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What is Shearwater?
Inside the Shearwater building you will find several departments. In addition to Shearwater Clothing, there is also a Gallery with art, fine gifts, jewelry & home decor (click here visit Shearwater Gallery site). You will also find an Espresso Bar and PastryCafe with an excellent selection of fresh baked goodies!
"Shearwater" is actually the name of several species of seabirds that can be found off the Oregon coast, and in other parts of the world.
Shearwater Birds
A shearwater is a long-winged seabird, related to the petrel and the albatross, named for its habit of gliding on stiff wings, skimming close to the water’s surface. The bird’s long, slender wings appear to shear the water as it flies between the waves.
There are more than 25 species of shearwaters, found all over the world. Many are long distance migrants, traveling up to 9,000 miles each year to reach their breeding colony sites. Shearwaters are generally pelagic, meaning they live in the open ocean, but come ashore to breed along coastal cliffs and offshore islands.
Shearwaters are also extraordinarily long-lived. A Manx Shearwater breeding on Copeland Island, Northern Ireland, is the oldest known wild bird in the world. Ringed as an adult (at least 5 years old) in July 1953, it was retrapped in July 2003, making it at least 55 years old. Since Manx Shearwaters migrate to South America in the winter, this bird has covered a minimum of 600,000 miles on migration alone. That’s the equivalent of traveling the distance around earth about 25 times!