The Safari headed out on to a mild Patch 1 to discover it had just about been abandoned by the local wildlife, nothing was stirring, not even a mouse. Indeed we don’t think we’ve ever known it so quiet. A handful of Woodpigeons pecked around on the grass and a Wren tried to rattle off a short snatch of song and that was about it.
No sign of the Great Spotted Woodpecker and we didn’t look at the Sparrowhawk’s nest as there was someone else with a dog not far away – always think it is better not to draw unnecessary attention to it.
After the dismality that was Patch 1 hopes were high for Patch 2. It wasn’t long before they were dashed to smithereens. Nothing, nothing at all. Several fishermen were on the beach with a similarly small number of gulls.
Out at sea all there was was a vast expanse of flat calm blue: A few ripples made by the light offshore breeze and a distinct lack of anything else!
We did learn this morning that someone else had seen ‘our’ Bottle Nosed Dolphins, confirmation we weren’t hallucinating! More accurately we’d seen ‘someone else’s’ as this other chappy had seen them, and more of them (20!), a few days earlier than us. Since we saw ‘ours’ 15 have been seen off the coast of Anglesey (can see that from Patch 2 on a clear day) so it would seem; a) we missed a load or b) our 4 were actually 5 and part of the 20 of which only 15 have hit the trail back to Welsh waters, so c) are there still 4 or 5 lurking somewhere out there? If so will we see them again? Dunno, but wouldn’t half like to!!!
Lunchtime wasn’t any better! On the beach was huge Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, the biggest we’ve seen so far at about a metre across, with some of its long tentacles stretching out over the sand around it. Several smaller ones littered the beach too, floating off on the rising tide. Even though our bathing water quality is improving year on year (all tests so far this year have been passed) you won’t find the Safari strippin off and diving in any time soon, not with those things floating around. The big ones deliver a helluva of a punch even when dead and even when long dead and broken in to bits by the waves!
Where to next? Rumours of a 'Super' Orchid are intriguing and need to be investigated.
No sign of the Great Spotted Woodpecker and we didn’t look at the Sparrowhawk’s nest as there was someone else with a dog not far away – always think it is better not to draw unnecessary attention to it.
After the dismality that was Patch 1 hopes were high for Patch 2. It wasn’t long before they were dashed to smithereens. Nothing, nothing at all. Several fishermen were on the beach with a similarly small number of gulls.
Out at sea all there was was a vast expanse of flat calm blue: A few ripples made by the light offshore breeze and a distinct lack of anything else!
We did learn this morning that someone else had seen ‘our’ Bottle Nosed Dolphins, confirmation we weren’t hallucinating! More accurately we’d seen ‘someone else’s’ as this other chappy had seen them, and more of them (20!), a few days earlier than us. Since we saw ‘ours’ 15 have been seen off the coast of Anglesey (can see that from Patch 2 on a clear day) so it would seem; a) we missed a load or b) our 4 were actually 5 and part of the 20 of which only 15 have hit the trail back to Welsh waters, so c) are there still 4 or 5 lurking somewhere out there? If so will we see them again? Dunno, but wouldn’t half like to!!!
Lunchtime wasn’t any better! On the beach was huge Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, the biggest we’ve seen so far at about a metre across, with some of its long tentacles stretching out over the sand around it. Several smaller ones littered the beach too, floating off on the rising tide. Even though our bathing water quality is improving year on year (all tests so far this year have been passed) you won’t find the Safari strippin off and diving in any time soon, not with those things floating around. The big ones deliver a helluva of a punch even when dead and even when long dead and broken in to bits by the waves!
Where to next? Rumours of a 'Super' Orchid are intriguing and need to be investigated.
In the meantime let us know if there was life in your outback today.
1 comment:
Update on the unIDd newt from Sunday - a little disappointingly is a Smooth Newt :(
D
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