Wildlife Update & Photos - 6/6/08

Sea Otters. Three were observed on Friday. We are waiting to see if there will be some young ones soon.

Deer on the Beach. Deer sometimes travel along the beach but we don't usually see them by the water at low tide. See the attached photo.

Gosling Report. This report was received on Thursday (6/5/08). We had reported in an earlier update that we thought the pair of Canada Geese with 6 small goslings had lost them, but evidently they didn't. "The original pair of geese with the 8 goslings are still here and also the pair with the 6 babies after all. At least, I believe they are the original group of 6 goslings. They are the appropriate size and feathering is proceeding at the right rate in comparison to the older goslings who have their tail feathers in."

Jackknife Clams. These clams are small and fast and can be found on our sandy and silty beaches. They resemble small razor clams but are not as broad. This one shown in the attached photo was found on Schutt's point at low tide on Wednesday. They can also found on the beaches at Illahee State Park.

Sea Anenome Eating a Crab. This is a Painted Anenome (Urticina crassicornis) eating a crab that was observed at Foulweather Bluff on Thursday. Sea anemones have nematocystes or stinging cells on their tentacles and use them to sting their prey when contacted. As you can see they eat crabs, along with fish and whatever else comes close.

Keep sending us your wildlife information.

Jim Aho