For your enjoyment

I plan to get another post up on the stubborn mason bees which refuse to get out of our siding and into a nice little mason bee condo we've purchased for them. Ungrateful bugs. But that's up next.

For now, here is a great view for Monday morning, when you don't want to think too hard.

Singing for a mate

We were all stumped by this question on the beach a few weekends ago. Which type of fish sings for its mate, underneath a rock no less.

We all looked at each other and didn't know. Then it hit us. The gunnel. Although I haven't heard it humming away, others in the Beach Naturalist group has. And this BBC article talks about how this may have been one of the first sounds out of the dark void: a fish humming for a mate.

More finds from the beach.

My last beach naturalist shift was this weekend, and Jennifer, my daughter attended it. And I can safely say she's the patron saint of moon snails. One couple just had to see one, and since I'm known for seeing the critters tells on the sand, I was busy looking for that tell tail sign of sand and pushed up rocks.

Then I found one, and all the sudden, there seemed to be a dozen or more all around the beach. This one kid kept digging them up, and Jennifer kept going behind him to bury them again, before the gulls or a crab got em.

There were a few other finds, like this baby star, either eating or hiding on the bottom of a moon snail casing, as well as this anemone (painted one) that doesn't look like much when out of the water (strangely phallic), but once in, it's absolutely beautiful.

Sea Cuke. Who came up with this name?

Was prowling around Des Moines Beach in my Beach Naturalist role on Sunday - yes skipping church, but I figure it's for a good cause, protecting God's creatures - and came upon these fanlike creatures on the jetty near the end of the beach.

They were sea cucumbers, doing their feeding bit. Usually, when I see them out of the water ,they have a bit of a phallic look about them. But here, they were absolutely gorgeous. Also, finally found a Moon Snail, oozing away. She wasn't too happy when I pried her up to show her to visitors. But I made sure she was safely buried in the sand so the gulls or crabs couldn't find her.

Finally came the dungeness crab, who was a bit worse for wear, but had enough spunk to tell me to keep back. We covered her with seaweed too, for the same reason. The gulls and crows follow us around the beach for an easy lunch, so we have to hide our finds again.

Finds on the beach

I'll be heading out there this weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, but here are the finds from about two weeks ago, including a hairy chiton (I don't think it's a mossy, I always get those confused), a sea lemon and a tunicate (don't know if it's invasive or not, just orange and slimey).

The scale of this chiton is a bit lost in this photo, but it was about three to four inches long, which is big for these guys. They can live to be 100 years old or more.

If you can, hit the beaches Wednesday and Thursday

My friend and former colleague from The News Tribune called me up Monday, asking if any Beach Naturalist events were planned with school kids this week, which will see some of the lowest tides on the beach in 25 years or so. I didn't have a calendar, and I hadn't volunteered (tho I'm sure there will be some of us out there.)

But true to form, Susan Gordon came up with a good story anyway. So if you can play hooky tomorrow and unf. I can't, take a gander at a starfish or moonsnail for me!!!

Photos by Steve Ringman of the Seattle Times.(I'll post my own from this weekend tonight!)

Also, fyi, we're looking at a rock crab (unhappy at that), a sea cuke, and of course, a moon snail.

Hit the Beach!

At least when we're there.

The Beach Naturalist program kicked off today, so when the alarm rang at 7:30 am, I actually hopped out of bed, tossed on my jogging clothes and was off to Des Moines Beach. Not many people, other than fellow beach naturalists, due to the weather.

But we found some neat stuff, including key hole limpets, snacking on something, we couldn't figure out what, ochre starfish, some pretty beat up moon snails (I think chewed on by crabs or dropped by birds), and some of the largest mossy chitons I've ever seen.

The chitons have to be about 100 years old.

Anyway, here's an article about us, and check out our schedule at the Seattle Aquarium Web site. I wish I could say I took this picture, but I didn't. Here's the info below from the Seattle Post Intelligencer Web site.

*Photographer:* Anne Julson, Marysville *Photo taken:* May 8, Edmonds
waterfront *Photographer's description:* "I came upon many of these sun starfish
during an extreme low tide. I was fascinated by the patterns they made as they
moved around the sand. I have made several attempts to see these before, and
this time the low tide was finally low enough. I used my Canon EOS Rebel
XTi."

Check out theses pictures sent by readers that the PI posts every day. They are spectacular.

Neat Feature in the Olympian

Can across this on a search for all critters marine. The Olympian has a feature on critters in South Sound, this one being the sandfin sculpin.

Also, in case you missed it, read the great feature package in The Seattle Times today. It hits on target with what I've nagged on earlier. If we are truly going to be committed to cleaning up Puget Sound, we must start in our own back yard. Yesterday was on stormwater runoff (don't use weed and feed!) and today's is on wetlands.

It talks about how often, developers say they'll redevelop a wetland somewhere else, if they can destroy this one they want to build a warehouse on top of. Often, they don't even try, or if they do, the system is more about making the ground wet and planting a few alders.

Yes, They are Cute, but Don't Touch!

This story is from Oregon, but the same applies to Washington beaches. If you sea a seal pup looking all lonely on a sand spit-- leave it alone! It's mom will come back.

Seagrass, It's More Than You Think

A friend of mine at SPU went on to get his masters and PhD in this area, and is probably still teaching it at the Univ. of Hawaii.

At the time, all of us biology majors scratched our heads and said "seagrass?" But it is a big deal. It's vital for babies on the ocean to hide out, and an important link in the food chain. Not a heck of a lot of it at Des Moines Beach, but there are some nice beds further north in Seattle. Check out this entire Web site, devoted to seagrass.

More News on What's Going on Beneath the Surface

This article from Hawaii, true, but since we do have trawlers coming out of this area, I think it's pertinent.

Really, there has to be a better way to get fish.

Want To Have Your Say on Saving Puget Sound, Here's Your Chance

Just received this through the Seattle Aquarium's Beach Naturalist program.

Here's the press release. The first meeting has already been held by the Puget Sound Partnership, but the rest begin next week.

Schedule for a first round of Workshops and Community ConversationsWorkshops and Community Conversation are scheduled at 10 locations beginning February 25
through March 7. For your convenience, talking points are provided at the
bottom of this email.

What is a Workshop?The workshops (1 – 5 PM)
are open to all, but are focused on getting information about the health of the
local area and threats to that health from interested groups, stakeholders and
citizens who have local knowledge about the area.

What is a
Community Conversation? After the Workshop, the Community Conversation (5:30 to 7:30 PM) offers the public a chance to weigh in on what needs to be done, both locally, and Sound-wide to restore and protect the health of Puget Sound.
The Partnership will provide an overview of the Partnership and developing the
Action Agenda, review the results of the local workshop, and have a
discussion.

February 25
Seattle
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: South Central
The Mountaineers
300 3rd Ave W

February 26
Tacoma
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: South Central
Pacific Lutheran University, University Center
Garfield Street S & Park Avenue S
Tacoma

February 27
Friday Harbor
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: San Juan/Whatcom
Mullis Community Senior Center
589 Nash Street

February 27
Everett
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: Whidbey
Northwest Stream Center
600 128th Street SE

February 28
Bremerton
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: North Central Puget Sound
Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside
100 Washington Ave

March 5
Port Hadlock
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: Hood Canal Inn at Port Hadlock
310 Hadlock Bay Rd

March 6
Bellingham
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: San Juan/Whatcom
Port of Bellingham
Cruise Terminal
355 Harris Ave

March 7
Olympia
1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: South Sound
Evergreen State College (no concerts with this one tho)
2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW

March 7
Sequim 1 - 5 PM; 5:30-7:30 PM
Action Area: Strait of Juan de Fuca
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Red Cedar Room
1033 Old Blyn Hwy

Your participation and involvement in the Action Agenda is essential. Here are three ways you can participate on a regular basis between now and September 1, 2008:
1. Attend Partnership workshops and/or Community Conversations session near you. Let us know how it goes by emailing us;

2. Submit your comments and ideas via People For Puget Sound web site and we will deliver your comment sheet to the Partnership.

3. Join the Save Our Sound Campaign for timely updates and calls to action. Please contact Rein Attemann, rattemann@pugetsound.org or 206.382.7007
More information is available on the Partnership’s web site.

Photos by Jennifer Conner and People for Puget Sound and the Associated Press

Octopi, smarter than you think

I had heard that octopi had the intelligence of about a two year old, and after hearing that, I swore off eating calamari (that isn't squid).

This article in the Seattle Times about the Seattle Aquarium's octopus week hints they aren't that smart, but I'm still not eating them any time soon.

Any animal that can recognize its feeder (and greet it) and recongize a keeper that harasses him, or her, and squirts at them is smart enough for me. Besides they can do something I can't, and get into those childproof bottles.

I haven't seen the Pacific Octopus, but have seen the red octopus on beach walks, except they aren't red once we lift the rocks, they are turning white, a color of fear, I'm told. And we're also told NOT to touch them, as they have a nasty sting.

Photos courtesy of the Seattle Times and People for Puget Sound

Global Warming is Real, and it does make a difference on our beaches

I wonder what I'll see when I'm out on the beach this summer, doing the beach naturalist bit.

Last year, we had oceanographers in, telling us that the temp in the oceans and puget sound was climbing by small ticks, which make a significance difference in sealife we don't see, and very quickly, in the sealife and birds we do see. This article, sadly shows us what's going on in the depths.

Nudibranchs are so cool

This was in the mess of photos that we took at the beach last Saturday, and tho they are small, nudibranchs are cool.

They are the hard rockers of the beach world, with spiky hair and all. They crawl around the beach, rocks and swim (sort of) in tide pools, and eat sea anemones. The stinging cells, they swallow with nary a thought, and those same stinging cells end up at the end of their "hairs," so they won't get eaten.

More pictures from the beach walk

Here are some more pictures from Saturday night's beach walk, including the top of a live moon snail, the baby star fish and a nudibranch...very cool.

Despite the rain, the cold, they came

As I was driving to the night beach walk last night, I kept watching the sheets of rain ping off my windshield like hornets.

Great, we're going to get what, maybe five people showing up? But once I made it to Seahurst Park, and I did make it this time, not only were there about 10 volunteers from the People for Puget Sound, the Environmental Center and the Beach Naturalists, but about 50 people, many with small children, showed up for the two-hour walk.

We saw lots of starfish, a few annoyed kelp crabs, a blue heron that suddenly found itself in kleig lights (I didn't know they could fish at night), baby star fish, moon snail shells, chitons, whelks, and hermit crabs, plus plenty of anemones.

Once the walk was finished, Daoud Miller, of People for Puget Sound, told the story of Raven and Loon (I think) stealing the Sun for Mankind. A perfect winter story.

Photos by moi!

Here are the snaps. (I'm still trying to get the sand out of my camera).

Pick up the Trash, Save the Sealife

I read this PI article about volunteers cleaning up the beach of debris and could only cheer from the sidelines.

Truly, when you're on the beach, and you see some trash, pick it up, so it won't end up in the gullet of the some poor loon or seal, which will later slowly die from ingesting it. This story, of course, talks about old pilings (dont' really expect you to drag those from the beach) and old fishing nets (an entire net is heavy), but it does give a URL to report drifting old crab pots and nets. Anyway, do want you can to get these killers out of the ocean,and picking up an old six-pack plastic holder, or yogurt container is a good place to start.

Switching gears a bit, if you're interested in walking on the beach at night again, please come out for the second People for Puget Sound beachwalk at Seahurst Park. I'll print directions (google will get you lost) in this blog as we get closer to the Jan. 19 walk. It's a night, but we'll bring the goodies and build a bonfire.

Last time, the crew found an ocotopus. So please come out, and bring a trash bag! Oh, and one last article I came across about how global warming might eventually mean downsized sea creatures.

Photos courtesy of the PI and People for Puget Sound

Pictures from Seahurst Beach night walk

Okay, got lost, and missed a great beach walk, I'm told.

So here are the pictures, courtesy of Daoud Miller, of People for Puget Sound. The next beach walk is taking place on Jan. 19, same time I think, so be there (I plan to be, with good directions from Daoud. As a warning, DO NOT use map quest to get there unless you want to end up at a gated community, very pretty Christmas lights, but no beach.

Some take some explaining, like this one, which is of shrimp (grey things that taper into pointed tails on the rocks. yeah, those are shrimp.)

Most are folks looking cold, looking for critters or warming up by the fire.

Didn't make it to the bonfire at Seahurst last night

But I hope the good weather lured out the 100 or so folks that have come in the past.

So I'm in the mood for all things oceans at the moment (I got lost in Burien, and saw some great x-mas displays but not the beach.)

This story about a giant sea anemone found a ocean depths caught my eye.

Photo courtesy of Scienceblogs.