Bats! and Kelp!

Today was a regular, busy workday for both of us. Managed a walk on the beach early and a short route up the hill after dinner. It was foggy all day except for a brief window of sun around 4:30. Dinner was grilled veggies and ground beef patties.

We have been noticing off the coast giant forests of kelp, or so it appears. I've been loosely tracking that they were endangered, and that was a problem for fish and shellfish health. Turns out, in 2014, there was a widespread sea star die-off due to a bacteria that causes them to waste away. That meant the purple urchins flourished since their primary predator wasn't around, and the urchins LOVE kelp. It also lined up with a Pacific Ocean heat blob sitting off Northern California, contributing to the kelp's demise. Anyway, there have been some innovative partnerships around replanting it and paying divers to remove purple urchins. So it seems like the kelp is back.

Today was relatively low tide, and there were lots of mussels but no sea stars, no anemones, and no sea urchins, purple or red ones. I heard the sea stars are starting to recover in some places. Anyway, the oyster people are always complaining because sea stars can eat hundreds of oysters while your back is turned.

Here is an article about the project, a short blurb about the role of Sonoma State, and more about this part of our local ocean area. Such a cool project!

Have a great day.

Sending oodles of love,

Tawnia

Bird List - 27 bird species today

California Quail
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Heermann's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Black Phoebe
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Wrentit
Bewick's Wren
European Starling
Western Bluebird
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird