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A green chiton attached to a half crab. We observed this alien looking commensal beast while undertaking an intertidal survey on the reefs off Hawera. It made us jump when we first turned over the rock.

Blue Malayan Coral Snake
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Spotted by Steve Tucker.

Seen performing spectacular plunge-dives, catching small baitfish; among a large group of Brandt's Cormorants and various gulls, all around a pair of surfacing Humpback Whales.

A young bird, thus perhaps difficult to separate definitively from much-rarer Nazca Booby, but the bill shows lots of blue-green tones, no trace of incoming lavender, peach, orange, pink, etc.

It feels relevant to mention that the state is in the midst of a "Sula Invasion", not only in the weeks leading up to this find, but for the past few years. There have been three Red-footed Boobies in Monterey County this summer up to this point, (two deceased at Moss Landing, one flyby at the Monterey Audubon Seawatch), while southern California waters are hosting Masked, Nazca, multiple Red-footed, and Brown Boobies simultaneously.

Brown Booby barely elicits notice, much less excitement anymore. The continuing Northern Gannet on SE Farallon Island and a Blue-footed Booby at the Salton Sea add up to a total of 6 Sulidae in California this month.

That's all the species of Sulids ever recorded in California. All of which have been considered somewhere between middlingly to extremely rare in the past century.

Things are changing out there...

A very large fly – maybe 3 cm long? Flight also very un-fly like (in my experience of Diptera, anyway): Slow, and usually in straight, deliberate lines. Seemed strictly to be interested in the Chaenactis artemisiifolia growing in the burned area, totally ignoring other flowers available.

All photos are of one individual, and there seemed to only be 2 individuals (at most) of this species on the whole hillside.

On a pelagic trip out of Ventura, CA. We spotted this Swordfish basking on the surface and observed it for over 10 minutes. It allowed close approach and actually appeared inquisitive. A really cool fish and the only one of seen after many trips out of Southern California.