After arriving late night through rain and rockslides, we woke up to a sunny Big Creek
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Feynner finished his beautiful refinishing of the big redwood table that used to be outside of Whale Point cabin, years ago.
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Serra's limpet
(see here)
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Feynner gives away mosquito netting to poor people he happens to encounter on his annual visit to his native Costa Rica.
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A picture on Feynner's wall - the old "unstable" tractor now replaced
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A recent casualty of Feynner's window
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Anna's hummingbird immature male
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Matt and Feynner
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Crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
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The cobble coastline of Big Creek Reserve
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Big Creek Bridge and intertidal
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High above Potter's Beach with some of the largest waves that I can recall
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We visited a somewhat more protected beach just north of Pacific Valley
(also see here).
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Ivan is the only Biology 317 student who could arrange to come along on this optional trip.
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Anthopleura elegantissima (the clonal anemone)
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Mytilus californianus and either Anthopleura sola or A. elegantissima
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Nuttallina cf. californica
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Cyanoplax hartwegii
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The gooseneck barnacle, Pollicipes polymerus
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There are two "barnacle morph" finger limpets (Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis) on either side of the barnacle in the middle of this image. |
Owl limpet (Lottia gigantea) on its territory surrounded by gooseneck barnacles and mussels
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A whelk (probably Nucella ostrina) in a crevice that was also full of large Pachygrapsus crassipes (not shown)
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"Barnacle morph" finger limpet (Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis)
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Mopalia hindsii amongst Anthopleura elegantissima
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Mopalia hindsii forms a posterior 'chimney' with its girdle in order to enhance respiration, and this corresponds to the posterior sinus in its tail valve. |
Lottia pelta, the shield limpet
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Limpets and feather boa kelp (Egregia menziesii)
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Nuttallina californica |
Finger limpet 'rock morph' (either Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis)
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Finger limpets
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Owl limpet (Lottia gigantea) with rough limpets (L. scabra) on its back.
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Gooseneck barnacles and a 'barnacle morph' finger limpet
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After a nice long afternoon low tide.
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Ivan
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With the tide incoming
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Leaving Pacific Valley north beach
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We drove a bit south to Jade Cove, but this is as close as we got.
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The next morning we hiked to Lower Dolan Ridge and the Interpretive Loop trail at Big Creek.
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We counted 16 banana slugs
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The view from Lower Dolan Ridge, across from Whale Point cabin
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Matt and me by a native oak
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Mark's chickens have been attacked by hawks on multiple occasions, but so far none have been carried off.
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Mark is Big Creek's Reserve Manager
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Castilleja spp. (Indian paintbrush) usually requires a companion plant to serve as host for its hemiparasitic needs.
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The spring flowers are starting to come out on Cardiac Trail.
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Dudleya spp. are native California succulents
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Big Creek and Devil's Creek have completely protected native steelhead populations. Feynner had noticed this 25" steelhead was dying near the surface several days earlier. Today it had died and Feynner collected it to give to the appropriate fisheries agency, who will study its otoliths in order to determine its age and history of trips to the ocean.
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The fish had some sort of problem with its left eye.
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It also had a fungus infection, including this patch on the tail.
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On our trip home we stopped to see the northern elephant seals at San Simeon.
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This was an excellent time of year to witness fighting bulls, newborn pubs, and elephant seal copulations.
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Sex in the intertidal
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Truly impressive blow delivered during a fight between bulls.
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Under Construction!