A few weeks ago (in December) we were on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and we visited Seagull beach in West Yarmouth for the first time.  It was a perfect beach for a nice long walk and there were tons of seashells. As you can see from the photos above there were piles of Slipper Shells (from the Slipper snail) and many Horseshoe crab carapaces (shells). As with many Cape Cod beaches the Horseshoe crab was quite prevalent. Horseshoe crabs actually shed their shells as they grow so that explains why they are so numerous. We also found several egg casings of the Knobbed Whelk (pictured above) and many Knobbed Whelk shells. It is such a sweet little beach I look forward to going back again in the future. We also shot this short video - enjoy!

Every year we spend a few days on the Southern Maine coast and visit some of my favorite places. This year the temperatures were in the high 60’s and on Friday it was 70 degrees! The weather gave us several very pleasant beach combing days. We started at Wells Beach where we filmed this short video. 

We then walked Laudholm Farm Beach and Rachel Carson’s Wildlife Sanctuary which are two of my favorite places to walk in Wells, Maine. We were also able to explore York Beach and it’s rich tide pools on the way home. It was a fabulous trip!

Many of the shells you see in this video are typical of what we found on Laudholm Farm Beach and Long Sands Beach in York. Enjoy!

August 31st
A peaceful 90 degree day spent at Hampton Beach, in New Hampshire. The ocean was sparkling, calm, and clear. Refreshing swimming at 68 degrees; a perfect day. At sunset we walked the Seabrook, Ma side of the Hampton Harbor Inlet to shoot this video of the seashells we found there. You can hear cars going over the metal drawbridge section of Mile Bridge (Rte. 1A) in the background.

In April we were in Plymouth for an educational beach walk with the Beach Ambassadors from the Goldenrod Foundation. It turned out to be a really great field trip with lots of seashells found! We met in the parking lot at Long Beach and there I was able to show and talk about my seashell collection so that everyone was primed before we set out to comb the beach. We then carpooled in 4-wheel drives out to the field station house and from there set out on the beach to search for seashells. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy, but not too cold. The Ambassadors are in training to help with educational efforts to preserve and protect this rich environment. For more information check out their website and blog: http://www.goldenrod.org/blog/become-a-beach-ambassador-in-2015 

Here are a few pics from the field trip...

I'm in front with Dorie Stolley, Program Manager for the Goldenrod Foundation and behind us the wonderful Beach Ambassadors.

Dorie found this beautiful Sea Scallop. It's not something you usually see; never mind one with so much color! This was found on the harbor side. (Plymouth Harbor)

A European Oyster and a Stimpson's Whelk. This is the second time we have found a European Oyster here on the harbor side.

We just got back from two days in Plymouth, Massachusetts where we visited Ellisville Harbor Beach on the first day.
We enjoyed a wonderful walk down to and on the beach. A beautiful, rocky, beach with sandy cliffs and amazing views. We found lots of shells and saw Common Eiders, Red-breasted Mergansers and several seals swimming off shore!

The coral weed is not quite visible in the video so here is a close up!

In November, on our way home from Maine we stopped at Sandy Point on Plum Island. Last time we visited Plum Island we walked the middle section of this lovely barrier island and found many beautiful shells including the Chestnut Astarte. This time we drove out Refuge Road to the southern tip called Sandy Point. It is also part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. 
It was such a beautiful spot and we did not have much time to comb the beach so I cannot wait to go back and really explore. Till' we get back again- enjoy this little video. (Watch it till' the end for a little surprise.)
I also want to clarify that the Northern Moon Snail has a large foot that it holds the clam with while it tunnels through the shell with it's radula. The radula is like a ribbon with little teeth and the snail uses it like a file. Kinda scary if your a clam or another Moon snail - because they can be cannibals! 
Still - they have one of the most beautiful shells on the Northeast coast.

Ever since I saw this beach from Mass Audubon's Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary across the bay I have wanted to visit. We finally got out there on a windy Oct. day and found lots of treasures. One unusual find was a fish bone - seemingly from a sun fish that we stumbled upon after finding the bone. I also almost always find little toys that have been left behind. This time it was a little blue dolphin. I think it is the best toy treasure I have ever found while combing a beach! We finally ducked behind a ridge of sand and at the base of the sand dunes to try and get out of the wind to film this short video. Enjoy : D

This is the sunfish carcass that I assume the fish bone belongs too...Sorry if this grosses you out...but I thought it was pretty interesting just the same. Here is a link to a live ocean sun fish (also called a Mola Mola)  video:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ZQwlwbrQo

On September 17th we were able to get out to Plum Island in Massachusetts for a beach combing adventure. We walked for over three hours combing the beach for treasures and found lots of them! The most interesting find was the Chestnut Astarte clams. Even after we shot this video I found a portion of a Waved whelk and a Stimpson's whelk. I was also really pleased to find several small Deep Sea Scallop shells - very pretty! I will post photos of those soon...for now enjoy this video from Plum Island!

Last week I spent many wonderful days walking Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. Although there were not many shells to find...I did discover several strange, grey, rubbery pieces of something....
You may have had this same experience and wondered what they are?
Well - they are the egg collars of Northern Moon Snails!
Both the Northern Moon Snail and the Shark's Eye Moon Snail create and lay their eggs into these "egg/sand collars".
Here is a close-up of the eggs in the sand collar. The eggs are smaller than the grains of sand on the beach!

The two types of Moon Snails commonly found on New England beaches are the Northern Moon Snail and the Shark's Eye Moon Snail. The Shark's Eye Moon Snail is found on Cape Cod and Southern New England/Northeast beaches. You can tell the difference between the two by turning them over. The Northern Moon Snail has an opening called a umbilicus - it reminds me of a belly button! The Shark's Eye is also called the Lobed Moon Snail and that is because it has a "lobe" of shell covering it's umbilicus. Here you can clearly see the difference:

You may notice that the Shark's Eye has more blue coloring than the Northern Moon Snail especially around the "eye" or the very point/apex of the shell. But I have also found Northern Moon Snails that are very dark blue all over....I wonder if they have been eating Blue Mussels?

For more information on Moon Snails check out these web sites:
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/field_guide/underwater

http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/LEARNABOUT/MOON/moonRepr.php

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/09/625582/-Marine-Life-Series-Moon-Snails-and-Sand-Collars#