I had the great pleasure to visit Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach at low tide and was blown away by the knowledge and passion of the folks from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program. Their wonderful educators, biologists, and volunteers were there to answer all of our questions about all of the amazing marine life and sea birds, and even fellow Oregonians with a passion for the sea like me learned some new things.
While the wildlife of the area face many challenges, including humans that don't always remember to respect their space and sensitive breeding areas, climate change, and a decline in fish populations, these folks are doing a tremendous job to educate the public and protect this spectacular nature place. I hope you'll have the opportunity to visit at low tide soon, and see the fascinating crabs, anemones, muscles, and so many other dazzling species up close and person. It was great to see that the beautiful starfish that have been decimated by a virus in recent years are starting to recover, too.
One incredible bird species that has been in decline in recent years but that we were lucky enough to see were the Tufted Puffins. Haystack Rock has the only significant population of 'em south of Alaska, and they're only expected to be in Oregon through August before they head back north, so I hope you can get out there to see 'em before they do.
Tide charts for Cannon Beach: http://www.cannonbeach.org/explore/Tide-Charts
Learn more about the Haystack Rock Awareness Program: https://www.ci.cannon-beach.or.us/hrap
Learn more about The Friends of Haystack Rock: http://friendsofhaystackrock.org
Check out the bus rides to Cannon Beach so you can sit back and enjoy the ride: https://www.google.com/search?q=bus+to+cannon+beach