Elger Bay - June 1, 2010

With the completion of monitoring for 2010, Camano Beach Watchers took the time to begin evaluation of data collection. You can find a set of comparisons in CHARTS that are linked at the bottom of the main Intertidal Zone webpage. Take a look at what collected data says about our species gains/losses on our shorelines. Then enjoy the pictures below from this year's monitoring.

Elger Bay - June 1, 2010
Finally, a year when the Elger Bay monitoring landed on a sunny day! The shoreline seems to remain about the same. This year there were an abundance of sea stars but the real surprise was on the teal blue glove, seen below.

Sea stars Sea stars

Searching Searching

Elger Team Elger Team

New species?? New species??

Elger Bay - June 22, 2009

Elger Bay monitor team Elger Bay monitor team

Young helper Anna Young helper Anna

Quadrat inspection Quadrat inspection

A dedicated crew of 13 Camano Beach Watchers plus 3 guests enjoyed a morning on the beach during the Elger Bay monitoring of June 22. The weather was a bit overcast which kept things cool, but we were not sprinkled with rain. Tina Dinzl-Pederson, Interpretive Specialist of Cama Beach State Park, joined the Beach Watchers for the bio-survey and we enlisted her help recording data on a clipboard. Pat F. brought along her granddaughter, Anna. Bill B. was a champion with the survey lines and laying out the quadrats for us.

mussel & chiton mussel & chiton

seastar & crab seastar & crab

sea urchin sea urchin

creosote log removal creosote log removal

Near the end of the monitoring an adult bald eagle did a fairly close and low fly-by out over the water. In the nearby estuary to the east, the Department of Natural Resources were conducting creosote log removal by helicopter.

Semibalanus cariousus Semibalanus cariousus

Large limpets & barnacles Large limpets & barnacles

Many species on rock Many species on rock

A photo taken by John C. showed a barnacle species that had not been identified at Elger Bay in previous survey sessions. Mary Jo Adams, our Whidbey focal, reviewed the photo and believes the rock had three species on it-- the two common Balanus sp. and a few Semibalanus cariousus.

Pacific oyster Pacific oyster

Pete D. provided a bit of detail from the session: ''We saw a diverse representation of healthy beach flora and fauna. Among many species, we saw a 'surprise' Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas).'' This lone find was 4 inches long and was covered with barnacles.

Thanks to Alice B., beach captain, for this report and B. Blandin, J. Custer, and J. McDougall for the photos.

Elger Bay - June 4, 2008

818;819;820

821;822

There were 15 hardy Camano Island Beach Watchers (plus Bill B.) who gathered in rain gear on Wednesday June 4, prepared to do the monitoring at Elger Bay. It was the second of the series of beaches to monitor for the 2008 season on Camano. The write-in-the-rain paper came in handy as the data collectors jotted notes. We also made use of the new hand held, all the time wiping off the visual screen.

A few highlights were: a very colorful lined chiton, and a number of idotea, the absence of any urchins was noted. Uniquely shaped critters were a

colorful sea star, apparently a Evasterias , that had a little leg growing from the side of one of its five larger legs and several nudibranchs sharing its rock, and a frilled snail, Nucella lamellosa, whose shell had been damaged and broken, but it continued to survive and mend the shell which now has a scar along with the natural swirls. There also was a

rock crab, Cancer oregonensis, which sported a unique color configuration on its carapace. The white markings were in the shape of a 'C' or possibly a 'U'. (John C. was sure it was trying to relay a coded message to him.)

Newly trained Camano Beach Watchers were welcomed to monitoring and received a hands-on overview of doing the profiles, quadrats, and data collection.

Comments received:
It is great to be with people who knew what they saw and shared the examples with me.
I surprised myself by being able to stand up after finishing the quadrats.
It was fun and I learned names.

Thanks to Bill B. for assisting in laying the survey lines, to all who came and participated, and Alice B. for hosting this monitoring session and providing a great report.

Tide this date was -4.1 at 11:46 AM (Greenbank)