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Clatsop Beaches
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Clatsop Beaches
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Location: The northern Oregon coast. From the south jetty of the Columbia River south to the north spit of the Necanicum River. Includes the ocean side of Clatsop Spit, Columbia Beach, and Sunset Beach, Clatsop County, Oregon. Vicinity maps: TopoZone, USGS.
Description: Roughly 15 miles of wet and/or dry sand beach.
Outstanding Features: This stretch of beach has consistently (in season) hosted huge congregations of shorebirds (primarily Sanderlings) and sometimes large flocks of gulls. The following bird records are from Marshall et al. (2003; see for original sources): A flock of 80,000 Sanderlings on Clatsop Beach 23 Jul to 6 Aug 1983 is the largest single assemblage reported in Oregon. Other peak counts include 20,000 on 21 May 1977 on Sunset Beach, 1200/mi near the s. jetty of the Columbia R. 15 May 1978, and an estimated 30,000 in 3 mi (4.8 km) of beach near the s. jetty of the Columbia R. 25 May 1978. Note that these three peak counts come from essentially the same beaches. An estimated 1,200 Heermann's Gulls were observed on Sunset Beach, Clatsop Co., in Oct 1980. On 28 Oct 1980, 1,500 Herring Gulls and 800 Thayer's gulls were among a migrant gull concentration on Clatsop Beach.Bird Lists: Mike Patterson has recorded and presented loads of bird data from Clatsop County (bird page, archived pages), including spring shorebird counts from the Clatsop County, which include beaches: 1997, 1998, 1999, and summary.
Links: • Summary Page of Audubon Society of Portland data in National Audubon Society database
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Location: The northern Oregon coast. From the south jetty of the Columbia River south to the north spit of the Necanicum River. Includes the ocean side of Clatsop Spit, Columbia Beach, and Sunset Beach, Clatsop County, Oregon. Vicinity maps: TopoZone, USGS.
Description: Roughly 15 miles of wet and/or dry sand beach.
Outstanding Features: This stretch of beach has consistently (in season) hosted huge congregations of shorebirds (primarily Sanderlings) and sometimes large flocks of gulls. The following bird records are from Marshall et al. (2003; see for original sources): A flock of 80,000 Sanderlings on Clatsop Beach 23 Jul to 6 Aug 1983 is the largest single assemblage reported in Oregon. Other peak counts include 20,000 on 21 May 1977 on Sunset Beach, 1200/mi near the s. jetty of the Columbia R. 15 May 1978, and an estimated 30,000 in 3 mi (4.8 km) of beach near the s. jetty of the Columbia R. 25 May 1978. Note that these three peak counts come from essentially the same beaches. An estimated 1,200 Heermann's Gulls were observed on Sunset Beach, Clatsop Co., in Oct 1980. On 28 Oct 1980, 1,500 Herring Gulls and 800 Thayer's gulls were among a migrant gull concentration on Clatsop Beach.
Bird Lists: Mike Patterson has recorded and presented loads of bird data from Clatsop County (bird page, archived pages), including spring shorebird counts from the Clatsop County, which include beaches: 1997, 1998, 1999, and summary.
Links: • Summary Page of Audubon Society of Portland data in National Audubon Society database
