Old Clinton Beach

Old Clinton Beach team photo 2010 Old Clinton Beach team photo 2010

Checking salinity Checking salinity

Profile reading Profile reading

..Chthamalus dalli.. Little brown barnacle Chthamalus dalli Chthamalus dalli

Recording data Recording data

..Littorina scutulata.. Checkered periwinkle Checkered periwinkle Checkered periwinkle

..Hermissenda crassicornis.. Opalescent nudibranch Opalescent nudibranch Opalescent nudibranch

..Phyllaplysia taylori.. Eelgrass sea slug/Taylor's sea hare Eelgrass sea slug Eelgrass sea slug

It was an enthusiastic team of five that closed out Whidbey Island's 2010 monitoring season at Old Clinton Beach on August 10th with Virginia Allen at the helm. A thick layer of eelgrass blanketed the lower intertidal and the gung ho monitors carefully sorted through it in search of the small organisms that call this rich habitat home. They were rewarded with the discovery of three species of sea slugs (Phyllaplysia taylori-eelgrass sea slug, Hermissenda crassicornis-opalescent nudibranch, and Onchidoris bilamellata-barnacle eating nudibranch). They also saw quite a few eelgrass limpets (Lottia parallela) and at upper levels of the intertidal zone there were large numbers of little brown barnacles (Chthamalus dalli). With the tide dropping below the -2 foot level, the profile line at this beach extended 410 feet to the water’s edge. This beach is just down from Clinton's ferry landing so the team enjoyed watching the big boats coming and going as they worked. Topping it all off were flybys by pairs of great blue herons, bald eagles, and belted kingfishers.