Tufted Puffins on Face Rock, Bandon, July 22, 2021

Photos taken 9:41am to 9:46am, July 22, 2021, from the beach north of Cathedral Rock, which is in the Face Rock complex, part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge System. Diane Bilderback, an intrepid follower of local puffins, photographed six Tufted Puffins on the lower burrows of Face Rock. The puffins are experiencing a […]

Drone Use Pressures Nesting Seabirds on the Oregon Coast

For the full story on drones and their impact on local nesting seabirds, click this link: https://usfwspacificnw.medium.com/drone-use-putting-pressure-on-nesting-seabirds-on-oregon-coast-b77241ca73ec At left, an unmanned aircraft system, also known as a drone, approaches Face Rock on the Oregon coast. Photo by Diane Bilderback.

Sri Lanka Ship Fire Leads to Huge Release of Plastic Pellets (Nurdles)

Sri Lanka undertakes the daunting cleanup of countless plastic pellets (nurdles) that have washed up on its beaches from a cargo ship that caught fire. In the photo at left, plastic pellets being collected from beaches are to be transported to a hazardous waste yard (image courtesy Marine Environment Protection Authority, MEPA). For more on […]

Stranded Seal Pup

Stranded seal pup Early Sunday morning, May 16, 2021, SEA received a call from a concerned citizen about a pup seal on the beach around marker 145, which is between Bullard’s Beach and Whiskey Run.  A message went out to those already on a phone tree text for Coquille Point.  I decided to respond to […]

Tufted Puffin Observations, April-May 2021

Contributor: Diane B As some of you know, the Peregrine falcons (PEFA) have been nesting on top of Face Rock.  While they started early, it appears that they lost one clutch and then started again on April 14, 2021 and so have been incubating about 29 days.  Cornell Birds of the World says that PEFA incubates […]

Seaweed is amazing!

This BBC video and text about Australian kelp research and production highlights some of the potential benefits these fast-growing shoreline plants could offer, including as a climate change solution. “Seaweeds are a platform of opportunity in sustainability, nutrition, and innovation.” https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210406-how-kelp-can-help-solve-climate-change