One runner on beach, one person playing in surf. Beautiful day at the beach over all.
103 beachnut4/27/13PUBAt 6 a.m. on a chilly, cloudy morning, we were not alone. A rock hunter with an unleashed dog was there, and later four others each with dogs materialized. Beach was mostly clean of litter. A significant chunk north of the street pullouts showed severe erosion by the winter storm tides. A few trees are on their way down, in fact. Gulls and Sanderlings were present. One gull pecking away drew my attention to a dead sea mammal (sea lion, I think) at the stinky stage. It's at the northern edge of this mile segment. Otherwise, there were bull kelp and other kelp, shell fragments and stones in the driftline.
100 JohnnyCN5/1/13PUBWind was the dominating factor in today's CoastWatch walk. Wind blew the sand, and the sand covered everything or swept the beach clean, thus accounting for the fact that I have almost nothing to report on the beach. Wind, I think, also explains the lack of humans, sea animals and sea birds. Trying to walk against the wind was the most exciting experience I had. Wind, wind, wind.
222 dderickson5/1/13PUBBeautiful, bright day with brisk northern wind; very few people on the beach, and the ones I counted weren't there long. Significant sand cover has moved back on to the beach (this is my first year on the coast: I can't help but be impressed by the movement of the sand!), probably a couple of feet deeper in some places than it was in the barest part of winter, as you can tell by the appearance and disappearance of rock formations. With some of the sand-covered rocks, all that is left visible is the algae, which appears to be growing on the sand until you dig into it. The algae on the higher rocks is bleached white. One of the drainpipe casings has fallen in the 2nd group of drains from the south. Where the land slide was observed in December, the boulders are now splitting and crumbling. On the trail going down to the beach, salal is in bloom.
187 turnstone4/28/13PUBThree River Otters South of Bray's Point were the highlight. Birds of note, Black Oystercatcher, Bald Eagle, Pigeon Guillemots. Sand is returning to cover the cobbles on the beach.
213 Sally/Julia4/28/13PUBVery calm day at the coast. Very low tide. No birds observed. More wood pieces this time but less litter.
221 lauraj4/24/13
DISPATCH
PUBAnother beautiful (but windy) afternoon on our amazing coast. Pleased to see only a little trash as I had decided to allow myself to walk barefoot and didn't want to scramble into the rocks. Still carried out one big bag full. More varieties of birds than any other visit. Whimbrels, Oystercatchers, Semipalmated Plovers, Western Sandpipers and the ever present Western Gulls. A few more of the dead and dying shore pines gave way to the eroding bluff and a small landslide has trapped a large plastic lid of some sort. Hmm.... 1:30 there was only one couple half way down the beach, by return at 3:30, 9 people and one dog on the beach, 6 rock hunting, 2 surf fishing (first time I've seen that here), one walking w dog. As I left, two cars of people picnicking or relaxing in the parking lot and two more unloading and headed to the beach. Lovely day.13
184 Blue Turtle4/25/13PUBA glorious day on beach watching the amazing migration of birds. The numbers are just unbelievable. have never seen anything like it. Bonaparts Gulls flying just over the waves near shore and out to about a mile. Had my scope so I could see them. Same with loons. All this went on the whole time I was at the beach.
171 kathrynl4/25/13PUB12 foot long solid wood board -- might be a top to a structure? no visible nails -- approximately 1/3 mile down the beach from Driftwood Shores. Very little litter on beach; however, plenty of dog poop on drift line and in two bags in parking lot.
101 beachnut4/24/13
DISPATCH
PUBA photographer stationed just north of Elephant Rock asked me if I had seen an eagle swoop down for a gull breakfast awaiting it on Elephant Rock. The photog said this has happened several times while he watched. He took a shot with the camera but said it was too slow and the snaring too quick. I, alas, missed the action. Perhaps tomorrow....
29 sparks4/12/13PUBNot much to report on this beach survey. It was surprisingly clean, and I tried very hard to look for litter. I managed to find a little bit of micro trash, but that is all. I didn't see any signs of people having driven on the beach as of late. The best part about the day was watching the osprey flying around the blue skies with his fresh catch of lamprey - yum! It was a cold, blustery day but the sweet sunshine made it delightful. I also found an agate!4
139 10mile23/17/13PUBNo visitors or human activity observed on this remote mile. Very little wildlife observed.
197 mudslide4/20/13PUBA surprisingly empty beach, given this afternoon's warm temperature, light breeze, and outgoing tide. At the north end of the mile, large driftwood posts have been sunk vertically into the sand, forming a large triangle. Only saw 12 people at the beginning of my walk, one couple with a leashed dog, one couple on bicycles. Beach was very clean, with the exception of four or five collections of dog doo. On my return, about 12 more people had come down to the beach, mostly in one group near the surf line.
99 azbeach4/21/13
DISPATCH
PUBWestern Gull hanging -- dangling by leg/foot, apparently having been caught up in fishing line, on Haystack Rock. The aqua/green mass above and south of the WEGU is the line. Reported personally to mile 99 coastwatcher, and USF&W.1
335 mandfwhite4/16/13PUBSunny day with mild wind from the west. There were 9 cars at the access point (Peter Iredale). We saw 3 people walking on our mile, plus 2 people trying to get a parasail into the air, for a total of 5 people. Nine cars drove by, plus one low ATV pulling a parasail. We didn't see any notable wildlife, dead or alive. There was less debris on the beach than usual, and hardly any styrofoam, probably because of recent beach cleanups. There were quite a few pieces of weathered milled lumber though, more than we're used to seeing.
102 beachnut4/20/13PUBHeading north from the Coquille River lighthouse on a cloudy mild morning only saw 2 others with leashed dogs enjoying the walk. Tire tracks were obvious in this no-drive zone and they continued past the large sign prohibiting this activity and, presumably, beyond. Lots of sea grass, some kelp and other unknown vegetative materials marked the driftline, as did small stones and shell fragments. Gulls, crows and a couple of unknown shorebirds were on the beach. Filled a litter bag with mostly plastic trash from the sea: bottles, bags, wrappers. But also rope and pieces of a crab float.