Clear. Frosty overnight with temperatures in the 40s. Becoming breezier as the day progressed.
The tide has been trending well below predicted. After a call this morning I went to Little Magic Island to check the tidepools.
I forgot my light which limited what I could try and photograph, especially when I realized the camera light ring wasn’t working very well in the water.
This leather star has been in the same tidepool each time I have visited. It has moved around a bit in the pool (which is only about 3 feet across in its longest dimension)
The water is looking murkier. I think the plankton blooms have started.
The water is not as clear as it was a month ago. Plankton blooms have begun
It also seemed to be molting day for the crustaceans. I saw barnacle molts and at least one hermit crab molt in the pools.
I was back at my car and had just set my camera down when I noticed something on the surface of the water not far off shore. Just a moment later a whale surfaced. It’s tail came up and disappeared before I could get my camera up for photos.
The whale was travelling parallel to the shore heading north, so I went to Magic Island to see if I might get a better opportunity for photos there.
I did see it from Magic Island, it had moved further out.
A bumblebee flying about didn’t land where I could see, so I wasn’t able to document it (and see what species). It’s the first I’ve noticed this year.
There were not many gulls in the channel.
I didn’t hear whether there was additional spawning today.
Today I worked on cleaning out my email inbox. I got it down to under 35 (it’s been between 90 and 200 for several months or maybe even a year). My target is under 15, but I’ve rarely managed to keep it there for long. I’ve got some ideas I’ll try for managing my email better.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
Hi Matt. I bet you could get an ID from your whale tail on HappyWhale!
Thanks Blain – that’s probably true. I haven’t incorporated that into my routines of dealing with photos, getting them published here and into iNaturalist has usually been as much (or more) than I could manage. I’ll try and check HappyWhale out and see how easy it is use (with lots of photos from over the years)