On Sunday, November 3, we finally found a day that we could escape to the beach. The forecast was for a coldish day but once we got there the sun made the extra coats unnecessary! Lots of people were dog walking, beach combing and some horseback riding on the beach. I took a short video of them galloping by and the sound of their hooves was lovely. As I finally have a smart phone I posted it to Instagram.
www.instagram.com/jroachevans/
If you have ever been to Long beach in Plymouth, Ma you know that there is a section of rocks that you have to walk over or around depending on how high the tide is. Here you can see me enjoying a bit of a climb over the boulders. 

On our way out to the beautiful sandy stretches of the beach, I ran into a woman who had found a sand dollar among other great seashell treasures. She also had a huge bone, a vertebra from some unknown animal. Soon after I found a fish carcass up near the road. Here are a couple of photos I took. Not sure what it was? Perhaps a sun fish? I've been watching a lot of reports of them stranding in cape cod bay and of their attempted rescues to deeper water. 

We found a lot of great seashells while we there and took this short video of our beach treasures. Hope to get back there again as it is always such a pleasant time beach combing and enjoying the beauty of Long beach!

A nice Blood Ark shell. 

The next morning we woke to a gorgeous sunrise over the ocean. 

After breakfast we made our way out to Chatham and the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. This was our first time there so we were really excited to explore the area. We drove out through Chatham and onto Morris island. From the Refuge headquarters there - we were able to take a short walk down to the beach. It was high tide so we could not go far but what we did see was marvelous. This next photo is of one of the walkways down to the beach. While on the beach we filmed this short video of the many treasures we found. Watch to the end and you'll get a nice panorama of the shoreline. It was breathtaking!

From Chatham we back tracked along rte. 28 until we got to Cockle Cove Rd. which took us down to Cockle Cove beach. It was a really sweet beach with lots of great shells and other beach combing treasures. We also stopped at Forest Beach which was right around the corner from Cockle Cove. Both excellent beach combing areas. Here are some of the great treasures we found:

Cockle Cove Beach.

Knobbed Whelk egg casings. Each disc can contain over a hundred eggs which hatch into tiny whelks. I just read that these egg casings are called Venus necklaces. Good to know!

Horseshoe Crab carapace. 

Atlantic Jackknife Clam - also called Common Razor Clam.

Shark's Eye or Lobed Moon snail shell.

Underside of a Spider Crab.

I found this snail shell on the beach and knew it was not a Northern Moon Snail or a Shark's Eye Moon snail so I asked the folks at Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and was told this is most likely a European Garden Snail.
​I only kept a few of the many shells we found as seen in the photo below. The most common shells we found are the common and flat slipper shells, jingle shells, oyster shells, and blood ark shells.

Slipper shells and Blood ark shell.

Brant geese riding the waves.

After walking Warren Cove at Plymouth we headed down the coast to White Horse beach. There were a lot of rocks on this beach - but it was still beautiful. 

Flag rock, White Horse beach.

A cool looking stone with stripes and seagull "foot" prints.

White Horse beach, Plymouth.

From White Horse Beach we then traveled down the coast to Scusset beach in Sandwich. We parked at the State Reservation and were able to walk down through the dunes via a nice board walk. This is a gorgeous beach with soft, white sand. We found a lot of shells and were able to see a flock of Common Eiders off the jetty on the canal. I really love the Eiders and look forward to painting them from the many photos we took. You can also watch the boats and ships coming into the canal as well. This beach is a really large, beautiful beach. We took a short video of the shells we found and I'll post a few photos too- Enjoy!

Surf clam and Chestnut Astarte clam shell.

The mysterious feather.

"Mermaid purses", egg casings for Skate babies.

Sand dollar.

Scusset beach looking south toward the jetty on the canal.

Common Eiders off the jetty - on the canal.

In November, we traveled up to Wells Beach and York's Long Sand Beach in Maine. It was cold but we were lucky to have the sun with us. It always makes the bracing air more comfortable. We were back up to Kennebunkport and Wells  in December to drop off some paintings at the https://www.rustyflygallery.com
On both trips we found lots of great treasures - most of which I left on the beach. There were a surplus of Surf clams, lots of beautiful driftwood, some toys, (a lucky grasshopper perhaps?), Ribbed Pods/Atlantic Razor Clams, Jackknife clams, Blue Mussels, Horse Mussels, Moon Snails, Slipper shells, Periwinkles, Dog Whelks, False Angel Wings and some kind of a bird skull? We also saw lots of great birds.
I think the most interesting find was the European Oyster. I have found these before but it was down on Plymouth Long Beach in Massachusetts close to where they are farmed. So it was quite a surprise to see one so far north. I have just learned - that they do farm them in Maine as well. 
https://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/maine-seafood-guide/oysters

As always, we had a wonderful time. My heart is always at the beach wherever I am. I'm so lucky to call New England my home for I love it's shoreline! Enjoy these photos and a short video from York's Long Sands beach.

European Oyster

Ribbed Pod/Atlantic Razor Clam

Sanderlings

Northern Moon Snail

Horse Mussel with Coral Weed & Periwinkle

Sunset, Wells beach, Maine

I wish we could of zoomed in on Nubble Light but alas our camera would not allow it. To see some great photos of Nubble check out:  nubble light photos
www.google.com/search?q=nubble+light+photos&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDkcLiyZrfAhUumeAKHX3VCa0Q_AUIDigB&biw=1012&bih=763

On March 9th we journeyed down to Cape Cod to spend a couple of days at the shore. We explored the beach at Smugglers Beach in West Yarmouth. It is right next to the Bass River which is lovely.
We started out Saturday with a great beach combing walk along Smuggler’s Beach from the Bass river all the way down to Thatcher Park Beach.  This stretch of beach is about a mile and a half long. Along the way we were treated to beautiful views across Nantucket Sound and over the bass river.  We saw lots of seagulls, a few Common Eiders, and a Bufflehead duck! 
The beach was piled high with tons of Slipper shells, Bay Scallops, Jingle Shells, Blood Ark shells and Ribbed Mussel shells.  I also found partial shells of the Knobbed Whelk and the Channeled Whelk and a string of Knobbed Whelk egg casings. We also found two operculum from large whelks. The operculum are the trap door that they use to close the opening to their shells. We found various crab carapaces of rock crabs and a blue crab. (Which I misidentify/guess in my video as a Jonah crab - sorry!) It is indeed a blue crab.
I also found a mysterious skull which I wrongly ventured was a puffer fish skeleton - It is more likely a bird skull! It is only a partial skull so I’ve had trouble coming up with a firm identification but I’m still talking to several people at Audubon to help me. I will update this blog when I know for sure.
This turned out to be a great beach combing adventure and I look forward to going back there again! Enjoy these photos and video.

Dead Man's Fingers, Codium Fragile
Green Marine Algae

Horseshoe Crab, Slipper Shells, Scallops, Jingle shells. 

View from Thatcher Park Beach looking at Parker's River.

The next day we walked Wells Beach in between the rain drops. It was a beautiful morning enveloped in fog. Here we found a few more shells as seen below. You can see the nice striped dog whelks from Gooch's beach and a soft shell clam, some oysters, a surf clam, slipper shell, and a tortoiseshell limpet (sitting on the oyster shell)! 

This view is actually from Wells Beach looking over to Drake's Island. You can just make out Drake's Island jetty on the right.

I also took this photo while walking through the rose hips and dunes of Wells beach.

This past week we were on our family vacation at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. Near the end of the week, my sister spotted this little piping plover. I was so thrilled - for I thought they might have flown away for the summer. I ran back to the cottage and grabbed my camera. I then found it trying to feed along the shoreline at high tide while dodging kids playing ball and numerous people walking by. So many people were totally unaware that it was there.
Most distressing was the fact that several kids chased it during the hour or so that I photographed it. I stopped one little child and then a group of kids that had nets on long poles and were trying to chase it down. When I stopped them they laughed and said they were not going to hurt it. I tried to let them know that it was trying to feed. I wish I explained the situation better for I'm not sure I got through to them. Later I found out it is a  $10,000 fine for chasing them! I wish I explained fully the implication of harassing these endangered/threatened birds. I can only hope that they do not chase it again. 
There are signs on the beach that warn beach goers to tread carefully but I do not think anyone reads them. I've made up a simple sign that I will post as a coloring page soon and perhaps share with New Hampshire Fish & Game if they are interested.
I took a very short video of the young plover....and many, many, photos as reference for the children's book I've written and continue to illustrate. It amazes me that these delicate little birds can navigate and survive such a busy beach!

Dodging so many feet!