Coast Explorer Blog

Summer on the coast is seabird season as birds, who spend most of their life at sea, return to near-shore rocks to nest. Puffins on Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach offer a rare treat to see these colorful birds. While puffins are popular, just about a mile to the north in Cannon Beach is another remarkable display of nature. At Chapman Point, a grouping of rocks appropriately known as Bird Rocks is home to a colony of thousands of common murres that crowd nearly every inch of the top of the rocks. The colony of murres has been estimated in the tens of thousands here.

Common murres are similar to penguins, but murres can fly, admittedly very awkwardly. Growing to nearly 18 inches in length, they are one of the largest seabirds that can fly. They are much more graceful in the water, where they dive for food. Also in this shot, Brandt's Cormorants with their distinctive blue throat patch.

The last few years, the murre colony has received frequent, unwelcome visits from a rebounding local population of bald eagles. This week, three juvenile eagles were frequenting the rocks and nearby beaches. Adults were also spotted in the area.

A juvenile bald eagle is pestered by a seagull after raising a ruckus on Bird Rocks. Juvenile eagles are speckled and can take four or five years to display the distinctive white head and tail of an adult.

Typically, when an eagle soars overhead, thousands of murres spill off the rocks, abandoning their eggs and flee to the waters until the eagles depart. Gulls and crows, as well as the eagles feast on fresh murre eggs. The impact on this murre colony with the growing population of eagles is unknown, but watching this ongoing, daily drama makes it hard to believe that the murres are having much success at nesting on these rocks. Last week I did see two eagles on top of the rock, but the murres did not all leave as I have witnessed on previous occasions.

To those unaware, these are just some rocks sitting offshore, but zoom in with binoculars or a spotting scope and you will see nearly every foot of the top of the rock covered by murres. The birds lay a single egg which they incubate with the egg resting on their feet.

This ongoing nature display can be witnessed nearly every day, several times a day. Bring binoculars or a bird spotting scope. Whether you witness the rocks jam-packed with murres or the eagles scattering the birds in all directions, it’s a wondrous site.

Today’s low tide, one of the lowest of the year, made it possible to walk from Chapman Point at the north end of Cannon Beach, past Ecola Point to Indian Beach. I only took my point-and-shoot camera, but it was a beautiful morning with dramatic clouds in the sky and some beautiful tidepool scenes. Morning minus tides continue through Saturday, June 27, but Tuesday and Wednesday were the lowest of the lows. Enjoy the pictures. All of these shots were easily accessible, with no trampling of fragile intertidal areas. As a general rule, when you explore the intertidal area, walk only on sand or bare rock and never remove any creature from its home to keep these scenes a treat for future generations.

If you missed this weeks low tides, you’ll have another chance at some good lows July 20-25 and August 17-22

A sunflower sea star left in a shallow pool

These girls got some big fat razor clams. Dad will do the cleaning.

Green anemones with a sea lemon nudibranch and acoralline algae.

Many people took advantage of the low tides to see these usually inacessible areas.

A colorful scene under an inch or two of water. Not bad for a point and shoot camera!

I've never made it this far north on the beach below Ecola Point for this view of the offshore rock with window in it.

Purple ochre sea stars hiding behind surf grass.

Dave got his limit and I forsee a nice dinner with a fine Pinot Gris from Walnut City Wineworks.

A nice grouping of green anemones in a pool.

As I was photographing this sea stack, all of the common murres began spilling off the rock. An eagle was soaring overhead just behind me.

Stranded on the beach.

Beautiful clouds and the sun hitting the rocks makes easy work, even for the point and shoot (I did wait for the wave to create a nice line).

A colorful group of ochre sea stars.

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The sweet taste of summer is not just relegated to desserts. Consider using berries to bring a new dimension to savory dishes.

They are the sweet juicy flavors of a Northwest summer, but blackberries, raspberries and blueberries don’t have to be relegated to just desserts. Berries can also be the start of great sauces, relishes or glazes that can complement many meat and seafood dishes or elevate a simple grilled burger to new heights of summery goodness.

Halibut Noisette at JP's in Cannon Beach is served with a raspberry cream sauce.

“The balance of acid and sugar in berries works well for savory dishes,” says Bob Neroni of EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School. Most berry sauce recipes balance sweet berries with vinegar, lemon juice or red wine. Recently, Neroni topped a pulled pork sandwich with blackberry catsup. His catsup is sweetened with pure maple syrup and uses a cider vinegar to balance the sweetness.

Another option Neroni recommends for grilled meats is a blueberry and balsamic reduction. For smoked salmon he creates a loganberry and red onion relish with toasted hazelnuts. A red wine blackberry sauce can pair with pork, duck or salmon. Chef Bill Pappas at JP’s in Cannon Beach uses berries in dishes including a hazelnut-encrusted halibut with a raspberry cream sauce and a Marionberry whiskey barbecue sauce for duck.

The sweetness of berries can also be balanced with onion and tomato to create salsa or relish as a topping for seafood or chicken. If you’d like to spice it up, you can combine berries with chipotle, jalapeno or red pepper flakes to create a sauce or glaze for grilled meats.

Executive Chef Sharon Wiest at the Lincoln City Culinary Center has already been using a lot of Oregon berries the last few months. “I keep boxes in my freezer of individually quick frozen Marionberries, raspberries, and a blend,” she says. “They are frozen at the peak of ripeness, and are fabulous.”

One recipe she enjoys for salmon, pork or chicken includes a Marionberry mojito sauce that combines Marionberries with lime juice, white rum, club soda and mint. Weist conducts a class on “Oregon Berries” July 11 at the Lincoln City Culinary Center.

Got a flavor combination you’d like to try? Many websites offer berry recipes and an internet search will offer an abundance of ideas. The “Northwest Berry Cookbook” by Kathleen Desmond Stang offers 42 recipes (Sasquatch Books).

CANNON BEACH, OREGON – During the Independence Day holiday weekend, Cannon Beach, Oregon hosts a colorful aerial display unlike most communities. The Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch July 3-5 is a seabird watching event on the beach that will offer visitors the opportunity to watch nesting puffins and many other varieties of seabirds. The Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch is part of a fireworks-free Independence Day celebration on Cannon Beach shores that also includes a small town Fourth of July parade Saturday morning, Fire Dancers in the City Park Saturday evening and an outdoor symphonic band concert Saturday afternoon.

The Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch is part of a fireworks-free Independence Day celebration in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

While many coastal communities don’t enforce state laws prohibiting fireworks on the beach, the City of Cannon Beach has recognized its special enforcement needs related to its surrounding sensitive marine environments and nesting seabirds. Haystack Rock is protected as a state designated Marine Garden and it, along with other offshore rocks on Cannon Beach, is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge system.

Spotting scopes will be set up on the beach near Haystack Rock from 7 to 10am and 4 to 6pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 3-5. Visitors will be able to observe nesting puffins on Haystack Rock, the most accessible observation point to watch Tufted Puffins in their natural environment in the Northwest. Many other varieties of birds are also common visitors to the area, including Brown Pelicans, cormorants, Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers and Bald Eagles. A free Puffin Watch Passport will be available that provides identification information and a checklist of birds that can be seen in the area.

During the three-day event, the city’s Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP) will present a series of interpretive programs on the beach with special guest speakers, including displays of live rescue birds. A complete schedule of events will be available at the HRAP beach station near Haystack Rock during its hours of operation and at Cannon Beach City Hall, 163 E Gower. The schedule will also be posted at www.ci.cannon-beach.or.us.

Other Cannon Beach Fourth of July activities include a hometown parade beginning at 11am from Spruce and Monroe Streets, usually accompanied by a brief military jet flyover. Kids and dogs scramble after treats thrown by parade participants. After the parade, everyone is invited to gather at the Cannon Beach Fire House for free hot dogs and pop. Bring the kids and let them check out the equipment, climb on the trucks, play with the hoses and try to knock down a cone in the parking lot with the hose. There is a prize for those who can do it. At about 10am strawberry shortcake will be available for $3 on the U.S. Bank porch.

Annual Sandcastle Weekend in Cannon Beach

It’s time to plan your June trip now. There are lots of great events coming up on the Oregon and Washington Coast, from Sandcastle contests to car shows, and it’s important to make your reservations early. Here’s a summary of upcoming events:

CANNON BEACH, OR – A 35-foot long sand sculpture of Gulliver will be created on the beach for Cannon Beach’s 45th annual Sandcastle Weekend June 12 & 13. The sculpture, which will be made from five truck loads of sand, will begin construction on Wednesday, June 10, but will be built high on the beach at the end of Washington Street in hopes it will be around for the contest which takes place Saturday. Cannon Beach also has a film festival featuring six Paul Newman films, June 5-7. Author Matt Love will speak about the adventures during the filming of Sometimes a Great Notion on Sunday. On June 26-28, Cannon Beach art galleries celebrate “plein air” art with many of their artists creating work on location throughout the area.

Sandcastle Weekend: see our related blog post
Cannon Beach Film Festival:
http://oregonfilm.org/calendar/view_entry.php?id=801&date=20090606
Plein Air Art Event:
http://www.cbgallerygroup.com/schedule.htm

LINCOLN CITY, OR – Lincoln City presents its Arts Sea festival June 13-14 in the historic Taft district. The event includes workshops, a two-day street fair and a professional street painter. The beach adjacent to the D-River Wayside is the location for the 25th annual Summer Kite Festival June 27 & 28. Billy Ray Cyrus is in concert at Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City June 19 & 20. The Casino’s Comedy on the Coast series continues on June 26-27.

Art Sea Festival:
http://www.oregoncoast.org/PleinArtFest/index2.php
Summer Kite Festival:
http://www.oregoncoast.org/kite-festival/kites-summer.php
Chinook Winds Casino Events:
http://www.chinookwindscasino.com/

ASTORIA, OR – Astoria hosts its 42nd annual Scandinavian Festival June 19-21. This festival includes many activities, from the running of the trolls, a Scandinavian Café breakfast and lunch, a salmon dinner, folk dancers, yodeling, music of all kinds, a Viking encampment show and, through it all, a beergarden. It’s three full days of celebration. The Astoria Music Festival starts June 19 and features a series of concerts through June 28, bringing over 100 professional instrumentalists, singers and dancers to Astoria. Symphonies, opera, chamber music, dance and film will entertain classical music enthusiasts. The tall ship Lady Washington visits on June 23. This is a full-scale reproduction of the original 1750s Lady Washington, the first American ship to make landfall on the west coast of North America. Lady Washington’s homeport is Aberdeen, Washington. Dockside tours and passage on some voyages are available.

Scandinavian Festival:
http://www.astoriascanfest.com/
Astoria Music Festival:
http://www.astoriamusicfestival.org/

LONG BEACH PENINSULA, WA – The 32nd annual Beach to Chowder Run and Walk will be June 13. The 5k and 10k course traverses through beach dunes and hard packed sand on the Discovery Trail. The Waikiki Concert Series at Cape Disappointment also begins its series of free folk music concerts on June 13. Concert events continue into August. Ocean Park hosts the annual Northwest Garlic Festival June 20-21 with food and craft vendors and a schedule of live entertainment.

Long Beach Events:
http://www.funbeach.com

NEWPORT, OR – The Hatfield Marine Science Center’s annual open house and marine festival brings together science, nature, art and fun in a full day of family activities.
http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/seafest/

SEASIDE, OR – Seaside will roar with muscle cars on Saturday, June 20 for the annual Muscle Beach Cruz. From 7am to 6pm, stroll through displays of classic American V-8 automobiles from 1960 to 1978, and trucks built prior to 1982. Mustangs, Camaros, ‘Vettes, GTOs and more. Live entertainment and a street dance follow. http://www.flashbackinseaside.com/flashbackinsea.html

ROCKAWAY BEACH, OR – Food, wine tasting, music and dancing await at the annual Wine, Cheese and All that Jazz celebration at the Rockaway Beach Wayside June 20.
http://www.rockawaybeach.net/allthatjazz.htm

TILLAMOOK, OR – The Tillamook County Rodeo takes place at the fairgrounds June 27-28, with roping, racing and riding. Start with a parade downtown on Saturday, then a western barbecue, the rodeo and a western dance. More rodeo on Sunday.
http://www.tillamookrodeo.com

It’s also time to start making plans for celebrating the Fourth of July on the coast. Several communities present public fireworks displays including Astoria, Long Beach, Newport and Seaside. Cannon Beach celebrates with a colorful aerial display unlike most communities. The city hosts the Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch, offering visitors the opportunity to see nesting puffins on Haystack Rock (fireworks are not permitted on the beach). Many other community events take place, from parades to ice cream socials. Don’t miss the fun!

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