Honeymoon Bay

Honeymoon Bay team photo 2010 Honeymoon Bay team photo 2010

..Lophopanopeus bellus .. Black clawed crab Black clawed crab Black clawed crab

A team of four turned out for Honeymoon Bay on July 11th with Finn Gatewood heading up the team. Using 20 foot sections, they made quick work of the profile line. Along the way they found 3 plainfin midshipmen fish guarding their egg clusters. Those midshipmen fish that guard the egg clusters are typically males that remain for the 15 days it takes for the eggs to hatch and then continue to guard the larvae for about a month until they are mature enough to leave the nest. This team also found an abundance of black clawed crabs (Lophopanopeus bellus). Owners of this beach and a couple of their friends came along for the survey and noted they are beginning to find non-native purple varnish clams showing up along this stretch of the intertidal zone.

Honeymoon Bay-July 22, 2009

Honeymoon Bay team photo 2009 Honeymoon Bay team photo 2009

..Porichthys notatus.. Plainfin midshipman Plainfin midshipman Plainfin midshipman

Honeymoon Bay team at work Honeymoon Bay team at work

Checking elevation change Checking elevation change

Recording data-Honeymoon Bay Recording data-Honeymoon Bay

Finn Gatewood promised her team sunshine on monitoring day at Honeymoon Bay and although it made a late appearance, it finally showed up! This six member team worked on July 22nd and enjoyed a -3.5 foot tide. The group was made up primarily of brand new Beach Watchers and they found a nice variety of species and did a great job. The highlight of the day for everyone was the discovery of 3 plainfin midshipmen fish (Porichthys notatus) under intertidal boulders as they guarded their eggs. They also saw a good sized lion’s mane jellyfish that had stranded on the rocks and found several purple ribbon worms (Paranemertes peragrina). A kingfisher, a bald eagle, and a great blue heron conducted flyovers as the team worked.