This isn't a recent photo, but it's been foggy at the coast lately, and I came across this older photo of offshore fog while doing some photo organization, so here you go! Photographed from Bodega Head on 29 March 2013.
P.S. Bodega Bay can be pretty foggy, leading to some nicknames for the foggiest months, e.g., June Gloom, No Sky July, Faugust. It isn't foggy all of the time, but I'm intrigued by all of the different forms of fog. What's your favorite form of fog?
Last week I came across an Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus) that was noticeably blue. It's a little hard to tell from the photo above, but hopefully you can see the blueish background coloration among the clusters of white spines.
We've been monitoring Pisaster for over a decade and have observed thousands of individuals during that time, but I can't recall seeing a blue adult sea star until now. The most common colors are orange, brown, and purple, but this blue individual seemed unusual, so I took a quick photo for the record.
That said, we often see juveniles with blueish coloration — see photos below from this past winter:
I've often wondered if the blue juveniles gradually turn purple, and perhaps some do, but the blue adult in the first photo shows that sometimes the adults can be blue, too!
Eric photographed this beautiful featherduster worm (Eudistylia vancouveri) in Bodega Harbor earlier this week.
A nice little chiton for you — a juvenile Lepidozona radians.
Photographed in the low intertidal zone on 29 June 2025.
New oystercatcher chick with mom, 27 June 2025
[You can click on the photo for a larger version. Note that the chick has a short, brownish bill and mostly gray feathers.]
Summer classes started at the Bodega Marine Laboratory this week, and with all of those keen eyes around, special things are bound to be found!
Above, a small Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) discovered this morning.
Thanks to James for spotting the octopus, which was observed for a short time in the field and then released.
