Out and about in Cornwall this week....

Although I've been living in Cornwall for the past 5 years, I still find myself out and about discovering things to do and places to see that I've not visited before and am absolutely blown away when I get there! On Monday 27th Sept I found myself standing at the top of Godrevy Point on the rugged north Cornish coast completely spellbound by the incredible clifftop views of the vast sandy beaches of Gwithian and Hayle as well as St Ives bay and Godrevy lighthouse which is completely solar powered.

It's no surprise that this remote stretch of exquisite Cornish coastline protected by the National Trust made it to category finalist in the 2008 British Best Open Space, Green Space Travel Awards along with Kosi Bay in South Africa being nominated for best open space award worldwide! It was a beautiful sunny day so I had expected to have a lovely walk along the cliffs. I was even treated to a young seal putting in an appearance, but what I hadn't expected to see was Britain's most venomous snake! An Adder (Vipera berus) was slowly making its way across a grassy patch right in front of me. All I could think of was that awful South African snake wrangler wannabe Austin Steve who makes me cringe anytime I flick the TV channel onto one of his programs with him going...."yaaa like our snakes are so big they use your snakes for bait!" but of course me being me, I followed it..... much to the surprise of the now gathering group of spectators. They were warning me not to go too close in case it bit me but of course by then I was taking no notice of anyone, and managed to get some brilliant photos of my first Adder sighting which I've shared with you here... enjoy :)

For more Adder info visit the following link, as i've just found out from my narcoleptic naturalist fellow blogger and scientist friend Sally that my Adder is a female, due to the dark brown zigzag pattern on her back, whereas males have a black or grey zigzag pattern on the back.

http://www.surrey-arg.org.uk/cgi-bin/SARG2ReptileSpeciesData.asp?Species=Adder

Have a brilliant week all, until next time and my next adventure........ Nic x

Shark Bait

Early morning on September the 7th 2010 two intrepid zoologists set out to immerse themselves into the freezing Atlantic ocean in the hope of seeing what some people regard as the most feared creature in the sea but what we regard as one of the most incredible and intelligent ……. sharks.

Regardless of what we may think, sharks are in need of protection and raising awareness is one of the only ways in which we can begin to conserve them.
There are over 30 species of shark found in British Waters and over 50% of them are considered to be under threat. Of the sharks found around the coast of Britain the most iconic and loved must surely be the magnificent Basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus). The second largest living shark after the Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) they move glide silently through the world’s temperate oceans peacefully filter feeding on plankton.

Photo by: Annabelle Lowe Atlantic Diving

After Basking sharks the next species we were hoping to encounter on our dive were Blue sharks (Prionace glauca). They are pelagic sharks, found worldwide in deep temperate and tropical waters from the surface to a depth of about 350 meters. Males range in size up to 4 meters in length as a sight to behold as they flash past the cage.
Sadly thousands of sharks are fished commercially each year for their meat, fins and liver oil which is used in lamps, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, vitamin supplements and Chinese medicine. Some of course ends up served in some restaurants as a delicacy. These threats are decimating shark populations worldwide.
The British Shark Trust work proactively with the public and fisheries promoting worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action to develop sustainable fishing practices, influence legislation and put an end to cruel shark finning practices.
Sharks are apex predators and therefore play important roles in marine ecosystems. A decline in shark numbers has had serious effects on the marine environment.

Photo from: BBC Wildlife Sept 2010

The main aim of our sponsored cage shark dive was to raise funds for the Tag-a-Turtle project and the Marine Conservation Society, helping to raise awareness and support turtle conservation. But submerged 2 meters underwater in the freezing Atlantic Ocean with nothing but a layer of neoprene for protection we quickly realised that it takes more than guts and determination to survive out in the ocean.
We need to educate, conserve and change fishing practices from short term quick fixes to long term sustainable methods if we are to conserve marine biodiversity for future generations.

For more information on sharks please visit the sharktrust.org or for a trip of a lifetime visit atlanticdiver.co.uk. We even made it to to the BBC Cornwall News Page http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cornwall/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8988000/8988488.stm

A huge thankyou to everyone for supporting the turtle project and reading my blog :)

Regards
Nic

Bats, Birds and Sunbathing Seals

Hi Everyone

So sorry for not blogging for a while! So much been happening, lots of exciting news and some sad news!

Not that I like starting on a sad note but last week we found a little Pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) trying to get out of a sink in the laboratory at Duchy College Rosewarne, thank goodness Matt found him and we tried to release him but unfortunately he didn’t make it, the poor little guy. We contacted Bat Conservation UK who came to collect him and said that he was an adult male and perhaps had just died of old age, so nature took its rightful course in the end. Still it was a sad event.

On a happier note the Tag-a-Turtle project (see last blog) is doing really well! Nic & I had our first fundraising event at Sainsbury’s supermarket in Newquay today, raising loads of money and awareness for the project, our sponsored cage shark dive and of course the Marine Conservation Society. It was a really brilliant and successful day, thanks to everyone who stopped by and for all the support from everyone!

Also on the news front, I have been volunteering for the RSPB –Royal Society for the Protection of Birds since the beginning of May, assisting one of the Conservation Officers at the Marazion office near Penzance in Cornwall. I have also been asked to survey a colony of kittiwakes in Newquay, noting their courtship and nesting activities. I’m happy to report that they now have chicks and appear to be doing well, although there have been some issues with disturbance which may be affecting their breeding success, which is why monitoring them is important. On my last visit to photograph them a seal named Dr Who (kindly identified by the Cornwall Seal Group ) had hauled himself onto a rock in the sunshine and was happily advertsing his handsomeness for all to view.

Im sure you’ll agree he is a very handsome creature indeed!

Till next time....
Regards
Nic