Number of volunteers overall – 8 

Number of quadrats sampled – 6 mid shore, 18 low shore.

Time spent in timed species searches – 9x10minutes.

Seasonal findings – we’ve been finding a few egg masses of molluscs (gastropods and sea slugs), but not that many, overall. Is this possibly because we’ve had a rather cold spring? We’ll have to see if we’re seeing more as the spring moves on, but we’ve also not visited very sheltered shores in our recent Shoresearch surveys.

We’ve had reports (Clare and Charlie Welsh) and seen barnacle (cregyn long) babies from across the area too. Barnacle larvae of some species are now landing ready to glue their heads onto spare patches of rocks and other hard substrates, next to their kin (same species) to begin their lives; stuck.

From earlier surveys in March and these in April we’ve been seeing new growth of the fast-growing Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Wireweed/sargaswm (Sargassum muticum). This can be identified by the long middle process with fronds (like leaves) and floats growing out of this.

Species feature: Reece Halstead, paying considerable attention at his quadrat, managed to spot a bit of a rare sight – a sea spider (possibly the Gangly lancer Nymphon gracile). There are plenty of species of sea spiders, but they’re not a regular spotting, intertidally. These amazing creatures are thought to move up shore in the breeding season (late winter) and it’s the males who do the looking after the fertilised eggs. Have a look at Reece's video of it in motion. 

One of us was very pleased (perhaps overly) at seeing attached and growing in numbers- Furbelows/Pleth y Môr (Saccorhiza polyschides). A type of kelp species of seaweed, it has the most amazing holdfast which we’ve seen, plenty of times washed up, but not often attached, until now.

Our overwintering intern, Emma, will be pleased to know we've also found both species of Xantho crabs in two different places across North Wales (the main focus of her crab surveys, while she was with us) and one berried female Montague's crab (Xantho hydrophilus)!! These crabs are thought to the moving due to Climate change. Our colleagues in Dorset found their first one in Spring 2019. 

The Shoresearch surveys are designed to help monitor some areas of shore by volunteers recording what they find using various types of surveys. Training is given to the volunteers who sign up to help us carry out these surveys.

We are liaising with other organisations to hone these surveys, so they become a vital tool in the help to monitor wildlife in our intertidal areas. Whilst they can also help to introduce volunteers to the species which live in this intertidal zone, the ideal is to build up some regular teams to regularly survey certain areas, building a clearer picture over the long term and in particular to keep an eye out for Invasive species and Climate change indicators.

If you would like to join us to volunteer your time at our repeated survey sites, then please get in touch. It is likely to be just one 2-3 hr session out on shore once every month at the least, as well as any time you can spare to do online training or website reading. 

Want to help with Shoresearch volunteering

Of course, feel free to help in other ways too via becoming a member, donating or buying a gift membership for someone. Thank you.

Membership     Donate