Whidbey Island Critters

[dphershman]

interesting..... I've never paid attention to the 'warty' name before. What gives them that name? (Behrens refers to them as being warty but without an explanation), I've just distinguished them by their longer snouts, although they do have a pronounced hump just behind the head.

[Jan K]

Agree, some of the common names are little confusing ...

After a year of absence, one showed up again :

[LCF]

My absolute favorite Puget Sound fish! There's nothing that gets me hooting and hollering like that flash of bright red appearing out of the gloom.

[Jan K]

And a not so colorful fish from the same waters ...

[LCF]

Quite a nice find, to have one of those guys out in the open! Thanks, as always, for the excellent photos. I think if I see one, I'll know it!

[Jan K]

So for year I don't see Vermilion rockfish, now twice in one week, here they are

It sure was nice Saturday out on the water, diving from a boat for change ...

[LCF]

Love the vermilion rockfish pictures! I tried to hard to take photos of them at the pinnacle in Hood Canal a few weeks back, but nothing came out as clear and brightly colored as your shots!

[oldsalt]

Sailed by not realizing it was you. Did you notice the gray whales?
-Curt

[Jan K]

Sailed by not realizing it was you. Did you notice the gray whales?
-Curt

Missed the whales, but it was such a great weather to be out on the water !

Lynne, I didn't get the shot when three of them swam by :( With moving targets, it is many times camera Point & Miss
more then Point & Shoot...

[Dusty2]

Lynn, Try Sund rock. There are several hanging out on the north wall and they are not as spooky as others I have encountered elsewhere.

[Jan K]

Got my fix for colors in Deception Pass this weekend. One dive with the new wide angle port...
It makes even the murky water look like the visibility is really good

[Dusty2]

nice work Jan

[LCF]

Jan, I need to make a date with you to dive Deception Pass. I don't know anyone who does it more often, and I really would like to do that dive.

[Jan K]

And now something less colorful. Checking on the whale bone cleaning process,
visibility still deplorable ...

[LCF]

This is fascinating, Jan. I would have expected the carcass to be swarmed with sea stars and crabs, as we see the dead octopuses often are. Your photos make it look as though it's a tossup between the meat being removed, and the stuff growing on the bones!

[Jan K]

Thank you, Lynne. When I got first excited about the prospect of monitoring the whale bones cleanup,
I too expected all kinds of critters to descend on them and I thought I will be able to get picture of scavenger
orgy on grand scale. Did not happen. But it is still interesting even if not too photogenic ....

[Jan K]

The slugs keep mowing down the hydroids. I think that the Stubby dendronotids will be gone soon
for I see many of their eggs all over the area.

[LCF]

Wow, that's quite a collection of subramosus nudis!

More than a million eggs . . . and we wonder why the viz is so bad

[Jan K]

Current and lousy viz at Keystone - I blame part of the bad viz on the Port Townsend ferry.
While docked, it still turns the screws and the brown sediment laden water drifts over to our
side of the jetty :( I can see it coming as I approach the underwater end of the jetty.
That is my theory ...

[Dusty2]

Current and lousy viz at Keystone - I blame part of the bad viz on the Port Townsend ferry.
While docked, it still turns the screws and the brown sediment laden water drifts over to our
side of the jetty :( I can see it coming as I approach the underwater end of the jetty.
That is my theory ...

Yes Jan, But without the ferry there would be no jetty.

Nice shots of my favorite nudie. D, albus. I love the purple ones. Jeesh! I've never seen so many Subramosus together. That is one impressive field of ostrich plumbs too.

[LCF]

Thank you for the excellent shots of the Puget Sound rockfish. Peter and I have been scratching our heads over an image similar to yours, of something he saw yesterday. Your picture shows clearly that the rockfish don't have a crest above the eyes, so it wasn't that.

[Jan K]

Lots of gravid rockfish in Whidbey waters. Good sign

and curious, but skittish gobies

[LCF]

I did a dive on KVI towers a few weeks ago, where my buddy and I were struck by the number of hugely gravid rockfish we saw. I tried to photograph them, but the viz was awful and the job was beyond me.

I did not know that gobies maintained harems, but I have noticed that where you see one, you often see a whole group of them. I suppose that's why?

[Jan K]

[Dusty2]

I never dare to say high or low! They are just cockscombs. That way I'm never wrong.

I side with Greg when he sez he's not sure they are 2 different species.