On our outward journey on the 22nd Aug I also saw what I thought was a dolphin, this time close to the ship and only one. Compared to the dolphins this seemed much larger but with a relatively small fin. I read that a Minke Whale had been seen a few days earlier and I now suspect this was also a Minke.
Travelling back to Penzance from Isle of Scilly the sky was blue and the sea was flat, so much so that a large beaker of water left on framework did not have a ripple. Suddenly between the Scillies and Wolf Rock we saw a dolphin. Then there were about 10 leaping out of the water. We were able to observe them for several minutes until they fell well behind.
On our outward journey on the 22nd Aug I also saw what I thought was a dolphin, this time close to the ship and only one. Compared to the dolphins this seemed much larger but with a relatively small fin. I read that a Minke Whale had been seen a few days earlier and I now suspect this was also a Minke.
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Chance look over the sea wall at lunchtime and I noticed a large number of Shags in Porthcressa Bay. I counted 124, but of course they were diving and surfacing as swept my binos over the area.
Also crashing through the field of vision was the occasional Sandwich Tern, hitting the sea with great effort but not getting but a few cms below the surface. The whole event had a grand finale of a tern with a 10 cm long fishing being chased by herring gull right over my head. To think I had just wandered out into the garden while I was waiting for the others to set off to Juliet's Garden for lunch! First visit after 6 weeks away. Fine song from blackcap near Pond 1. Also heard chiffchaff. Bluebells and cowslips quite prolific and ladysmock present. Saw orange tip butterfly. Saw my first swallow today in Hiller's car park near Bidford-on-Avon Warwickshire.
Not strictly true as on the 14th we returned from a 5 weeks holiday in Australia where we had seen swallows. Grey December day, not sure whether to go for a couple of hours or not. Glad I did. Went to far hide on freshwater lake where I heard Cetti Warbler. Curlews 8, teals, pair gadwalls, shoverlers, great black backed gull, cormorants, tufted ducks, lapwings and Canada geese. Walking back to car I noticed a new nature trail had been laid around the small lake. This had a couple of wicker fences with a viewing slit set close to the reed bed. Checked the first one and there a few feet away was a water rail. May not be that rare but a first for me.
On entering the National Trust Hailes Abbey site in Gloucestershire we came across this small vole. Had to be quick to capture movie on my Panasonic GX 1 There is a lot of material about which camera is the best. Often it is just the one you have with you. I caught this mayfly as it flew beside me during a walk in the Worcestershire lanes around our village. The only camera I had with me was my iPhone.
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AuthorRetired but still very busy. Archives
September 2014
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