West Sunset

Eudistylia vancouveri

Eudistylia vancouveri

Zirfaea pilsbryi

West Sunset was one of two beaches monitored on June 4th when the tide fell to an amazing -3.9 feet. This site is located on the west side of Whidbey Island midway between the Naval Air Station and Partridge Point. Two hardy Beach Watchers showed up and put up with light rain to get the job done. Libby Hayward found the rough piddocks (Zirfaea pilsbryi) quite interesting. These bivalve mollusks carve their way into firm substrate using rasplike valves and then spend their lives safely hunkered down in the niches they have built, extending siphons to filter feed. On this beach the piddocks inhabit large slabs of peat. Team captain Charlie Seablom reports that he was surprised to find a large clump of the Sabellid tubeworm Eudistylia vancouveri on the erratic that lies along the profile line. The clump was about the size of a bowling ball and was not there when the beach was monitored last year.