In April we were in Plymouth for an educational beach walk with the Beach Ambassadors from the Goldenrod Foundation. It turned out to be a really great field trip with lots of seashells found! We met in the parking lot at Long Beach and there I was able to show and talk about my seashell collection so that everyone was primed before we set out to comb the beach. We then carpooled in 4-wheel drives out to the field station house and from there set out on the beach to search for seashells. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy, but not too cold. The Ambassadors are in training to help with educational efforts to preserve and protect this rich environment. For more information check out their website and blog: http://www.goldenrod.org/blog/become-a-beach-ambassador-in-2015 

Here are a few pics from the field trip...

I'm in front with Dorie Stolley, Program Manager for the Goldenrod Foundation and behind us the wonderful Beach Ambassadors.

Dorie found this beautiful Sea Scallop. It's not something you usually see; never mind one with so much color! This was found on the harbor side. (Plymouth Harbor)

A European Oyster and a Stimpson's Whelk. This is the second time we have found a European Oyster here on the harbor side.

On the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014), my husband and I walked the spit of Plymouth Long Beach along the harbor channel. It was a good hike and we were happy to find lots of shells. I picked up a few as you can see from the photo - The top shells are the two halves (or valves) of an oyster, many Moon snail tops (I think there is a craft for them in the future), Periwinkles, two Gould's Pandora shells, one Flat Slipper Shell, a False Angel Wing, a huge Operculum from a Moon Snail, a broken New England Dog Whelk, three Bay Scallops, a neat rock, two pieces of beach glass and a fish bone vertebra. We also found the carcass of a dolphin and later we found two of it's ribs on the shoreline.
The shell that surprised me the most is the oyster shell. It looks more like a European Oyster Shell and I'm curious if anyone knows if this is possible. (I have read that they are farming them in Maine?)
But the big treasure of the day - is that large Operculum - it is the "door" to the Moon Snail - it covers it's aperture - the opening of the shell.
We also saw some Brant geese, Common Eider ducks and Sanderlings - sweet!

European Oyster?

The dead dolphin : (

The Operculum. (door to opening of Moon Snail)

Brant Geese & Sanderling.

Dolphin ribs.

Eider ducks.