An exercise walk at Bastion Point

I reckon any walk counts as exercise!  Fortunately the local police seem to be sensible and not wander around checking people's speed or endurance.

As we passed by the rocks some interesting marine life was evident.  

In the UK I'd just call these winkles, and reach for a pin!  Here we had thought they are Turban shells.  We have had some debate as to whether these are in fact Turbans (Family Turbinidae) or Top Shells (Family Trochidae).  Our current view, based on photos in "A handbook to Australian Seashells" by Barry Wilson, is the former with these resolving to Wavy Turbans (Turbo undulatus).  The definitive feature is the thickness of the operculum so a detailed look is needed.  We have eventually got to check the shells and the operculum was very thin: thus it is a Wavy Top (Austrocochlea concamerata).

This sea star had got away from a sheltering rock and when we first saw it had the tentacles curled in, giving a very odd appearance.  I missed that snap.

 There were lots of sea stars around the rocks!

I have never noticed sea star tracks until recently.  I have no idea why this one is crawling about, rather that curling up as did the first one .

 A sea anemone in one of the many pools.  At this site these are the commonest anemones rather than the purple jelly-blobs in other places.

At a quick glance - we were exercising after after all - I wondered if this was coral.  Looking at the photo they are clearly barnacles.

 Both species of Oystercatcher were evident as were a lot of oysters.

These black rocks intrigued me as they are very different to the brown rocks in the outcrops on the beach and nearby cliffs.

My initial thoughts were that they were the marine equivalent of glacial erratics.  Then Occams Razor kicked in and I realised they were probably ones that had been dropped (or otherwise escaped) when building the useless breakwater.

A couple of items of COVID amusement.

This one is easy for me: Minke.

 I have some attributes of several of these but the chip reference got the Seagulls across the line!