Mysteries in the Marsh

So I apologize for the lack of posts/general brevity on my part. Days have been long and busy, and data collection is possibly the most tedious part of good science. I spent 6 hours doing it yesterday, 2 today, and tomorrow will be another long day of it. So with that aside, I do have cool things to share.

Firstly, Sapelo is full of prickly pears. What's cool, though, is they have a pest that's pretty much killing off a lot of them. I haven't ID'd it yet but it's a voracious eater, and also kind of pretty.

 

Secondly, I think I mentioned pretty early on how Sapelo is a study in deep south urban decay. It doesn't disappoint. We went on a walk the other day and I took some shots, and in the process found a raccoon skull and something's pelvis. Oh, wilderness. You so fun.

The Greenhouse. Still haven't gone in or very close.

Houses and wreckage. Fun.

And a stately, if run-down looking house. I think it's one of the so-called Sears Houses.

 As I mentioned earlier though, been in the field quite a lot doing data collection. This can be quite mind numbing. In my case, it's lots of counting snails and measuring their heights over and over and over across 12 different experimental plots, each with 4 rows of 16 stakes each. Lots. Of data. It helps to find things to keep you sane. Especially when you have a willet (a type of marsh/shorebird) screaming incessantly at you.

Like this but noisier.

For days on end this little guy (and I'm seriously thinking it's the same one) has squawked and squalled and done flybys at me. It's seriously like the scene from The Dark Knight where Batman's just about to run down the Joker on his motorcycle, Joker's all braced and ready for it (and in fact cheering him on to do it, because if he did kill the Joker it'd be against everything that is Batman), but then Batman swerves off at the last second because he just can't kill people. It's against his moral code and whatnot.

Yeah this guy is exactly like that. He comes within punching distance but never close enough to hit. I have tentatively started referring to him as Batwillet. Sometimes I encourage him, like the Joker did. Seriously if you've forgotten that scene go rewatch the movie. Such a good one.

I have against my better judgement though started bringing my iPod into the marsh as an escape, but today I had a different escape.

The marsh itself.

The lighthouse from a different angle. Namely, across a creek from the other end of the marsh.

I wandered long and far today, for about an hour after I got done collecting data. My goal? The edge of the marsh, nestled in the high Spartina, literally chest high in plant matter.

Which I found. Also there is a sunken structure that I realize is probably invisible in this shot because I'm a wuss and won't take my good camera  (with the long zoom) into the marsh.

 The journey there was perilously muddy, but fun. Aside from the structure above, I also saw a pod of dolphins (no good pictures, sigh) frolicking and whatever it is dolphins do not far from shore. Very cool stuff.

Additional goodies about this trek? The edge of marsh tends to be oyster beds. And oyster beds are a hotbed (no pun intended) for some very cool crabs.

Despite the similarities, I'm fairly sure this guy is neither white or black claw, instead a cousin. Perhaps Dyspanopeus or Eurypanopeus. Pretty neat though.

Petrolisthes armatus, the green porcelain crab. These guys are absolutely spastic in the way they move and will do anything to get away from you.

The same guy, looking like he's about to lead an invisible lady-crab in a dance or something.

I also spooked some mating blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) which was good for a giggle. They didn't stop. Shameless. 

Also, back on the abandoned theme from earlier, I found another odd structure, half eaten by oysters and marsh, on this trek.

Whatever it is, it's wrecked. Maybe a boat or small railroad car. It had what looked like railroad-esque wheels.

 And a boardwalk to nowhere. Once upon a time it may have crossed the creek in the above shot, but it's long since been out of order.

The vast field of brown on the left is wrack, the term for dead Spartina which floats around until it catches and settles on something, in this case, the bridge.

Honestly, after so much data collection, this was the refresher I needed. A nice reminder of why I enjoy ecology and exploration.