Reading the shells?

  

While in Monterey last weekend, we were thinking about southern species that might become more common farther north if a major El Niño event arrives this fall/winter.  For fun, while walking the beach we gathered some shells and ended up with 11 of these species.  We used all of them to spell out El Niño in the photo above.

Three barnacles: Megabalanus tintinnabulum, Paraconcavus pacificus, Tetraclita rubescens

Six snails: Acanthinucella punctulata, Californiconus californicus, Hespererato vitellina, Atrimitra (formerly Mitra) idae, Pseudomelatoma torosa, Pseudopusula (formerly Trivia) californiana

Two limpets: Fissurella volcano, Lottia gigantea

You can click on the image above for a larger version, and here's an example with labels, a close-up of the "E":

 

 

 

P.S.  If you're interested, you can follow NOAA's El Niño predictions at this link (updated monthly). 

Love for the oceans

  

Seemed like this photo could be appropriate for World Oceans Day (8 June 2026).  

A heart from and for the ocean!

Here's the entire animal:

 

The heart shape surprised us, as the central opening on the underside of a sand dollar is usually circular.  But this skeleton broke in just the right way to create a perfect heart.  Pacific Sand Dollar (Dendraster excentricus) photographed in Marin County on 22 May 2026.

Sharing our thanks and love for all of the Earth's oceans. 

The colors of the sky...

  

...in a shell!  

Two close-ups of the inside of an abalone shell.  

I thought the first one (above) looked like an aurora, while the second (below) was more like a sunset.

[You can click on them for larger versions.] 

 

 

 

 Photographed in Monterey County on 6 June 2026.   

Flotilla

  

We were in Monterey yesterday (5 June 2026) for a concert, but we drove down early to spend a little time along the coast.  Here's a nice seascape including a flotilla of sea otters in the kelp offshore from Pacific Grove.  [You can click on the photo for a larger version.]

Yellow-bellied

  

A quick look at a Western Yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) this afternoon (3 June 2026)

With its head raised, the nice yellow color on the underside was easy to see:

 

 

Golden-edged and fine-lined

  

It's hard to believe that this striking flatworm remains undescribed.  Abby noticed it in the low intertidal zone last week and Eric was able to get some video for documentation (see video clip below).

This flatworm is listed in the Intertidal Invertebrates of California (Morris, Abbott, and Haderlie 1980) as Eurylepta sp.  They didn't include an actual photo, but instead represented this species with a painting.  The colors are a little different, but I think you'll see the resemblance:

 

Modified slightly from Morris, Abbott, and Haderlie (1980) 

 

There have been more recent discussions regarding whether this flatworm is in the genus Prostheceraeous, but at this time we can't locate a reference to cite for that, so we'll just say that it's in the Euryleptidae family.

 

There are only a few records of this species in Marin County, and none that we know of north of there.  Most observations are in the Monterey area and farther south. 

 

If you happen to see one, we'd love to see photos and to hear about other records. 

 

And now for the video!  Eric put together a few clips so you can appreciate the color pattern and the flowing movements of this flatworm.  [If you're reading this in an e-mail, click on the title of the post above to go directly to the NHBH website to see the video player.]

 

 

 

With many thanks to Abby for sharing her observation and to Eric for creating the video!

Rock star?

  

Whew, we were busy with field work during the low tides this past week, but we managed to take a few photos on the side.  

Here's one that Eric took in Mendocino County today (23 May 2026) -- a beautiful Daisy Brittlestar (Ophiopholis kennerlyi) on the underside of a rock with clusters of small tubeworms. 

Sky blue

  

Walking over to the farmers market this morning, I caught a glimpse of a dragonfly exploring the sun-exposed branches of a willow tree.  It disappeared, but when I turned the corner I started scanning up high, looking for potential sites where it could have landed.  I was about to give up, when my eyes caught the blue of the darner's eyes.

Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) in Sebastopol on 17 May 2026. 

Beauty and the beast?

  

Coastal Bluff Morning-glory (Calystegia purpurata ssp. saxicola) and Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), 14 May 2026 

Ocean art

  

 Early morning sand patterns in the swash zone, 6 May 2026

  

Blue on blue

  

Eric and I have been busy with lots of early morning field work recently.  As we were walking on a beach in Marin County this morning, I looked down to see a Blue Buoy Barnacle (Dosima fascicularis) attached to a By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella).

Blue Buoy Barnacles are pelagic (offshore) barnacles that float at the surface of the ocean.  They are unusual in northern California and can be indicators of warm-water conditions, or water that's normally farther offshore coming closer to the coast.  I'll have to check my notes, but I think the last time we saw one in our area was ~10 years ago (back in 2016).

With the high numbers of Velella washing ashore at this time, the chances of finding Dosima are greater as this barnacle often attaches to Velella floats. 

We're interested in other observations of Blue Buoy Barnacles in northern California, so keep your eyes open and if you happen to come across one, I'd love to hear about it! 

P.S.  For an introduction to Blue Buoy Barnacles, see the post called "Blue buoys!" on 31 August 2014.  And more information (and a great video!) can be found in the post called "Driftin' blues" on 23 September 2014. 

On the move

  

A beautiful White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) was found near Gaffney Point in Bodega Harbor yesterday.  I took a short break from work and felt lucky to snap a few quick photos.  The wagtail was feeding along the shoreline, actively chasing after insects.

White Wagtails are accidental vagrants here.  It sounds like this is only the second record for Sonoma County, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that.  

To learn more about White Wagtail records in California, you can check out the Rare Birds of California species account here. 

Color in the clouds

  

The rainbows continued today (22 April 2026).  Here's one that appeared high in the clouds over Sonoma Mountain at the end of the day.

Earth Day

  

Passing showers during the early morning of 21 April 2026 brought views of several rainbows.  Here's a quick shot to help celebrate Earth Day.

Remember to go outside today and send out thanks to the Earth.  As David Byrne says, "She's the only one we have."

Shiny and new

  

The beautiful wings of a California Darner (Rionaeschna californica).  Note how shiny and new they look.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]  I could see this darner's wings glittering in the sun as it flew across a grassland.  When it landed nearby, I leaned in for a closer view.  Because the wings are so fresh, it's likely this individual metamorphosed recently.  Once a dragonfly has been flying for a while, the wings lose their shine and can show nicks and other impacts.

Colorful fans

  

Wow!  Eric took some striking photos of featherduster worms last weekend.  This is Serpula columbiana, a marine worm that lives in a white calcareous tube and uses its broad fan to filter food from the surrounding water.

The round, trumpet-like structure is an opercular plug.  When the fan is withdrawn into the tube, the plug seals the opening to protect the worm within.

I'm a big fan of these beautiful tubeworms, and Serpula columbiana comes in lots of different color forms, so here are two more examples:

 

 

 

 

 

Photographed in a large, fairly deep tidepool in the intertidal zone in Oregon.  Nicely done, Eric!

Sunset rainbow

  

After off and on rain showers for most of the day (12 April 2026), Eric spotted a brilliant rainbow to the southeast of Cotati at sunset. 

A dip in the creek?

  

We spent some time watching an American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) in a creek along the Oregon Coast today (5 April 2026).  I had trouble deciding which photos to share, so here are a few different views.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peeking out

  

A beautiful view of the tentacles of an Orange Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria miniata).  You can also see a few of the cucumber's tubefeet closer to the rock.  Photo from Del Norte County in California on 4 April 2026.

With thanks to Eric for a great photo! 

Sail and all

  

I'll write more about this soon, but for now I'm sharing a photo of a Surfbird (Calidris virgata) eating a By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella).  Photographed on Bodega Head on 21 March 2026.

Hot Spring?

  

Although inland (e.g., Santa Rosa) air temperatures have almost reached 90°F during the last couple of days, Bodega Bay has stayed cooler.  The high temperature at the coast today (19 March 2026) was ~68°F (20°C). 

Views of mirages over Point Reyes were eye-catching in the mid-afternoon today — see above and below.

 

 

It looks like the first day of Spring might be even warmer, so here's hoping for cooler air temperatures soon after.

 

Morning fog

  

Fog in Bodega Harbor, 18 March 2026 

Heat + light

  

Mirage of Point Reyes from Bodega Head today, 17 March 2026 

Over the hills

  

 Sunrise over Bodega Harbor, 12 March 2026 

Bat Ray for breakfast?

 

 

River Otter (Lontra canadensis) chewing on a Bat Ray (Myliobatis californica) in Bodega Harbor on 9 March 2026.

 

The wind hadn't picked up yet, so there were some nice views of the otter swimming in shallow water along the shoreline:

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  The otter seemed to be having trouble eating the Bat Ray, perhaps due to its thick skin?  Eventually it left the ray behind and moved on.

 

One Mourning in March

More warm air temperatures = more butterfly sightings.  Today (8 March 2026) I was in Cotati and came across a few Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), example above, and a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor). 

Basking and nectaring

   

Air temperatures reached at least the high 60s in Bodega Bay today (7 March 2026).  I started seeing butterflies zipping by in the morning, so I went out after lunch for a short walk and took a few photos.

California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) were the most common butterflies I saw today (photo above), but I also noticed quite a few Margined Whites (Pieris marginalis) and at least one Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon).

Many of the tortoiseshells were nectaring on willow catkins:

 

 

Shadowy Moon

  

Lucky that I looked at the Moon when I did early this morning.  I checked a little bit later to try to see the Moon emerging from the shadow and it was completely fogged in!

This photo is from a little after 3:30 a.m. PST. 

In the drift line

  

I didn't expect to find a Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata) tonight (2 March 2026), but I also thought there was potential.  Ocean temperatures have been warm this winter and there was a lot of debris washed up on the beach tonight, so I kept the color purple in my search image and I happened to spot one individual.

The last time I recall Janthina being in our area was during the winter of 2024 (see post called "It's been a while" on 21 February 2024.)

It looks like there were several Janthina sightings in San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County in late February, so it's a good time to keep your eyes open for these beautiful pelagic snails.  If you come across one, I'd love to hear about it!

Pearlescent lining?

  

I walked out the door at lunchtime and noticed unusual high clouds right away.  It felt like there was potential for something interesting to appear in the sky, so I brought my camera with me to eat lunch.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, the light started to look interesting off to the side of the sun...some iridescent clouds started to appear! 

Almost five years ago I photographed iridescent clouds for the first time (see post called "Iridescence in the air?" on 7 June 2021), but I wasn't sure when the conditions would be right to see them again.

Here are two more photos.  Note that the colors are more pearlescent and pastel shades, rather than following the colors of the rainbow. 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  Here's a brief description of iridescent clouds from the Cloud Appreciation Society (along with a gallery of other examples).

Silver and gold

  

Two views of a Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) near Spud Point Marina on 20 February 2026.  The late afternoon light was just right for highlighting the iridescent feathers (above).

 

 

Chilly

  

This one's for Mazie — snow to the east looking towards Mount Saint Helena this morning.  Photographed from Stony Point Road on 19 February 2026.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]