[Abridged summary of daily activities follow]
6-i-86
[Travel from Perth to Ravensthorpe]
7-i-86
[purchasing supplies, visiting colleagues]
Departed for Masons Bay & set up camp 33°57'30''S 120°28'45'' at cove east of Masons Bay. After 2pm went to Starvation Boat Harbour inspected ramp at S end of Harbour.
#2: collected from beach drift. #2.1: collected dead Bothriembryon ar area between Powel & North Powell Point & on landward slope of sand dunes (#1) W of salt lakes (W of Harbour), & dead & live succineids (approx 33°56'08''S 120°30'58''). Very large Nerita atramentosa on Point (also large Austrocochla rudis) Subninella undulata present (#2.2). Collected dead Bothriembron & Theba on hillside #2.3.
2.1 Beach Drift. 2.2 Tide pools - granite. 2.3 hillside - seaward slope.
Stn#1: W of Starvation Boat Harbour, WA. - on landward slope of sand dunes approx 33°56'08'' 120°30'58''E.
Stn#2: between Powell & North Powell Points, Starvation Boat Harbour WA. 33°55'23'' 120°33'30''. #2.1 Beach Drift. #2.2 Tide pools, granitic rock. #2.3 seawwrd slope of hillside; granite & limestone.
Weather overcast with occasional v light showers. Wind strong from S to SE. Seas high.
8-i-86
Note: Discrepancy concerning names of Masons Point & Masons Bay between map & local residents.
Organised gear. Went out to intertidally exposed reef (granitic rock offshore from camp) - launched boat off beach at foot of track further W within camping area. 33°57'35''S; 120°29' E. Collected intertidally in rock pools & gutters & under boulders to 2m.
Stn#3: Cove east of Masons Bay. Fauna very sparse except for N. atramentosa & A. rudis & siphonarians & acmeid with black lines in between ribs. Worms (various tube dwelling) common - sponges common but varied & colonies small - ascidians simple & colonial. Molluscs very rare. Gibbula preissiana; Stomatella imbricata; Haliotis scalaris; H. laevigata; Herpetopoma aspersal Clanculus ?consabrinus; Scutus. Drift on beach opp reef very v poor. Gena; Austrocochlea rudis (large & heavy); Tugali cicatricosa; Aulisabia fabacea; Patelloida atracostata; Siphonaria ?chapmani; Nerita atramentosa; Serpulorbis ?sipho; Melarapha unifasciata; Fusinus tessellatus; Campanile symbolicum; Dicathais aegrota; ?Lepsiella flindersi; White cone ?anemone ?cl[?]; Barbatia squamosa ? small; Brachidontes ? restialis?; ?Monticutid; ?Erecynid? Mylitta sp (vv small elongate, v fine divaricate ribs ant & post ends); ?Mysella ?donaciformis; Blue spotted tiny chiton; Cryptoplax.
Stn#4: In afternoon we drove around to Masons Bay & approx. 33°58' 120°26'30'', & collected from beach drift - much more diverse than on Cove beach. Then moved around closer to (West Masons Point) (more southerly (& westerly)) point of Masons Bay & collected around it. Here the drift was extremely abundant but the species diversity, though greater, was less than could be expected - from the apparently greater diversity of habitat. 33°58'20'' 120°26'30''.Stn#4.1
Collected uphill behind W Masons Point & beaches - dead & damaged (mammals? reptiles?) shells of Theba & long dead shells of Bothriembryon. No succineids seen. Stn#4.2.
Weather fine & sunny - strong SE to ESE wind, high seas.
9-i-86
Stn#5: Masons Bay. Stn#6: Cove.
Stn#5: approx 33°58'15'' 120°26'30'', Embayment towards W end of Masons Bay. Jerdacullup (Sheet Series R712 Sheet 2930-11 Edition 1 - LSWA.) Dive 9.30-1015am.
Where granitic rock descends from hill & makes a peninsula obliquely out from shore to define a sheltered embayment. Loisette & I dived with SCUBA - depth 1-5 or 6m. Large boulders covered with algae (mostly brown sargassum etc) with few vertical faces & ledges on which grew sponges & ascidians. Some Haliotis laevigata in patches.
Station#6: 33°57'40'' 120°28'10''; W end of cove, E of Masons Point. 1-3m. dirty sand with granite reefs & some limestone subtidally. After strong wind & seas abundant algae covered with fine silt - brown (seemingly terriginous) which had also accumulated among colonies of Caulerpa flexicilis & C. sp cf flexilis (but not in one plane & with side branches sometimes branched themselves - less "foliose" & possibly more delicate. Less accumulation of sand & silt within colonies of C. ?vesiculifera & C. brownii. Small colony of C. racemosa growing through sand on subsand limestone. V small colonies & amount of Halimeda. Short tufted reds include Laurencia cf filiformis & Gelidium cf glandulaefolium. Much brown algae incl. Scaberia agardlii, Hormosira, Sargassum spp, Cystophora? subfascinata. Caught a Warty Prow fish - orange. Large Sunfish seen on return journey. Small trochoid; Nucula (?obliqua); ?Cylindrobulla (prob from Caulerpa bases); Euplica; Gena curicula; Niotha; Microstrea ?aurea (dead only); Dentimitrella 2spp (cream) (cream & mauve); Conus anemone in sand uner rock - size range under single rock, none under adjacent rocks; Gibbula preissiana; Stomatella umbricata; Hipponyx conicus; Eubittium (Cacozeliana); Myletta sp; Pseudocopagia victoriae (dead); Natacid ?Proxiuber shorehani or juvenile Notocochlis gualteriana; Epicodakia tatei; Cantharidus pucherianus & C. lehmanis; Pellox ?gapiniana; small white 'leptonid' dead; Diala c interrupted spiral lines; v small transparent gastropod c black soft tissues;
Den[?]bella 3rd sp c complex pattern at whorl convexity & at extreme [?] end of white arrowheads & brown radial lines in defined patches between them, & c sinous radial lines to previous suture; Clanculus ringens; small fusiform c rad ribs c brown sections of spiral ribs which are coloured in interstices.
Station #7: 33°58', 120°28'8''; E side of East Masons Point. 0-3m. Sheltered by land from NW winds. [locality sketch map]. Loisette & Clay dived in semi-enclosed pool E of Point - ! worked along shore going N over seam of granite & dolerite runing W->E into water from shore. Granite brown with rounded boulders. Dolerite black with sharp boulders. Much brown algae (Sargassum Hormosira Cystophora etc) on granite but reds more abundant, I think, on dolerite - as were sponges & corallines. Haliotis laevigata patchy on ground. Clay reported Haliotis conucopara in crevises. I found an orange Warty Prow fish.
Friday 10-i-86
Weed washing, sorting, labelling in camp. Jan Watson arrived at about midday. She had met up with Clay at the Taylors. Clay had gone to Hopetoun to get petrol (& also to get water from the Bootleys).
Stn#8: 33°58' 120°28'08''
After lunch we went to W side of Cove to area where I had swam yesterday & had seen Amphibolus beds (near dolerite dykes) which were of interest to Jan. Collected along that stretch of shore 1-3m & then went as far up S as sill where Clay & Loisette had collected yesterday. Dense but generally small beds of Amphibolus, & this was only seagrass seen though yesterday I collected a single long cylindrical leaf yesterday which had obviously floated in. (later found growing at Station 9). On the reefs inshore there are plenty of reds on top with browns generally growing on the sides & on the basement rock. (Profusion of Cystophora spp). large clumps of a stringy twisted algae (but fronds were generally wider than 5mm). Some Dictyopteris. Plenty of Seaberia, Hormosira, Cystophora retorta, Pachydictyon & other forms not identified, Ecklonia. Reds include Laurencia, ?Pterocladia, Gelidium, Hyporea.
& a very delicate form with reticulate fans off one side of axes [sketch] Claudia elegans (Is this recorded for WA?). Greens included mats of Caulerpa flexilis sometimes interspersed with C? vesciculifera.
V small brown bivalves on Laurencia cf filiformis ?Byssus of 1 thread? This also might be the habitat of v small dark brown gastropods & more fragile transparent gastropods c dark soft parts & also clasping forams shaped like flat coiled gastropod but chambered & clinging to stalks. Also on ?Gelidium, Far fewer found on Cystophora. A v small transparent gastropod with planispiral but rapidly expanding & descending body whorl on ?Pterocladia or maybe on hydroids on this weed. These shells are sometimes in pairs & have a single repiratory hole. Are they scissurellids - could they be haliotids (do not look right shape). Pycnogonid on spongy twisted alga (piece put in with pycnogonid in Crustacea vial). Haliotis laevigala; Haliotis roei; Haliotis conicopera; Ninella torquata; Scularcopagia victoriae; Campanile symbolicum - many dead - larger - ? less acute cone than live ones; Phasianotrochus eximius (juv) on Cystophora; Elongate brown Pellax on Cystophora (orange-tan with white patches posteriorly near suture; & a ?Diala on some weed (in vial with bivalves).
Land snails: During the late afternoon I walked W along beach to area beyond camping area where dune behind beach is high & limestone layer is obvious halfway up cut away slope found 2 freshly dead & one longer dead Bothriembryon rhodostomus, fresh dead & live Theba, fresh dead Cochlicella acuta & dead Succinea. Searched diligently for live boths. without success. No dead boths found above limestone or on top of soil Theba alive in hollows in limestone. Most Theba Cochlicella & Succinea shells at base of slope but this could have been due to gravity. Area was well covered by small shrubs, grass climps lily clumps & in some places by Ti-trees.
Saturday 11-i-86
Because of trouble with sunburn & because of unfinished sorting I stayed in camp while Loisette Jan & Clay went off to Starvation Boat Harbour - this being the only possibly collecting area with the SW to S winds.
Stn #9: Approx. 120°33'30'' 33°54'50'' In[?] about 6 metres offshore in segrass beds of Posidonia & 1 or 2 spp of Zostera (all with very long leaves).
Station 10: Approx. 33°55'10'' 120°33'33'' Approx 1-3m. Inshore with 2 spp of Amphibolus; greenish chiton[?]; small green fish; Jam thinks that there is a species difference or proportional difference in species representation on the long flat & the short teisted leaved Amphibolus. Long leaved Amphibolus antartica: greenish chiton; small green fish; v many v small brown gastropods; many "dialids"; few chitons; triphorids; few number of v small mytilids. Twisted leaved Amphibolus griffithi: v. many chitons (3 spp?); few mytilids (Musculus?). Land snails: Clay went for a search for boths. in area I had searched before - ie to W of W end of campsite but though he found more dead shells, had no success with finding live ones (no station number) (Cove E of Masons Bay W of camping area foreshore dunes & l/s & granitic outcrops). Flock (?30-40) New Hollands honeyeaters & a couple of larger "honeyeaters" like wattle birds without wattles (? squeakers) (? cuckoos) drank & bathed from water dish. New Holland Honey Eater.
Sunday 12-i-86
[List of individuals from Fitzgerald River Nation Parks Association, wention of presentation given by S. S-S. and Loisette]
Tide didn't fall - winds from southerly direction SE changing to SW 120°02' -> 120°02'20''
Station 11 Barrens Beach: Walked along beach - limestone reef - scoured & with shallow pools. Clay found Microstrea aurea live. Janthina; cuttlebones. Clay found 4 Microstrea aurea on reef nearly (to E). Siphonarians. Report of oysters on large rock moss on reef - investigated - no trace - just Melarapha, siphonarians, some acmeids, few dead barnacles (grey falt striated).
33°55'35'' 120°03'10''
Station 12 2 mile Reef: E of Barrens Beach & S of Lake "Hopetoun". Diversity of bivalves on beach. Glycymeris; cardiids; venerids; machrids[?]; psammobiids; Turbo (Subninella) undulata; plenty of siphonarinids; plenty of Austrocochlea rudis & Nerita atramentosa.
Jan & Clay went of to 2 mile reef & to Hopetoun Harbour in morning & to 6 mile Reef in afternoon. Clay found more Microstrea aurea. Loisette & I went back with Helen to her home - met Clay & Jan there. Specimens from Clay & Jan stations labelled fully & not given station numbers.
Monday 13-i-86
Approx. 33°56'(10") 120°12' Station 13 "5 Mile Reef": about 10(?) km E of Hopetoun - sandy beach - sandy lagoon with some rocks & algae. - "barrier" reef joining to beach reef platform (intertidal) to E. Limestone - calcarenite. [sketch map of station locality] very strong wave action, strong flow over reef, strong rip. Jan & Clay swam out through gap - Jan got into difficulties - both had to jettison weight belts to get back in - Clay helping Jan. Loisette & I swam along inside edge of reef - best collecting was on undercut below beach limestone - calcarenite at point - roof was just below LWL & current through was strong - & obviously always strong enough to support good large colonies of sponges (including jelly-like sponge) ascidians (including 3 sand covered colonial forms) & hydroids. Took samples of red algae from undercut - greens (2 spp of Caulerpa) from just out of cave[?] & browns (many Cystophora spp, Zonaria etc from inside of reef, great place for browns but little else.)
Between 120°17'30'' & 120°21' [No station number]: On way stopped in 3 places (easternmost being adjacent to shore of lake) to look for land snails - in all I found dead Bothriembryon; Theba; & at last found live Succinea but no live ones (uphill from lake). Found no trace of molluscs on shore of lake. Got back about 2pm. Processed all afternoon. Some molluscs in weedeashings including small nudibranchs (only 1 large nudibranch (orange mauve & red & white) found). Bivalves included small Musculus & [?]Liatellids(?).
Tuesday 14-i-86
Strong winds from S, cloudy but not overcast. Decided not to go to Esperance as conditions would be unsuitable for launching boat & working jetty. Jan went into town to phone & shop. I went searching in morning for land snails along track just above (to N) of camp site & running to east. Collected Theba to south (ie seward) of tracck & SE of end of track collected Theba, couple of very dead Bothriembryon, pupoids, pupillids & succineids & laomids in Eucalyptus (mallee) grove adjacent to, among & under moss in low areas - Only 1 (of possibly 2) species of laomid was taken live. In afternoon went further E & to N from this mornings area of search. No shells of any species found far away from coast. In dip between coastal row of dunes & first lot of hills behind - just W of point which marks E of Cove; found Succineids; Pupoids, Pupillids; Laomids; Bothriembryon; all dead. Succineids seem to be most widespread, extending from slightly uphill of dips on landward side to limit of vegetation of beach. Bothriembryon not found near beach or far from dips but in one area approx. opposite *ie N of) E point of cove dead shells were scattered over S face of hill - I thought that they might have been dispersed from hill top which was covered with low shrubs (Thryptomene?) but could not find any in & around this densely covered area. they could hav been carried by predators though noe were broken in characteristic way. Those on hill could have been caught by dessication after wandering from dip in which were growing Eucalyptus sp cf angulosa (though see shape of WA nuts & ridging on caps of buds). Other species of Eucalypt in area an E. tetragona.
Wed 15-i-85
Stn 14: Esperance: Left for Esperance at 6.30am - going by Springdale Rd to Ravensthorpe-Esperance Rd. Arrived about 8.15am. Bought weight belt, clip etc for Jan. Purchased Fuel. Swtt off from boat ramp near harbour at about 9am - went to E side of Tanker Jetty near outer end. Dived for about 1 1/4 0 1 1/2 hrs around piles near end in about 9 metres. Jetty piles beautifully covered with sponges, ascidians (compound & simple), gorgonians with large barnacles. Balanus at surface. Annelids[?] on gorgonians. A few species of nudibranch. Haliotis scalarisl H. cyclobates on stubbie bottle. Chamids on pilings but particularly on those lying on bottom. Clay found 1 Ostrea angassi. Plenty of hammer oysters. Amoniids on pilings.
Thurs. 16-i-85
Went in to meet Glen Boothey but he had already left to go abalone diving W of Hopetoun. Came back to camp -launched boat & went out to reefs indicated as good ground by Glen.
Station 15: Reef S of breakers approx SSE of camp. Depth 7m at top of reef & probably 10m at base. Great place for seaweeds - mostly brown Cystophora spp. Ecklonia Zonaria (?augustata). Greens included Caulerpa spp (annulata! (blusih) brownii cactoides flexilis scalpelli); Apjohnia; Struvea with & without fertile fronds. Codium spp (fragile, pomoides); v little (v small) Halimedes; Dictosphaeria. Reds were prominent & clumps were generally large. ?Rhodymenia sp [sketch] curled; ?Delisea ?hypneoides & D sp.; Red like Laurencia but with fine tuft out of terminal pore [sketch]; Botryocladia; Gelidium; Griffithsia ?brownii (but green brown).
Molluscs- live juv. Phasianella on brown weed (Sargassium ? base fronds); Chiton (red mantle, green & pink valves) on Herdmania momus; Phasianotrochus eximius on red algae; Pellax on red weed; Subninella; Haliotus laevigata; Dicathais.
Station 16 - 'pool' on E point of Masons Bay: Microstrea aurea.
Fri 17-i-86
Station 17: SE of East Mt Barren WA - off Four-mile Beach. Green algae; Upjohnia; Caulerpa ?racemosa & 3 other spp; Ulva little & sheltered; Struvea; Bunch of long pointed sausages with fruiting body near tip to one side [sketch]. Browns: Great quantities of kelp; Lesser amounts of Cystophora. Reds: Great diversity.
Station 18: Depth 15m, S of Stn 17. ie SE of East Mt Barren, off Four-mile Beach. Depth 15m. algal covered reefs with sand pockets.
Station List
S. Slack-Smith, C Bryce, L Marsh.
#1 W of Starvation Boat Harbour, WA, on landward slopes of sand dunes; approx. 33°56'08''S; 120°30'58'' E. 7-i-86.
#2 Starvation Boat Harbour between Powell & North Powell Points, WA. approx. 33°55'23''S, 120° 33'30''E.
#2.1 Beach Drift; #2.2 Tide pools in granitic rock; #2.3 seaward slope of hillside - granite & limestone. 7-i-86
#3 Cove E of Masons Bay, WA. offshore, granitic reef, intertidal ->2m. approx 33°57'35"S 120°29'E. 8-i-86
#4 Masons Bay, WA. approx 33°58'20''S, 120°26'30''E; #4.1 beach drift; #4.2 sand dunes.
#5 Masons Bay, WA. approx 35°58'15''S, 120°26'30''E; sheltered bay, algae on granitic reffs, seagrasses in sand, 106m. 9-i-86.
#6 Cove E of Masons Bay, WA - at W end, granitic and limestone reefs in silty sand, alagae & seagrasses, 1-3m, approx. 33°57'40"S, 120°28'10''E. 9-i-86.
#7 Point at E end of Masons Bay, WA, granitic reefs and seagrasses on E side. 0-3m, approx 33°58'S, 120°28'08''E. 9-i-86.
#8 Cove E of Masons Bay, WA. - W end, granitic reefs and seagrass beds adjacent to shore, 1-3m. approx 33°58'S; 120°28'08''E. 10-i-86.
#9 Starvation Boat Harbour, WA. N of North Powell Point. approx 33°54'50''S, 120°33'30''E. 6m, seagrass beds (Posidonia sp & Zostera spp). 11-i-86.
#10 Starvation Boat Harbour, WA. N of North Powell Point. approx 33°55'10''S, 120°33'33''E, 1-3m, seagrass beds (Amphibolus spp). 11-i-86.
#11 Barrens Beach, WA. Beach drift, and fringing intertidal limestone reefs. approx 33°55'40'', 120°02'30'' to 33°55'30'', 120°02'30''. 12-i-86.
#12 Two-mile Reef, S of Culham Inlet, WA. approx. 33°55'35''S, 120°03'10''E. Beach drift and fringing intertidal limestone reefs. 12-i-86.
#13 Five-mile Reef, approx 10km E of Hopetoun, WA. 'lagoon' between sandy beach & offshore limestone reefs, 0-3m, approx 33°56'S, 120°12' E. 13-i-86.
#14 Esperance WA - at end of jetty on piles, under stones & on seagrass & sand. 9m. 15-i-86.
#15 E of Masons Bay, WA. offshore granitic reefs, approx 33°59'S, 120°29'E; 7-10m. 16-i-86.
#16 Same as #8.
#17. SE of East Mount Barren, W.A. - off Four Mile Beach 1/2km offshore, algal covered limestone. Depth 8-10m. 17 Jan 1986. approx 33°56'10''S, 120°04'50''E.
#18 SE of East Mount Barren, WA - off Four-mile Beach, approx 1km offshore, algal covered limestone. Depth 15m. 17-i-86. approx 33°56'40''S, 120°04'50''E.
23-XI-86
Perth-> Margaret River
24-XI-86
Margaret R to C. Leeuwin
Water Wheel Seep. Austroassiminea letha [sketch map of locality]. Snails not in areas c dry soil on top of rises (small shrubs), nor on paths through swamp where soil compacted nor in low lying areas over which water flows (now or in past) nor in areas near seaward edge of swamp. Snails are present only on soil with abundant accumulation of litter & humus - ie not washed by water flow. Snails are in areas with damp to fairly dry soil - with abundant plant cover (couch grass, buffalo grass, rushes, sedges, herbs). In some areas near rock outcrop snails have been there in past but not now. In some areas generally under water snails are present on small islands of honeycomb ?flowstone where CaCO3 has precipitated around rocks etc - these were probably always [?] - otherwise precipitation would not have occured. Snails seen to occupy most of seepage area, They are uphill as far as lower corners of fenced off Water Authority land (where water board have apprently been using CuSO4 to kill algae) but much less abundant at NW corner than at SW corner & in neither place were they evenly distributed, at SW corner also Succinea (dead) & Bothriembryon dead & juveniles alive 0 also discoidal flamed snails at NW corner also live Succinea, Physastra (?) mollusc eggs. at slightly higher ground at NW corner no w v few Astroassiminea & Bothriembryon. Seepage at Water Supply Dam is pumped to town but considerable flow continues over dam wall - this is presumably the water that feeds the water wheel area to the S - the flow to the NW which empties at the Quarry Bay Point (& also perhaps flows under the dune to exit at 2 places directly into Quarry Bay S shore, Obviously the eater flow regime of these areas depends possibly entirely on the flow of water over the dam. On way back to Augusta 0 checked in seepage area about 1/2 way between the Monument & Skippy Rock Rd turnoff from Leeuwin Rd - Anne found Austroassiminea.
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