Long wait for high tideDrift line, raindropsDungeness crab, Metacarcinus magisterBig dead conifer slid down from the forest abovePyrosome, surfgrassCrate, partialMaterial from several ecosystems in the drift line Harbor seal, Phoca vitulina | gull tracks
December 3, 2017
AnticipationSegura ViudasOld cable snagLost line, pyrosomesDrift bull kelpRazor clam, Siliqua patulaPointing the way down the beachIn the mirror, sanderlingsSea foam in the swashGood-sized pyrosomeSea foam left behind by the falling tide
November 4, 2017
Drift Postelsia palmaeformisEastern softshell, Mya arenaria, left valve with distinctive chondrophoreJelly fragment, probably sea nettle, Chrysaora fuscescensNuttall’s cockle, Clinocardium nuttalliiPurple varnish clam, Nuttallia obscurataMonkey puzzle, there is one not too far upriverDrift line loaded with Emerita molts, feathers, surfgrass, worm casings, conifer needles, cedar chips, and even a baby MacrocystisI’ve seen millipedes in fresh drift line materials a few timesHoldfasts are a reliable source of new material on the beach; here other macroalgae and a good-sized barnacleWould be interesting to trace this can’s travelsThe swash zoneUp on the foredune, beachgrass, AmmophilaFat gaper, Tresus capaxDrift feather boa, Egregia menziesiiPacific razor clam, Siliqua patulaDrift Macrocystis pyriferaDrift bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaIn the Pacific Northwest a well developed backshore means lots of big woodHardly qualifies as driftwoodJelly, probably ChrysaoraA long-time drift line landmarkBeachgrass, Ammophila, on the backshoreDungeness leg; good eating for somebodyIt’s going to take a high tide and big swell to move this oneSea rocket, Cakile, toughing out fall on the exposed coast
September 10, 2017
Drift bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaDrift line detailDrift sea gooseberries, Pleurobrachia bachei; ‘course they’re always adriftCrystal jelly, AequoreaBeach hoppers love a drift feather boaA fresh Postelsia holdfast full of mussels; the gulls will feastFresh feather boa, Egregia menziesiiMorning stroll in the swashDrift Fucus with sides of surfgrass and eelgrass I’m not going to argueLook up, from the tide pools to the forest aboveBeach hopperPeriwinkles, Littorina, out and about
July 24, 2017
Drift line dominated by Sitka spruce needlesKid’s-size PFDSurvived the swash of last night’s high tideA spade without its childDungeness, Metacarcinus magister, pinching clawLonely palletDrift FucusBeach architecture Drift line detailIf material is available, people will buildSubmarineCommon murreDrift FucusShow, razor clam, Siliqua patula
July 23, 2017
Lost buoy #353Delicate red epiphyte on a bull kelp stipeDrift line dominated by Emerita and barnacle remainsPurple olive, Olivella biplicataMetacarcinus magister, always feistyLaminaria sinclairii; red epiphytes on the tipsPugettia producta, out of placeDungeness carapaceCommon murreCormorantBeached drifters
July 22, 2017
Drift bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaDrift MacrocystisInscrutable Olivella biplicataHemigrapsus nudus, wandering out on the sandGulls usually find these before I doDrift surfgrass, Phyllospadix
May 28, 2017
Whitewater helmetDrift line dominated by spruce needlesCaught in the actSurfgrass, PhyllospadixNew arrivalJuvenile Emerita workingsNautical matSpot-bellied rock crab, Romaleon antennariumEver seen a sand dollar show?
May 1, 2017
Drift line loaded with VelellaMacrocystis pyrifera, some Velella tooBouquet remnantWant a fork for that Velella salad?Sturdy cairn, nine cobbles high, what’s your best?Departing with a Dungeness scrapLow tide landmarkTumbled from the forest aboveFeather boa kelp, Egregia menziesiiSargassum, Sargassum muticumDelicate epiphytes on a bull kelp stipeRough keyhole limpet, Diodora asperaFish tubTerrestrial beetles sometimes end up in the drift line (Dictyoptera?)
April 30, 2017
A Velella and Emerita drift lineBladder chain, Stephanocystis osmundacea, a little north of its Oregon strongholdsVelella gardenNewly beached Velella velellaStephanocystis osmundacea, a little worse for wearVelella, strandedBull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaFeather boa kelp, Egregia menziesii
March 18, 2017
Drift line detailDungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister carapaceRed rock crab, Cancer productus, nice shell barnacle tooPinching claw, Dungeness crabBuoy tagCalifornia mussel, Mytilus californianusDrift bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaEncrusted with pelagic barnaclesDetail, pelagic goose barnacles, Lepas anatifera, on a drift logShell, rough keyhole limpet, Diodora asperaHow did this made it onto the beach?Inside surface, razor clam, Siliqua patulaInside surface, fat gaper, Tresus capaxRock scallop, Crassadoma gigantea – outer surfaceRock scallop, Crassadoma gigantea – inner surfaceConsensus chum parr, tossed ashore in the surfPyrosome
February 20, 2017
Purple-striped jelly, Chrysaora colorata; uncommon on northern Oregon beachesGood sized ling cod egg mass, pretty sureThe wadPesky headlandSea oats, probably, Nucella lamellosa eggsPyrosome, worse for wearPlastic in the drift lineIn the swashA rainbow of marine debris; anybody know what that red hook is?
February 19, 2017 – Some days are too windy for beach combing.
February 11, 2017
Rock scallop, Crassadoma gigantea, top viewA feathery red algae and pelagic goose barnacles hitch a ride on an ocean drifterIf you know what this is, drop me a lineCrab buoysBull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaLots of plastic and terrestrial material in the drift lineI don’t need to tell you who’s tracks these are…Emerita analogaPatterns in the sandPyrosome, lots of baby Velella velellalost gearThe lead lineGlow stick, offshore fishing gearRock scallop, Crassadoma gigantea, a view of the undersideProbably from a squid boatThe wad, shotgun shellRough keyhole limpet Diodora asperaSpin-N-Glow, winged drift bobber
February 10, 2017
Sea foam, a product of phytoplankton breakdownFreshwater bobberPlastic lighterThe wad, shotgun shell componentLarge buoy at the base of the foreduneLone elk tracksSymmetyThere will be no simple walk on the beach todayTide line mostly terrestrial material and cellophane tube worm, Spichaetopterus costarum, casingsWrack line loaded up with big woodHigh tides and big surf mobilize drift logsBeach grass, Ammophila on the foreduneCrab buoy #47823Hagfish trap funnelBait jar lid – hey, that’s a full can of beer!This fort’s glory days are in the past
theoutershores 