Life on the Outer Coast

Thursday
Ryan and Melissa found two purple urchins at Shelikof on Wednesday. Not enough for much of a population study, but enough for a physiological study. I believe that they are hoping a local diver or two will send them more samples.
This morning, Aaron, Melissa, Ryan and I headed to a bay on the southwest side of Middle Island to collect shrimp for Aaron and crabs for Ryan.
The intertidal had an abundance of kelp crabs, decorator crabs, black clawed crab (Lophopanopeus bellus) and porcellanid crab (Petrolisthes eriomerus?) under the rocks just above the water line.
Found Hydnum repandum and assorted Russulas in the forest above the beach. The big treat was finding Goodyera oblongifolia! I saw approximately 12 individuals in my brief search. There was also a nice population of Listera caurina. This beach also has a small bit of Spruce/Calamagrostis nutkatensis community that is more common on the outer coast.
The beach further south on the island where Aaron originally wanted to go is accessible by traversing the narrow band of forest. It looks like a great place to explore with a kayak. I could see a probable way in with a skiff, but a kayak would be a bit more comfortable.
We sampled shrimp from the eelgrass and macrocystis beds in the bay. Caught a pile of them (too small to count easily in the jar) with each pass. What I thought were small jelly fish on the blades of eelgrass turned out to be Hooded Nudibranchs (Melibe lionina). I've been seeing it every morning on the eelgrass by the dock this week. According to the Monterey online field guide they feed by extending their hood and closing it when prey lands in the hood. Sounds a little like a fly trap. They are most noticable when congregating during spawning.
On the way home I decided to believe the chart and follow the clear path between the Parker and Apple islands instead of the more convoluted path around Kasiana. Saw two common loons, 10 tufted puffins, around 50 marbled murrelets, many rhinoceros auklets and a few common murres on the route.