Starcross Ferry Seal & Surfers

Over on the little Starcross ferry to Exmouth today.

A large seal was lying out on a jetty as we chugged past. ‘We don’t know its name’ said the ferry boatman.

It could be the ‘Harold’ seen over in Torbay.

On Exmouth beach the sand was white and the sun was lovely. We got sunburnt faces (in September) eating our bacon sarnies.

The windsurfers were all over the sea and sky, having a whale of a time.

And then we’ve plopped on the ferry back to Starcross.

Our Harold had scarpered.

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Some Shaldon Zoo Pictures

A few pics from our visit to Shaldon Zoo yesterday

Here is the Meerkat Lookout dutifully doing his job

His fixed focus was on something about 2 feet above our heads

Next is this White Faced Saki Monkey

‘Their faces look almost like people’ Haze said.

Next is this Azara’s Agouti.

Shy animals are Agouti’s. Get preyed on a lot.

Next was this Red Bellied Lemur.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Also a shy seeming animal. Timid. Vulnerable looking with those big baby brown eyes.

And finally here is a Bird Eating Spider

It was huge. I wanted to see it move. But it was fast asleep.

I’d go back to Shaldon Zoo just to sit next to this Hairy Bird Eating Beast.

Waiting to see it scuttle scurrying across its cage hissing, with fangs in the ‘bite-your-head-off’ position.

Shaldon Zoo

A birthday trip treat to little Shaldon Zoo this afternoon.

We’re seeing: Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins; Yellow-Breasted Capuchins; Common Squirrel Monkeys; White Faced Saki Monkeys; Red Ruffed Lemurs; Gentle Lemurs; Red Bellied Lemurs.

Did we know that long nosed Potoroos existed? No. Swinhoes Striped Squirrels? No. Blue Throated Conures? No.

I’ve decided to identify all the animals you see on the vid. They need to be known. They need to be remembered. They need to be honoured.

Before they all disappear out of existence.

Vid & Words: Ian Nisbet

River Dart Enchantment

A few pictures from yesterdays ‘enchantment’ on the Dart river.

I was too intent on looking for Beautiful Demoiselles to have much time or attention for anything else.

I noticed the Red Devons in the river but only got to them as they were coming out. But one obliging chap stayed in

He stood in the water for well over 10 minutes obviously enjoying the river cooling him down (not that it was a particularly sweltering day)

And now he’s having another drink of river Dart sparkling champagne.

I was seeing quite a few butterflies flitting about but felt I had to keep my attention focused on finding those Demoiselles

Here’s a fairly common butterfly (but new, and therefore uncommon, to me)

That’s called a ‘Gatekeeper’. He seemed to be guarding those flowers there (help! what are they called Haze?!)

I could hear a buzzards high pitched keening call from above but he was too high and too far away for me to get a clear image of.

But I could get decent (or indecently) close pics of these Demoiselles. This is the male (far more beautiful than the plainer female)

These Beautiful Demoiselles have made my summer they have.

Well, so far. Until some other marvel magics the moment I happen to be sauntering into next.

To The Hackney Marshes

Out for an amble in Newton Abbot this Saturday afternoon.

Setting off from the Passage House Inn in a westerly direction.
The river Teign has narrowed into various tiny tributaries and small streams.

And here we’ve come, quite unexpectedly, upon The Hackney Marshes.
Sounds like something out of a Victorian crime novel.

Lots of tall reed and murky marsh to find soggy life (or death) in.

Further on is thick hedgerow teeming with bird.

We walk along the back end of the racecourse towards Newton Abbot Quay.
Incredibly, I’ve only just recently found out that Newton Abbot has a quay.
It’s not much of a quay admittedly. But you could possibly sail a small boat up from the sea on an incoming tide.

We’ve gobbled our banana cheesecake next to the long overhang bridge.
Just a few yards away these rabbits are gobbling away too.

A slow saunter back with our nosey noticing eyes switched full on.
A white bottomed bee has fallen onto the path exhausted. So we help him onto the grass verge out of harms way.
This comma butterfly was having an afternoon nap too.

We’ve daydreamed our way on. Here’s the Hackney Marshes again.
But we’ve gone a bit lost.
Never mind. All adds to the intrigue.

If you want to feel like a dubious character (preferably in a Victorian crime novel), get yourself lost in the Hackney Marshes for a bit.
Wear a top hat. Adorn a cape.
Mutter indecipherable conundrums to yourself.

Carry a shotgun.

From Tidpiddlies to Froglets

Once they were tadpoles – now they are frogs.

Out of about 50 tidpiddlies added to garden pond in late April around 2 dozen have turned into froglets.

Took them about 7 weeks to transform.

!Update!: The froglets have disappeared from the pond.

Did last weeks heatwave do for them?
Have they all been gobbled up by predatory birds?
Or have they cleverly dispersed to find food elsewhere?

Wherever they’ve gone, lets hope one comes back.

As a fully frogged frog.

To gobble up slugs.

Vid: Ian Nisbet; Filming: Hazel Brown

The Cat Can Wait

This is one – a vid – I made earlier (about 3 years ago)

It’s about time it got blogged.

A rather long vid of cut up cats relentlessly waiting to, or mercilessly about to, pounce on their dinner.

With Keith Jarrett relentlessly pouncing and pounding away from behind as rhythmical accompaniment.

Vid: Ian Nisbet; Music: Keith Jarrett

PS (or SOS): It’s probably best not to know, or see, what happened to that helpless calf at the end. I don’t (and didn’t)