DEAD CALIFORNIA SEA LION AT ALKI BEACH

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PREDATORS OF THE NIGHT-AND OTHER THINGS

Clear water, rain-less, windless nights made going to the beach in the dark a joy this winter.  Predator action not often seen was observed on two nights running.  Shaggy Mouse Sea Slugs were observed feeding as a group (sort of looked like a family buffet) on Mottled Anemone.  Frilled Dog Whelks are universally seen feeding on barnacles but not often are their eggs seen being the target of Pillbox Isopods.  These are the smallest Isopods of this species I have ever seen, but will grow quickly I think on a rich egg diet.  Barnacle eating Sea Slug laying eggs were abundant in the upper tide zone.
Squid, which are laying eggs in Puget Sound in winter, have been commonly seen in small numbers at low tide.  It's sad to see the sea star wasting disease taking a large toll on the Purple Sea Stars, but the Mottled and Sunflower Stars in the intertidal at Constellation and Schmitz Parks in West Seattle appear to be in better shape with little observed wasting disease.

Barnacle eating Sea Slugs with eggs

Purple Sea Star with wasting disease

Shaggy Mouse Sea Slugs feeding on Mottled Anemone

Frilled Dog Whelk eggs being eaten by Pillbox Isopods

Crescent Gunnel

Feather Duster Worms

Frilled Dog Whelks

Mottled Anemone damaged by Shaggy Mouse attack

Pillbox Isopod feeding on Frilled Whelk eggs

Sculpin eggs (unk species)

CONSTELLATION MARINE RESERVE NEW YEAR'S EVE 2013

Perfect ending to 2013 with clam water, 45 degrees F and a Giant Pacific Octopus to welcome in the New Year.  The good news is all of the small Sunflower Stars appeared healthy and they were plentiful.  Still the number of Purple Stars with sea star wasting disease is high.  Kelp Crabs, Dungeness Crabs, Red Rock Crabs were abundant.  Due to the normal seasonal die back of large sea weeds the viewing of animal species was much better than summer.  Coraline algae covered rocks hosted Lined Chitons, Mottled Anemones, and other assorted marine life, all in plain view.  The female octopus was ogled by just about everyone on the beach and no doubt was very happy to see us forced away by the incoming tide.  The green anemone on the pilings under the condo mentioned in an earlier post turned out to be a very large Aggregate Anemone.  No squid showed up.....bummer.   Another minus 3' tide tonight so it will be back to the beach for another adventure......first of 2014....weather looks good.

Barnacle Eating Sea Slugs and eggs

Feather Duster Worm

Feather Duster Worm

Giant Pacific Octopus

Giant Pacific Octopus

Northern Kelp Crabs mating

Lined Chiton

Lined Chiton

Purple Sea Star with wasting disease

Fish eggs

Sunflower Star

Tide Pool with Mottled Anemone and Coraline algae

Small Sea Stars Alki

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM JACK

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Hi, I'm Jack a male Anna's hummingbird at Jack Block Park in West Seattle.  I'm the only species of hummingbird dumb enough to spend winter in Seattle.  I hate it when people come by wearing red jackets, like that jerk Buzz.  I get all worked up thinking it's another giant male trying to take over my territory.....
Geeeze...give me a break.

Have a great 2014,

Jack

SCHMITZ AND CONSTELLATION BEACHES 12-30-13

On last night's (12-30-13) beach walk at Emma Schmitz Park south of Constellation there were a number of differences from the night before at Constellation Park.  The most common sea star was the Mottled Star and most appeared to be healthy.  There were a number of Purple Stars with some showing the wasting disease.  Of some 25 Sunflower Stars (all small) only one showed signs of wasting disease.  Many of the Sunflower Stars however were partially out of sight within the clay ridges on the beach making health determination not entirely certain.
On the condo pilings just south of Constellation Park the Purple Stars appeared mainly healthy with only about 5% showing signs of sea star wasting disease.   In addition the condo piling produced a green anemone (could be very large Aggregate Anemone ).  Constellation provided a squid sighting...alive but likely soon to be dead (they die after mating).
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

Dungeness Crab

Frilled Whelk (some were laying eggs)

Large Aggregate Anemone

Gumboot Chiton

Mottled Anemone

Mottled Star (healthy)

Opalescent Squid

Purple Star (wasting) Condo pilings

Sunflower Star (healthy) & Sea Lemon

Sunflower Star (wasting) Schmitz

CONSTELLATION MARINE RESERVE NIGHT BEACH WALK 12-29-2013

A perfect weather night for a beach walk......45 deg F, no wind, no rain.  A large crowd took advantage of the weather a minus 1.5' tide and the presence of Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists to explore one of Seattle's best intertidal areas.   Red Rock Crabs, Northern Kelp Crabs, Anemones, Shrimp,
and Moon Snails (one even with an egg case) put on a great show.  A Marble Snailfish showed up (first one I've ever seen at Constellation).  On a more depressing note there was evidence that sea star wasting disease is now epidemic on this beach....especially on the north end where an estimated 20% of Purple Sea Stars had the wasting disease.  The cause of the disease, which is wide spread and affecting a number of Sea Star species from Canada to California, is unknown.  On a December 5th beach walk I counted 398 Purple Sea Stars at Constellation M.R. with only one found to have the wasting disease.  On Dec. 29th dozens of Purple Sea Stars were wasting.   Images below tell some of the sad story.

Dock Shrimp

Nanaimo Dorid Sea Slug

Marbled Snailfish

Marbled Snailfish

Marbled Snailfish

Moon Snail with egg case

Moonglow Anemone

Moonglow Anemone

Plumose Anemone

Red Rock Crab

Northern Kelp Crab

Mottled Anemone

Purple Sea Star wasting disease

Purple Sea Star wasting disease

Purple Sea Star wasting disease

Purple Sea Star wasting disease

Purple Sea Star wasting disease

Purple Sea Star wasting disease

Purple Sea Star wasting disease