Whidbey Island Critters

Fish & Invertebrate sightings and descriptions, hosted by resident NWDC ID expert Janna Nichols (nwscubamom).
Sharkb8
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Sharkb8 »

Great stuff as always Jan! Good running into you Saturday, glad you got your weight belt back. What depth is that fish eating anemone? I need to stay off the bottom looking for octos more often since it seems like there is some cool stuff up higher!
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Thanks Sharkb8, the anemone is in about 20 feet depth right around the end of jetty.

Sea star survey, Skyline dive, March 17th. No wasting observed.
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oldsalt
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by oldsalt »

Jan: You saw no wasting, but were any pycnopodia present?
-Curt
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tangfish »

Jan K wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:59 am Image
This Gumboot Chiton is so cute, Jan! I can hear howling at the moon when I look at that photo.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Curt: No Pycnopodia sighted in long time here on Whidbey. Divers do find them in Hood Canal these days.

Calvin : It is quite a sight, because of their size. However, their howling at the moon is coming out of their posterior ! :rofl:

Few of the Skyline sculpins...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Not all Skyline critters look cute and huggable :)
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ScubaJess
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by ScubaJess »

I think it's cute!!! Lol I love his colors! Nice work Jan :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by oldsalt »

I thought i knew something about clamworms. It seems that what I knew is now wrong. Thanks, Jan :rawlings:
Last edited by oldsalt on Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Lagoon Point, March 16.
Searching for sea slugs, finding them in unlikely places, such as hull of a boat ... Others on muck bottom and dock pilings.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by oldsalt »

Wow. A monograph describing Salish Sea life dating back to 1845-55.The timing is amazing when you consider the Denny's started building a log cabin at the site that became Seattle in 1851 and Isaac Ebey arrived at Whidbey Island in 1850. Published studies of marine life existed prior to any significant settlements. A testament to human curiosity.
-Curt :rawlings:
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

It is so exciting to find a new critter. One of many reasons to dive as often as possible, even the same location visited many times before. One never knows what is waiting to be discovered. Yes, it is "only" a tiny slug, but many of my diving friends will know what I mean... :) It might not be rare, but it is special to me, I never seen one before.
So here I introducing my new find : Branched Sapsucker.
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Scubie Doo
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Scubie Doo »

So cool Jan! What a beautiful critter. I’ve never seen one either.


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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tangfish »

Gorgeous, hope to see one someday!
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oldsalt
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by oldsalt »

Congratulations on a new species. In birding circles, it would be referred to as a "lifer", that is a new one to add to your life list.
-Curt :salute:
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Two weeks of of isolation from the underwater realm, time to moisten the gills. Since the Keystone Underwater Park is closed, I settle for the nearby Driftwood Park, just outside the eastern border of the Fort Casey State Park. Checking on the occupants of Driftwood Park Toilet Reef. It felt good to be diving again, got to space my dives carefully, my dive shop is closed and I got only so many full tanks left ...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Spawning of Red Sea Cucumbers continues. Driftwood Park observation: Spawning doesn't interfere with eating...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Langley Harbor, April 7, 2020. Sea star wasting survey. Unfortunately, after few months of clean health, I found two Ochre stars wasting. Lots of Pink stars, two very small Sunflower stars, leather and Mottled stars so far healthy. Invasion of barnacles, probably good source of food for the sea stars...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Easter eggs, courtesy of Painted Greenling. Langley Harbor, April 7. Three batches, every one of them laid by a different female and now in various stages of development. Male guardian nestled in field of Featherduster worms.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Few more from the Langley Harbor dive.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Scubak »

Jan, I love the Pygmy Rock Crab...so cute. Thanks for posting your pics. So nice to have something to look at while we are enduring this time.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Driftwood Park. The driftwood debris from the December 2018 storm still litters the surface and the bottom of the ponds.
School of Sticklebacks find a shelter in the shallows beneath the logjam.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by oldsalt »

Jan: I often see bufflehead, mergansers, and other fish-eating diving birds swimming on that pond. Now I know what they are looking for, and I realize why the fish hide under the logs. I wonder how those spines feel on the throat as the birds swallow the fish.
-Curt :rawlings:
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Of course, there must be a discarded toilet to complete the underwater scene at Driftwood Park.
Also, somebody dumped some Pacific oysters into the mix...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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More critters from the pond. The almost transparent ones. :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tidepool Geek »

Hi Jan,

Thanks as always for the excellent photographs but thanks especially for finding the https://www.vichighmarine.ca/ website!

Appreciatively yours,
Alex
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