Sub-zero Rockpooling

Yesterday was the first outing of the year for the Skye Nature Group, following January and February's indoor bryophyte workshops. We headed down to Ashaig Beach near Breakish, just a few miles from the Skye Bridge, which meant that, for me at least, it was a good 40 miles just to get there. Skye is a big place, and I've still to discover most of it. It was a stunning journey down, the mountains still held a lot of snow and the freezing temperatures had caused entire roadside waterfalls to freeze solid - which was quite something to behold! Seven foot icicles were commonplace along the vertical roadside embankments. I ought really to have stopped and taken a few pics, but I was keen to hit the venue and find some 'new' (for me) marine life. 

My rucksack was rammed full of seashore books and guides, barely enough space for a few plastic containers and a drink. I felt like a walking natural history library, but it was great to be able to find most things we found in one book or another. The only things we failed to identify were the various sea squirts found clinging beneath rocks. Plenty of them though, I should probably try again when it's a bit warmer and I've more time on my hands. 

My first lifer came from the underside of a small rock, almost hidden beneath sea squirts

A gorgeous Tortoiseshell Limpet Testudinalia testudinalis with unknown squirts (Ascidiella, maybe???)

I've been looking for these buggers ever since I saw one illustrated in a book. Hence, after all these years of looking, to actually find one was decidedly amazing. It was every bit as stunning as I'd hoped, seen here grazing on a patch of calcified red algae. Despite checking plenty of rocks, we only found this one individual. Marvellous and my 'species of the year' thus far...

...which lasted for all of about ten minutes, after which Stephen Bungard (BSBI Plant Recorder but secretly also a closet Pan-species Lister) presented me with a lifer in each hand - oh wow! Look at THAT

Holy crapsters! Edible Sea Urchin in my hand! Wow!!! 

What a beast! What a flippin' beast! (and the Edible Sea Urchin was quite cool too...) I've seen the empty husks for sale, and I'd spied a few broken fragments in the sand already, but to see and hold the living animal itself! Yeah, bad luck Tortoiseshell Limpet, you were good - but not this good!  Here's a pic of the business end, though being globular it probably doesn't really have an 'end' as such

The five plates of the urchin's jaw, commonly known as Aristotle's Lantern

But why name it Aristotle's Lantern? Good question, and one I was hoping you'd ask. Aristotle (as in the Aristotle), was a naturalist, amongst other things. The urchin's five-sectioned jaw reminded him of a horn lamp, which was a type of candlelit lamp that used ultra thin panes of horn to keep the wind from extinguishing the candle. In Aristotle's day these lamps commonly had five sides. The mouth of an urchin evidently reminded Aristotle of a five-sided horn lamp so that now, well over 2000 years later, the visible mouthparts of an urchin are known as Aristotle's Lantern. A general translation of his text on the subject is as follows -

"In reality the mouth-apparatus of the urchin is continuous from one end to the other, but to outward appearance it is not so, but looks like a horn lantern with the panes of horn left out."

It kind of blows my mind to think that I gazed into the mouthparts of an urchin with probably the same kind of fascination that Aristotle did some 2350 years ago. That's just so incredible! I should get a t-shirt designed, "Urchins - blowing naturalists' minds for over 2000 years"...

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, Stephen had a lifer in each hand. Edible Sea Urchin in one and a King Scallop in the other - and a huge one at that! 

King Scallop - look into my eyes, look into my eyes....

What an amazing beastie! Despite what the image may imply, this King Scallop was not being held open against its will. In actual matter of fact, it was desperately trying to escape! Scallops locomote by means of snapping the shell halves open and shut, creating enough current to 'swim' in leaps and bounds out of danger's way. Except this scallop was high and dry and just opening and closing it's shell in comical fashion. I took a video clip, but first just look at all those beady green eyes - incredible!!!  

Kind of reminds me of Zippy from Rainbow, or maybe one of The Muppets? Despite the unfortunate yet comical placing of the attached seaweed, I shall endeavour to avoid all reference to bearded clams...

We found a few more interesting bits and bobs amongst the exposed rocks including several scaleworms, again something I'd never encountered before

Freaky scaleworm species! I took two home to identify once indoors and warm again

After quite a struggle, I managed to get these to Harmothoe imbricatus, based on overall size (big!) and the foremost elytral scales having stalked pegs along the rear edges. Without a microscope I'd have been stuffed. Just to say, everything I took home with me went back into the sea that night, I suffered no casualties or fatalities this time. 

Grey Chiton Lepidochitona cinerea - on my fingertip

I definitely struggle with chiton identification (mild understatement) but Lepidochitona cinerea is quite straightforward. It's also pretty much the commonest chiton to be expected on the shore which, combined with the diagnostic patterning of this morph and the toothed rear edges of the plates, makes it quite simple to name. Hopefully.

We waded out to the kelp beds, which were a rich hunting grounds. There was an entire bank of maerl which we waded across, sinking several inches with each footstep (at least I did, fat bugger that I'm becoming)

Rockpoolers fore... 

...and rockpoolers aft! 

I'm crap with names, people's names I mean, but the fella and his lass in red were just the coolest couple ever. She's into foraging and has an amazing accent and he's so laid back he gives cool a whole new meaning. I hope to bump into them again someday. The chap with his hands in his pockets behind them is Steve, he's the guy who's helped put together the whole Skye Nature Group in the first place. He's also seen Hazel Gloves. I haven't seen Hazel Gloves. Just sayin'.

Seeing as we were well and truly quite a long way out into the bay and far from land, I was just a tad surprised to find myself walking through a bed of plants

Eelgrass Zostera marina - habitat of seahorses.......

You can't see it in the image, but there were many jelly masses attached to the Eelgrass blades, presumably belonging to a marine mollusc of some sort. Intriguingly, Stephen told me that two species of seahorses have been recorded up here, I had absolutely no idea they penetrated this far north! I guess Skye is blessed with the Gulf Stream, but even so! Eelgrass beds are a favoured seahorse habitat, in Dorset at least. I scanned as best I could, but if there were any seahorses hiding in plain sight they eluded my eyes. I'd so love to see a seahorse.  

However, this fine fella did not escape notice, despite looking for all the world like a piece of drifting weed

Macropodia rostrata - Long-legged Spider Crab, an altogether ace species! 

Other crabs encountered were the ubiquitous Green Shore Crab, a fairly sizeable Edible Crab and a number of these delightful hermit crabs

Pagurus bernhardus - the commonest hermit crab in Britain

In the field, this keyed through to something else entirely. Back indoors, it was obviously Pagurus bernhardus, the only hermit crab with that enlarged right chela patterned red and cream and covered with tubercules. My FSC guide doesn't run this crab correctly, hardly ideal for a common species. 

The tide turned, as they always do, and we had to hurry back for safety. Stephen found a small bivalve, one which I recognised from my own local beach here in NG3963

Striped Venus Chamelea gallina - a local delicacy, or so legend has it

He also caught the only fish of the day, something that surprised me - I expected a good number of fish in the pools/beneath overhangs. 

Appalling shot of a potted Small-headed Clingfish Apletodon dentatus

There aren't many species of clingfish known from British waters, yet they aren't always particularly easy to identify to species. I took this one home with me and, after a veritable barrage of pictures, eventually managed to capture an image that clearly showed the anal fin positioning in relation to the small dorsal fin. This was a Small-headed Clingfish, one I've only ever seen at Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset. Surprisingly, there is an earlier record from Skye of this rarely encountered/recognised fish. 

We ended the day with a moderate species list, four of them being lifers for me. Many thanks to Steve for arranging the day and to everybody who turned up for making it so enjoyable, despite the not inconsiderable windchill dropping temperatures to well below freezing. Can't say I've ever rockpooled whilst being snowed upon before, but it was fun and I'd definitely do it again. Though a nice, warm, sunny day would be even better...

Back home that night I set the new moth trap into action - kind of

Moth trap on the window sill between the open window and the curtains!

Music time. Ok, rockpooling - where does that take us?

It's an old track now, but one that I have on my "faves" playlist. I never saw The Seahorses perform, similarly I've yet to see a seahorse in the wild. How very poetic...

And, just ever so slightly tenuous.... Drowning (rock)Pool with this utterly fantastic track. I just love this song, a 100% guaranteed headbobber! 

And last one for tonight, brought to you through the miracle that is YouTube's autoplay.... a simply stunning rendition of a recognised masterpiece