Haystack Rock Awareness Program Nature Blog

Daily Tides Monday, July 14th Low Tide: -1.5' @ 8:52 AM Tuesday, July 15th Low Tide: -1.2' @ 9:35 AM Wednesday, July 16th Low Tide: -0.6' @ 10:20 AM Thursday, July 17th Low Tide: 0.0' @ 11:05 AM Friday, July 18th Low Tide: 0.8' @ 11:54 AM Saturday, July 19th Low Tide: 1.5' @ 12:48 PM Sunday, July 20th Low Tide: 2.1' @ 1:48 PM Notes from the week Our big news this week comes from the Saddle, where the Black Oystercatchers were seen taking turns warming a pair of eggs. The pair lost their chick earlier in the season, so we're delighted to see that they're giving family life another try. If the eggs hatch, the chicks will be fed by their parents for about a month, and will stay with them for as long as six months.   A black oystercatcher guards the nest.       Photo: Susan Glarum HRAP staff took advantage of the relatively low tides on Monday and Tuesday to conduct sea star counts.  The data collected will be sent to t...

Daily Tides Monday, June 30th Low Tide: -0.2 @ 9:23 AM Tuesday, July 1st Low Tide: 0.1' @ 9:53 AM Wednesday, July 2nd Low Tide: 0.4' @ 10:24 AM Thursday, July 3rd Low Tide: 0.8' @ 10:58 AM Friday, July 4th Low Tide: 1.3 @ 11:37 AM Saturday, July 5th Low Tide: 1.8' @ 12:23 PM Sunday, July 6th Low Tide: 2.2 @ 1:18 PM Notes from the week Sunny, warm weather kept visitor counts high in the week leading up to and over the holiday weekend. Our highest visitor count was on Saturday, July 5th with 268 people exploring the intertidal at one time. The City of Cannon Beach offers visitors a relief from the craziness of the 4th of July, and helps to protect the nesting birds at Haystack Rock, by celebrating with a Fireworks Free holiday. Over the weekend, Friends of Haystack Rock participated in the festivities by sponsoring the Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch. Volunteers were out with spotting scopes and binoculars Friday, Saturday...

Daily Low Tides Monday, June 23rd 2.3' @ 4:16 PM Tuesday, June 24th -0.5' @ 5:31 AM 2.5' @ 5:09 PM; ended early due to no exposure Wednesday, June 25th -0.7' @ 6:18 AM 2.6' @ 5:58 PM Thursday, June 26th -0.8' @ 7:01 AM 2.7' @ 6:44 PM Friday, June 27th -0.8' @ 7:40 AM 2.7' @ 7:28 PM; cancelled due to weather Saturday, June 28th -0.6' @ 8:17 AM 2.7' @ 8:09 PM; cancelled Sunday, June 29th -0.4' @ 8:51 AM Notes from the Week Tufted Puffins ( Fratercula cirrhata ) There were a lot of sightings of Tufted Puffins during the week. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Volunteer Interpreter Jay Bukalski even reported seeing two Puffins delivering fish to their burrows - which means there are chicks in there! The largest of America's puffins, the Tufted Puffin is the only one that nests on the Oregon coast. It is a pelagic seabird spending most of the year at sea far from land and returning to land in April to nest and ...

Daily Low Tides Monday, June 16th -1.2' @ 9:56 AM Tuesday, June 17th -0.7' @ 10:43 AM Wednesday, June 18th -0.1' @ 11:33 AM Thursday, June 19th 0.5' @ 12:25 PM Friday, June 20th 1.2' @ 1:22 PM Saturday, June 21st; shift lengthened to be on the beach before public parking for Sandcastle Day 1.7' @ 2:21 PM Sunday, June 22nd 2.1' @ 3:20 PM Notes from the Week From the HRAP Program Coordinator: Sunday, June 22nd our oystercatcher chick hatched! If you look closely at Neal Maine's photograph below you will see something amazing, mother black oystercatcher with her newly hatched chick and a soon to be hatched egg. This and other evidence proves that there may have in fact been three eggs laid, not just one. A hatchling and potentially another chick is very exciting news, especially considering the state of the black oystercatcher population. But the challenge is not over yet! Chicks are even more susceptible to human and natural ...