Favorite TOS Posts and Photos, 2014

2014 was theoutershores’ second full year in business. I published 23 new posts and uploaded 361 images. Last year I enjoyed looking back on the year’s most popular posts and sharing some thoughts about a few of my favorite photographs. It’s the end of December, 2014 and I’m going to do it again. Among TOS readers, the most popular 2014 posts were:

Red-eyed medusa, Polyorchis penicillatus. – I wrote that one back in March; it’s just a few thoughts about one of the most attractive little jellies I’ve seen on thoutershores.
Rockweed, Fucus gardneri. – This one is from October 2013; it contains photos of rockweed at it’s prime.
California Beach Hopper, Megalorchestia californiana. – A natural history account, also from October, 2014. Something good was going on in October.
Mermaid’s Purse. – Second time on the top posts list! Last year it was number two. It’s just three images of a good-sized big skate egg case I found back in March 2013.

and

Comparing King Tides. King tides are the highest spring tides of the year. This post from January is a comparison of 10.4′ high tides from the winters of 2013 and 2014.

My favorite photos featured for the first time in 2014 are:

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Young peregrine falcon, January 4 2014.

From Comparing King Tides. Getting close in the early morning light was a treat.

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Rocks and rocky headlands jutting out of the sand.

From Idotea, an Intertidal Isopod. This reminds me of so much of the Oregon coast – sandy beaches separated by rocky outcrops or headlands. I waited for a good low tide to get this shot.

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Planes – multiple size classes on a single float.

From Oceanic Crab Makes Landfall. I can still feel the surprise of discovering scads of Planes on a large homemade float that had washed up on the beach.

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Giant green anemone, Anthopleura xanthogrammica.

From Aggregating Anemones Handle the Sand. Giant greens are beautiful in a still pool.

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Low rock intertidal community

From Exploring the Highest Intertidal Fringes. Sea cabbage, Saccharina sessilis, which, incidentally, occurs in the lowest intertidal fringes.

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Acorn barnacles, Balanus glandula, in the supralittoral fringe

Also from Exploring the Highest Intertidal Fringes. Acorn barnacles use the cracks and crevices, seemingly inching toward the sky.

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Hermessinda crassicornis

From Coming Full Circle with Hermessinda crassicornis. I have a soft spot for nudibranchs.