That sure was an icy blast

The Safari had a bit of a shock this morning. Nothing much was happening on Patch 2 not many gulls on the beach having been disturbed by dog walkers, the sea wasn't much cop either, very choppy and not much out there bar the Common Scoters. 

A little later back in the office a pale bird shot past the window, we thought it might have been the elusive Song Thrush from the other day but no it wasn't that, rummaging around under the hedge picking up the odd stick here and there was a Collared Dove (P2 #38) and pretty much a mega at work. Once back at Base Camp we checked our records and discovered it  was the first we've seen on Patch 2 since 2010!!!

The rest of most of the morning was spend on a very windy beach exploring what the storms have brought in. The strand-line was extensive and our two small children soon got to grips with the multitude of shells. We'd sort of promised them some Starfish, Common Sand Stars, which the gulls had been gorging on earlier...they must have done a lot of gorging as we failed to find any. 

Lots of good stuff out there. Plenty of Dead Men's Fingers sponges, this one found on the way back to the wall stuck to a Scallop.

Did you spot the Pomatoceros triqueter worm's head poking out of it's tube.

Also doing a bit of peeking out is this Hermit Crab from its Barnacle encrusted Moon Snail shell hidey-hole.

While we were looking for bigger starfish we started to find their smaller cousins the Brittlestars. Some were quite sizable for this species but all were missing large amounts off their limbs.

On the right of the Brittlestar we there's another sponge Halicolona oculata using a Fanworm case (whose name we have forgotten - DB help us please) as a holdfast.

A good haul all round.

Isn't our beach brill!

Where to next? Not sure what might happen this weekend, possibly not able to get any safari-ing done but we'll see.

In the meantime let us know who's peeking out of what in your outback.

Our beach really is a fabulous place to explore

The Safari was desk -bound this morning and heavy rain earlier prevented any Patch 2 visit. we got out a lunchtime to see more or less b*gger all out there.

As we were packing the Land Rover for our afternoon session with another family group further up the beach at an area we don't often have a really close look at...exciting stuff...we passed the Campanula we spotted with the Young Uns the other day and decided to get a few pics of it cos tbh we're not 100% sure if it's a real wildflower or some garden escape. Those clever iSpotters will no doubt be able to help.

On the beach the children soon had their buckets full of a variety of seaweeds including the very common Sea Lettuce and Purple Laver with side orders of Spiral and Egg Wrack. We spotted a large piece of Sea Oak.

Soon enough tiny Green Shore Crabs found their way in to the nets and under the piers there were lots of Brown Shrimps.

A sharp pair of eyes spotted this Necklace Shell which is covered with Hedgehog Hydroid but it wasn't until we'd been handling it for a while that we saw there was a shy Hermit Crab inside!

Find of the day went to the first find of the day. As we were all walking down the steps to the sand we spotted a dark shiny shape, a huge Mermaid's Purse which almost succumbed to the hordes of wellies tramping down the steps.

Not sure what species of shark - more accurately elasmobranch - it is from, perhaps a Thornback Ray.

After our day was done at the beach we nipped up to the northern estuary to have a look at the rising tide. We didn't have long and it was still too low to push the waders close enough to photograph. Only one slightly dodgy pic of some Redshank being washed off a mid stream sand-bank.

We watched a Small White butterfly alight on a Bramble flower some distance away. Luckily we had the long lens and framed the shot. As soon as we pressed the shutter it did what butterflies do best  - fluttered by. There is a bee in the shot too which we hadn't seen through the view finder.

So another great day by the seaside...come on Benyon give the seas the protection they desperately deserve...your becoming a bigger pillock with every dithering day.

Where to next? Not sure yet, anything could happen tomorrow.

In the meantime let us know what's hiding in someone elses cast offs in your outback.

Got some visitors to these pages from Lebanon. Hope they aren't those ones that massacre tens of thousands of migrants and then gloat about it on F/b, if you're not please try to educate those mindless idiots that do those awful things and if you one are one of those mindless idiots grow up and stop and desist right now you're a disgrace to humanity!

Tiny hands = sharp eyes

The Safari was out on Patch 2 briefly this morning checking access fore the little ones. A quick look over the sea only gave us about a dozen Sandwich Terns and not a lot else, two dark looking interesting things approached from way to the south but we lost them in the haze before they got close enough for an ID. 

The little ones hit the beach and their grasping hands were soon filled with all shapes and sizes of shells, they particularly liked the rubbery horseshoe shaped ribbons of Necklace Shell eggs.

They found a few empty Masked Crab carapaces whose occupants are hidden deep in the sand somewhere else.

We had a skutch round the pots with the net and found a few Common Prawns and a single live juvenile Green Shore Crab. The littlies found the tiniest Brittle Star which when put in the water revealed itself to be still well and truly alive.

A sharp eyed child picked up this mangled shell of a Hermit Crab, Pargurus bernhardus, it's a lot bigger than the ones we usually find, the big claw is about three inches (75mm) long. It's actually another shed skin.

Better was to come when a small hand gave us a snotty blob of jelly...we haven't seen anything quite like it before and giving it a squeeze a jet of water squirted out at one end...giving us a very big clue! 

It's a Sea Squirt of some description. Early thoughts leaned towards Molgula manhattensis but those clever iSpotters later suggested it could be Ascidiella aspersa.

What ever it is it's a new one for us.

We didn't get a chance to have a shuffy at Patch 2 at lunchtime but a walk with Frank at teatime gave us some nice patches of Sweet Vernal Grass and our first Lesser Trefoil of the year, the local patch of Common Figwort is coming along nicely...but where are our Swifts?

Where to next? Woooohoooo we're on our hols and anything could happen, might even get the moth trap out tonight...best check the forecast...could be a chance to steal a march on Monika arch-rival in our annual Year List Challenge...it's very very close between us at the moment

In the meantime let us know what the tiny hands are grabbing at in your outback.

 

The beach doth beckon

The Safari managed a couple of pics at the river yesterday afternoon. Three Mute Swans drifted serenely past while a Moorhen skulked furtively in the vegetation across on the far side.

More interesting were the demoiselles which fluttered up and down the far bank. With no bins with us we’d never be able to tell. Then m’laddo spotted one settle on some reeds just beyond midstream and probably out of range, it wasn’t a large river, more of a decent sized stream but still the best part of 20 yards or more wide. The Moorhen bobbed past it and it flushed but returned to settle on the same reed...promising! We wound the lens up to full volume but just as we were trying to find the right reed in the viewfinder another demoiselle fluttered past with our in hot pursuit. Fortunately he returned to his favoured look-out perch and we were ready...click click click...got him. Not the best photo of a Banded Demoiselle  you’ll ever see (it's actually on the reeds you can see beyond the swan's tail) but at least a confirmation as to which of the two species it was. 

Today we had a look over the wall at a very gloomy Patch 2, so gloomy we could barely see the sea across the wide expanse of beach. We did manage a Grey Seal and a flock of Dunlin flew past him and landed on the beach for a count – 24. Three Turnstones were first heard then seen flying from the wall to the outfall pipe. However, easily the best sighting of the short session was of a flock of 12 Black Tailed Godwits (179, P2 #76) (didn't realise it was a year bird!!! - What? Not seen before so far this year - how odd, or how not written down - which???) flying south towards the estuary. Not a species often seen passing this stretch of beach.

After a quick cuppa it was back on to the beach with another group of children eager to explore what the tide might have brought in. A dead Dab and broken piece of Sea Potato were at our feet as we did the obligatory safety demonstration. Once that was over the nets were handed out, trays filled with clean water and off they went to see what they could find.

Quality finds included:-

A very nicely marked Striped Venus Shell which we really should have got a pic of.

Another juvenile Blenny of the same size as Monday’s.

Seven Elegant Anemones including a rather impressive large specimen – really need that underwater camera! And a large Beadlet Anemone waiting for the tide to come back in

Hoards of Brown Shrimps, but try as we might we couldn’t find a Common Prawn today.

Several pairs of Green Shore Crabs and plenty of tiny juveniles.

A couple of Necklace Shells covered with Hedgehog Hydroids.

Many Common Periwinkles, don’t know if Rough Periwinkles are present here but we haven’t come across one yet.

With almost the last sweep of the net we flukily swiped out this tiny sea slug, is it Onchidoris bilamellata again or some other species?

Our marine biologist friend DB appeared with her dog and stayed with us for a while before meandering further down the beach. Later she returned with this rather dapper Hermit Crab tucked in to his/her Necklace Shell.

She also told us of a Smooth Hound her dog had sniffed out and she’d stashed for us to go and find – find we did and believe us when we say it didn’t take much sniffing!!! 

Nearby was a small cluster of Squid eggs, about the size of a tennis ball; don’t know how we’d missed these early not seeing them and not standing on them as there were plenty of children netting in this area, probably couldn’t see them due to all the fine silt they had stirred up.

Yet another great day exploring the beach – every day is different as you just never know what the tide is going to bring up.

Where to next? More of the same tomorrow but on a different stretch of beach and one we’re not so familiar with so who knows what the nets will encounter.

In the meantime let us know what’s being trawled for in your outback.