Tag Archives: tide pools

•

Steve Coffee-Smith sent in a photo of an unusual fish. Steve wrote, “Our group of family and friends went to Bowling Ball Beach. We found this fish, maybe three inches long, on the newly exposed rocks in the lowering tide. We tried to scoop him up in order to return him to deeper water, but he was stuck to the rock.”

Carol Preston of NOAA knew the ID of the fish. Carol wrote, “It is a Clingfish, Gobiesox maeandricus. They use their ‘suction cup,’ which is their pelvic fins fused together, to cling to the undersides of rocks in the tidepools. They mainly eat small crustaceans and molluscs.”

Thanks to Carol for the ID, and thanks to Steve for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

•

I'll let Craig Tooley tell the story:

Craig wrote, “I was out peeking into our local tide pools and thought you might enjoy some of my sightings. The Red Sea urchin is much less common in our area, and I felt honored to have found one.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Bob Van Syoc took a look at Craig’s photo and wrote, “The things that look like tentacles are tube feet. Urchins use them to move around and also to grab drift kelp to eat. They work like tiny hydraulic suction cups!”

Craig also found an Ochre Sea Star, a beautiful sight to behold!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

•

Craig Tooley visited tide pools off The Sea Ranch recently at low tide. He found this vibrant pink nudibranch, a Hopkin's Rose, Okenia rosacea.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

It used to be rare to seem them this far north, but there have been several recent sightings. Craig photographed the same nudibranch reflected in the water.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And Craig also took a short video of the animal on the move, a real treat.

One of the many wonders seen in tide pools, brought to you by Mother Nature...and Craig Tooley! Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos and video with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

•

Peggy Berryhill enjoys exploring Cook's Beach at very low tides and she sees amazing things. Recently she saw an Ochre Sea Star eating a Dungeness Crab.

She also saw a juvenile Dungeness Crab.

Too small, perhaps, to capture the attention of a hungry Sea Star.

Thanks to Peggy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.