End of a long odyssey

For Eric’s summer class, we used a small plankton net to collect some plankton near the mouth of Bodega Harbor during a flooding tide last week.  The students sorted through the plankton sample in lab to see what larval forms they could find.  One of the students (Zack) spotted an amazing larval form.

This is a brachiolaria, a late-stage larva of a seastar, that appears to be the Ochre Seastar (Pisaster ochraceus).  The photo above was taken under the microscope, but the specimen is quite large for a planktonic larval stage, close to 2 mm long and visible with the naked eye. This larval form is beautiful and alien in appearance and doesn't look much like an adult seastar!   

A surprising feature of the brachiolaria larva is that the juvenile seastar begins developing within the transparent larval body.  In the photo above, the juvenile body is visible near the bottom of the larva and is shiny white in color.  With a closer view, you can see that the developing juvenile body already includes the start of calcareous ossicles that will become the internal skeleton of the juvenile and adult seastar!  In the photo below, the developing ossicles look like intricate snowflakes (white arrow).

 

This brachiolaria appeared to be nearing the completion of its planktonic larval phase, which can be a long odyssey in seastars.  Under laboratory conditions, the planktonic phase has been reported to last from ~40 to 228 days in Pisaster ochraceus, depending on temperature and food.  Pisaster spawns in the spring in California, so this larva likely spent at least several months at sea before entering Bodega Harbor.

When the brachiolaria returns to a rocky shore and finds suitable habitat, it will initially attach to the rock with a short stalk.  Remarkably, the transparent larval body is reabsorbed into the juvenile body during a dramatic metamorphosis. Soon after settlement, the juvenile sea star breaks off its stalk and crawls away as a tiny sea star. 

The larval phases of a sea star.  Illustrations compiled and modified from various sources.

Eric was able to capture some video under the microscope of this beautiful sea star larva.  In the video, notice the long ciliated larval arms used for swimming and gathering food from the plankton. You will also see a close-up of the developing juvenile body (white in color) and the snowflake-like ossicles.  (If you can't see the video player below in the e-mail message, click here to go directly to the video.)

With many thanks to Zack for spotting this planktonic wanderer!  And to Eric for his microscope camera skills and the helpful diagram.

P.S.  For more information about development in sea stars, see earlier posts on the larvae of the Bat Star (Patiria miniata) — "A new star(t)" in 2013 and "A profound change" in 2023.

P.P.S.  As a reminder, when juvenile Pisaster are first visible to human eyes in rocky shore areas, it's about 4-6 months after metamorphosis.  Here's an example of one that's about 4.5 mm across (between ¹/₈ inch and ³/₁₆ inch), photographed in November 2014.

 

Anchovies and a rock

  

I was at the Spud Point Marina docks briefly this afternoon and noticed lots of schools of what look to be young Northern Anchovies (Engraulis mordax).  [Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!]

Also came across a nice juvenile rockfish (Sebastes sp.).  It was only ~4 cm (1.5 inches) long:

 

 

Seeing lavender

 

Sea Lavender (Limonium californicum) flowers, 7 July 2026

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. 

Morning fog

  

Fog in Bodega Harbor, 18 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.

 

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).

 

 

Otter flow

  

River Otter in Bodega Harbor, 29 January 2026.  

[You can click on the image for a larger version.] 

 

Shuttle service

 

 

We were working along the Bodega Harbor shoreline a couple of days ago when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye.  

Octopus!  

It was very high above the waterline, so Eric decided to pick it up and help it get closer to the water.

Two more views, including a close-up of the eye: 

 

I know most of 2026 is the Year of the Horse, but wouldn't it be fun if there was a Year of the Octopus?

 

Elusive

  

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) perched on a post near Spud Point Marina on 20 November 2025.  

I've probably mentioned this before, but good kingfisher photos have been elusive for me (over many years of trying!).  Kingfishers seem hyper-aware, and even when I think I'm hidden behind a tree or next to another object, they take off before I can get close enough for a decent shot.

This photo finally feels a bit more satisfying.  I hope to do better some day, but I like how you can see some of the feather details, including white spots and highlights on various types of feathers.  [Click on the image for a larger version and scan around to see what you can see!]

Morning view

  

Stopped briefly on the way to work this morning (20 November 2025) to photograph a couple of Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius).  They were feeding along Westshore Road near a raft of sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) 

 

  

 

 

Shoreline swimmer

  

Brief view of a River Otter (Lontra canadensis) in Bodega Harbor this morning (17 November 2025).

Watch your speed

  

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) perched along Westshore Road in Bodega Bay on 11 November 2025.

P.S.  Did you know that Belted Kingfishers can fly up to speeds of 25 mph (40 kmh)?  (Some sources say they might be able to reach speeds of up to 36 mph (58 kmh)...1 mph faster than this local speed limit!) 

Morning swim

  

Nice view of a River Otter along the shoreline of Bodega Harbor this morning (15 October 2025).

When the otter dove, it was calm enough to see bubbles trailing at the surface, offering hints of its route under water: 

 

 

P.S.  We wondered about the origin of the bubbles.  Sounds like air trapped in the otter's fur might be released as it swims.
 

At the end of the day

  

A quick shot of Marbled Godwits in end-of-the-day light in Bodega Harbor on 3 October 2025.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

From Kamchatka

 

Shown above are the water levels as recorded at the Point Reyes tide gauge on 30 July 2025.  The blue line represents the predicted tide levels.  The red line shows the recorded levels with marked fluctuations,  both higher and lower than the predicted levels, revealing the effects of the Kamchatka tsunami.

 

I posted about the Tonga tsunami back in 2022, so you might have seen a graph like this before.  The basic idea is that the tsunami is a series of water level fluctuations that can continue for hours or days.  The duration of the fluctuations surprised me during the Tohoku tsunami in 2011, but I was ready for them in 2022, and again this time.

 

You can see that most of these water level deviations are less than 1 foot (with an exception at ~3 a.m.).  But the water levels rise and fall very quickly (hence the steep, jagged line).

 

What does this look like in the field?  I've learned that it's easiest to see these tsunami-influenced water levels in Bodega Harbor because the elevation change is so gradual.  It's fairly straightforward to see the water levels rising and falling as the water flows across the mudflats.

 

I only had about an hour this morning, but I took a series of photos between 9-10 a.m. to document the tsunami.  This is a little tricky to describe, but here's the basic scenario of what I captured (below).  It's important to compare the water levels in each photo, especially along the left side of the image. 

 

First photo, 9:02 a.m.  Note the water level on the left side of the photo and where it is relative to the wooden post/sign.
 

 

 

Second photo, 9:25 a.m.  The water has flooded in from the left side and spread across the tidal flats to the right of the sign.  Importantly, low tide was at 9:28 a.m. this morning, so the tide should have been dropping, but the water was rising quickly:

 

 

Third photo, 9:30 a.m.  Only 5 minutes later, the water levels have now dropped back almost to the left of the sign again.  (They should have been rising after the low tide.)

 

 

 

Fourth photo, 9:52 a.m.  About 20 minutes later, the water starts to rise for a second time.  It's spreading to the right of the sign again:

 

 

 

Fifth and sixth photos, 9:58 a.m. and 10:08 a.m.  Although the tide should be coming in at this point, the water levels are dropping again.  They are receding to the left of the sign:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seventh and eighth photos, 10:12 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  Only four minutes later, the water levels are rising for a third time within a 75-minute period:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the area in the green box below shows the period when I took these photos:

 

 

It'll be interesting to see how long the water level fluctuations continue.  You can check the Point Reyes tide gauge yourself here.

 

Amazing to see how these waves cross the entire Pacific Ocean basin!  

 

P.S.  I'm thankful to NOAA for maintaining these tide gauges and helping us understand this phenomenon.

 

Featherduster fireworks

  

Eric photographed this beautiful featherduster worm (Eudistylia vancouveri) in Bodega Harbor earlier this week.

Happy Fourth of July! 

Fleet feet

 

I felt very lucky today (25 April 2025) when I noticed a Long-tailed Weasel (Neogale frenata) crossing the road and then spent a few minutes observing it along the Bodega Harbor shoreline.

The weasel was weaving in and out of the rocks, so views were fleeting, but occasionally the weasel would pop up and pause to look around:

I liked the way the color of the weasel's ventral fur (on its throat and belly) matched the color of the lichens on the rocks.

 

 

 

Once it perched on the upper edge of a rock:

 

 

But mostly it was lower, leaping from rock to rock, and zipping in and out of the crevices and cavities among the rocks:

 

 

 

Weasels are so fast that in many of my photos I only caught a portion of its body, especially the tail end.  These photos made me laugh, so I thought I'd share them, too: