WorldNomads Scholarship Travel scholarship 2012 entry

Tomales Bay: Below high tide

USA | Tuesday, 8 January 2013 | Views [1179] | View Larger Image

As the intertidal zone becomes exposed, shore birds such as the Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) begin hunting the shores for invertebrates. They are but one link in the food chain supported by the tides of the bay.

Tags: least sandpiper, shorebird, wildlife, marine life, tomales bay, kayak photography

I live near the cold waters of Tomales Bay in California. Its shores teem with life that becomes visible as the tides drop. This seastar, its weight unsupported by water, was unable to maintain its hold as gravity peeled it from its rock to expose its intricate and vulnerable underside.

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When low tide coincides with dawn or dusk Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and similar species descend on the shores to scavenge the tide’s leavings and to hunt crabs and mollusks. Larger species such as this Bobcat (Lynx rufus) stalk the shores in search of them and resting birds. I was able to position my kayak to photograph this male as it hunted the narrow, exposed band of rocky shore between cliff and sea.

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WorldNomads Scholarship Travel scholarship 2012 entry

Tomales Bay: Below high tide

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