THE GREAT SEAHURST CRITTER MOVE

This Fall the seawall at Seahurst Park beach will be removed and the upper beach returned to a natural state.
This has already been done on the South end of the beach.  Removal of the seawall will benefit the marine life that utilizes the near shore area.  Habitat will be returned to a more natural state that will benefit various species of fish as well as invertebrates.  Seawall construction in Puget Sound in one of the major causes of loss of habitat for marine life.....you can protect your property and in the process damage and destroy the property of native species.  Interestingly it seems only the rich, and clueless government agencies build seawalls, ( Enlightened City of Burien is removing previous administration mistake)....Live near the sea and wall it off.....brilliant.
On August 19th Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists, City of Burien, ESC Burien personnel moved a large number (thousands), of invertebrate animals from the North to the South end of the beach in hopes that they will have a greater chance of survival when the disruption of the North beach habitat takes place during the removal of the seawall.
The images below are of that extensive moving operation.  Thanks to all the volunteers.  In time the new North beach area will recover its species diversity and more, just as the South end has done since the seawall in that section was removed a few years ago.  BACK TO NATURE.

Sandworm Nephtys spp.

The bucket crew

 interpretation also

 Strange one rayed Purple Stars

Woody Chiton

 Sandworm

 Black-clawed Crab

 Sandworm

 Counting Station

Signing in ....Twice

Volunteers

Sandworm

The last bucket

 one more bucket

the media

 the detailed insturctions

 Sand Dollar relocation

 Shore Crabs everywhere

 2718 Periwinkles and counting

 The Wall

 back breaking work

 Purple Stars

 More Purple Stars

 Counting up the totals

 oops dropped one

Young Plainfin Midshipmen not relocated

Ready to leave the nest...not relocated

 Lion Nudibranch

 No big rock removal

You're doing what??  You must be kidding!

LAST GOOD LOW TIDE WEEKEND OF THE SUMMER

While the low tide this weekend wasn't the best it did offer a last chance to visit the critters on the beach the last time before the end of the minus tide season. Moderate low tides will still allow mid to high tide explorations in the late summer and fall.  The weather was perfect and the local fauna was well represented.  A young marine biologist helped in locating some interesting critters, including a very, very, tiny shore crab.  Thanks Nick.  Next great minus tides...December....at night.

Nick and Karen

Moonglow Anemone

Bryozoan colony

Bryozoan colony

Checkered Periwinkle Snail

Heart Cockle

Mottled Anemone

Pile Worm

Pile Worm

Pile Worm head

Pile Worm

Purple Sea Star sieve plate

Purple Stars sharing crab lunch

Sitka Shrimp

LEATHER LIMPET - RARELY SEEN LITTLE GEM

LEATHER LIMPETS, Onchidella borealis, are tiny mollusks (about .5 inches) that are often overlooked because of their size and cryptic coloration.  They are closely related to land slugs and like their relatives have their eyes on the tips of their tentacles. They have no shell.  Lungs gather oxygen from the air and there are no gills.  When submerged they may associate with air bubbles for oxygen.  These are high intertidal inhabitants feeding on both micro and macro algae.  The edge of the foot is decorated with large papillae or knobs which produce noxious chemicals that repel predators such as sea stars and small crabs.   Six to 40 eggs are laid in a gelatinous mass usually attached to seaweed holdfasts.  Development of larval stages takes place in the egg and young juveniles hatch out and crawl away; there is no planktonic stage.
The best place to look for these little gems is in communities of Fucus (rockweed) where they will be actively feeding at low tide.  They are more often seen on cool cloudy mornings that hot sunny ones.  Take a magnifying lens for a close look.