CANNON BEACH

June 11, 2013

Today we drove to Cannon Beach about 15 miles south of where we are staying.  We had photographed the beach from a distant bluff in Ecola park, but we wanted to get up close and see if we could spot the elusive puffins who nest on the iconic Haystack Rock for which Cannon Beach is famous.  Hillary enjoyed exploring the beach and tidal pools with us.   There are hundreds of birds who nest on the rock, including gulls, murre, cormorant and, of course, puffin.  

Steve and Hillary at Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon

We saw lots of puffin, but they actually nest high up on the west side of the rock which is difficult to get to unless  there is a very low tide.  However, there were plenty of them flitting and flying around the rock.  I managed to get several photos of them in flight.  They are not graceful fliers and it's easy to spot them.  They don't glide or soar like a gull.  They like to swoop down to the water and scoop up little fish in their beaks to take back to their nests.

Puffin at Cannon Beach

The tide pools at the base of Haystack Rock are loaded with all types of sea life, including star fish, mussels, anemone and other things I don't know the name of.   We explored the tide pools for a while and photographed the birds around the rock.  We would have enjoyed staying there much longer, but it suddenly began to pour rain and since we had our good cameras with us, we needed to get back to our dry car.   In the afternoon we took a drive to an eagle sanctuary and wildlife refuge but were only able to spot one juvenile eagle.  When they're young, they don't yet have the white head feathers that make them such awesome looking birds.    But we have had a few bald eagle sightings along the way.

Starfish in tidal pool, Cannon Beach

Tomorrow we leave this area and head up north into Washington.  We will be staying in the puget sound area of Washington.  It will be a new area to explore.