If you're interested in using any of these photographs in any way, please contact me. Send an e-mail to naturalhistoryphotos(at)gmail.com. Thanks!

Friday, December 31, 2021

12 for 12

 

Whew, it's hard to believe another 12 months have gone by.  Here are a couple of 12-tentacled sea anemones to help welcome 2022.  
 
Meet Halcampa crypta
 
 
 
It might seem surprising that these two individuals are the same species, but color patterning in Halcampa crypta is quite variable. If you've been following the blog lately, you will remember that the closely related species Halcampa decemtentaculata also shows considerable variation among individuals.  Both of these photos were taken by Eric at Duxbury Reef on 31 December 2021.
 
We're sending warm wishes your way with hopes for many meaningful moments outdoors while we circle around the sun again!
 

Thursday, December 30, 2021

In the late afternoon

  


Roosting Sanderlings (Calidris alba) above, and a Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) below, sheltering behind a small mound of sand. Both photographs from 25 December 2021.

 

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

20 for 70

 
You might recall the Ten-tentacled Sea Anemones (Halcampa decemtentaculata) that we introduced in late November.  We are intrigued by the variations in color and patterning in this species, so Eric decided to put together a mosaic to make it easier to appreciate them.
 
The mosaic shows twenty individuals of this anemone species that were all photographed at the same site.  It's easy to see that some have white oral discs (the central area surrounded by the tentacles) while a few have darker oral discs.  And although all of the anemones have tentacles with interesting speckling and striping, the tentacles vary quite a bit in the proportion of pale/dark shading and in the intensity or opaqueness of the colors.
 
The details of the patterning on the oral discs are fascinating.  If you look closely, you'll see designs like mustaches, snowflakes, or lace.  To make it easier to see these patterns up close, I've uploaded a high resolution version of this mosaic to Flickr.  You can click on this link and then click on the image to see a magnified view of each anemone.  It's worth viewing this high resolution version!
 
Cadet Hand (founding director of the Bodega Marine Laboratory) first described Ten-tentacled Sea Anemones from specimens he collected in Mendocino County on 24 December 1951 70 years ago this month!
 
Many thanks to Eric for photographing these anemones and compiling them into this spectacular image.  Enjoy!

Monday, December 27, 2021

Silver seas

  

Some beautiful passing showers out at the horizon today, 27 December 2021.

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Sunset spiral

  

Cloud spiral, Dillon Beach, 25 December 2021

Friday, December 24, 2021

Christmas decoration

  

 
Since many folks are decorating at this time of year, we thought you might enjoy seeing this local decorator crab.  Meet the Cryptic Kelp Crab (Pugettia richii)!  They're known as decorator crabs because they add pieces of seaweed to their rostrum (nose) and carapace (back) for camouflage.  In the photo above, the narrow red-brown seaweed and the green leafy seaweed are attached to the back of the crab.
 
If you look closely on the backs of the crabs, you can even see the specialized hooks for holding seaweed.  Below, look for the clusters of narrow curved hooks near the base of the seaweed.  The crab pushed the seaweed under these hooks to hold it in place.  The better to hide from fish and octopus!
 
 
Happy Holidays to all!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Icicles on the beach?

  


Hmmm...they look a little bit like icicles, don't they?  

Pyrosomes (Pyrosoma atlanticum) have been washing up on local beaches recently.  These were photographed on Bodega Head on 23 December 2021.


For more photos and information about pyrosomes, check out the post called "Fire bodies" from 8 December 2014.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

December hermit

 

A wonderful Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) stopped by for a bath in our backyard on 21 December 2021.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Salamander weather

  

Today's rain reminded me of this salamander that I photographed earlier in the month.  I think this is a Speckled Black Salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus).  I haven't seen this species before, so if you disagree with my i.d., please let me know as I'm open to feedback!

I'm still learning about this species, but it appears to have a fairly restricted distribution, e.g., from about Sonoma County north to southern Humboldt County.

Here's a view of the entire animal (below).  Note the very dark background color:

 
From the forecast, it sounds like we'll be seeing salamander weather for a little while!

Monday, December 20, 2021

Tilting

 
The light was getting dim tonight, but here's a quick wave photo from 20 December 2021.
 
I hope you're able to find a moment to enjoy the Winter Solstice on the 21st!

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Of time and light

 
Curl of time, curl of light.  We're approaching the solstice!
 
Birch bark in Walpole, MA, on 17 December 2021.
 

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Scituate light

  

Early morning view of Scituate Light in Scituate, MA, on 14 December 2021.

During this same morning I was somewhat surprised to hear a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) in Scituate Harbor, but here you go!


Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Snowy views

  


Distant but fun views of a Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) at the edge of the marsh along Duxbury Beach, MA, on 14 December 2021.

 

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Along the beach

  

Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) at Duxbury Beach, MA, on 14 December 2021.

Monday, December 13, 2021

Long shadows

  

The amazingly long shadows of December -- photographed in the late afternoon in Humarock, MA, on 13 December 2021.

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Above the horizon

  

This one is from last weekend, but I haven't had a chance to share it yet.  A crescent moon and fog bank with offshore rocks at sunset on 5 December 2021.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

A festive evening?

  

Not much time tonight, but here are a couple of quick shots of Tritonia festiva, a nudibranch we haven't seen that often in Sonoma County.  

Eric got a better view of the dorsal surface with the nice diamond-back pattern:

 
This one was photographed in the low intertidal zone along the Sonoma Coast on 5 December 2021.  I wrote more about Tritonia festiva back in 2012, so for more photos and information check out the post called "Cape Mendocino and Tritonia" from 10 May 2012.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

A pop of color

  

It feels like every time we're out looking at intertidal fish, I'm blown away by the diversity of colors and patterns.  Here's another example from our recent tidepool adventure on 5 December 2021.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

A beautiful speckled sculpin, primarily in gray, black and white, with a brilliant orange and yellow highlight above the eye.

Here's the entire fish:

 
How cool is that?  
 

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

How to become invisible

If you're a resident shrimp in a tidepool filled with hungry sculpins, you might find it advantageous to be invisible.  So how do you become invisible?

Step 1: Become a color that matches things in the background of the tidepool, e.g., pink like coralline algae:

 
 
Step 2: Add highlights spots and bands of different colors that show up in the background.  For example, white stripes that match the white tips of the coralline algae, and some darker reds that match the shadows:
 
 
 
Step 3: Make some of your body parts look like algae.  For example, you could make your head appendages, or the sides of your abdomen, or the tip of your tail look like the branches of coralline algae.  And you could hold your abdomen and tail in an upright position:
 
 

Step 4: Adapt your behavior to make it hard for a fish to spot you.  For example, stay very still, and only become more active at night.  (Shhhh...no shrimp here!)
 
 

Meet the incredible shrimp, Lebbeus lagunae!  Eric spotted this amazing shrimp while we were tidepooling during the exceptional low tide on 5 December 2021.  It was hard to believe what we were seeing at first.  It's a fantastic example of crypsis avoiding detection by predators via use of colors and patterns and shapes that help to blend in with the background. 

The geographic distribution of this species is typically described as Baja California, Mexico to Monterey, California.  However, we are looking into a possible record from Mendocino County (thanks to Jim!). So this shrimp could be a primarily southern species that is rare here, or it might just be rarely seen here given that it's almost invisible and more active at night.


 
 
Many thanks to Eric for his excellent observation skills!  Now you can imagine these shrimp hiding among the coralline algae in the local tidepools.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Looking out and looking in?

 
Wow!  Sometimes it's hard to believe the colors and patterning on our local intertidal fish.  Although the markings on the head and around the eye really draw you in, don't miss the beautiful fin!  Photographed by Eric this weekend in a low zone tidepool.  The fish (a sculpin?) was just emerging from below a rock ledge.
 
Here's a close-up so you can check out the patterning, including that wonderful eye!
 
 
Stay tuned for more photos from our recent low tide adventures!

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Sonoma County classic

  

We've been busy with field work recently, but I couldn't help pausing to take this photo tonight.  A classic view of the Sonoma County coast.  Photographed 4 December 2021.

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Pastel pink

 
A nice view at the end of field work today, 2 December 2021
 

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Green Eggs and Sand

  


Eric spotted these amazingly green fish eggs last week.  They were on the side of a boulder in the intertidal zone along the shoreline of Drakes Estero.  I'm not sure which species of fish laid them, so if you have any thoughts about that, I'd love to learn more!

Here's a close-up so you can appreciate the color:

 

 
 
And here's a photo of sand from 2008.  I'll admit, there's no real connection to the green eggs above, except that it lets me use the title "Green Eggs and Sand"...which sounds a little like Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham".   :)
 
 

Monday, November 29, 2021

Surrounded by light

  

Sanderlings (Calidris alba) feeding on the beach in reflected light from the bluffs at Point Reyes.  

The blue and gold light surrounding the Sanderlings was quite something.  I couldn't decide which photo I liked best, so here's a series:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, November 26, 2021

Steppin' out

 
Near the end of a walk at Point Reyes today (26 November 2021) we encountered a large flock of Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) feeding along the shoreline.  The afternoon light really brought out the colors in their feathers.
 
 
 
There were upwards of 50 birds in this flock by the time we left them.  Here's a small part of the group:
 
 
Such beautiful birds in such beautiful light!
 

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Twilight

 
A twilight thank you to wild places and to you for exploring them with me!
 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Greenery

Sola green (tentacles of the Sunburst Anemone, Anthopleura sola):

 
 
Sculpin green:
 
 
 
Siphon green (clam siphon):