Tongue Point and Salt Creek Recreational Area

In a previous post I covered some aspects of Tongue Point and Salt Creek Recreational Area.  Well it's that time again to plan a trip.  Gretchen (cute wife) and I will be camping at Salt Creek R.A. June 3rd and 4th and exploring Tongue Point Marine Reserve on two of the best low tides of 2012, both a minus 3ft. on the 4th and 5th of June.  Salt Creek R.A. has a large Clallam County campground and this time of year it fills up.  Reservations can be made in advance for campsites by mail and forms can be downloaded online..just search for Salt Creek Recreational Area on Google and get the forms and information.  Campsites are $20 or $22 per night depending on type...and there is a $7 registration fee.  Salt Creek R.A. is 12 miles west of Port Angeles, WA.  The tide pools are some of the best on the coast and the area is beautiful.  A side trip to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park is an easy drive from Salt Creek.  Additional areas well worth the time include the outer coast beaches at La Push (2nd and 3rd beach), and Cape Flattery trail at Neah Bay, WA. 
You can see images from Tongue Point trip of 2011 in the previous post "Tongue Point"

ALKI BEACH 4-10-12 MORE CRITTERS

Another good low tide day at Alki Beach in West Seattle.  Additional animal images posted here with more egg laying going on.  Smoothhead Sculpins and possible Tidepool Sculpins.  One Moon Snail, the vanguard of what will be an assault on the beach within a few weeks of hordes of egg laying snails.

And one very unusual animal found at Alki that was evidently practicing for the Summer Olympics Woman's Diving Team....looks in good form. Brant Geese continue to move through in large numbers, sharing the beach with Black Turnstones. Tomorrow is the end of the good low tides until the next full moon on May 5th.

Aggregate Anemone

Tidepool or Smoothhead Sculpin (likely male in breeding colors)

Moon Snail - vanguard of mob to follow in coming weeks to lay eggs intertidally

Smoothhead Sculpin male guarding eggs of many females

Smoothhead Sculpin guarding eggs

Tidepool Alki 4-10-12

Lady Beetle preparing for Woman's Olympic Diving Team

Rather beat up Northern Kelp Crab in terminal molt

Red Rock Crab burrowing in sand

FIRST SPRING LOW TIDES - SEATTLE

March 2012 was a total disaster weather wise in the Pacific NW....wet, cold, windy day after day.  April is looking better.  The first good low tide series of spring arrived this week, with the best low on Monday 4-9-12 if minus 2.3ft.  Very low tides are ahead in early May, early June and early July.
Weather lately has seen temperatures in the high 60's with sun.....yes SUN.
The first Moon Snail egg laying was observed this weekend, as well as much egg laying going on with the Red Burrowing Sea Cucumber, one species of Bubble Shell Snail, the Graceful Cancer Crab and an unidentified species of segmented worm.  No doubt other species were spawning but not observed.
Images from this week include two species of Bubble Shell Snails...one laying eggs, Graceful Cancer Crab with eggs, spawning Burrowing Sea Cucumber, and Brant Geese (which a migrating north) feeding on green seaweed Ulva.
Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalist training was held on Alki and Golden Garden beaches on Saturday April 7th under sunny sky with a cool north wind.


IMAGES FROM ALKI AND GOLDEN GARDENS

APRIL 7-9 2012




Shaggy Mouse mating and egg laying

Diomedes Aglajid bubble shell, Melanochlamys diomedea, prey of the Spotted Aglajid




Spotted and Black Bubble Shell Snails

                                         


Spotted Aglajid, Aglaja ocelligera



Melanochlayms diomedea Bubble Shell laying eggs at Alki beach.

 

Spotted Aglajid burrowing into sand in hunt for prey

                                       

 

Egg masses of Shaggy Mouse sea slug with Shaggy Mouse Aeolidia papillosa

 

 

 

Brant, Branta bernicla feeding on green seaweed Ulva sp.

 

Alki Beach with Olympic Mts. and Brant

 

 

 

Red Sea Cucumber, Cucumaria miniata, spawning green eggs, spawning males were also observed

 

Aggregate Anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima, asexual fission the start of a new colony of clones which will contain a number of polyp types...warriors, scouts, reproductive, and  free edge types.  All will be same sex and will defend territory from other clone groups with warriors and scouts.

 

Beach Naturalist Captains preparing for training day at Alki Beach

 

Frilled Dogwinkle (Whelk) Nucella lamellosa feeding on Thatched Barnacle

 

Radula tracks. likely from Limpet on algae covered rock

THREE NEW LINKS

Three new links have been added;    Seal Sitters, Watching Our Water Ways, and Orca Network.
If you are not already familiar with these sites you will find a world of information on Marine Mammals and other Puget Sound news and information here.  ALL HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Hope Not Lost

La Nina......
Seattle residents well remember the La Nina event of 2011...the year without a summer....well actually it arrived in August.  So she's back again in 2012 with a vengence, promising more of the same for spring and summer.  BUT WAIT,  maybe not.  Cliff Mass of the University of Washington, and owner of a great NW weather blog reports that La Nina is weakening fast......and should have packed up and left the area by the end of April.  So don't give up hope on summer yet.......as we know weather forecasters are never wrong.
Read the latest update on La Nina....    http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/   I also recommend his book on Pacific NW Weather.....it's a page soaker.

Unusual Cetaceans in Puget Sound 2010-2012

Puget Sound has welcomed a few unusual visitors from 2010 through now.  Four species of cetaceans not normally seen in Puget Sound have been observed:   Risso's Dolphin, Long-beaked Common Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin and Brydes Whale.  In addition the Harbor Porpoise has made a come back in Central and Southern Puget Sound after being absent for decades.  Images courtesy NOAA.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/

Bryde's Whale

Bottlenose Dolphin

Long-Beaked Common Dolphin

Risso's Dolphin

Orcas and Cormorants Feb 2012

Resident Orcas today 2-9-12 off Seattle's Alki beach......about 1.5 miles from shore, moving north.
3 adult males in group.
Also some chatty Cormorants at Alki.....conversation as you suspected all along.