Bude’s Natural Treasures

          

On 10^th January I had an hour or so to fill in Bude so decided to look around Summerleaze Dunes in winter.

I was pleasantly surprised to see strong, fresh and vigorous growth from masses of Sea Spurge Euphorbia paralias plants.  The skeletal remains of Sea Holly Euryngium maritinum  decorated the bare sand but promised new growth later in the year.

Sea Holly

I was pleased to see that the invasive Hottentot Fig Carpobrotus edulis had been removed except for a few dropped leaves.  These were, nevertheless trying to root so I pulled them up and piled them upside down to die away. 

Hottentot Fig

Among the Spurge and Marram  Ammophila arenaria was a specimen of Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum previously unreported on these dunes and quite out of season.  I also re-found the small but thriving patch of Sand-hill Screw-moss Syntrichia ruraliformis.

Sea Spurge, Marram Grass and Rock Samphire

Sand-hill Screw-moss

Still having some time left, I wandered towards Petherick’s Mill.  In December Bude Marsh and Valleys Survey Group had a rare sighting of a Water Rail not far from the River Life Café.  I hoped to repeat the sighting so headed there along the path from the canal basin.  As I crossed the small bridge walking towards the river bridge, I looked along the drainage channel towards the bird hide.  I was delighted to see two Water Rails between the reeds and water channel, happily feeding and tolerating each other’s company.

Water Rail

After having my fill of watching these two birds, I walked over the river bridge and spotted a Kingfisher perched in the reeds on the river bank.  My camera battery chose that moment to die.  As I changed batteries, I missed photographing a Little Egret that flew up river under the bridge.  The Kingfisher stayed long enough for me to get a photograph though.

Kingfisher

What a bounty of treasures to be found in an hour in such a small area.

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.

A Whale of a Time

Sperm Whale at Perranporth

It felt like a pilgrimage. Hundreds of people were walking northwards from Perranporth along the shining pink road towards the beached whale.

We heard on the Sunday news that a female Sperm Whale was found beached near Perranporth and decided we just had to take the opportunity to see it in the flesh. We had underestimated how far from the nearest car park it was. Along with many others we walked 50 minutes to see the whale and another 50 minutes back to the car. The beach was covered in a pink tide by millions of Moon Jellyfish and the odd Blue Jellyfish. We judged we would have plenty of time to get there and back as the tide was ebbing from full. People of all ages were striding out with dogs and children. People who would normally just manage to walk a couple of yards from their parked car to empty the dog and get an ice-cream were making the journey.

The pink jellyfish path

Being two days after it had beached, the whale had been post mortemed on the beach with obvious incisions and jaw removed. The carcass was beginning to darken and bloat and the exposed entrails were bubbling and fizzing with the release of decomposition gasses.  

When the pilgrims arrived there were hushed conversations “Such a pity it had to die for us to see it.”, “They say some lads were trying to get souvenir teeth”, (in fact the autopsy team had removed the lower jaw with teeth to age the whale), “Well worth the walk to see it.”, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

On our return there was still a continual stream of people walking northwards to pay homage.

Post-mortem team

The following day I has a call about another stranding. This time, a female juvenile Minke Whale much closer to home at Bude. I was unable to get to it until the evening due to tides and commitments. Arriving at 9pm, there was a team of people from the Marine Srandings Network, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and of course James the volunteer veterinary who was beginning the post mortem.

James was assisted by both divers, one handling and wrapping the samples, the other listing what these were – Kidney, Liver, Ovaries, Eyes, Heart, Stomach contents (Krill) with Niki the Strandings officer taking record photographs. Duncan was the local Strandings callout with us other three local yokels provided guidance and porterage to get them, the samples and equipment back up the cliff in the dark at 10:30pm.

What a difference in the two experiences – Perranporth, a long walk along a sandy beach to see a Sperm Whale – 11 metres long with a long thin toothed jaw for feeding on octopus and small fish; Bude a stiff climb to a rocky beach to find a Minke Whale – 7 metres long with a large jaw with baleen filters to eat Krill and small fish.

Minke Whale at Bude

Both were judged to have been live strandings. The Sperm had died as her organs collapsed without the support that the sea gives to it; the Minke probably driven ashore by perhaps Dolphins had, judging by pre mortem lacerations and bruises, injured herself fatally whilst trying to squirm back to the sea.

They say things happen in threes – let’s hope this old adage is wrong. Nice as it is to experience the huge marine mammals at close range, I would rather there were no more such strandings.