Lowtide gradually leaves a temporary
pathway to the small rocky island offshore.
pathway to the small rocky island offshore.
This wide west beach has the widest variety of shells and they are all minute. Absolutely tiny.
Whilst the other beaches dotted around the island have very strict monoculture i.e. cockles only, razorpods only, horseshoe limpets only. This beach has so many different kinds of shells and the only one that you find bluerayed limpets. There are also loads of jingleshells.
The tiny, tiny shells that wash up and are left on the tide line must mean that there is an active growing community BUT no bigger shells except very old ones high, high up on the beach right near the dunes.
What does this say for the health of the beach and why are there no bigger ones? Why so many tiny, tiny one's the whole season/year?
This beach has consistently very high winds, especially in winter but even in summer. Though not on the day we visited. We have had a week of very calm weather and we took full advantage :) There is a small rocky island just off shore as well as rocks on the beach opposite and left. The rest is just wide open beach with none of the large pebbles that decorate or occupy the other west beaches.
Does this make a difference to the wonderful sea creatures whose shells make up this wide, west beach? Yet other west beaches a couple of miles on each side of this one don't have the variety.
The rocks on the shore and the
A spotted crab claw
This photo below shows a patch of
Bird prints marching along the sand.
The pathway to the beach.
Where the pathway meets the beach.
Whilst the other beaches dotted around the island have very strict monoculture i.e. cockles only, razorpods only, horseshoe limpets only. This beach has so many different kinds of shells and the only one that you find bluerayed limpets. There are also loads of jingleshells.
The tiny, tiny shells that wash up and are left on the tide line must mean that there is an active growing community BUT no bigger shells except very old ones high, high up on the beach right near the dunes.
What does this say for the health of the beach and why are there no bigger ones? Why so many tiny, tiny one's the whole season/year?
This beach has consistently very high winds, especially in winter but even in summer. Though not on the day we visited. We have had a week of very calm weather and we took full advantage :) There is a small rocky island just off shore as well as rocks on the beach opposite and left. The rest is just wide open beach with none of the large pebbles that decorate or occupy the other west beaches.
Does this make a difference to the wonderful sea creatures whose shells make up this wide, west beach? Yet other west beaches a couple of miles on each side of this one don't have the variety.
This photo shows 2 blue rayed limpets,
a spiral shell, a tiny scallop type shell and a very tiny spiral shell
next to the brown striped one.
The rocks on the shore and the small rocky island just off the beach.
A spotted crab claw
This photo below shows a patch of very old shells right up near the dunes.
Bird prints marching along the sand.
The pathway to the beach.
Where the pathway meets the beach. This dune grass is very tough and scratchy to walk through.
A dune snail.
A dune snail. 
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