Dumbarnie Links - Land Snails

Land snail shells from Dumbarnie Links (Click on Photo to see larger image)

Dumbarnie Links Reserve is a small area of calcareous dune grassland in the centre of Largo Bay and according to the information board there are 25 species of land snail living amongst the dune grassland. This includes two rare species, the colourfully patterned heath snail and the tiny cylindrical whorl snail.

The photo shows the shells of just a few that I came across on the sandy path through the reserve. Most numerous was the brown-lipped banded snail (top left). The number and spacing of bands is very varied and they are sometimes absent. Top middle is the common or garden snail. I'm not sure about the identification of the others. Some may be variants of the banded snail. The small snail bottom left is the only one to have a hollow - the umbilicus - on its underside.

Grey Seal

This grey seal was basking on a rock close to the shore in Lundin Links today, and semed to be looking straight at me.

Starfish, brittle-stars

Brittle-stars - Ophiothrix fragilis (click to enlarge photo)

Walked down to Lower Largo today and noticed on the pier what I thought at first were clumps of tangled cord or part of a fishing net. Then I thought they were clumps of seaweed, which I thought had been washed on to the pier in the storm the previous night. On closer inspection, however, I found that the clumps were made up of the skeletons of dozens of these creatures.
They are brittle-stars. They differ from starfish in that they have an obvious circular central disc from which arise the five thin, very flexible arms which break easily, hence the name. They often occur in large number under stones lying on gravel and rough sand between large rocks. Perhaps the previous night's storm disturbed some rocks and hence these ended up stranded on the pier.

Update 13.11.08. I think I may have discovered why there were so many brittle-stars on the pier. There was a collection of lobster creels sitting there which also contained clumps of brittle-stars, so I think they must have been carried in with them.

The common starfish - Asterias rubens

Photo of a common starfish taken in September, again stranded this time on the beach in Lundin Links after a stormy night.

Sculpture, Totem-pole??

Walking along the beach in Lower Largo noticed this structure that had suddenly appeared in one of the gardens adjoining the shore. It has four different faces, and four arms. Not sure whether it's a sculpture or a totem-pole but it's certainly very striking.

Lower Largo Pier

Looking from Lower Largo Pier back to the village and the disused railway viaduct.

Lobster pots on the pier. Glad to say that the tip of the pier which was crumbling away after storm damage in March has now been repaired. The pier is a good place for birdwatching: herons, oyster catchers, eider ducks and redshanks are the most commonly seen on the rocks opposite and there are always the gulls. Today on the pier met a couple who said they had seen dolphins in the bay a couple of days ago.

Brent Geese, Female Goosanders

There was a group of Brent Geese close to the shore in Largo Baythis morning. I hadn't seen them in this area before. Quite striking black and grey birds with pale underparts.

Recently there has been a group of female goosander in the harbour area. They are very similar to the female red-breasted merganser but I think these were goosander because there was a sharp outline to the brown colour at the neck.

Sea-potatoes

Echinocardium cordatum -a heart-urchin. Lower image shows the underside with the mouth visible in centre.

Due to pressure of work, visitors, holidays and rotten weather, haven't had time to post in the last couple of months. However, yesterday was a lovely warm and sunny day, so headed early to the beach. It was low tide and I found several of these strange looking objects. They were very fragile and some were broken. I thought they might be the test of a sea urchin, and on looking them up found that they are known as sea-potatoes, only they are animal not vegetable. They are known as heart-urchins due to their shape. They are adapted for burrowing and are usually found about 15cm deep in the sand (perhaps that's why they are known as sea-potatoes). When alive they are densely covered in yellow-brown spines.