9.03- Sailing with the Dolphins

Dolphins (probably bottlenose) surface while hunting in Camp Creek.

While out sailing in the Bauer dinghy, I found these guys swimming in circles around the mouth of Green's Creek, where it merges with Smith Creek before flowing out into the Neuse River. I am guessing they were hunting... the creeks are full of shrimp and minnows of all sorts.

The dolphins were swimming in a wide circle around the entire mouth of Green's Creek, and I had little luck keeping up with them in some fickle and weak winds. I also had little luck with the camera, as it is a tad difficult to get decent shots while trying to hold the tiller and the mainsheet at the same time.

After doing my best with the camera for a while I set it aside and relaxed into the boat, sailing around and listening for the dolphins blowing as they surfaced...

"poof... poof... poof" would alert me to their surfacing, and I could turn my head in time to see them arching back down into the waters, and others coming to the surface behind them... just like in this short video I was also able to capture:

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8.19- Tree Crab

Found this shore crab clinging to the Mimosa tree next to the dinghy dock... those are the handlebars of my bicycle, which means the crab is a good 3.5 feet up the tree.

It was difficult to get a picture of it because, like a squirrel, the crab scurried around to the other side of the tree every time I moved to take a picture of it.

I have never seen one of these tiny crabs outside of the rip-rap of breakwaters, so I was quite surprised to find one climbing a tree.

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7.19- Shore Crab and Sea Slaters

After seeing a mink hauling a small crab across the rip-rap South Avenue breakwater the other day, I decided to try to find some of the crabs today, successfully as you can see.

This is some type of Shore Crab, though I haven't been able to identify the particular type. Its' body is perhaps a tad over one inch wide. I often see these crabs, but they are usually scurrying away into hiding under the rocks along the breakwater. This one settled in a spot that allowed me to capture the photo.

The crab is holding (and munching on) the remains of what I have learned is a "Sea Slater," also informally known as Rock Louse, Beach Cockroach, or Wharf Roach.

I will post a picture of live Sea Slaters in the future. Sea Slaters are Marine Isopods of the genus "Ligia," which includes 39 very similar looking species. All have seven pairs of legs.

Sea Slaters have gills, which they must keep damp by dipping their hinies into water, but they will not survive underwater. They usually cluster on rocks that are kept wet by the waves, but after a rain they will swarm up the sea wall and cover the edge of South Avenue.

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