Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III

[calevans]

Viz was pretty awful trying to do the trail.

Sorry it was so bad. It's been real hit or mist this month. Some days 2ft, the next day 15ft. Haven't had any really GOOD days lately (30+ft)

Hope you'll make it back down on a better day.

Cheers!
=C=

 

[Pipehorse]

Went to the bridge for diving yesterday. Arrived at 1200 for a 13:47 high tide. The park was not crowded. Entered the water on the west side at 12:25. Visibility was 10ft, and sea temp was 79f. Winds are forecast to be mild, hopefully visibility will start to clear up a little. Did a REEF fish survey of 51 species in 60 minutes. Observed a Leopard Searobin upon entry into the water. Found a Plumed Scorpionfish lying in a sand depression. Respectively, Hogfish with a shadow hunter, Leopard Searobin, Longarm Octopus, Plumed Scorpion, and Schoolmaster.

 

[Pipehorse]

Went to the bridge for diving yesterday. Arrived at 1230 for a 1430 high tide. Entered the water at 1300 to the east in front of the cement staircase. This in order to drift west along the snorkel trail, and continuing the dive on the westside of the bridge. Visibility was slightly improved from the day before at 15ft, with 79f sea temp. High tide is at 1549 today, thinking visibility should be improved, but I would expect a lot of people getting an early start to the weekend my be there.

Moon Jellyfish were absent. Seems that Moon Jellyfish are far more prevalent with the better visibility. Spent sometime in algae patches just north of the snorkel trail looking for seahorses, they just start showing up in greater numbers soon. Meandered on to the snorkel trail, and did a REEF fish survey of 55 species in 60 minutes. Observed a Rusty Goby (one of my favorite Gobies) on one of the snorkel trail modules. Continued to the bridge pilings on the west side, and exited two hours after I started the dive on a 50cuft tank, its great how shallow can extend the bottom time of a small tank. Respectively, Black Hamlet, Bridled Goby, Phoronopsis Californica, Porkfish, and Atlantic Spadefish.

 

[calevans]

did a REEF fish survey of 55 species in 60 minutes.

Just curious because I've never done a REEF survey. Do you take pictures and count them after or do you carry a slate and mark them while underwater?

Cheers!
=C=

 

[Pipehorse]

Just curious because I've never done a REEF survey. Do you take pictures and count them after or do you carry a slate and mark them while underwater?

Cheers!
=C=

Hi Cal,

So when REEF started out in 1993, very few people had underwater cameras. So most people did surveys without the help of a camera. Attempting to do their best from memory and drawings when they observed a fish they had not seen before. I started doing underwater photography around 1996, so from then on I pretty much never went in the water without a camera, and without doing a REEF Survey. Fast forward to now, and must anybody who wants can have some sought of camera with them while underwater, and thusly while surveying. Most of my surveys have been done in the Tropical Western Atlantic, and most of those in either Broward or Palm Beach Counties. That includes >1000 at LBTS, and > 1300 at BHB.

So to answer your question more directly, since I have done so many surveys, I just rely on sight recognition as opposed to using the camera. I guess for somebody just starting out they could use the camera more often.


You can search the REEF database, for the amount of surveys and species of fish for any site that has ever been surveyed. Explore REEF Database

A geographic area report for BHB, can be found at this link. BHB Geographic Area Report
BHB is one of the most heavily surveyed sights in the database. BHB is also the most species rich site in the whole Tropical Western Atlantic. A typical survey for me at BHB is about 60-70 minutes long, and about 50-70 species, depending on how distracted I might get by observations of other really cool stuff. I am pretty sure if I did a 3 hour long survey at BHB assiduously counting fish, I could get it past 100 species on any given day.

The slate and survey sheet I use for BHB can be seen below. I use produce rubber bands to keep the underwater paper secured to the slate. A lot surveyors have a lanyard for the pencil attached to the slate. I don't do that, the pencil is held in my hand throughout the dive, along with the slate, and camera.

 

[calevans]

thank you! This is great info. I am aware of REEF but I've never participated. Glad to hear that BHB is so full of life.

Thanks for all that you do!

Cheers!
=C=

 

[Green Frog]

Beautiful work. I’m more enthusiastic now than ever about our trip down in January! What is Phoronopsis californica? It looks like a whelk egg case to me!
How big (or should I say, “how small”?) was that Porkfish? I‘m guessing that‘s in the juvenile configuration?
It‘s always a treat to see a school of Atlantic Spadefish. They are so graceful to watch.
I continue to be awe struck with your camera work, pipehorse!
As always, thanks for sharing.

 

[PBcatfish]

... Porkfish, View attachment 811863

Is that a juvenile or something like that? The porkfish I know has the same colors, but in a very different pattern & the body shape is different.

This is the variety that I know. They are common under the pilings west of the bridge. They used to be a nuisance catch when I fished in the area, as they can't be taken legally, due to their ornamental reef fish status.

Porkfish - Anisotremus virginicus - Belize - Photo 4 - Tropical Reefs

Porkfish - Anisotremus virginicus - Belize - Photo 4 - Tropical Reefs

reefguide.org

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Yep. Same fish. The photo @Pipehorse posted is a juvenile.

 

[Pipehorse]

Went to the bridge for snorkeling this morning. High tide was at 0538, so even if I wanted to get there at sunrise I knew the high tide would be well past. However, because of the way the water flows past the island on the outgoing tide, visibility is sometimes acceptable 3-4 hours after the tide turns. That was the case today, entered the west side on snorkel at 0810. The visibility was 20ft with a green brown color, better than the visibility has been the last three or four times I have been there at high tide with the green white color. Sea temp was 78f. Spent a total of an hour on the snorkel trail and in the algae patches, expecting more seahorses to start showing up but did not see any today. Did a REEF fish survey of 50 species in 60 minutes.

@PBcatfish if you scroll down the link you provided on Porkfish, there is an image of juvenile Porkfish, halfway down the page on the left, looks just like the one I posted. The juveniles are all over the place at the bridge, as well as juveniles for the other grunts, including but not limited to French, Tomtates. and Sailors Choice.

@Green Frog Phoronopsis californica is a worm from the phylum Phoronida. It lives in a ten inch long tube that is buried in the sand. The part we observe is the lopophore. The" feeding organ surrounding the mouth", so more or less the worms head. I thought they were closely related to Christmas Tree Worms, Spirobranchus giganteus that can be found on reefs in south Florida, but they are not. I have only observed Phoronopsis californica at BHB. However they can be found in California, Indonesia and supposedly the Mediterranean Sea. You can read more about them here on iNaturalist Phoronopsis californica . Also since you seem primed for your trip to BHB you might want to explore some of the species on iNaturalist at the Blue Heron Bridge Project at this link Blue Heron Bridge Project , 834 species so far including >300 species of fish, >230 species of mollusks, >100 species of crustaceans, other phlyums including but not limited algae, bryozoan, echinoderms, and sponges. More images of Phoronopsis californica