Another Fabulous Day! More from the Wrack Line

Yesterday, I went with Michael Burzynski and Anne Marceau, friends I met last year (both are experienced scientists and are very generous), to the beach at St. Paul's. It is right on the Gulf of St. Lawrence  (not on Bonne Bay), so the shoreline there is very different from the one at Woody Point. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful opportunity to walk and observe with people who know so much about what we were seeing. I learned a lot and am still processing all of the information. 

Here are some of the photos I took--some with brief explanations. There is, of course, much more to say about these things, but I like to keep my blog posts short:

Look at all the wrack lines!! The tides don't use rulers. Their reach varies. This leads to multiple wrack lines but they were much more pronounced here than anywhere else I have been.

Eelgrass above the water on the wrack line and--

eelgrass underwater

I am fascinated by the water movements, here. It was especially remarkable to watch the fairly quick movement of a band of water that flowed right behind some water that was perfectly still. Here is a video:

Here are some of the really cool finds from yesterday:

We saw lots of hermit crabs. They use abandoned shells from other species. I even saw one hermit crab pick up a shell, turn it over to inspect it, and reject it. I guess it wasn't as good as the one it was already using!

Very shy hermit crab

Magnetite! Michael always brings along a magnet. When you spot magnetite in the sand (the black colour gives it away), run a magnet through it and it will be attracted to it.

A starfish! We saw a few of these. I love the purple!

On the mud flats and salt marsh at low tide:

This depression is caused by a chunk of ice that has scoured the land. The topography of the mudflats and salt marsh would be completely changed if the ice no longer forms in winter, here. When the topography changes, come species can no longer thrive. The warming climate is causing big changes everywhere, but in places like this, the changes are coming quickly.

The algae here forms mats. As an algae mat dries, it bleaches to a white colour and takes on a paper-like quality. We collected some to see if it can be used as a kind of paper.

This photo shows the progression from green algae to the white crust.

We found a moose skull. This one was a yearling--too young to have grown antlers. If you can zoom in on this photo, please do! This skull has plants growing on it. I was told which plant forms the whiskers but I don't remember the name. If you know, please post it in the comments.

Speaking of bones, we found a scapula from a seal. This is not a gentle place. It is a place where the circle of life and death is brought to the surface with the energetic movement of the tides.

Speaking of seals, we finished our adventure by viewing a place where seals like to gather. This photo was taken through a telescope. At first, you might think you are looking only at rocks. But look again!

Thank you, Michael and Anne, for a memorable day!