An El Niño Harbinger?
September marked COASST species number 224 as Charlie (COASST bird verifier extraordinaire) verified a Hawaiian Petrel found by Laura G. in April 2026 on her COASST survey of Gearhart Beach near Seaside, Oregon. Known as
Photo: Hillary Burgess
Blog
COASSTers are always up to something! Find stories about our participants, updates about beached bird or marine debris research, and read about the latest activities of the COASST office staff and interns.
Understanding El Niño – What to Expect and Why
El Niño is a climate pattern centered along the equator in the Pacific Ocean that typically peaks around December. The phenomenon was named by Peruvian fishermen who noticed the disappearance of anchovies – their most important
Birds for ORCA
Student illustrates a King Eider The birds in the COASST teaching collection go on lots of field trips to training events, but once a year they also go to ORCA (the Ocean Research College Academy).