Eric and I did a quick beach survey at the end of the day today as the storm was letting up. There were thousands of By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella) washed up. Some were up to ~3-4 cm long, but the vast majority were under 1 cm long and the most abundant size was only ~1-2 mm long (second photo below with millimeter ruler):
We also found one Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata), hundreds of swimming bells of the siphonophore Diphyes dispar, one pyrosome (I thought there might be more today), and pieces of driftwood with pelagic barnacles (Lepas sp.).
The view as rain showers were clearing:
Velella at Point Reyes, too. Unusual for March?
ReplyDeleteHi, Burr!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Velella report from Point Reyes! Velella can appear in March -- might be weather-dependent, and we've certainly had the winds and waves to drive them towards shore recently. I've observed them in March fairly often.
Velella can be small in March, so it's possible just based on their size alone that they'd be less visible (to the human eye) earlier in the spring than later in the season (e.g., in April/May), when they're larger.
But I'll admit, predicting exactly when we'll see Velella and how many we'll see and how large they'll be is still a challenge for me. Given that Velella can be more abundant/visible in this area during El Nino years, it'll be interesting to see if large numbers of them appear this spring, i.e., if recent sightings are a precursor to larger stranding events. I won't be surprised!
Jackie