Summerleaze Dunes under threat?

Looking eastward over Breakwater Drive

From the Dunes to Breakwater Drive

Bude Marsh and Valley Survey Group recently completed their annual survey of Summerleaze Dunes. July is always seleced as this is the month when most dune plants are in flower. And they were. The recently levelled area in front of the RNLI station was expected to be a barren desert, but plants are beginning to recolonise the area. It was formerly a home to many wasteland species and some garden escapes. The car park edges still host many of these species which is the seed bank for recolonisation of the bare sand.

Sea Holly

The larger natural dune area continues to be a delight. Sand dunes are the most natural remaining habitat in the UK and this area comprises both Embryo and Mobile Dune habitats. It is host to typical species of these habitats; Sea Holly, Sea Spurge, Marram, Sea Bindweed, Restharrow and Morning Primrose to name but a few. It is the only remaining dune habitat between Perranporth in the south and Braunton Burrows in the north.

The Sea Holly is an amazing colour and obviously important and attractive to bees. We observed tens of Red-tailed and hundreds of White-tailed Bumblebees nectaring on these plants.

Dune Chafer on Marram

The Survey Group continues to record all of these typical dune plants and invertebrates which are unique to this habitat. Silvery Leaf-cutter bees were again identified. They need the soft un-compacted sand in which to nest, Restharrow for nectar and Bird’s-foot Trefoil leaves to line their nest all of which are only to be found together here. We also added an endemic dune species for the first time; Dune Chafers which were busily producing another generation in the Marram grass.

Silvery Leafcutter Bee approaching her nest

This year we recorded 66 species of plants, birds, butterflies and beetles in this tiny 1.2 hectare area of Bude bringing our running total in three years of survey to 120 species.

It is one of Bude’s hidden jewels, a secret treasure that should be cherished.

Week Six – Full House?

Week six of my butterfly transect, the weather was perfect.  No clouds and 100% sun, virtually no wind, just a slight breath of air from the southwest and a temperature of 18C in the shade.

Green-veined White

Orange Tip

I began the survey on the first sector with three Green-veined Whites followed by two more and a Speckled Wood and my one and only Orange Tip on the second sector.

I began thinking that I might have sightings on all ten sectors after the first five very sparse weeks.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Speckled Wood

I continued to record Green-veined Whites and Speckled Woods until I emerged from the woods to where the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries appear.  And appear they did.  I saw one and photographed it and another appeared later in this sector (No 6).  Walking along the valley towards the sea I could see a bank of sea mist hugging the cliffs.

24-spot Ladybird on Sea Campion

Wall 

It was Sector Eight that let me down.  Here the footpath ascends the cliffs and the sun was hidden by the mist just overlapping the cliff edge.  So no full house although I did search for and found four 24-spot Ladybirds.  They were where they always are in season, on the Sea Campion that grows all the way up the cliff path.  So the sector was no a total loss although no full house this time.

Once at the top of the cliff I turned inland with the mist behind me and the sun fully blazing once again.  The last two sectors produced butterflies, notably three Wall Brown, another first species of the year.

Nine out of ten sectors produced 26 butterflies of 6 species giving me a target of a full house for next time.

Bring a sense of adventure.

Despite staying on Lundy many times over the last 25 years, we had never been for Christmas.  In the week up to our planned flight day, we were seriously wondering if we would manage it this time.  Helicopters can fly in just about anything, but fog and the forecast was mist, low cloud and fog!

We had been watching the weather all week. It was getting warmer but we all knew that promised mist for days to come. Late on the evening of Wednesday 20^th, I received a Facebook PM from Derek asking if we could be at Hartland International Airport by 6:45 on Friday. This was soon followed by further exchanges of messages with cryptic comments from him and Shelley warning us to be prepared for an unusual trip. “Don’t wear your best clothes and bring a sense of adventure.” was the message.

We duly arrived at HIA at 06:30 to find a large queue of vehicles lit by headlights with “Auntie Wainwright” causing chaos, dodging between cars and refusing to open the car park gates until everyone had paid her charges, given registration numbers and names. She did miss out her usual refrain of “Have you been here before?” though.

Waiting at Clovelly quay

Thirty-six people left our luggage and boarded the waiting coach bound for Clovelly. At the coach park we transferred to 3 landrovers to be ferried down the back road to wait for our next transfer in the Red Lion. This had been opened specially for us and offered toilets and hot drinks while we waited.  

Our boat the Carrick Lee

Shelley N

Blue Fin

We were the first wave of 60-odd passengers to be taken by small boat to Lundy. A little later than expected, the 3 boats arrived and we climbed down the slippery quay steps helped by Derek, Graham, Dean and Zoe. With 12 people in each of the Shelley N, Carrick Lee and Blue Fin we were slightly delayed by Blue Fin developing an engine fault en route from Ilfracombe that meant she was much slower and less maneouverable than the other two boats.

After a much less bumpy ride that we normally get in the Oldenburg, we arrived at the jetty around 10:00. Those leaving the island were waiting with their luggage and we swapped places with them and said bon voyage to them and Rob and Sue who were going to the mainland for a short break. We then headed up the hill for our complimentary breakfast and got to know our fellow travellers in the much quieter atmosphere of the Marisco Tavern.

Leaving misty Clovelly

The delays meant that the tided was out when the 3 boats returned to Clovelly. What was planned as a quick and simple transfer for both sets of passengers turned into a Herculean effort to complete the task. Low tide meant the Oldenburg was way off shore and the 3 small boats could not get into the quay. Passengers and luggage had to be transferred from the shingle beach into small boats, then to RIBs then to the bigger boats. This all took time and effort as not everyone was as agile as the patient staff who got soaked.

The job was completed when the last boat, Blue Fin arrived at the same time as the Oldenburg at the jetty. The tide was now so low at 16:30 that the Oldenbug tied up and the Blue Fin tied up alongside her. Passengers climbed from Blue Fin into the Oldenburg’s passenger hatch, through and up the stairs to cross the gangway onto the jetty thus avoiding the vertical ladder climb.

Oldenburg and Blue Fin - 16:30 final load

Lundy staff finally finished work after 13 hours non-stop at 19:00 when they delivered out luggage and pre-ordered shopping.

I had always wanted to travel from Clovelly to Lundy.

This was the best Christmas present ever.

Christmas Day lunch in the Marisco Tavern