Haystack Rock Awareness Program Nature Blog

Just like that the 2017 beach season is officially over! We did it! HIGH FIVE! After a summer full of educating visitors, rescuing injured birds, putting out educational materials for visitors to see, protecting the Black Oystercatcher family, spotting birds of all sorts with scopes and binoculars alike, participating in citizen science, building sandcastles, and having sooo much fun....the summer has come to a close. As we leave, there is little to see at wildlife refuge. Most of the pelagic birds, have long since returned to sea for the winter and will be back around April 1st! The majority of the Marine Garden is covered up with sand, so there is little to see in the tide pools!  I have already set my countdown for the beginning of the 2018 beach season!

With the beginning and ending months of our season, there tends to be a lot of canceled shifts due to storms! As a beach program, safety is one of our main focuses. So therefore anytime, there is a high surf, high wind, or anything of that nature-we cancel the shift. Sometimes, if staff gets to the beach and the ocean is surging a lot and they feel it is dangerous to be on the beach, the shift will be canceled at that time. Storms on the Oregon Coast are a mind blowing. If it is not something you have experience, I FULLY recommend visiting during one! Please remember to check our facebook page for updates on whether or not the shifts are cancelled! I know this only pertains for another few days this year, until we officially have out last beach shift, but shifts will most likely be cancelled at the beginning of next season too!

Well we have said goodbye to the puffins for the summer! They left us about the middle of August! Although we are sad to go, we know that they will return next summer to have more adorable pufflings. With the departure of the puffins, also led to the departure of all the other seabirds such as the Common Murres! We bid them happy winter sailing! If you need a puffin fix in the time being, we have Protect the Puffins Sweatshirts available today. Go see them on the beach to get yours! A visitor with her brand new Puffin sweatshirt!  You do not need me to tell you what this is!  Pigeon Guillemots-a type of seabird that nests at Haystack!