December 13, 2020 Point Fermin

Chris and I have been on a tide pool kick thanks to the super low tides (as have Andrea and Laura). Today we checked out Point Fermin using Laura's directions. Neither one of us had been to this area before and we're glad we tried it even though it was a weekend. We also ran into a volunteer with the Cabrillo Museum and she told us that theft from the tide pool areas has gotten much worse since Covid--not only because there are more people coming to the pools but also because there are fewer people available to patrol the area. Fortunately we didn't see too much bad behavior today and though there were people at the pools, it was not overrun as some places are.

Our best find of the day was the nudibranch that I have currently listed as a sea clown triopha. However there is a very similar one called a McDonald's dorid, so the ID may have changed by the time you read this. Another great find was the bright orange brooding anemone. This was another first for me (as was the nudibranch) so I was quite happy. Yet another cool find was the western spiny brittle star. I don't think I would ever have noticed it if it hadn't moved as it was crawling around some giant kelp. I realize these are one of the most common brittle stars around but I don't think I've seen one of these before.

The most unusual find of the day was the egg strings of the black sea hare. I saw something pink and moved some sea grass only to find this big spaghetti shaped ball of pink string. Once again, AI provided the impetus for the ID. I had no idea that sea hares laid these bright strings of eggs. We didn't see any black sea hares at all so maybe they were hiding or they are now going to add to the population at Point Fermin.

Chris actually found a couple of additional cool animals (specifically a dorid) as he went all the way to the actual point while I turned back after going about 3/4 of the way. Nonetheless it was one of the better days at the tide pools.

Posted on December 14, 2020 07:12 AM by naturephotosuze naturephotosuze

Observations

Photos / Sounds

Observer

naturephotosuze

Date

December 13, 2020 03:15 PM PST

Description

Point Fermin
One of the coolest finds of the day

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Spiny Brittle Star (Ophiothrix spiculata)

Observer

naturephotosuze

Date

December 13, 2020 03:27 PM PST

Description

Point Fermin

Photos / Sounds

What

Black Seahare (Aplysia vaccaria)

Observer

naturephotosuze

Date

December 13, 2020 03:40 PM PST

Description

Point Fermin
Definitely the most unusual find of the day but I just learned thanks to AI sending me down the path that these are the eggs of a black sea hare.

Photos / Sounds

What

Mcdonald's Dorid (Limacia mcdonaldi)

Observer

naturephotosuze

Date

December 13, 2020 04:09 PM PST

Description

Point Fermin
Definitely the best find of the day!

Comments

Great finds!! Laura's and my original plan was to go to Point Fermin, but then we got discouraged by the prospect of too many people and too much traffic, and instead worked our way north from Malibu Lagoon to Leo Carrillo, over the course of three days. So maybe we should just go for it next month, on whenever low tide and daylight hours match up...
Laura is such an inspiration, as she gets knee-deep into the water, searching for and finding the most exhilarating creatures in between kelp and seagrass. She uses a small plastic cup to fish them out for inspection and photos, then releases them back to their habitat... I learned so much from her!

Posted by andreacala over 3 years ago

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