Mile 220 - Yaquina Head north, Schooner Creek south - May 31, 2014

Report Details

Sea star wasting disease is now rampant on this beach, especially close to the head. This side of Yaquina Head is now the preferred dining area for the local raptors. A pair of juvenile bald eagles are here most days I walk the beach. The bluffs continue to erode with old development pipes showing through and eventually falling to the beach below. I contact the beach ranger when large items are too hard to transport far by hand. This is a very biologically and geologically active beach right now.

Conditions

Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: -1.3 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 12. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 2. Tidepooling: 6. Fishing: 4.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 3.

Notable Wildlife

2 juvenile bald eagles, 1 peregrine falcon, oystercatchers, gulls, cormorants, crows, 4 turkey vultures

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 5. 1 fresh eagle kill and 2 skeletal remains of murres, 1 cormorant head at eagle dining area, and one other cormorant on beach -1 murre egg and 2 cormorant eggs empty

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. Many sea stars dying of sea star wasting disease (SSWD), 1 picnopodia, rest are ochre stars-see pictures-observed over last several weeks especially at minus tides.

Driftline Content

Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam.

New Development

Drainage pipes.

Natural Changes

Major cracks appearing in bluffs, Newly exposed roots/trees falling, Visible retreat of solid bluff.

Actions & Comments

Documenting SSWD with pictures to HMSC. Also now have a core group of regular beachwalkers (myself included) who are picking up beach debris and either stacking large items for beach ranger at parking area or taking home to own trash and recycling. Our motto- "Without trash it's more beautiful!" I try to keep Solve bags available in beach debris station tube.