The South Jetty of the Columbia is closed for repairs, so I went
to Cape Disappoint and the North Jetty of the Columbia to scope
sea birds. It is possible to easily walk out about 2/3 of the
way on the roadbed left by the repairs. I jetty hopped to about
150m short of the end before setting up my scope.

While watching, I saw an otter swim up to the rocks at the end
and then disappear behind the end of the jetty. Based on its
size and shape of the head, I'm fairly confident it was a
SEA OTTER. Sea Otters are occassionally reported at the Mouth
of the Columbia and are assumed to be wandering young males
from the Washington population. This is the first I've seen
on the Columbia.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Sooty Shearwater 50 [1]
Brown Pelican 25
Brandt's Cormorant 75
Double-crested Cormorant 500
Pelagic Cormorant 10
Heermann's Gull 3
California Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Murre 750
Pigeon Guillemot 10
Rhinoceros Auklet 3
Tufted Puffin 1 [2]

Footnotes:

[1] Low density; about equal numbers going north and south.
[2] Flying north with murres

Total number of species seen: 14

--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

Why birders hate Cordilleran Flycatchers
http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/archives/003981.html