Among my multiple sand-flat favorites are lugworms, animals I’ve never even seen. But in their sand depressions, castings and jellylike pouches protruding from their holes, they show me their great abundance. Read more
Today, as we race toward a human-caused sixth mass extinction, it’s comforting to know how persistently conditions on Earth favor life. Homo sapiens may not be around to see it, but it will happen. Read more
One of the many joys of walking along the beach in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, where our sailboat Honu is currently moored, is the bats. Read more
Who would have thought that cats, of all things, are one of Hawaiian monk seals’ biggest threats? But it’s true. Read more
As usual in spring my email inbox has been full of readers’ observations about our departing kolea, the remarkably adaptive Pacific golden plovers that choose Hawaii’s yards and parks for their home territory. Read more
We kolea fans are getting out our hankies to wave goodbye and bid safe journey to our Pacific golden plovers, which are currently all decked out in their breeding best. Read more
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The North Shore surf was so high the past two months that I couldn’t snorkel safely in my favorite spot. But last week, the ocean finally laid down and I got in the water. And got lost. Read more
It’s spring, and right on schedule the wedgies are arriving from the open ocean. Read more
While walking along a North Shore beach last weekend, I picked up several broken worm snail shells that had washed ashore during the high surf. Read more
Some days the best part of finding marine animals on a beach is throwing them back. Read more
Now that I’m home, I’ve discovered that either I learned the above name thing incorrectly decades ago, or the 2003 movie “Finding Nemo” caused a sea change in the common names of these fish. Read more
While sorting through photos from our recent snorkeling trip in Zanzibar, I came across a dozen terrible pictures of blue tangs. Read more
Never have I seen so many sea anemones, most 1 to 3 feet across. Read more
A gill freshly liberated from its fish resembles a frilly Valentine’s Day heart. Read more
During my walks on North Shore beaches, I pick up so-called cat’s eyes, the round, white trap doors that were once attached to certain sea snails. Read more
The snail I found is a beauty called the episcopal miter, the largest of all miters. Read more
Like most people, I’m frustrated over the plastic pollution problem and wonder if anything I do will make a difference. Read more
When I wrote that I had never seen this anemone, a species that typically rides on the back of a hermit crab shell, a friend offered to guide me to a place where the chances of finding the creatures were good. Read more
Today over 2,800 nene live in Hawaii, enough that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed downgrading the nene’s status from endangered to threatened. Read more
I keep an email file called Ocean Watch in which I save letters from readers. At the end of the year, I like to look through the collection and remember the events that prompted people to write. Read more
This month my mailboxes have been full of letters from conservation organizations asking for money. My favorites, however, are those that work with seabirds and barely ask at all. Read more
