Mile 219 - North end of Agate Beach, Yaquina Head south - January 20, 2023

Report Details

It is a beautiful, quiet day. There was light to moderate levels of marine debris on the beach, lots of bits of sea pork, and three dead, untagged birds. I found a decent-sized landslide at the south end of Cobble Beach, but it didn't apear to cause any damage. Finally, I found a broken bench at Quarry Cove, and will report it to our maintenance staff.

Conditions

Temperature: 46 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 8.5 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 7. Walking or running: 3. Sitting: 2. Other Activities: Picking up litter.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 20.

Notable Wildlife

There were roughly 20 harbor seals hauled out on a rock in Quarry Cove. It was fairly close to an observation platform with visitors. The seals seemed wary of the visitors, but not enough to cause them to flee.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 3. one western gull, one common murre, and one surfbird (perhaps). None banded

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. unusual concentration of sea pork, most likely due to recent rough surf.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.).

Natural Changes

Landslides/major boulder falls. medium sized land slide on the south side of Cobble Beach. Happened during intense storms a few weeks ago.

Actions & Comments

I noticed a broken cement bench at the entrance to Quarry Cove. I'm not sure how long it's been broken.