Little Egret

You looking at me?!!

Yep, I'm a Little Egret or in Latin Egretta garzetta and I live in the tidal lagoon at Rosscarbery in Ireland. The town is right on the Wild Atlantic Way, the world's longest defined coastal touring route, so I'm sort of used to having people stopping and looking at me, although I'm still a bit nervous when the cameras come out.

The tide is just on its way back in but before it reaches this spot, there is just time to pop along to do a bit of fishing - now that I've finished my session of must-do preening in the winter sunshine of course.

Now, there is a bit of a technique to fishing and these big yellow feet of mine come in particularly useful.

You see, I paddle about in the shallow water and as I do, I jiggle my foot about in the mud at the bottom, which hopefully will release some tasty morsels from their secure resting place.

Sometimes I have to go back and forth a bit.

But I'm always keeping my beady eye open for that tell-tale movement, aaaaaaand...

...Bingo!

Smart eh?!

Day 21 - August Challenge

Challenge - "Underwater via an aquarium or fish tank, 21st"

Suggested by - Richard via Facebook

Although I have discussed underwater housings for my G12 with today's challenger in the past, I still haven't yet taken the plunge with my cash, or the plunge with the camera for that matter. As a little camera, the G12 might be worth the risk but I certainly wouldn't consider putting my big DSLR underwater. This meant that 'underwater' would have to be approached from a different angle and seeing as it stated 'via aquarium or fishtank', it relieved me of task of doing a quick PADI qualification.

Aquarium or fishtank. Now that wouldn't have been a problem less than two months ago but some of you may have noted my glee when the fish finally left home to live with their rightful owner - our recently graduated eldest. This now left me with a slight dilemma, where was I to find a suitable fishtank. It crossed my mind to make a visit to one of those seaside aquariums, where it is possible to walk through tunnels 'underwater' and sure, it would have been rather cool to get the underbelly of a shark. However, the seaside is a daytrip, and I allowed myself one of those yesterday. Fishtanks a bit closer to home then ...my local garden centre!

Thankfully they were very obliging and allowed me to shoot away 'sans flash' (would I do anything else!). At first I was fascinated by the wonderful shimmering colours and amassed a lovely collection of abstract colour patterns from long exposures. Then I turned to the little joker - the clown fish. Cute and instantly recognisable by even the youngest of visitors, I heard the cry of 'Nemo' with some regularity. So not that one then. Eventually after visiting all of the 2 dimensional fishtanks I happened on one which I could see through three sides.

Having had a fishtank at home, I knew there would be a wonderful mirror effect which I could take advantage of. Now, to just wait for the... erm (I forgot to check but I think they were some form of Angel fish) to move into the right place. With only one 4GB card with me, I had to delete many shots of unobliging fish poses (never work with animals!) but my mantra of just 'going with them' would surely pay off eventually. After what seemed like an eternity of those pursed lips coming to greet me at the corner of the tank, and the umpteenth time I was down to the last shot on my memory card, I disheartedly fired off another last shot. A quick look at the screen on the back of the camera and I realised that "that would do it!"

(What is it? So many times, it is either the first or last shot that ends up being the one!)

On reflection, it was lovely to move back to glorious colour after a couple of black and white days.

So Richard, here for your "underwater". Are you seeing double?

The grab shot

My thanks to:

Richard for the suggestion

Maidenhead Aquatics for allowing me to lurk in their tank rooms

Tomorrow, Day 22

"Duck"

Lugworms (Arenicola marina)

Have you ever wondered what those little 'walnut whip-like' sandy heaps are on the beach?
OK, so you possibly know they are produced by a worm but which worm and what do they look like?
On a damp January day, we set out to investigate.

Having checked the local beach bylaws as best we could, we found no apparent restrictions on digging on the nearby strand. Our digging was not to be for collecting bait though, and which is the more regular reason for disturbing these casts made by the lugworm, as it is the preferred bait for cod fishermen. In the past and during the plentiful years of cod angling, my other half had on occasions, dug lugworm for bait. This time, it was a curiosity question by the eldest that prompted the latest venture with a spade.

You might have on occasions, seen a band of workers armed with forks and a bucket, down on the beaches, busy stooping at the low tide mark. These would be the bait diggers after the fat lugworms, either for their own use, or digging for commercial use. This practise, if not managed properly though, can lead to environmental and sustainability problems, (as highlighted here by the Marine Bio Organisation)

"Lugworms are harmless and often an angler's preferred bait for fishing cod... Such bait digging by sport fishermen is widespread in Britain and it is estimated that 75% of the members of the National Anglers Council in the UK dig their own bait. It has been shown that it takes at least a month for a dug-out area of lugworm beach to be repopulated near to its original density (McLusky, 1983)."

However, this time, we were just after one specimen of these useful sand re-oxygenators and food source for birds, such as the curlew. By understanding the habits and taking care where to dig, chances of damaging the worm with the spade were minimised. They live in a u-shaped burrow with a depression visible in the sand at the head end and the familiar cast at the tail end, created when the worm expels the sand after removing the useful organic content. 

Needless to say, mutt looked on, desperately wanting to help out with this search.

It wasn't long though, before we had our first fat lugworm, which can take up to six years to mature to full size. Sexual maturity comes at about 2-3 years with spawning happening at low tide, for only a couple of days during a two week window in October / November. After developing for a while in the female burrow, the larvae are washed to the firmer areas of the sand and continue to grow until they are mature enough to be washed back to the wetter sand where they can start to burrow. Each year as they grow, the worms move further towards the low tide line, which is where the mature worms are found.

The body of the lugworm is segmented with bristles being present on the middle section along with the gills. Like some reptiles, lugworms have the ability to re-grow their tail, part of the useful method of self defence.

After this investigative lesson, our specimen lugworm was returned to the beach where, in the space of two minutes, it dug its way back into the sand.
The spade holes were filled in and it was left to the tide to continue the daily pattern of life.

Another lesson well enjoyed.

Humpbacks in April (Pt2)

Firstly it is very important to point out that both humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) are protected under European and UK law, so it is illegal to disturb or harass them.

Second, the trip documented here was a research trip where all necessary licences had been obtained beforehand, so as to carry out the procedures described.

__________________________________________________________________________

Before you get all excited that there has been another wonderful encounter with humpback whales off the West Cork coast, let me stop you there, as this post is the follow-on that I promised, in part, to Padraig Whooley of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. I did 'pretty' in (Pt1) and now the 'important' stuff is here in (Pt2) I make no apologies for presenting it in a way that is easily comprehendable for those where science may not come naturally.

The Holly Jo that sails from Castlehaven in West Cork.

Top notch skipper, Colin Barnes of Cork Whale Watch
scanning the sea for indications of whale activity.

Seabird activity points to the shoals of herring and
mackerel that show up on sonar. Food for the whales
and birds alike.

Humpback whale located, Conor prepares
a biopsy dart...

...loaded into the crossbow...

...ready to shoot - crossbow & cameras!

Dart hits the target.

Followed by a successful retrieval...

...and successful collection of biopsy sample.

Basking shark also observed.

An unsuccessful attempt made to tag the fish.

Meanwhile, not one to miss an opportunity,
Colin cooly casts a rod over the side...

...and easily pulls up a line of mackerel and herring
from the fish-rich sea.

Eugene drops a different line down to listen in on whale conversations.

Sadly, nothing distinct apart from lapping water
on the bottom of the boat.

Then another basking shark is observed.

To increase chances of success with tagging,
the pole has a make-shift extension added.

326 had tried to be used on the earlier attempt.

It would be a good end to the day to manage to tag
this basking shark.

Basking shark 326 successfully tagged, fin distinguishing points clearly visible.

The tagging will provide scientists with opportunities to gain information regards the otherwise little known migratory habits of the basking sharks.

The Shark Trust has published a code of conduct to be followed in any basking shark encounter. Key points to note are:

• Keep your distance: keep at least four metres between you and the shark so as not to startle it. If you are swimming with other people, stay in a group, but don't invite others over to take a look.
• If you're in a boat, turn off your engine (boat propellers are a major cause of serious injury to basking sharks feeding near the surface)
• If you have a camera handy, take lots of photos of the dorsal fin and any distinguishable features on the shark, as this may help the researchers identify the individual
• Move away gently and quietly and report your sighting to the Shark Trust

Similarly, sightings of cetaceans anywhere around UK waters should be reported to the appropriate local groups and in Ireland to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group

The biopsy samples taken were part of an important research tool where they will provide a range of genetics and pollutant information, and where it is not possible to obtain this data any other way from healthy specimens.


Conor Ryan is currently continuing a period of humpback whale study in Cape Verde and you may like to keep up with the happenings in his blog


The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group will be running whale watching weekends on Cape Clear during the summer details are available on their website.


Colin Barnes runs whale and dolphin trips out into West Cork waters. Details on his website.

Again, my thanks to all involved.

Humpbacks in April (Pt1)

Humpback whale HBIRL20 off the Stag Rocks, Co Cork

And so it has happened! I was exceedingly fortunate to make a trip out on The Holly Jo, to look for humpbacks on Saturday 7th April. Firstly it wasn't a normal charter for Colin Barnes. This was a research charter by SEAI with the IWDG and with serious scientific study scheduled. (I will be making a second post about the trip which will feature this work) Secondly, it had been unheard of to find humpback whales in these West Cork waters in April. Colin had been out on a fishing charter the previous evening and had come across the humpbacks again, further west from Galley Head where we had seen them last Tuesday. This was enough evidence for the research trip to be organised at short notice for the next day.

I couldn't believe that the weather was so perfect on the Saturday morning. Calm seas with an off-shore breeze and sunshine. Just perfect for me, the poor sailor, although I was taking no chances and popped two of the little 'sailors helpers' regardless. I was not going to have a repeat of a previous trip I had had with Colin where I spent the whole trip in the wheelhouse feeling rather green having been assured by my better half I would be fine without the pills. (That's the last time I take his sea-faring advice!) Apart from which, we saw nothing, and sadly, it also happened on the second family trip out with Colin, which is practically unheard of but probably down to the early time in the season. If anyone can seek out the whales and dolphins, Colin can. He is legendary in these parts. Who knows what went wrong on those two trips but on Saturday I wasn't bothered about the past. I was just looking forward to finally encountering these splendid creatures close-up.

We had scarcely been at sea for 15 minutes from Castlehaven when there was the first call of "Blow!"

This was to be the start of a most amazing seven hours that I will never forget. The scientific work started immediately and I will detail this in Pt2 of the blog. I am now going to make my apologies to Padraig Whooley from the IWDG as this first blog post is going to be, as he puts it, 'the pretty pictures'. Padraig, the science bits will come, I promise!
I was so engrossed, I had no time to think about my sea-faring well-being. This was wildlife observing at its best. Close to home, on a perfect day and at a time of year it wasn't expected. To top it all, we also observed a new humpback, HBIRL20 which became the latest addition to the West Cork records, swimming alongside HBIRL18 who had already been consistently observed off the South coast of Ireland over the previous few months.

HBIRL18 & HBIRL20 under Toe Head, West Cork

Looking up from the action, I realised we truly were on my home patch, right under Toe Head. We had gradually drifted westward with the tide and the huge shoal of herring and mackerel that the whales were feeding on. I only hoped my better half had been able to pick up my text alerting him to pop out onto the Head to look out at the action. And action was what we were getting. A spectacular display of lobtailing meant that all camera shutters on the Holly Jo were clicking away faster than Denis Noonan playing the bones in De Barras.

Watch Youtube video

We were all aiming for fluke shots of the new addition, an important part of documenting the individual whales, Each whale has unique colouring, shaping and markings and by taking images of the flukes from the top and underside...

HBIRL20 fluke from top (Galley Head in the background)

HBIRL20 fluke from underside

and also their dorsal fin from both left and right side...

HBIRL20

it is possible to make future sightings accurate.

After easily securing the ID images, we were all able to watch and enjoy this amazing behaviour, their flukes repeatedly pounding the surface of water creating the inevitable spectacular splash.

HBIRL20 off the Stag Rocks

HBIRL20 off the Stag Rocks

Humpback whales lobtailing off the Stag Rocks

The day had passed very quickly, and with some successful scientific work having been carried out, plus sightings of at least four basking sharks and possibly a small minke whale, the experience for me couldn't have been far more removed from my first trip out on the Holly Jo. Just amazing!

The following morning we found ourselves in the company of Colin up on the headland, both of us with binoculars poised. Colin had thought he had glimpsed a whale but as we sat and observed for around an hour, it appeared that the humpbacks might have retreated back East along the coast. Wherever they might be, it is only through sensitive and controlled study of their movements that we might learn to understand their life patterns and why they might be in the waters of Southern Ireland during this time of the year.


My grateful thanks to Eugene Mc Keown on behalf of the SEAI. Padraig Whooley from the IWDG and Colin Barnes from Cork Whale Watch

IWDG report from the day

View Part 2 of this post here

Winter Bird Watch

With a continuation of high winds plus the rain today, it was not very conducive to removing my camera from the bag. Thankfully though, on my drive from the airport yesterday, I was able to stop at one of my favourite spots in West Cork for winter bird watching. Whilst the summer months support a vast array of species at The Warren in Rosscarbery, the winter brings extra flocks of visiting birds.

Arriving late afternoon, just as the sun was beginning to drop behind the high banks that enclose this lagoon, I sat and watched for some time as a huge flock of golden plover, all facing up-stream, paddled in the receding tidal water. Alongside them was a smaller flock of lapwing who were less perturbed by the vehicles passing along the lane that leads to the quay. The plover, on the other hand, would take flight at the slightest sound of an approaching car, providing plenty of opportunities to marvel at this avian mass performance. Meanwhile, a redshank continued to paddle in its search of a tasty meal, oblivious to the fuss going on overhead.

Also looking for a meal was a permanent resident that is regularly seen at this spot, the grey heron. Patiently it waited, occasionally making a controlled but sly move, as it observed the goings-on around its feet. That patience was finally rewarded with a wriggling fish. Meanwhile, the little egret paddling nearby (pictured above), gave up on its search, instead taking off and engaging in a short airborne spat with another egret.

By this time, the light was fading and the thought of a refreshing cuppa brought this particular visit to an end.

From Melon to Lemon

This was a picture I captured a while back. As the lemon leads on nicely from yesterdays picture and it is a 'Fishy Friday' I thought it would be an appropriate post.

I didn't know whether to pity the indignity of this poor tope or praise the fishmonger for a sense of humour. Regardless, it was making customers stop and look.