Strand-line carnage

The patch strand-line has been a scene of carnage since the cold of last week and the storms of Friday 2nd March, with hundreds of thousands of large invertebrates and, presumably, many more smaller species washed ashore. Many were alive, but most were dead. Prominent amongst them were starfish and decapod crustaceans and we found three species of the former and twelve of the latter.

The beach from Old Hunstanton towards the cliffs, 3rd March 2018

Common Starfish, Asteria rubens, Holme, 3rd March 2018

Common Sun star, Crossaster papposus, Holme, 3rd March 2018

Serpent Brittle-star, Ophiura ophiura, Holme, 3rd March 2018

Underside

Upperside

Velvet Swimming-crab, Necora puber, Holme, 3rd March 2018

Harbour Crab, Liocarcinus depurator, Holme, 4th March 2018

Hairy Crab, Pilumnus hirtellus, Holme, 4th March 2018

Edible Crab, Cancer pagurus, Holme 4th March 2018

Pennant's Swimming-crab, Portumnus latipes, Holme, 5th March 2018

Masked Crab, Corystes cassivelaunus, Holme, 5th March 2018

Long-legged Spider Crab, Macropodia rostrata, Holme, 4th March 2018

Great Spider Crab, Hyas araneus, Holme, 4th March 2018

Lobster, Homarus gammarus, Holme, 4th March 2018

Squat Lobster, Galathea squamifera, Holme, 4th March 2018

Hermit Crab Pagurus bernhardus, Hunstanton, 3rd March 2018

A Sunday 22nd March miscellany

After an extended WeBS session, Phil and I for plants new in flower (Lesser Chikeeed and Little Mouse-ear) then a search of the intertidal with Karla produced a great edible crab and 4 Polychaetes: Lugworm Arenicola marina, Cat Worm Nephtys cirrosa, Peacock Worm Sabella pavonina  and Sand Mason Laniche conchilega. The NOA traps held Common Quaker, Dotted Border, Mottled Grey, 2 Oak Beauty a Grey Shoulder Knot, March Moth and a scarce micro-moth in the form of Acleris cristana. 

Acleris cristana, Holme NOA, 22nd March 2015

Edible Crab Cancer pagurus, Holme NWT, 22nd March 2015

Alder, Holme NWT, 22nd March 2015

The Last Post...for 2014 anyway

An enormous Tegenaria gigantea, Holme NWT ('top secret' bunker), 31st December 2014

A Hydrozoan on Holme NWT beach, 31st December 2014 - Ive not seen this before and its very distinctive - looks juts like bottle-brush hydrozoan but well out of range and the micro-stucture doesn't fit. So for now, I', stumped.

Eristalis tenax - a group of 6 overflies hibernating with Peacock Butterflies in one of the 'top secret' bunkers, Holme NWT, 31st December 2014

Porcellio scaber, the common dune woodlouse, Holme NWT, 31st December 2014

Elminius modestus, the now-abundant shore barnacle, was introduced from  Australia in the 1940s.

Some recent patch additions and other notable species

Coastal Flat-body, Holme NWT, 23rd December 2014 - sieved from its hibernation place in a pile of phragmites cuttings

Great Spider Crab Hyas araneus, one of several washed ashore, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Knotted Wrack Ascophyllum nodulosum, Old Hunstanton 28th December 2014

Flax Brick Weed Chaetomorpha linum, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Broad Leaf Weed Petalonia fascia, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Oval Piddock, Zirfea crispata, Old Hunstanton, 21st December 2014

The Hydrozoan Amphisbetia operulata, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

The spider Pholcus phalangioides, Hunstanton, 30th December 2014

More beasts.......

Long-legged Spider Crab, Macropodia rostrata, Holme NWT, 3rd November 2014

Whiting, patiently humouring Robert 'Captain Birdseye' Smith

Herring, Holme NWT, 3rd November 2014

Beasts of the salty depths

Greater Pipefish, Holme NWT, 3rd November 2014

Whiting, Holme NWT, 3rd November 2014

Turbot, Holme NWT, 3rd November 2014

Psammechinus miliaris, Holme NWT, 3rd November 2014

Sea-dipping session number 2

A superb sea-dipping session over the turn of the spring tide today produced some great finds as well as thousands of Brown Shrimps........

Brown Shrimp, Crangon vulgaris, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Herring, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Idotea linearis, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Lesser Pipefish, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Lesser Pipefish, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Dover Sole, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Brill, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Spider Crab, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014



Little Cuttlefish, Sepiola atlantica,  Holme NWT, 8th September 2014

Chameleon Shrimp, Praunus flexuosus, Holme NWT, 8th September 2014