NWBirding Cape Lookout

Cape Lookout, OR

Synopsis

    We’ve stayed at this park on many occasions. There are numerous campsites (along with yurts). The campsites closer to the beach are quite open and not secluded. The loops farther from the beach are nestled among trees, offering more privacy. The raccoons seem especially bold here – we were sitting a few feet from our hot dog buns with our back slightly turned when a raccoon grabbed it and made off before we could do anything.
    The campground offers beach access and there is a nice hiking trail (roughly 2 miles long) going south to out to the trailhead of the Cape Trail, which goes out to Cape Lookout. The trails are well maintained and whine among the coastal forest. Every time we’ve hiked out, without fail, we see a pair of Wrentits at the Lookout. We see them flit and chatter in the bushes behind the bench at the end of the trail. At Cape Lookout we’ve seen migrating Orcas along with porpoise and seals. The cape is well named for being a great place to lookout into the ocean.
    While staying at the state park, we’ve also hiked north up the spit. It was a nice stroll along the beach, even when it is pouring down rain. North of the park, Cape Mears National Wildlife Refuge is another great lookout spot – in the summer, there is a large colony of Common Murres on the rocks and I’ve also seen Tufted Puffin from the lookout.

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Pictures

	Beach near the campground
	View from Cape Lookout

Coastal Forest

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Bird List

Common Loon
Western Grebe
Brown Pelican
Pelagic Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Trumpeter Swan
Canada Goose
Surf Scoter
Bufflehead
Mallard
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Sanderling
Black Oystercatcher
Glaucous-winged Gull
Western Gull
Heerman's Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Murre
Great Horned Owl
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Common Raven
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Wrentit
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Varied Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Townsend's Warbler
Townsend's x Hermit Warbler Hybrid
Orange-crowned Warbler
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Spotted Towhee
Red Crossbill
House Finch

Other Critter List

Garter Snake
Mouse sp.
Douglas Squirrel
Steller's Sea Lion
Harbor Porpoise
Dall's Porpoise
Killer Whale
Pacific Treefrog

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Information

Located: near Tillamook, OR
Cape Lookout State Park

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