From Del Norte

  

A couple of sunrise views from Crescent City last week...

 

 

Spooky spider

  

 Happy Halloween!

Eric photographed this very large spider — a Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) — in Scituate, MA, last month.  He thought it would be a good photo to share on Halloween, so here you go!  (Don't worry, it's just a photo...and this species is not likely to bite people.)

Little dipper

  

American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) in a creek near Cape Perpetua, Oregon, on 29 October 2022.

We had fun watching this dipper while it foraged for invertebrates, both in and above the creek.  It would often fly-catch — swooping up to snatch flying insects, perhaps caddisflies:

 

 

It was so fun to see how at home the dipper was along the creek — perched on rocks in riffles, walking along submerged logs, swimming, and diving below the surface, flying upstream and over cascading falls.

In the drift line

  

During a short walk along Bastendorff Beach (near Charleston, OR) today (28 October 2022), I noticed a few of these small salps in the drift line.  I think this is Thalia democratica.  I know it's hard to see the entire animal — the gelatinous portion is transparent — but I don't know how often this species is seen washing up in Oregon, so I thought I'd post it for the record.

P.S.  For more photos and information about Thalia democratica, see the post called "Diamonds in the drift" from 26 August 2014.

Perched by the river

  

Another species we encountered along the South Fork of the Eel River yesterday (26 October 2022)...possibly a California Spreadwing (Archilestes californicus).  Maybe some damselfly folks will chime in about the i.d.? 

Tigers along the river

  

We're on our way to Oregon, where Eric will be giving a talk at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.  Stopping for a lunch break today (26 October 2022) we ended up on the South Fork of the Eel River near Phillipsville, CA.  

Eric snapped a few quick photos of some beautiful Western Tiger Beetles (Cicindela oregona) along the shoreline.

 

 

 Nicely done, Eric!

When harrier met vole

  

 Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) landing with prey, Bodega Head, 22 October 2022

Wasp-catcher

  

Lots of wind on Bodega Head today (22 October 2022), but I caught up with a Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) in the lee of some shrubs.

 

  

I spent a little time trying to figure out what the kingbird was feeding on.  Most of the time I couldn't quite tell, but in one photo it looked like it had caught a wasp:

 

 

Tropical Kingbirds are rare but regular fall vagrants to California, with 1-4 records/year in Sonoma County.

P.S.  For more photos from October 2021, see the post called "Tropical view".

Kelp in snow?

  

Bull Kelp in foam...looking a bit like snow!

Photographed from Bodega Head on 18 October 2022.

Sunset swim

  

Sleek sea lions swimming and surfacing at sunset, 18 October 2022

Mesa Reyes?

 

 

Above, sunrise from Cotati on 18 October 2022...

 

...and below, a mirage of Point Reyes as seen from Bodega Head near sunset.  (Eric came up with the name "Mesa Reyes" because of the flat-topped and steep-sided appearance.)

 

 

 

There were all sorts of signs of warmer air temperatures today, including a bat swooping around our yard when we got home from work.  In Bodega Bay it looks like air temperatures reached ~65-68°F (~18-20°C) today.

 

P.S.  For an older series of mirage images, see "Can you believe your eyes?" from 7 April 2016.

 

October sun

  

Air temperatures reached ~65°F (~18°C) in Bodega Bay this afternoon (17 October 2022).  With just a short time outside, I noticed six species of butterflies, including this beautiful Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Other species included Monarch (Danaus plexippus), Acmon Blue (Plebejus acmon), Cabbage White (Pieris rapae), Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), and an unidentified lady (Vanessa sp.).

Looks like it's going to be even warmer during the next couple of days, so it won't be surprising to see more insect activity.

On the surface

 

 

Female darner (possibly a Blue-eyed Darner, Rhionaeschna multicolor) ovipositing in tule stems lying on the surface of the water.  Photographed in Petaluma on 16 October 2022.

Floats and blades

  

I'm getting ready to talk with some students about local kelps, so here's a photo of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) from June 2022.

Looking around the corner

  

Okay, so when I've been working on the computer all day at work (it's the time of year for annual reports), one of the last things I want to do when I get home is to look at a computer! 

But here's a quick shot of Ligia pallasii — sometimes called a rock slater or a sea slater — a local isopod that lives in high rocky shore areas, especially near shaded freshwater seeps.  Photographed on Bodega Head on 2 August 2022.

Mellow

  

Mushroom in Chatham, MA, on 29 September 2022

Along for the ride

 

 

Well, I've wanted to share this photo for a while, but it's been a little busy since Michael first let us know about this fascinating observation in mid-September.  

 

Meet Coronula diadema, sometimes known as a whale barnacle!

 

A young Humpback Whale washed up in Fort Bragg on 12 September 2022.  Michael was part of a team from the Noyo Center that went to document it and he took a few photos of the barnacles living on the whale.  It's not often that we get to see this species of barnacle up close as they live exclusively on whales!

 

You can see that the barnacles are quite rounded; they're often described as cask-shaped (or barrel-shaped).  They have sets of very prominent ribs and in some cases there is black coloration visible if the tops of the ribs have worn away or broken off.  The black is whale skin!  The barnacles anchor themselves in the whale's skin by incorporating it into the inner parts of their shells.

 

If you zoom in and look at the central area of the barnacle, you can see the orangish membrane and a pair of tiny white shells embedded in the membrane.  In other barnacle species, those plates (called scuta) help the barnacle close up entirely (like a trap door), but in Coronula diadema the plates are highly reduced.

 

 

 

  

These barnacles were alive when photographed, and the feeding appendages (known as cirri) were extended in one of the individuals (see below).  In Coronula, the appendages are relatively short.  Interestingly, I read that they have small hook-like structures at the tips of the cirri, perhaps indicating that they feed on larger types of zooplankton.

 

 

 

I can't help sharing one more close-up.  Check out the tiny "beads" at the base of the barnacle shells.  I don't recall seeing this texture in other barnacles.  That's new shell growth (barnacles add new shell at their base) and it's likely the beaded texture is worn away with time.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Coronula diadema!  Many thanks to Michael Brito and the Noyo Center for sharing these wonderful photos.

Belly dancing?

  

I saw several of these tracks on the upper beach in Truro, MA, on 28 September 2022.  

A wonderful snake track!  

Although I looked, I didn't find the snake itself.

Watching and waiting

 

 

Sharing a few photos of a Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) from Walpole, MA, last week. 

 

I was impressed with the turtle's patience.  I watched it for quite a while, but it stayed very still almost the entire time...waiting...and waiting...and waiting for the fish to swim close enough:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whale worth it?

 

 

Lots of whale activity off Bodega Head today (3 October 2022)...the most Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) I've seen at one time in a while.  They were quite a ways offshore, but at times there were at least 10 or more whales visible at one time.  Scanning the horizon, it was easy to see spouts, some lobtailing, a few breaches.  Not sure if the activity will continue, but it could be worth a look!

Mauve Stingers

  

Last week we observed many of these colorful jellyfish washed up on beaches in Truro and Provincetown, MA.  It looks like this is Pelagia noctiluca, sometimes known as the Mauve Stinger.

The pink/purple coloration was noticeable:

  

As was the dark spotting pattern (at least on some individuals).  A warning: This species is known to have a severe sting.  The dark spots might be clusters of stinging cells, so be careful if you encounter this jellyfish.

 

 

I'm not sure how common this species is on the Outer Cape, so am posting photos for the record.  (There were also thousands of salps, Thalia democratica, washed ashore on 28 September 2022.)