Parsley Bay - Plenty of Pictures

In my last post on Parsley Bay I didn't have many good shots so I thought it was time to show what the harbour beach could really offer. These were taken across three trips I did over the last few weeks. It's kind of a long post, but with so many photos it was hard to cut it down.

I'll start with the star attraction of Parsley Bay - a tiny White's Seahorse I found clinging to the shark net. This species was named after John White who was the Surgeon General on the First fleet. They can grow to be around 20cm in length and are some of the more common seahorses in Sydney.

There were plenty of Common Stripey's hanging in the nets too.

Other little guys were out in force, though I haven't had a chance to track down their names just yet.

Blacksaddle Goatfish

With such great visibility there was plenty of schools out feasting on the microscopic's.

Even the coral was looking great.

You're pretty much guaranteed to see a Common Stingaree each trip.

Though some try to hide.

Moon Jellies make for great photo opportunities too.

I got a scare from a Rough Flutemouth as well. This fellows strange looking snout is perfect for sucking in smaller fish.

Parsley Bay often provides other strange locals in the form of Fan-Bellied Filefish. Closely related to Trigger fish, they feed on algae and invertebrates and have the ability to alter their colours and patterns to blend in with the environment. 

During the trips I seemed to run into Mourning Cuttlefish everywhere I turned (so you will have to indulge in a heap of photos I'm afraid). They make for great photography as they are covered in tiny cells which can change to any colour in the spectrum so each shot you get something different.

A little Roundbelly Cowfish was about too.