April 7 2006. The tidal cycle of 14 days first described by a stranding of cuttlebones low on the Southend-on-Sea beaches on March 24 is now repeated by the morning predicted tide at 1.6 m above mean sea-level (O.D) surveyed as a largely algal strandline for 1.8 km east of Chalkwell Station, 0.8 km at Shoebury East Beach and 4.2 km from South Shoebury to Southend Pier. The only new find of a cuttlebone was on the old highest strandline at the East Beach, measured as actually only 1.5 m above the latest strandline using the top of the anti-E-Boat Boom as a horizontal datum. This cuttlebone with an intact width of 35 mm and broken at both ends was probably stranded 14 days before and moved to the higher point on the same or an adjacent beach over the next seven days. After that it was presumably hidden from my surveys by algae since decayed and dry enough to be winnowed by the generally westerly winds there. The new strandline is one of four to eight seen on various parts of the beaches and like them is largely composed of brown algae, a few reeds, whelk egg cases and an offshore ridge of flint gravel or bivalve shells. Abundant reeds are largely concentrated in the two highest strandlines and one in the middle, and confined to the south-facing coast.

Two new finds made today were a spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) with intact legs joined to an entirely predated dorsal carapace and body (eastern Southend) and a pine cone on the same lowest strandline at Chalkwell Shelter with the axis parallel to the shore. It was larger than the usual pinecones seen growing locally, except for one near Southend Pier. Having obtained a cone from there and let it contract in width from 80 to 51 mm in sea-water, it became clear that it was not the source.

Characteristics                   Chalkwell         Southend
Length                            130 mm            105 mm
Diameter (from circumference)      59 mm             51 mm
Dia. of attachment stalk           12 mm              8 mm
Cone axis to stalk axis             0 mm             10 mm
Largest width of scales            21 mm             16 mm
Axial scale dimension         less than 11      less than 11
scale number of sides               4                 6
central umbo                      flat             spine
colour                           dark           pale brown
features                axial split scales   scales intact