Lisa Sheffield-Guy

What other job lets you spend 20 hours a week on the beach? As coordinator of Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock Awareness Program, Lisa Sheffield-Guy spends much of her time introducing human visitors to the creatures that inhabit the tidepools and beach. Before she leaves her post at the end of January, she gave us the rundown of her favorite beach denizens.

Rhinoceros Auklet

This seabird is neither rhinoceros nor auklet. It is actually a misnamed puffin. These birds spend their entire lives on and in the ocean, only coming to land to nest. They nest on the west side of Haystack Rock, but they are nocturnal so we rarely get to see them. Sometimes we get a brief look when it’s nearly to dark to identify them. However, if you venture offshore in a boat you will see many floating on the swells.Photo by Ian Jones.Opalescent Nudibranch

This is our most common sea slug at Haystack Rock. With practice, you can find them during most low tides at Haystack Rock during spring and early summer. They are tiny, beautiful predators that can leave a nasty sting if you decide to pick one up and they are known for their cannibalistic tendencies.Photo by Lisa Sheffield-Guy

Sunflower Sea Star

These soft-bodied stars show up occasionally in our tidepools. They move fast, unlike the common Ochre Sea Star, and will eat just about any animal in their path. They can grow to 1 meter across and have as many as 24 arms!Photo by Lisa Habecker

Lined Shore Crab

These small crabs hide in walls of mussels and barnacles. They are purple and green with fine stripes across the backs of their shells. On warm days, they come out and walk around in plain sight, yet despite their colorful exterior they are often missed by visitors.Photo by Michael Loftus

Striped Dogwinkle

These snails are a sure-thing at low tide. They are about an inch across and come in many colors from black, to bright orange, to striped. They dot the splash zone just above the high-tide line where they feed on small barnacles and mussels. They have a tongue called a radula that works a bit like a power drill. They can drill a hole into the shell of other animals, inject them with digestive fluids and slurp out the liquefied insides.Photo by Lisa Sheffield Guy