Haystack Rock Awareness Program Nature Blog

If you follow our newsletter, you know that the resident black oystercatcher pair at Haystack Rock is nesting! The nest is located in the loose rocky area just below the large "Do Not Enter" sign (see picture). This is the earliest they've nested in about a decade, and they currently have three eggs in their nest. The chicks are expected to hatch around June 4. A black oystercatcher sits on its nest at Haystack Rock. Photo by Margaret Minnick These birds are a U.S. Fish & Wildlife "Species of Concern," and have an average hatching rate of 29%. The chicks have only a 13% survival rate to fledging. So, every year the Haystack Rock Awareness Program works very hard to protect our black oystercatcher nest, so that they have the best chance of successfully hatching and fledging their offspring. To avoid any disturbance that might disrupt the nesting, HRAP staff are roping off the area in front of the nest during each low tide. When visiting the rock, be s...

On March 1, HRAP Naturalists Ellison and Andrea were surprised to find an unusual-looking sea star in the Marine Garden tide pools, and showed it to me (Margaret). I wasn’t quite sure what species it was, so I took a picture and uploaded it to the mobile app iNaturalist , hoping that the other users of the app would help me identify the star.  Within a day, the users on iNaturalist had identified it as a Mottled Star ( Evasterias troschelii ). Mottled Stars are more commonly found in Puget Sound, but are sometimes seen on the coasts of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, and northern California. My observation was also added to the iNaturalist project, Tracking Starfish Wasting and Recovery , which is helping to monitor recovery of sea star populations from Sea Star Wasting Disease. If you see any sea stars while tidepooling, you can snap a photo (safely and without disturbing the star, of course!) and upload it to iNaturalist to help with this project, too! ...

Our first week of HRAP's beach season brought rain and cold temperatures, but also a few clear days and some exciting wildlife sightings. We saw about 100 common murres on Haystack Rock and another 60 on the north Needle at the beginning of the week, only to have them disappear after a couple of days. This is actually not particularly unusual – last February, murres came to the rock for a few days and then returned in April, and those with longer memories say this pattern has happened several times over the years. We’ve also sighted our resident black oystercatcher pair on the north and south boulders, a handful of harlequin ducks in the calm water near the boulders, and a peregrine falcon, a bald eagle, and a pair of Canada geese at the top of the rock. This past week, low tides allowed us to get out to the tide pools for the first time this beach season. Winter storms swept away much of the sand, leaving large areas of bare rock that provide good access from the sou...

BIG NEWS! Guess what? Guess what? THE BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS HAVE BABIES!!!! THREE OF THEM!!!!!! AND THEY SURVIVED THEIR FIRST WEEK OF LIFE!!!!     We are REALLY excited about the little fellas. It has been a week and a half of a lot of excitement and a little added stress. We are working hard to ensure that the parents are happy and that the babies are protected. Please help us do that by understanding why there might be more area closed off than normal. Black Oystercatchers are extremely special birds and we are lucky to have a pair that nests at the Rock. Ready for the quick and dirty story of Black Oystercatchers: They are shore birds who are considered a species of concern because their population is so low. It is estimated that there is only 400 on the entire coastline of Oregon, approximately one for every mile. They are territorial and will loudly chase off any other Oystercatcher that comes to close. At the Rock, there has been a pair nesting for a whi...

❤ Here is an update of our magical moments from Haystack Rock! ❤ One of our favorite visitors, Barbara Hauser, wearing the latest fashion in Puffin ! Puffins line down alongside the center of her coat's zipper. Don't we all wish we had one of these? 🙋🙌 This is what our inter tidal area of Haystack Rock's Marine Preserve looks like once the tide starts coming up quick! Be aware and don't forget, the ocean comes up really quick (after hitting low tide)!💧💦 A beautiful, healthy sea star enjoying some underwater sun!😁 The sunset frames Haystack Rock in pink from sea to sky! 💗 All Photos by: Brianna Ortega