Hiding in plain sight on the beach

A couple of days ago we returned to Boundary Bay beach, where we walk (and I poke at the sand/mud/stones under our feet) fairly often.

This is one side of a shallow bay, blending gradually into Mud Bay on the opposite shore. (See satelite photo. Google, edited.) There is a walk along the dike most of the way around. On repeated visits, we are gradually working our way north from Boundary Bay.
The beach at Boundary Bay Park, at the south end, is mostly sandy, with muddy patches. It is a favourite place for picnics, wading, and occasional swimming. (It is a long, long way out to deeper water.) As we walk north, we run into muddy patches and lots of eelgrass. At the Mud Bay end, it is all -- you guessed it! -- mud.

On our first visit, I was astounded at the quantities of snails on the beach; millions upon millions of them. (I wrote about these on my former blog.) The sand, where it was clear of snails, was covered with the castings of lugworms.
That first day, I also discovered a Nebalia pugettensis, the first I had ever seen. On future visits, we found sand dollars and jellyfish umpteen crabs, and tiny clamshells.

I have taken to collecting samples of mud and kelp to bring home and examine with my hand microscope. Each time I discover new wonders.

So far, I have seen:

• 4 kinds of snails
• nebalia
• sand dollars
• crabs, several varieties
• lugworm castings (one of these days, I'll dig one up.)
• clamshells and spouts of larger clams (geoducks?)
• tiny shrimp-like swimmers
• minnows
• beach hoppers
• hermit crabs
• limpets
  
• miniscule worms
• jellyfish
• and of course, barnacles
  

And plants:

• pickleweed
• eelgrass
• red algae
• bladder kelp
• sea lettuce
• assorted slimes

Birds, many, but few species:

• seagulls
• eagles
• crows
• sandpipers

What did we see this time? Next post.