Grayton Beach this morning

Allifunn · 03-15-2009, 12:03 PM

I took my usual walk along Grayton beach this morning and saw quite a few interesting things.
There are a lot of man of war :

Blue Buttons:

Moon Jellies:

Cannonball jelly fish:

and some that look like clear glass bottle bottoms. It was amazing. The man of war are very beautiful creatures. I tried hard not to step on any of them.

A ways down the beach there was a huge flock of gulls (about 200 yard long rectangle grouping) all grooming themselves with their heads bobbibg up and down. I have never seen such a large group together.

I picked up quite a bit of trash (beer cans, cigarette butts

and plastic cups)
The season is upon us....

DD · 03-15-2009, 12:05 PM

Grayt pics!! I envy you and your walks. I'm so glad you include us though!

Tootsie · 03-15-2009, 12:06 PM

beautiful shots afunn!

yes, spring break is actually in swing. hope everybody, visitors and residents, stay safe.

Allifunn · 03-15-2009, 12:10 PM

I must confess, I didn't take the pictures

I found them on line (google)
The beach is littered by tons of blue buttons, all about the size of a dime or quarter.

It was cloudy on the beach and the surf is rough, but it was beautiful, as always.

Beach Runner · 03-15-2009, 12:14 PM

Thanks. I never knew what those things were called.

DD · 03-15-2009, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allifunn

I must confess, I didn't take the pictures

I found them on line (google)
The beach is littered by tons of blue buttons, all about the size of a dime or quarter.

It was cloudy on the beach and the surf is rough, but it was beautiful, as always.

Well, it IS True Confessions Day.

Tootsie · 03-15-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allifunn

I must confess, I didn't take the pictures

I found them on line (google)
The beach is littered by tons of blue buttons, all about the size of a dime or quarter.

It was cloudy on the beach and the surf is rough, but it was beautiful, as always.

I thought you were showing off your photography skillz!

those creatures are totally alien! wonder where they really come from?

Smiling JOe · 03-15-2009, 08:15 PM

I saw many Man O War yesterday, and most were tiny, like I've never seen before. The Blue Buttons must have washed up last night b/c I saw zero yesterday. I also saw plenty of Moon Jellies.

Allifunn, I didn't see any yesterday, but what you describe as the bottom of the Coke bottle is probably the "By the Wind Sailor" Jellyfish (Velella velella), which when it dries out on the beach, looks like a thin bottle bottom, almost plastic like in feel and look.
From the same site your other pictures came:

Allifunn · 03-15-2009, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smiling JOe

I saw many Man O War yesterday, and most were tiny, like I've never seen before. The Blue Buttons must have washed up last night b/c I saw zero yesterday. I also saw plenty of Moon Jellies.

Allifunn, I didn't see any yesterday, but what you describe as the bottom of the Coke bottle is probably the "By the Wind Sailor" Jellyfish (Velella velella), which when it dries out on the beach, looks like a thin bottle bottom, almost plastic like in feel and look.

The "BTWS" jellyfish have been on the beach for at least a week...last week I almost picked one up thinking it was glass

There were tons of the little blue buttons, must have happened overnight. I was also in Watersound this afternoon and there was much of the same, only more man of wars!

Miss Kitty · 03-16-2009, 06:03 AM

...the beaches along 30A never cease to amaze me in their beauty!

Thanks, Alf...you are a true blue sowaller to share this with us!

SHELLY · 03-17-2009, 01:19 AM

Same thing happening down Pensacola Beach too:

'Sailors' litter beach | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal

NotDeadYet · 03-17-2009, 07:17 AM

I find it alarming. If you search the internet you will discover it is a global phenomenom, a tremendous rise in jellyfish numbers worldwide. Something is happening to our oceans. Here is just a little excerpt from the Oceana site from last summer:

"It appears that jellyfish have invaded not just the oceans but the media, too.
Last week I told you about our marine scientist Margot Stiles' cameo on the CBS Early Show to talk about the jellyfish invasion. They aired a longer version of the story Sunday evening -- check it out. They included quite a bit of footage from our European office of jellyfish and our roving catamaran, the Ranger.
Plus, Sunday morning, the New York Times ran a story about the same thing.
As Margot says, the jellyfish swarms are a symptom of the greater oceanic illnesses. Maybe their sting will serve as a wake-up call to those beachgoers -- who may or may not be already conservation-minded -- to do something about the overfishing, global warming, and pollution that's causing the blobs to bloom around the globe."

JUL · 03-17-2009, 08:25 AM

I will never understand why people litter. I still remember the commercial of the Native American standing on a cliff with a tear in his eye then they scanned the litter. I was taught as a child never to litter and so were my children.

BeachbumAggie · 03-17-2009, 03:10 PM

We were in Galveston, TX a few weeks ago for Mardi Gras and the manowar were everywhere one day, like 1/ft along the beach ranging from 1 inch to about 8 inches long. I had a run in with one as a kid, I've never forgotten it! We also saw several pieces of the cannonball fish, we had no clue what they were, the bubble part of them must have popped before we came up on them because we only saw the thick rubbery looking part-1st time to see those for us.

Last year at Seagrove we saw tons of the blue buttons a couple of different days, we didn't know what they were so we named them condom jellies!!!

rheffron · 03-17-2009, 03:29 PM

Has anyone seen any Horseshoe crabs on the beach? I understand it's mating season right now!

gardening1970 · 03-17-2009, 03:33 PM

I love horseshoe crabs. Used to see them as a kid on St. Joe Beach all the time. They look absolutely prehistoric. I see fewer of them these days.