Mile 220 - Yaquina Head north, Schooner Creek south - February 15, 2020

Report Details

It was not a good day. It was cloudy, and during the 1.5 hours I was scrambling along the rocks, taking photos, etc. it rained 0.03 inches according to Hatfield. The wind was 8-12 miles/hour. Wave height was 11-15 feet according to Weather Service Surf forecast.

Conditions

Temperature: 47 F. Cloud Cover: Rain. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Tide Level: 1.2 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 2. Number of dogs: 2. Other Activities: The second person was walking two dogs on the beach..

Notable Wildlife

Easily saw over 100 birds along the shore--including 2 oystercatchers.

Driftline Content

Wood pieces, Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.). Winter storms have brought in logs, eroded siltstone, and probably made the 75 feet mark I use for King Tides for previous years untenable for next year. On the beach I saw more microplastic than ever before--there were multiple wrack lines with plastic. Only 75 feet south on my normal beach access point was a large plastic container, plastic rope, etc.

Natural Changes

Landslides/major boulder falls, Major cracks appearing in bluffs, Newly exposed roots/trees falling, Visible retreat of solid bluff. As several photographs show, erosion is taking place--note especially the pipes, becoming more exposed OR falling out of the cliff to the beach.