Wanderings at the Mouth of Mad River

Giant Driftwood left by the last high seas waiting for next one as they glow in the setting sun near the mouth of Widow White Creek.

A 10 minute drive from my house gets me to the Hammond trail near the mouth of the Mad River.

It is a place to unwind and enjoy the sea and the ever changing saga of how it affects the landscape.

I continue to look for anything unusual such as the Burrowing owl that I reported in November.

On this trip the tide was very low.

A Herring Gull with a crab walks away from other gulls that would snatch its prey
if given the opportunity.


The river cuts through the layers of sand west of Widow White Creek on it's final
stretch toward the sea.

A couple walks at the far edge of low tide where the river meets the sea.
A lone Marbled Godwit trots along the edge of the surf.


The silhouette of the temporarily closed Pulp Mill 15 miles south can be seen through
the seas mist.

The head of a Harbor seal appears at the waters surface as it glides quietly toward the sea then disappears abruptly.

A immature Red-Necked Grebe foraging in the river is an uncommon bird in the area.
I will return to this place many times or as long as my legs allow me and there is air in my lungs.
It is a local treasure that is mostly unappreciated by the majority judging by the few people I see on most days.

Mad River Estuary After the storm

Heavy deposits of Driftwood looking west toward Mad river Mouth



Driftwood along the north shore of Mad River looking east.


Looking east toward the mouth of Widow White Creek

Today my wife and I hiked out to the mouth of Widow White creek to see if the Burrowing owl continues to remain in the area. Lauren Lester saw one after the storm recently. I had been here a couple of times since and could not locate an owl.
The storm has left it's mark on the area by discarding tons of driftwood and changing the landscape.
It was a crisp clear day with temperatures around 45 degrees farenheit and we scanned the general area with our binoculars but failed to locate owls.
Then as we walked toward the ocean crossing the newly relocated mouth of Widow White Creek a Burrowing owl flew out of the debris toward the base of the vegetated cliff east of where we were. A few seconds later a second owl flew from a few feet away.

The Burrowing owl is known for it's site tenacity. These owls tolerated a storm that moved their logs and dozens of people with dogs who walk roughshod over their site on a daily basis.