Pyrosomes are pelagic colonial tunicatesA startling pyrosome beach castThat’s a lot of pyrosomesEach pyrosome is a colony of zooidsDrift feather boaDrift bull kelpHigh tides and swells pushed drift bull kelp onto the backshore shelfAlmost high tideA drift line littered with pyrosomes***
November 14, 2016
California gull | Ravens and other scavengers go for the breast meat firstLost red phalarope, working the drift lineCan you identify these tracks?Pacific razor clam Siliqua patulaSea foam, a product of phytoplankton breakdownSteel beltedMirror in the morningFat gaper Tresus capaxMacomaSurfgrass PhyllospadixSea oats | Probably dogwinkle Nucella lamellosa egg capsulesRed phalarope;fall storms are tough on themDrift bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeanaWestern gull a pretty safe guessBlue buoy fragmentFloats identify lost crab gearStartled meGlow sticks, offshore fishing gearDrift sea palm Postelsia palmaeformisBig wood littering the backshoreSea rocket Cakile edentula perched on the backshore shelfWhat stories, what travels?Wad from a shotgun shellTube worm Spiochaetopterus costarum casings on ZosteraNorthern fulmar***
October 30, 2016
Where is everybody?Morning coyote tracksDrift line mostly marine originCellophane tube worm Spiochaetopterus costarum casingsFall tides supply new materialOctoberKombucha Dunegrass Elymus mollisBeachgrass Ammophila in the fore and backgroundMade in USAFloatFish tubLost box lidLocals onlyLost flip flopSea nettle Chrysaora fragmentDungeness carapaceFat gaper condrophore***
September 24, 2016
Drift PostelsiaA gull’s interest in drift Postelsia is solely on the holdfast | SeptemberDrift feather boaThis drift bull kelp almost forms a treble clefGulls loafing at the creek mouthA little blowholeSea foam, spume, is the product of phytoplankton breakdownRumexA pioneering dandelionA pioneering MimulusMoss carpet on the supralittoral fringeBeach hopper workingsFat gaperMole crab Emerita analoga workings in the swash zone***
September 23, 2016
Orange finger sponge Isodictya rigida?Cabezon skull?Pterygophora californica also goes by old growth, walking, or woody-stemmed kelpLobed compound tunicate, Cystodytes lobatus | SeptemberWinged kelp, Alaria marginataStrap kelp, Lessoniopsis littoralisRed sea leaf Erythrophyllum delesserioidesBull kelp Nereocystis luetkeanaBunch of holdfasts on a bull kelp stipeFeather boa Egregia menziesiiSea cabbage Hedophyllum sessileA delicate red, something approximating Neoptilota or PtilotaSurfgrass PhyllospadixHydroidDon’t know what this translucent disc is…any ideas?A rose-red beautyHydroid on Laminaria setchellii stipeA fan-shaped lettuce-like red, complete with holdfastPterygophora californica showing off its sporophyllsA rosy dichotomously branching redFeather boa holdfast with a good grip dragged this rock ashoreLarge purple bladeRose-purple frillsFeather boa Egregia menziesiiWould love to know the history hereA lovely drifted redFan-shaped blades with frills, and blue-violet iridescenceDistinctive blades should make identifying this red easyStalked tunicate, Styela montereyensisStyela and a macroalgae quizDiversityDesmarestia***
September 18, 2016
Drift eelgrass Zostera, and Dungeness crab carapace with pinching clawsMoon jelly AureliaMoon jelly AureliaDrift surfgrass PhyllospadixFishermen gotta have coffeeDrift MacrocystisPinching clawDrift FucusFavorite landmarkBig drift log, big float, lost gearDrift eelgrass Zostera, one blade with red fringe Smithora naiadumTraces of a curious coyoteShy AlloniscusBeach hoppers feasting on the carcass of a smooth bay shrimp Lissocrangon stylirostrisA millipede under fresh drift eelgrass and FucusPelagic cormorantBleached root wad taller than me***
July 23, 2016
Drift linePeople love a fort A pioneering dunegrass ElymusBurrow, Megalorchestia californianaVast Emerita analoga workingsDrift corallineTrail, Callianax biplicataThe Dungeness molt is onDungeness carapace, nice barnacle tooLots of big woodPictured rove Thinipinus pictusCrab buoyDrifted ashore on a lost buoy line and the gulls couldn’t be happierBig or small, crustaceans moltAbundant juvenile Emerita exoskeletons in the driftCalifornia beach hopper Megalorchestia californiana***
June 7, 2016
Looking down on the wrack lineDriftLost line | JuneSand dollar Dendraster excentricus seeking shelterLost crab buoyCallianax on the moveCallianax biplicata trailBeach strawberry Fragaria chiloensis, a pioneerWillow dock Rumex pioneering onto the beach***
June 6, 2016
A view from the wrack lineDriftPeriwinkles on the move across sandCallianax biplicata showsCallianax biplicata exposed, sort ofCrazyCallianax trails***
May 28, 2016
Baby Emerita molts in the driftDrift SargassumLeathesia marina, an epiphyte on SargassumYellow jelly blob a fried egg?***
May 21, 2016(Coquille Point, Oregon)
Messy drift line and raindropsBeach hopper workings around drift algaeHarbor seal pup returns to seaDetail, harbor seal pup tracksDrift sea palm PostelsiaIsland in the sandLow tide restCalifornia beach hopper Megalorchestia californiana***
May 20, 2016 (Coquille Point, Oregon)
Mostly crustacean molts; raindrops and footprints above the lineClouds and rocks in the mirrorDrift bladder chain Stephanocystis osmundaceaBaby bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana***
May 8, 2016
A few snail eggs but an otherwise clean drift lineStyrofoam turtleHeadland in the mirrorCast up in the swash, you can’t say the outlook is promising***
April 9, 2016
Waterfall to wavesCrazy quilt of Emerita trailsDrift logFork-tailed storm petrelHagfish trap funnelThe scent of decaying Velella velella is heavy on the drift lineDendraster excentricus test, crushedI don’t see this slender dark brown hopper much; Traskorchestia?Dungeness crab Metacarcinus magister carapace Barnacles on a Metacarcinus magister carapace Sand dollar Dendraster excentricus testPacific mole crab Emerita analoga exoskeleton***
March 26, 2016
A common blue float on Oregon beachesSmall Velella velella dominate the drift lineA slippery mat of Velella velella coats the cobblesCobble-sized lugged trawl floatNet floatA common football-shaped plastic floatA common net floatOval net float (red)Working depth 80 meters?Bait jarVelella and raindropsVelella swash designTrawl or long line floatNet float (blue)Lugged trawl floatFloatCrab trap ringLugged floatLarge styrofoam dock floatBlue football floatNet floatPolystyrene net floatChlamysReceding tide leaves a Velella patternLugged floatLepas on a cracked buoy ***
February 27, 2016
Lots of plastic in the driftA hefty drift logIt’s taken a while to polish this root wadOne way big wood makes it onto the beachLost to the swash***
January 23, 2016
The wad – part of a shotgun shell and one of the most common items in the drift lineI’m curious, but probably not a good idea to taste thisHagfish trap funnelThe case – part of a shotgun shellLot’s of big wood on the shelfNew lumber, treated too!A crate for your wrack line treasuresCan you identify the language on this jar lid?Drip filterToo heavy to carry homeLighterLost dock – freshly treated lumberStyrofoam remainsHeinz Ketchup Smelly Jelly , an attractant Track in the wrackWorld traveling poly Jerry canWorld traveling liquor bottle with no message, just a head of wheat insideWhole tree covered in barnaclesLil’ Corky in Fire Tiger finish – part of the terminal tackle for steelheadTangle of line in a tangle of rootsSea foam – a product of phytoplankton breakdown***
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