South Jetty Columbia River
Seasons
Checklists
Location
eBird checklists:
Locations:
- Parking Lot A: 46.20478, -123.9929
- Parking Lot B: 46.216297, -124.000629
- Parking Lot C: 46.226951, -124.013301
- Parking Lot D: 46.226831, -123.991629
From Astoria, take Hwy 30 west to the junction of Hwy 101. Take Hwy 101 over Youngs Bay and turn west on East Harbor Street to Warrenton (look for the Walgreens, Shilo Inn, and Fort Stevens State Park sign). In Warrenton, take Hwy 104 north to Hampton where it becomes Pacific Drive. Turn left (south) on Willow Drive in Hampton which will quickly become Lake Drive (keep following the signs to Ft. Stevens). Go south about a mile and look for Jetty Road and the entrance to Fort Stevens State Park. There are other ways of getting to the South Jetty but this route takes you to good birding locations in Warrenton and Hammond (See Hammond Boat Basin and Warrenton Linear Park). Take Jetty Road to Parking Lot “C”. You should not try to venture out on the jetty when the tide is high or during times of high surf. Besides being quite difficult to negotiate due to its construction of large boulders, a sneaker wave can easily wipe you out. Sneaker waves can and do kill a number of people on the Oregon Coast who ignore warnings to venture out where it is not safe.
Directions
Habitat and Birds
If conditions are safe, one can venture out on the jetty to look for Shearwaters, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Scoters, Loons, Red-necked & Western Grebes as well as many gull species. Many of the aforementioned species can be observed from the observation tower at Parking Lot “C”. Just north and west of the observation tower is a deflation plain that often produces some good shore-birding. This area also is productive for resting migrants and will sometimes harbor a Snowy or Short-eared Owl. Continue on Jetty Road. As the road curves around the end of the spit and begins to travel east, pull over and hike one of several trails that give a view of the Columbia. Shorebirds and gulls can be found here with the occasional rarity. At the end of Jetty Road is a large parking area called Parking Lot “D”. At the east end of the parking lot, there is a trail that heads over to Trestle Bay and gives a good view of a very birdy area. There is shelter here for both birds and birders. This area has produced some good rare birds and offers a scope view of both sides of the bay.
Discussion