Lancing Beach
Ostensibly
a sand and shingle beach, but the sea bed uncovered by the low spring tides
in places has a hard bedrock and loose rocks. Surprisingly, some of the
less common crabs have been discovered between the tides and two species
of sea anemones reach their eastern limit up the English Channel at Lancing.
One other small species of sea anemone Diadumene
cincta is recorded here and only a few
other places around Britain. Offshore it is a breeding area of the small
orange fish known as Montagu's Sea Snail,
Liparis
montagui.
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Worthing Pier
The
rock and sand terrain beneath the amusement pier; at first glance, the
shore appears exclusively sandy and in all respects one of the least
promising of rockpooling shores. Firm sand leads
the explorer out to below mid-tide region where the sand gives away to
a mixed ground with rocks buried in the sand, a few looser rocks (cobble-sized),
and shallow sandy pools. Under the steel girders
of the pier is the best area, with the supports providing attachment points
of a sizeable
mussel community.
Worthing
Pier
Worthing
Pier on flickr
3 June
2008
Cycling
past Lancing Beach Green, I must have seen at least 70
Crows
on the grass and beach huts and possibly more.
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Plants in flower noted for the first time this year on Lancing Beach shingle and surrounds included Viper's Bugloss, Opium Poppy, Yellow-horned Poppy, Silver Ragwort and Slender Thistle. The seed heads of Goat's Beard were very noticeable on the borders of the shingle and cyclepath. And Tree Mallow by a gate marked Lancing Point to the west of Lancing Sailing Club. The sole butterfly seen on the day was a Large White in the same area as the Tree Mallow.
22
May 2008
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and Scarlet Pimpernel |
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Flowers of Lancing Beach
7
May 2008
The
shore with rocks uncovered on the low spring tide
by the Half Brick, east Worthing, was ordinary with the usual fare of
with common (100+) Snakelocks
Anemones,
Anemonia
viridis,
common and some large Daisy
Anemones
Cereus
pedunculatus,
frequent sea anemones Sagartia
troglodytes, a few Edible
Crabs Cancer pagurus,
frequent Hairy Crabs Pilumnus
hirtellus, common Long-clawed
Porcelain Crab Pisidia longicornis
and a few small Shore Crabs
Carcinus
maenas and a few
Prawns
Palaeamon
serratus, a few very small
Common Hermit
Crabs,
Pagurus
bernhardus in Grey
Topshells, and a few of the tiny shrimp Athanas
nitescens in red livery. One
healthy Butterfish,
Pholis
gunnellus, was discovered hiding under a rock. The only
thing vaguely unusual was the first nudibranch
sea slug, a small Acanthodoris
pilosa in a fawn colour and larger
than normal. I had not seen one for several years.
BMLSS
Hermit Crabs
BMLSS
Nudibranchs
5 May
2008
On
Bank
Holiday Monday, it felt warm for the first
time this year as the temperature reached 20.0
°C at midday.
The wind veered around to the south-east by the afternoon.
Shoreham
Weather
My
first shrimping expedition
of the year at Lancing produced a moderate amount of Brown
Shrimps, Crangon crangon, plus
one Lesser Weever,
Echiichthys
vipera, one small Solenette
(Slipper
Sole),
Buglossidium
luteum, two Vernal
Crabs, Liocarcinus
vernalis, and two South-clawed
Hermit Crabs,
Diogenes pugilator,
(in
Netted Dogwhelk shells) amongst more weed
than is usual at the beginning of May.
Sussex
Marine Life
4 February
2008
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After the recent storm there was a mass stranding on Lancing Beach east at low tide. I braved the chill westerly breeze and found the usual 'Mermaid's Purses' Dogfish Eggcases (including three with embryos seen inside), Ray Eggcases, orange and white sponges, Whelk shells and eggcases Buccinum, and also hundreds of dead sea anemones, including dead and alive Snakelocks Anemones, Anemonia viridis. and larger Dahlia Anemones, Urticina felina.
In
the second photograph on Worthing Beach, the clear up of the wood continues.
21 January 2008
Timber
on Worthing Beach
Photograph
by Vivlonsdale
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Timber from Greek-registered Ice Prince, which sank about 26 miles (42 km) off Dorset after a storm on 15 January 2008, began getting washed up on Lancing beach in the evening of 19 January 2008 and tonnes of pine planks littered the local beaches from 20 January 2008.
Marine
Life of Sussex 2006
Link
to Lancing Beach 2004 Reports
Half
Brick Beach 2004
Link
to Lancing Beach 2003
Lancing Beach (by Ray Hamblett)
EMail
Address for sending in wildlife reports from the lower Adur valley
Only
a selection will be included and only reports with the name of the reporter
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News 2008 |
Membership Form |
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