On the rocks, please... intertidal monitoring bliss

Skillz: a park volunteer (yet another professional biologist) perched atop a large marine boulder (at Cabrillo National Monument) searching for and measuring every owl limpet (Lottia gigantea) within 1 meter of a metal bolt. Note the wet spots where her feet were are only where owl limpets are not. She's good. =)

This is a picture of a good day.

If you see me doing this,

you will know I am in my happy place.

I will have ocean-soggy feet,

blonde hair flying wildly,

and a semi-permanent grin on my face.

I love the above photo

because it shows you a part of this work

that is very important,

but few would ever think of.

Our team: 3 professional biologists working for free 'cause a) we're just that nerdy, b) it's such a freakin' awesome place, and c) it's a fabulous cause. =) Note the orange chalk marking either the plot boundaries, or owl limpets that have already been measured.

Something that adds another level of complexity

and makes me love this work all the more.

Aside from having to lean into, hover over, squat under, or perch upon

a cold, hard, damp, variably squishy or scratchy boulder for up to an hour, 

and find and measure all the owl limpets

(being careful not to confuse smaller L.g. with other species),

you need to do it without crushing any owl limpets.

Don't tread on me! Lovely owl limpets. Note the area they've cleared of competitors (via bulldozing) so they can farm algae. Pretty awesome and interesting way of life. Clearly, though, it's tough to doze your own back....

And perching can include tip-toe-ing around on slimy

boulders or ledges: slipping is not an option.

Sometimes you get smacked around by waves,

and you always have to watch the tide.

Sing with me! "Every Lottia is sacred. Every Lottia is great. If a Lottia gets wasted, bb gets quite irate."

Finally, these boulders, ledges, and cliffs were selected for this study

because they sport so many owl limpets. High density.

I kind of love that.

So, while you try to work quickly and accurately,

to accomplish as much as possible in the time given,

within an ever-changing environment that's entirely out of your control,

you must also ensure that you don't hurt anyone.

I think it's good practice.

For lots of things.

=)

xoxobb

kindaquiz answer + contextual pics

 

Well, the first guess, which was cracked brownies, is precisely why I like this picture. Because it is not clear, right away, what it is. That is a quality I adore in nature photos.

So, it IS a nature photo, and all of you next guessers were there. Funny, it's not dune or cliffs but it's rock (relatively flat) right NEXT to a cliff and just downhill from dunes. And yes, it was recently wet (since it's intertidal). How freaky is that? Again, y'all are a bunch of smarties!

Welcome to Montana de Oro State Park, California, home to AMAZING rocks. Oh, yeah, and there's an ocean, too. =)

 Here's where the trail starts descending toward the sea

 Nice dune shoulder

 

Dune resident

pink sand verbena

My guess re: the rock type was sandstone/mudstone, but I'm SO not a geologist, so found this re: Montana de Oro geology:

"The Monterey Formation is a widespread, thick body of silica-rich rock laid down in Miocene time, approximately 16 to 6 million years ago. It's easily recognized throughout the Coast Ranges by its rhythmic bedding and cherty nature, although parts of it are shaly and full of fossils."


If you were describing a person and said they had a "cherty nature," what would that mean?

This place has amazing rocks--freaky lumpy cracked rocky landscape. It's like the whole place is an experiment in clay and porcelain manufacturing techniques.

Are those the coolest rocky mounds, or what?

Biobabbler descends

to a very fancy, cracked porcelain floor

Beauty!

Root descending cliff

Check out the 50,000,000 rocks layered in that crazy cliff...

So there ya go, rockin' intertidal rocks.

More pics later, including one of my all time favorite shorebirds--sweet!

=)


biobabbler