The 11th of August 2023 was a typical summer day. The weather was hot and dry from dawn to dusk.
I drove to the Liznjan's harbor early in the morning. In this opening photograph, you can see one of the coastal plants that grow there. Its scientific name is Salicornia fruticosa. In the following photograph ...
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... you can see more plants of the same kind and a bit of the scenery too.
I was there in the harbor to get a kilo of fresh sardines.
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There is a small fish market, just one sales booth near the sea, that sells what local fishermen bring to land if the weather is good.
Too bad that the place was closed at 8 AM when I arrived. According to the working hours displayed on the storefront, it should have been open.
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The name of the seaside mini market is "Black Lobster". It sounds a bit like the name of an obscure superhero to me. The name is written on the sales booth and the refrigerated van, parked across the road. In both cases, there is a lobster artwork to accompany the words. On the booth, the lobster is stylized ...
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... while on the van ...
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... you can see a very realistic version of the iconic crustacean. The scientific name of this particular species is Homarus gammarus.
Since the fish market was closed, I decided to spend some time with the plants and animals in the bay, in the hope that I'll be able to buy the sardines a bit later.
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This is the Carcinus aestuarii, a crab from the Carcinidae family. In the following GIF ...
... the crab is running across the mud in the shallows of the intertidal zone.
On the surface ...
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... something that looks like a dead crab was floating propelled by the current that resembles an invisible little river that flows through the shallow sea.
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This is, actually an empty exoskeleton that a crab has replaced with a brand-new one. The name of the species that left the exoskeleton floating is Pachygrapsus marmoratus.
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Here you can see a small boat stranded near the edge of the intertidal zone.
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If you enlarge this photograph by clicking on it, and if you take the time to explore all the details, you may notice a small bird near the right border of the frame. In the following shot ...
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... I zoomed in on the bird. I zoomed in a lot.
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I'm not sure about the species ...
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... but this sandpiper looks like a common greenshank (Tringa nebularia) to me. I could be wrong, of course.
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The bird was searching for small invertebrates in the mud.
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In this funny GIF, the sandpiper is moving the entire body but its head is firmly in one place. It looks like an interesting dance move.
Here you can see the sea anemone that looks like an underwater flower that grows in the mud of the bay.
These are the leaves of another plant that grows very close to the sea.
Here you can see the flowers of the same plant. The name of the species is Limonium narbonense.
The scientific name of this sea snail with a shell covered with algae is Hexaplex trunculus.
In this GIF, the Carcinus aestuarii is approaching the snail.
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The water in the shallows was calm and exceptionally clear ...
... so I had a lot of fun observing the crabs. It looked like these two Carcinus aestuarii could start a fight or something ...
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... but one of them escaped so nothing happened. Meanwhile ...
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... the sandpiper was still there, busy exploring the mud on the edge of the water.
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The little egret (Egretta garzetta) was hunting in the shallows.
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I used the powerful zoom of my Canon PowerShot SX60 HS camera to bring the elegant bird closer in these two photographs.
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Here you can see a Carcinus aestuarii posing near the Hexaplex trunculus sea snail. At some point ...
... another crab of the same kind that was roaming the same territory came closer ...
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... and the two started a fight.
Now this was a great situation to observe and photograph. This moment alone was worth all the waiting for the fish market to open.
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In this photograph, the ritualized fight looks more like a friendly hug.
While I was following the first and only round ...
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... this hermit crab was minding its own business less than a meter from the fight. Only one leg and an antenna are visible in this shot so I can't tell you what hermit crab exactly this is. But I can tell you that the crab is using the empty shell of the Phorcus turbinatus sea snail.
Here you can see a legit Phorcus turbinatus with a mollusk body inside the shell.
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In this photograph, you can see the little egret and something that looks like an extremely small wooden boat protruding from the shallow sea.
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Here you can see yet another Carcinus aestuarii.
In this, the previous, and the following photograph ...
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... you can follow the same crab on its way across the stones and mud very close to the shore.
This is a juicy green detail of the Salicornia fruticosa plant.
Here you can see the same plant in its coastal, salt marsh habitat.
These are the leaves of the Atriplex prostrate plant.
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This is the last Carcinus aestuarii presented in today's post. You can see it running across the mud in this photograph. In the following triptych ...
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... the same crab is searching for a good hiding place among the stones.
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This photograph shows the pine trees that grow five or six meters from the shore and my car, parked closer to the narrow road that leads to the harbor.
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At half past nine, the fish market opened. Here you can see the board that explains how the fish market project was partially founded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
I finally bought some fresh sardines.
It was time to go home.
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I cleaned the sardines in the outdoor sink in my yard.
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The cat called Miaukula was there to assist me.
In this GIF and the following photograph ...
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... I zoomed in on the fish.
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The day was getting hotter every minute but working with cold fish and cold water in the shade of the elderberry wasn't too bad.
Another cat arrived soon. This one is called Tzvrtchak.
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Tzvrtchak and Miakula ate all the bloody gills and entrails.
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After cleaning the sardines in the yard ...
... it was time to fry them in the kitchen.
Here you can see Tzvrtchak observing the process with great interest. In the following photograph ...
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... the same cat just drank a bit of water from the little pot I use to prepare the coffee in it.
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In this tryptich, the cat called Farabuto is eating the remains of my lunch.
It's so nice that the fish market wasn't open and that gave you the opportunity to explore and then present this lovely corner to us in your own unique way. 😊 I think it was finally time to explore the sea coast with its magical inhabitants in this way. Personally, for me, crabs and octopuses are very interesting and beloved creatures that deserve endless attention and study. I didn't know that crabs also have an exoskeleton! In fact, it's very rare for me to encounter these animals because I don't live on the coast. You are such a lucky man. And your gorgeous cats too 🐈⬛😻
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Wow what a trip!
Exploring the coast with you is fantastic as you pause not only to see and photograph the details, you explain them so we are learning. Kinda like going with the tour guide!
I can only imagine how excited that cat was with all of the fish precaught and ready to eat! Definitely and instant best friend.
Happy new year my friend. Here is to a Kickass 2024 for us.
Thank you. 🙂 Yes, the day when the sardines are on the menu it's a holiday for my cats. I like fish, but they like it much more.
I'm very happy that you enjoyed the part of the post about plants and animals in the bay.
🎉Have a great 2024. 🎉
I wonder what those two craps are fighting for😂 I have to watch them repeatedly as though I was watching some action movie, it could be a crap action movie...
I was just wowed at this photos, they are so clean and beautiful.
Hahahah yes, those crabs are like seafood action heroes. Silvester Crabone and Jean Claude Van Crab.
That behavior is probably connected with reproduction. It could be two males fighting over territory. Or maybe even a misunderstanding between a male and female that didn't turn into mating. I don't know enough about this species to be sure what it is.
Wow! That's interesting... never knew craps fight over territory too
Yeah, I can see the little bird near the right border of the frame, it can only take serious eyes to see it😅
It seems your going to the fish farm was mainly for these cats😀 you brought fish for the...just look how Miaukula rushed to come and assist, I sure he knew the leather he was dragging was for him and his squad.
Hahahahha yes, this was more for cats ... I can eat fruits and vegetables.
are those crabs fighting under the water? if it is, the water must be very clean. it is so clear.
Yes, they are under the water. The sea was exceptionally calm that day... and clean too.
Wow! Such array of sea plants and sea animals, I really had my fill of all those jaw breaking names. A very beautiful and detailed post, by the way I like your cats.😀
Yes, scientific names are a joy to every jaw. 😂 🐱
Wow, it takes a lot of commitment to take shots of that moving crab, you did an amazing job.
The crab fight and the cats coming to assist you with the preparation are the main highlights for me. Enjoyed reading and watching through the whole process from the fish market to the kitchen :)
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Very detailed as usual, from the coastal plants to the fish market, to the birds scavenging, to the crab fight and then to the cats having a swell time with the entrails and leftover of the sardines, I really had a wonderful time following you through. Now the part I really missed out on was the 'eating' part 😀
😃 Yes, I forgot to photograph once I started eating.
wow, i love those gifs, where they fighting or mating?
I'm not sure. It could be a fight but it also could be an unsuccessful mating attempt. I saw these crabs matting but the females were much smaller and it didn't look like this situation. I don't know enough about this species.
Los gatos , las sardinas, los cangrejos, el barco varado, el auto con la langosta dibujada todo está muy original y hermoso.
Probably why the place wa closed was due to the holiday period or what do you think?
The man who was running the store was sick, I learned that some days later. He died a couple of weeks after the photographs shown in this post were taken.
You have beautiful photographs. The fish there is similar to the ones we have here.
#hive #posh
Cat's get mad when they see food, i like that so much. Meww
the shop looks very nice, different from the seafood sellers in my area
Fish is really a great meal of winters. I like the roasted form of it and I like spicy hot roasted fish dinner. Seems tasty😋.
These tiny water bodied creatures have their appearance similar to their environment to survive from predators.
Nothing can match the Summer days near the sea. Can't wait for this again in the coming year. Great post again, @borjan.
I love the pictures, and the details on it.
I actually love this kind of area
It is so silent just like the way I love it
Your gifs are really nice
Keep up the good job!
It was so nice to be in a place like this during the hot summer days when we wanted it.
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I am still trying to get why it wa tagged the black lobster
That's a good question, yes.
Wonderful captures