A wing-wing situation
Ruby-crowned Kinglet • Photo by Ruth Shelly
Learn about more than just birds this week when the Seven Capes Birds Alliance splits the focus between the trees and the seas, with two guided walks this Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, plus a tide pool exploration on Wednesday, June 17.
On Friday, birders will gather at Hostetler Park and Devils Lake Campground in Lincoln City for a walk through the diverse habitats surrounding the D River. The route crosses a hidden boardwalk winding through wetlands before continuing to Devils Lake, offering opportunities to spot herons, mallards, Canada geese, chickadees and kinglets. At the lake, participants might be treated to the sight of an osprey diving for fish while swallows skim the water's surface overhead.
The walk begins at 9 am from the NE 1st Street parking area on the east side of Highway 101.
On Saturday, Seven Capes introduces a new walk at Beaver Creek State Natural Area. Participants will explore a portion of the area's four-mile loop trail using the service road off South Beaver Creek Road. The forest and marsh habitats provide excellent opportunities to observe nesting warblers and swallows while listening for elusive marsh birds such as sora and Virginia rail. If time allows, the group will continue to a scenic viewpoint.
Saturday's walk also begins at 9 am, meeting at the wayside on South Beaver Creek Road.
The focus shifts from birds to marine life on Wednesday, June 17, when Seven Capes visits Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area north of Depoe Bay for a guided tidepool exploration led by environmental marine science educator Fawn Custer.
Timed to coincide with extreme low tides, the outing will explore the colorful world revealed when the ocean recedes. Participants can expect to encounter sea stars, green anemones, crabs, mussels, barnacles, sponges and nudibranchs, while keeping an eye out for western gulls and black oystercatchers foraging among the rocks.
The tidepool walk runs from 8 to 10:30 am. Because space is limited, advance registration is required at sevencapes.org.
All Seven Capes outings are free and family-friendly. Binoculars and guidebooks are available for bird walks, while tidepool participants are encouraged to wear rubber boots or water shoes. Dogs are not permitted. For more information, go to sevencapes.org.