Bay City Area
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Bay City is located about 5.6 miles north of Tillamook on Highway 101.
Pacific Oyster Company (45.523828, -123.894575) is a commercial seafood processing plant with an associated restaurant located on Tillamook Bay. It is west of the intersection of Highway 101 and Hayes Oyster Drive. Parking is in the business lot.
Bay City Sewage Ponds (45.514822, -123.885500) can be reached from the intersection of Highway 101 and Warren St. in Bay City. At the intersection turn to the south on Warren St. Travel south for 0.1 mile to Spruce St. Turn right (west), travel west 0.3-mile. Park at the end of Spruce St then walk north to the ponds. Currently, the entry gate is open and birders can enter during business hours on weekdays. The gate is closed on weekends and holidays, do not enter if the gate is closed.
Kilchis Point Reserve (45.512605, -123.881505) is managed by the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum. The reserve can be reached from the intersection of Highway 101 and Warren St. in Bay City. At the intersection turn to the south on Warren St. Travel south for 0.1 mile to Spruce St. Turn left (east). The signed entrance and parking area are on the right. The entry area has parking, cultural and natural history kiosks, trailheads, and restrooms. The reserve has 0.3 mile ADA-accessible trail. The remainder of the trails are low gradient compacted gravel.
Kilchis Flat and Point (45.505103, -123.8805460) are reached by walking the Kilchis Point Reserve trails for about 0.8 mile from the entry.
Goose Point (45.508823, -123.888410) can be reached from the intersection of Highway 101 and Warren St. in Bay City. At the intersection turn to the south on Warren St. Travel south for 0.1 mile to Spruce St. turn right (west). Travel 0.1 mile to Hare St. Turn left (south) 0.1 mile to Salmon St. Turn right (west) and travel 0.1 mile to the dead end and street side parking. Goose Point is reached by walking south on the cobble shoreline 0.1 mile.
Pacific Oyster Bay City – Oregon Birding Trail: Choose the Oregon Coast Birding Trail, click on the North Coast tab and go to section 30
NOAA Tide Prediction for Bay City, Oregon
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
Pacific Oyster Company accesses rocky shoreline, small marina, and bay habitats. To bird the area, walk west from the parking area. This is an active seafood processing plant where birders have been tolerated, be aware to not interfere with active work on site. In winter, check the entire rocky shoreline of the peninsula for Black and more uncommonly Ruddy Turnstones. You can walk the marina perimeter jetty west for about 500 feet to the end. At this point, you will have good views of Tillamook Bay. The pilings at the end of the Jetty have Purple Martin nest boxes. This point and nearby jetties can be used by shorebirds as a high tide roost. In winter, there are often good concentrations of gulls in the area. This area is best birded at a mid-tide of about 3 ft and up.
Kilchis Point Reserve accesses second growth Sitka Spruce/Western Hemlock forest habitat via trails, link to trail map (note north arrow). Start at the parking area and bird the trails. Typical birds of coastal forests can be found here including Northern Pygmy-owl.
Kilchis Flat and Point are reached by walking the Kilchis Point Reserve trails for about 0.8 miles to a gazebo structure. This is at the far southwest of the reserve. This is a good area for shorebirds. Unlike much of the bay, shorebird viewing is best at lower tides, about 1 ft to 3 ft. See the link to tide predictions above.
At Goose Point, the tidelands of Kilchis Flat and Point to the south can be viewed. Extensive relatively hard tide flat habitat and deeper channels are visible from the point. Again, shorebird viewing is best at lower tides, about 1 ft to 3 ft. See the link to tide predictions above.
eBird Checklists:
eBird Hotspot checklist for Pacific Oyster Company
eBird Hotspot checklist for Bay City Sewage Ponds
eBird Hotspot checklist for Kilchis Point Reserve
eBird Hotspot checklist for Goose Point
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