May: Jelly
Claudia Mills from Friday Harbor Labs says, of the jelly found on the beach in May (left), “That's a Catablema multicirrata - it has a blob of round jelly sitting on the top of its bell. I first saw them around here last spring, when they were quite common and they've been equally common this spring, although it's about the end of their time. Most of the ones that I've seen recently have had their stomach and gonads mostly eaten out, presumably by fishes. They are up to about 2" in diameter.”
May 4, 2009
Julie L: Beach Seines with Bruce Brown’s team from Skagit River Systems Co-op and a group of locals. Brown is looking at where juvenile salmon go when they leave the Skagit, the locals want to know what fish live in our shallows.The weather was chilly and overcast, with a East or NNE breeze that fell in early afternoon. Just as we were finishing the last seine, the wind picked up and then it began to rain.
Cowlitz Bay, 12:10. Low tide, 9.1ºC water, 26.7 salinity:
2 cod spp, 29 & 31 mm
2 flatfish spp, 18 & 21 mm
1 greenling spp, 68 mm
1 White-spotted Greenling, 193 mm
2 Crescent Gunnels, 103 & 105 mm.
11 Penpoint Gunnels from 105 - 134 mm
1 Herring, 101 mm
15 Shiner Perch from 56 - 76 mm, avg 68 mm
11 Striped Perch (photo right), 106 - 218 mm
11 Chum Salmon from 36 - 63 mm
1 Great Sculpin, 79 mm
3 Padded Sculpins from 77 - 94 mm
1 Tubesnout, 155 mm
Also, barn swallows around the dock, and four eagles, 2 immature and 2 mature, which flew from the nest area from Disney to TNC cliffs.
Severson Bay, 13:20. Surface: 9.8ºC, 26.6 salinity; Bottom at 1m: 9.5ºC, 26.6 salinity:
20 cod spp from 28 - 38 mm
19 flatfish spp from 20 - 43 mm
1 Penpoint Gunnel, 263 mm
11 Sand Lance (net photo) from 94 - 111 mm
737 Chum Salmon, from 33 - 56 mm
8 sculpin spp from 19 - 27 mm
1 Great Sculpin (photo), 90 mm
1 Staghorn Sculpin, 132 mm
47 English Soles (some of these might have been Starry Flounders) from 22 - 57 mm
Also, 1 otter in the water and 2 distant flying gulls.
09.may.04 beach seines continued:
Zeo's Beach 14:35. Surface: 8.8ºC, 26.8 salinity; Bottom at 1m: 8.7ºC, 26.8 salinity.
1 cod spp, 28 mm
1 greenling spp, 60 mm
1 White-spotted Greenling, 68 mm
2 Crescent Gunnels at 86 and 100 mm
6 Saddleback Gunnels from 69 - 103 mm
25 Sand Lance from 90 - 108 mm
2,177 Chum Salmon from 45 - 62 mm
53 sculpin spp from 14 - 30 mm
7 Buffalo Sculpins from 61 - 76 mm
3 Great Sculpins from 82 - 91 mm
1 Sharpnose Sculpin, 60 mm
1 Soft Sculpin, 24 mm
Mail Bay: 15:46, Surface temp 10.2ºC salinity 26.6; Bottom at 1 m: 9.6ºC, salinity 26.6
1 flatfish spp, 40 m
1 Herring, 95 mm
1 Shiner Perch, 76 mm
1 Chinook Salmon, no measurement
9,280 Chum Salmon from 42 - 76 mm
6 sculpin spp from 20 - 30 mm
27 Staghorn Sculpins from 18 - 105 mm
1 otter rolling around in the sand near the pond outflow.
See http://citizenscience.weebly.com/2009-may-seines.html
Cowlitz Bay, 12:10. Low tide, 9.1ºC water, 26.7 salinity:
2 cod spp, 29 & 31 mm
2 flatfish spp, 18 & 21 mm
1 greenling spp, 68 mm
1 White-spotted Greenling, 193 mm
2 Crescent Gunnels, 103 & 105 mm.
11 Penpoint Gunnels from 105 - 134 mm
1 Herring, 101 mm
15 Shiner Perch from 56 - 76 mm, avg 68 mm
11 Striped Perch (photo right), 106 - 218 mm
11 Chum Salmon from 36 - 63 mm
1 Great Sculpin, 79 mm
3 Padded Sculpins from 77 - 94 mm
1 Tubesnout, 155 mm
Also, barn swallows around the dock, and four eagles, 2 immature and 2 mature, which flew from the nest area from Disney to TNC cliffs.
Severson Bay, 13:20. Surface: 9.8ºC, 26.6 salinity; Bottom at 1m: 9.5ºC, 26.6 salinity:
20 cod spp from 28 - 38 mm
19 flatfish spp from 20 - 43 mm
1 Penpoint Gunnel, 263 mm
11 Sand Lance (net photo) from 94 - 111 mm
737 Chum Salmon, from 33 - 56 mm
8 sculpin spp from 19 - 27 mm
1 Great Sculpin (photo), 90 mm
1 Staghorn Sculpin, 132 mm
47 English Soles (some of these might have been Starry Flounders) from 22 - 57 mm
Also, 1 otter in the water and 2 distant flying gulls.
09.may.04 beach seines continued:
Zeo's Beach 14:35. Surface: 8.8ºC, 26.8 salinity; Bottom at 1m: 8.7ºC, 26.8 salinity.
1 cod spp, 28 mm
1 greenling spp, 60 mm
1 White-spotted Greenling, 68 mm
2 Crescent Gunnels at 86 and 100 mm
6 Saddleback Gunnels from 69 - 103 mm
25 Sand Lance from 90 - 108 mm
2,177 Chum Salmon from 45 - 62 mm
53 sculpin spp from 14 - 30 mm
7 Buffalo Sculpins from 61 - 76 mm
3 Great Sculpins from 82 - 91 mm
1 Sharpnose Sculpin, 60 mm
1 Soft Sculpin, 24 mm
Mail Bay: 15:46, Surface temp 10.2ºC salinity 26.6; Bottom at 1 m: 9.6ºC, salinity 26.6
1 flatfish spp, 40 m
1 Herring, 95 mm
1 Shiner Perch, 76 mm
1 Chinook Salmon, no measurement
9,280 Chum Salmon from 42 - 76 mm
6 sculpin spp from 20 - 30 mm
27 Staghorn Sculpins from 18 - 105 mm
1 otter rolling around in the sand near the pond outflow.
See http://citizenscience.weebly.com/2009-may-seines.html
May 11, 2009
Isa D: : Afternoon at Mittelstadt’s. At low tide, amongst the colony of piddock clams in the clay, crows were fishing for sand lances like robins for worms. They caught 4” fish. There were many crows, and they found a lot of sand lances. There were gulls there too, but not doing the same thing.
May 13, 2009
Chris W: From beneath the giant madrone tree by the post office and dock access, I heard a Swainson’s Thrush, singing the early-season call, “whit! ... whit!”
May 22, 2009
Julie L: Dawn at our place, cloudless, warm, heard the sweet rising call of Swainson’s Thrushes. According to Seattle Audubon Society’s birdweb.org, Swainson’s Thrushes migrate from tropical forests to here in late spring and leave in Aug/Sept. Here, they eat insects and then gradually switch to berries. They like to nest in salmonberries. They lay 3 or 4 eggs, which leave the nest 10 - 13 days after hatching.
May 23, 2009
Julie L: 2” Jelly with orange center on Hammond Beach
May 28, 2009
Ryan D: A big diatom bloom in the bays.
May 30, 2009
Julie L: At Point Hammond: 3” Moon Jellies in the wrack, the annelid worm below, an otter, an eagle, 3 gulls. Many 1.5” fish in the shallows.
May 31, 2009
Julie L: Mosquitoes have appeared at our place!