After a recent bout of northerlies here in North Wales I took the dog
for a walk down on Red Wharf Bay (now two days ago, 26/3) and found
all sorts of things washed up. Much of the material was deposited
across the entire intertidal to the east of the Bay, but more
concentrated on the strandline towards the West. Typically, the one
time there was a lot to look at, I didn't bother to take my camera. I
did bring a few specimens back to photograph, but I was in a bit of a
rush so I had to stick them in the freezer, and, as I'm away for a
week or so, I won't be able to snap them for a while...

Brittle stars (various species) were paricularly abundant on the upper
shore, with patches a couple of inches (or more) thick. Asterias
rubens were also very abundant, as a rough guess > 5-10 per metre
square (there was a lot of them!).

Species such as Astropecten irregularis, Echinocardium cordatum,
Alcyonium digitatum, masked crabs (Corystes spp.) and various
sipunculids were also washed up in considerable numbers, as were
various elamsobranch eggcases, a couple of which I brought back to ID.

Of the more unusual species, I found three angular crabs (Goneplax
rhomboides), a small conger eel (approx 50cm long) and a dead chough
(Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Hopefully some of this is of interest...

Thanks,
Dan