Birds at the Aquarium

 The images I have for today are some really nice shots of wading birds. Living on UK's west coast with expansive beaches and mudflats I am lucky to see many different species of wading birds throughout the year, many migratory species that travel great distances and in large numbers to feed on the nutrient rich coastline, and to breed the next generation. When I see the big flocks of birds out on the shore I am conscious of the perils that they face and it is concerning to see that their numbers are in decline. It is important to preserve these wonderful birds because each individual plays an important role in the ecology of our coastline.

It was good to see that at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California space is given over to protecting birds and educating the visitors about their life cycle and the roles they play. So below I have a few pictures of some different species, that are related to but also quite different to the species we have here in the UK.

The first bird is a Red Necked Phalarope (pics 1-3) this is a red listed species meaning it is in greatest need of conservation.

The female is somewhat unusually much more vibrantly coloured than the male and it is the female which competes for a mate and nesting sites, while the male (pic 3) is responsible for incubating the eggs and rearing of the chicks.

The next bird (pics 4, 8&9) is a Snowy Plover. It is very like and closely related to the Kentish Plover which occupies our shores but this variety is native to the Americas. I was able to get very close to this individual and it seemed to follow me as I was walking through the aviary.

Next (pic 5) is a Red Knot. I am used to seeing big flocks of Knot close to where I live and at certain times of the year on spring tides they perform wonderful aerial displays as they move closer to the shore with the incoming tide. It is a fabulous spectacle which has large numbers of twitchers down on the promenade watching on in awe. The red knot breeds in the arctic tundra and then migrates up to 15000km to its winter feeding grounds around the globe.

Pic 6&7 shows  what I think is a Pectoral Sandpiper (I may be wrong) it is similar to a dunlin, although slightly larger and takes its name from the brown breastband. They do visit the UK from America and small numbers breed in the UK too.

The final image almost looks like a taxidermists model but I can assure you it was a healthy living  American Avocet. It is easily recognisable as an avocet with its long legs and long upturned bill. It is different to the avocet we might be more accustomed to seeing in the UK and which is featured in the RSPB's logo, which is predominantly black and white.

The first time I ever saw an avocet was when I was in primary school in Kent, probably aged around 10 years old. One landed in the school field and stayed around for most of the afternoon. I remember that I didn't really pay much attention to my lesson that afternoon and when asked what I kept looking at I excitedly said it was an avocet.  My teacher said that I wasn't to be ridiculous as there was no such thing and when I tried to insist that I was right she told me to stop arguing and to concentrate on the lesson.

As I got older I developed a somewhat rebellious streak in school and I lost some respect for the teachers. Now as I think about that moment I wonder if that was where the seed of rebellion was planted. Happily I knuckled down when it really counted and have done OK for myself but I hold onto the view that it is important to question things and not simply accept everything we are told. I remember the same teacher telling me that "lest" is not a word, despite it having been used in the library book I was reading at the time, I was so cross, perhaps I still am... 

All the birds in the pictures below are declining in numbers although not all in as precarious a position as the Red Necked Phalarope; they are at risk due to loss of habitat due to climate change, rising sea levels and human interference. We all need to do what we can to reduce the risks and even simple small changes can have an impact. We have a beautiful world, it is a gift and a treasure that we should want to preserve so let's all do our part.

Aquarium 3

So here is another selection of Jellyfish pictures from Monterey Bay Aquarium. After this post I think I will share some pictures of birds that are kept at the aquarium, but first enjoy these beauties.

The large jellyfish in the first few shots is I believe a Black Sea Nettle. A search using Google lens suggested either a Lion's Mane Jellyfish or the black sea nettle and comparing other photos of the different species I am inclined towards the sea nettle. If anyone seeing this knows better then feel free to comment and let me know.

The very delicate, transparent species in the last two shots is a Red-eyed Medusa. Another search using Lens suggested Snow Globe Jellyfish as an alternative but I think the feature which sets this out as a Red-eyed Medusa is the ring of red spots around the rim of the bell, which look like tiny eyes.

Of course had I taken notes when I was at the aquarium I would not have needed to do searches now and I would be able to state with confidence what they are. I often do this, I see something, photograph it and make a mental note convinced that I will remember, but time passes and my head fills up with other more important ( and often less important) stuff, pushing out the facts I wanted to remember. It teaches me, in the moment that I shouldn't rely on my memory. And then as if to prove the point, next time I go somewhere like the aquarium or a zoo I do exactly the same thing, forgetting the lesson I thought I had learned.

The other lesson it teaches me is that despite the many benefits of the internet and all the information that is available online you cannot always rely on it to provide a definitive answer.

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures from these three most recent posts and hopefully you will take note of the lessons that I should learn and not fall into the same mistakes as me. Now, what am I supposed to be doing next...

 

Aquarium 2

 Here is another helping of Jellyfish from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. When I was doing a search to identify what species this is Google's Gemini could only tell me it is a Jellyfish which wasn't much help. There were lots of similar photos online from other visitors to the aquarium, proving that it really is one of the most popular exhibits there.

From the Monterey Bay Aquarium website I learned that this is a Sea Nettle and while many  varieties of jellyfish don't sting this one does. It hunts prey by trailing its long tentacles and frilly "mouth-arms". As prey  creatures (which include young pollock, larval fish, zooplankton and other jellies) touch the tentacles they receive a paralysing sting and then stick tight before being moved to the mouth-arms and then finally into the sea nettle's mouth to be consumed. The bell grows to around 45cm (almost 18" in old money) and the mouth-arms reach 3.6 - 4.6 metres (12- 15 feet). Despite their fearsome reputation they really are quite beautiful and as I said in my last post it is very relaxing watching them.

I will return to jellyfish in my next post so if you have enjoyed these shot please come back for more.

But here is a little bonus for you. As mentioned in the last post I wanted to share a photo of my mate Mark... who is a Hammerhead Shark. There is a children's story My Mate Mark is a Hammerhead Shark by Jeanne Willis. I enjoy reading it with my grandchildren, or at least my eldest grandchild who is 3. At the aquarium he was really excited to see this shark and he could relate it to the character in the story. If you have kids or grandkids its definitely worth a read. Although they can appear quite menacing and like the jellyfish above have a bit of a reputation in this photo he appears as if he is smiling and that makes him seem much less threatening.