Eggs in neon

  

After field work this morning, I noticed a couple of Giant Green Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) were spawning, so I took a couple of quick photos for the record.

Sometimes spawning is triggered by a large change in water temperature.  During the past week we saw extremely cold temperatures  of ~8.5°C (~47°F), and then when the winds dropped temperatures rose to ~12.5°C (~54.5°F). 

Here's a close-up of the eggs:

 

 

 

And a zoomed out view of the entire female anemone with the beige eggs accumulated on the lower edge of her oral disc:

 

 

 

 
There were a few males spawning, too:

 

 

 

P.S.  I haven't seen anemones spawning that often, but I wrote about another observation back in 2013.  See "Fortuitous" on 28 June 2013 and "Little narwhals" on 23 July 2013 (the latter includes photos of anemone larvae).

Green highlights

  

Another amazing intertidal sculpin, photographed on 19 May 2022.

 

 

Orange beauties

  

We noticed these beautiful lilies along the side of the road recently and I couldn't resist stopping for a few quick photos.

 

 

Perhaps a botanist can help with the i.d.?  Are these Coast Lilies (Lilium maritimum)?

 

 

 

Checking in?

  

Well, I haven't been able to sort through my sea lion photos yet, but here are a couple more from 22 May 2022.  

A very large Steller Sea Lion approached a smaller individual.  I don't have much experience with this species, so I'm not totally sure what was going on.  

At first I thought it might be a large male interacting with a small female, but it seemed more like a mother-pup interaction.  Later I read that females have been seen nursing yearlings and older juveniles.  So perhaps this is a large female and a juvenile?

 

 

If you have thoughts about the identities of these individuals or about the interaction, I'd love to hear more.

Stellar Steller

  

We were hearing some sea lions while doing field work recently and when I looked out to an offshore rock, I could see them in the distance.  I thought it might be too far for my camera lens, but I ended up with a few interesting photos.  

The animal in the center is a very (very!) large Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus).  Adult males can be up to 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) long and weigh an average of 1000 kg (2200 lbs, or 1 ton).  They are the largest otariid (sea lions and fur seals) in the world.

The animals directly in front and behind the large Steller Sea Lion are California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus).  (I'll talk more about the differences in a future post.)  But the animals in the lower left corner are also Steller Sea Lions — perhaps a large female and a smaller juvenile.

Tattler views

  

I spent some time watching a Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) near Salt Point today (22 May 2022).

 

 

 

The tattler seemed very interested in amphipods (small crustaceans) in shallow pools.  In the photo below, there's an amphipod at the tip of the tattler's bill (even more visible in the shadow):

 

 

 

 

One time the tattler was feeding near the edge of the water when a larger wave surged up on to the rock.  I just happened to have my camera ready and snapped a photo before it flew up higher on the shore: 

 

 

 

Watch out for sneaker waves!

Tower of flower

  

A beautiful larkspur in a coastal grassland near Jenner on 19 May 2022.  I'm not sure which species this is yet (if you have an idea, let me know!), but thought it was still worth sharing.  Another view:

 

 

Now that's a brood!

  

Meet Lisbeth's Brooding Sea Anemone (Epiactis lisbethae).  This is the first time I've encountered one in Sonoma County (or anywhere!).

In comparison to the more common Proliferating Anemone (Epiactis prolifera), note the very high abundance of juveniles ...and that the juveniles are uniform in size (rather than a large variety of sizes).  (For an example of a brooding Epiactis prolifera, check out the post called "Ring around the anemone" on 18 February 2021.)

Yes!  Those are tiny juvenile anemones clustered between the base of the anemone (on the left) and the tentacles (on the right).  Here's a close-up of the juveniles:

Photographed along the Sonoma Coast on 19 May 2022.

For scale

  

A quick shot from Westshore Road along the Bodega Harbor shoreline today (18 May 2022).  It's always helpful to have examples of different species side-by-side to appreciate their different sizes.

Four species of shorebirds — Dunlin (lower left), Western Sandpiper (smallest, low center), Red Knots (four at lower right), and Marbled Godwits (in back).

Alaria and friends

  

Winged Kelp (Alaria marginata) and friends, 17 May 2022

An ant's view

  

Close-up of a Cobweb Thistle (Cirsium occidentale), 16 May 2022

Just before bed

Whoops, here's an update!  We finally we were able to see the moon just before 9:30 p.m.  Here's a quick shot for the record:

 

 

Written earlier at 9:15 p.m. -- Well, I was hoping to see the lunar eclipse tonight, but I'm not sure I'll be able to stay up late enough.  It's 9:15 p.m. and we can't see it yet in Cotati, and we have to wake up very early tomorrow morning for field work.  So for now here's a quick photo of the moon from this morning at ~5 a.m.  I hope others are able to see the eclipse tonight!

Home, home on the seaweed

  

Recently Eric noticed these small crustaceans clustered on a seaweed washed up on the beach.

Here's what it looked like when first discovered:

 

 

This is the seaweed Sea Sacs (Halosaccion glandiforme), which consists of water-filled sacs (with a small volume of gas) normally attached to intertidal rocks.  When they're pulled off the rocks by waves, they'll float at the surface of the ocean.  If you look closely in the photo above, you can see the small clusters of crustaceans.  Under the microscope, more details are visible:

 

 

 

 

These are barnacle cyprids, the final swimming stage, of Pelagic Gooseneck Barnacles (Lepas sp.).  These cyprids will attach to floating structures like driftwood or a feather or this seaweed and then undergo metamorphosis into juvenile barnacles.  The appendages they use for swimming in the cyprid stage will morph into feeding appendages (called cirri) in the juvenile/adult barnacle.  Here's a diagram with arrows pointing to the appendages as they change during metamorphosis from their function in swimming to feeding:

 

 

 

What's cool is that the cyprids are partially transparent, so you can see those dark, feathery appendages in the close-up photos:

 

 

 

Fun!

 

Storm clouds on the horizon

 

 

 

There were incredibly dark clouds to the west as we drove home from work tonight, but the sun broke through here and there, highlighting the hills.  

The lighting was dramatic, so here are two more views.  All photographs were taken from Roblar Road on 10 May 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

Tiny mint

  

A tiny little mint photographed near Salt Point on 24 April 2022.  The flowers were only a few millimeters across.  This one has a long name — Pogogyne zizyphoroides, also known as Sacramento Beard Style or Sacramento Mesa Mint.  This species is more common at inland sites, less common at the coast.  Many thanks to Michelle Cooper and Peter Warner for their assistance with the identification! 

Swimming lessons

 

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) mother and pup.

 

Photographed on 30 April 2022.

 

Anemone buffet?

  

We often see Shag-Rug Nudibranchs (Aeolidia loui) eating Aggregating Sea Anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima), but I haven't observed them eating Brooding Sea Anemones (Epiactis prolifera) as often.  

Below is an even closer view.  Epiactis broods its young around the base of the column, so those little dots of various sizes are juvenile sea anemones.  This view made me wonder if the nudibranch eats the young anemones?

 

 

P.S.  For a couple of nice views of Brooding Sea Anemones with large broods see "Ring around the Anemone" on 18 February 2021.

Silvery green wonder

  

I was helping Jacquie look for sea anemones this morning, when we encountered this gorgeous juvenile fish.  It was only ~1.5 inches (~3.5 cm) long.  For scale, the fish was resting on a Feather Boa Kelp.

I was drawn to the green and black patterning and the silvery coloration on the sides.  (This coloration reminded me of Atlantic Mackerel, which we used for bait while fishing for lobster when I was young.)

Here's a view from above:

 

 

 

And two additional views from the side:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sent the pictures to a few people for assistance with an identification.  Jim was the first to write back suggesting a very young Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus).  I found a couple of juvenile Cabezon photos on the Internet that look very similar to this individual (although lacking the dramatic green coloration).  Thanks for the help, Jim!

Fringed -- Part 2

 Okay, here's the mystery photo I showed last night:

 

 

And the answer to the mystery is...

 

...a close-up of the foot of a Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus).  Although not the same bird, here's a photo of a Red-necked Phalarope from 2012 where you can see the feet:

 

 

 

Yesterday I found a dead phalarope on a road.  Based on the location and the conditions (very foggy and windy), I think it's likely the phalarope hit a wire in flight.  When I went to move the phalarope off the road, I was struck by its amazing feet.

 

Phalaropes have lobate feet — rather then webbing extending between all of the toes (like a duck), there are flaps that extend out to either side of each segment of the toes.  This design likely assists with swimming and stirring the water to bring prey up to the surface.  Here's a view of the foot from the side:

 

 

 

 

I'm fascinated by the little fringes along the edges of the lobes.  I don't know what the benefit of this structure would be.  Do you?  Here's another view from the other side:

 

 

 

 

And if you're curious, here's a view from below, looking at the bottom of the foot:

 

 

 

 

Along with a close-up:

 

 

 

 

While taking these photographs, I heard a phalarope calling overhead and then looked up to see a large flock of phalaropes wheeling over the grassland.  I scrambled to get my larger camera out of the car and managed a couple of quick photos.  Here's one for the record.  How many birds do you think are in this flock?  (My estimate is below.)

 

 

 

I counted 250 phalaropes in this photo...and I think I missed a few birds, so the entire flock was slightly larger than this.  They're migrating north to the tundra for the breeding season, so I'll be wishing them a successful journey.