Little one

  

A tiny Six-armed Sea Star (Leptasterias sp.) photographed in Mendocino County on 31 May 2025.  This juvenile sea star was only ~3-4 mm across from arm tip to arm tip.  

If you look carefully, you can see some of its tube feet extending away from its arms.  And the small red eye spots at the tips of the three arms in the foreground are also visible. 

Rather than releasing eggs into the water column, Leptasterias broods its embryos and the young sea stars crawl away from the adult.  Back in 2012, I shared photos of an adult Leptasterias with its brood of embryos and an image of an adult with many juveniles in the surrounding area (it's likely the juveniles recently crawled away from the adult).  To review those photos, check out the post called "Four brooders in one" on 29 February 2012.

P.S.  Thanks for the great photo, Eric! 

Siblings

 

 

A couple of young Brush Rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) resting at the end of the day today (1 June 2025).  (There was a bit of a breeze ruffling the fur of the rabbit in the foreground.)

 

Intertidal volcano

  

Pink Volcano Barnacle (Tetraclita rubescens) on 31 May 2025.

 Thanks to Eric for another great barnacle photo! 

Thatched

  

Thatched Barnacle (Semibalanus cariosus) on 29 May 2025.

Thanks for the great photo, Eric!
 

Catch of the day

  

While out early working during the low tide this morning (27 May 2025),  we were in the middle of a survey when Eric heard a splash and turned to see a River Otter (Lontra canadensis) swimming not too far away from us.  (We were somewhat hidden by a rock.)  Eventually the otter caught a large fish and it climbed up onto a rock and starting eating.  

Although we only had a point-and-shoot camera, Eric was able to take a short video.  I think this is a Striped Surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis), but if you have a different opinion, please let me know!  [If you can't see the video player in the e-mail, click on the title of this post above to find the video on the NHBH web page.]

With gratitude for sharing coastal habitats with otter and fish!

Downy white

  

I ran into Laura outside of the grocery story today.  She told me a story about discovering a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) nest in an old tree stump on her property recently.  It reminded both of us of the time a vulture nest was found in the Bodega Dunes.  I didn't have a great camera setup at that time, so this is Haruka Wada's photo (I think).  

If I remember right, the vulture in the photo was ~20 days old.  Back then, I hadn't seen a downy juvenile vulture before, so I was surprised to see how white it was.  I think it takes ~60 days or so before all of their black feathers come in.

Photographed in the Bodega Dunes on 24 May 2006.  (Hard to believe this was 19 years ago!)

P.S.  Thanks to Laura for the memory and to Haruka for the photo!

High zone explorer

  

Last week, Eric snapped a great photo of Ligia occidentalis.  You can find this interesting isopod scurrying across rocks in the high intertidal zone.