Nuggets of Nature in North Wales

Two days on the Lleyn peninsular of North Wales. Two days of blisteringly hot weather, so perfect for loafing about in a kayak, enjoying the cool water and the rehydrating effect of a nice cuppa:

Time for a well-earned cup of tea. Eh? we havn’t left the harbour yet!

I was thrilled to hear the cheerful grating calls of a load of Sandwich Terns that were busily feeding all along the coast, hitting the water with a surprisingly loud splosh after a vertical dive.

They probably came from Cemlyn on Anglesey, Wales’ only Sandwich Tern colony which is thirty miles away (as the tern flies). They were getting ready for spending the winter off West Africa.

I spent half-an-hour watching a little posse of these charming and chatty birds resting on a low-tide reef. There were a good number of beautifully-marked juveniles (peppered with small chevrons) amongst the flock, so it looks as though they had a good breeding season. The weather has certainly been in their favour.

Juvenile Sandwich Tern

The black caps of the adults, with punk-style spiky bits at the back, were flecked with white of their post-breeding plumage.

Adult and juvenile Sandwich Terns

The communication between the adults and the offspring is continuous. The grating cry of the adult is always followed by the prolonged squeak of the youngster.

Adult Sandwich Tern

When the adult returned from a fishing trip with a sandeel, it announced its arrival from far, far away, and its youngster replied immediately, and continued non-stop till the sandeel disappeared down its throat.

Sandwich tern plus sandeel

On the way back I was mugged by a couple of young seals as I passed the island off the point:

It’s clearly not just seals in Cornwall and Devon that greet a kayaker with the same level of enthusiasm.

It was great to hear the warning call of a Ringed Plover along the main beach, and see a superbly-camouflaged fledgling running about across the pebbles. It didn’t seem to attract the attention of either the passing dogs or their owners.

Ringed Plover chick

The seabird colony at Bird Rock was astonishing because it was a cacophony even though most of the breeding birds (Guillemots and Razorbills) had finished their season and departed!

What a hullabaloo…Kittiwakes calling

Kittiwakes were the main inhabitants, and you can hear plenty of that musical and mewing kit-e-wake cry in the video clip above.

Like the terns, there were plenty of juveniles in the nests. The one below has got two chicks.

Kittiwake at nest

This is all good stuff because breeding success of seabirds is hugely variable and considered to be more prone to failure with the increased likelihood of unseasonal storms associated with climate change. This season, however, has been kind with mellow sea conditions and an apparent profusion of their favourite food, sandeels.

Pub, nice ‘n handy

By extreme good fortune we just happened to be in the pub when a thunderstorm struck. When it abated the sea surface turned completely flat…ideal for seeing anything, such as a fin, break the surface. It wasn’t just a fin however, an entire Bottlenose Dolphin leapt out and fell back with quite an impressive splash.

We paddled over to investigate but the pod of half-a-dozen were widely scattered, on the move, and spent a long time underwater. Very difficult to track from a kayak, and we were a bit irritated that a couple of passing speedboats spotted them and zoomed over to watch.

Fortunately they soon lost interest and the dolphins then befriended a very photogenic sailing boat that was heading north across the bay. We angled in towards the yacht and were overtaken by ‘Squeaky’, the dolphin who squeaked, often twice, when it breathed. Listen for yourself…

Bottlenose Dolphin

They then found a shoal of fish to pursue before continuing on their way south.

What are day, stuffed full of all my favourite marine creatures.

Only one way to top it off…cheers!

The Last Glow of Summer

It’s been a fantastic year for watching marine wildlife from the kayak seat. Lots of flat calm days, and a huge variety of fins, feathers, splashes and sploshes to enjoy.

As the activity in the sea winds down for winter, I don’t expect to see anything like this again for a while. Surely this is the biggest SWOOOSH of the year! That has got to be a tuna attacking the shoal of sprats…..it’s a pity it didn’t break the surface and jump into my kayak.

And looking at the weather forecast I won’t be seeing scenes like this for a week or two…..dolphins slicing through glassy waters….

Common Dolphin

Or a creche of porpoises on a sea of velvet….

Harbour Porpoises

Over the last week or so the Common Dolphins which have provided so much entertainment for so many people who have been out to see them in a variety of boats, seem to have thinned out and more or less disappeared. (or maybe I’ve just been looking in the wrong place!)

So Hezzer and I were lucky to find a very amenable and inquisitive pod when out on ‘Spot-on!’, skippered by Ross Parham, while filming for ‘Devon and Cornwall’.

Dolphin Spotting

The biggest problem was not finding the dolphins, it was getting into (and out of) the kayaks from the boat in a lumpy sea. And looking in the right direction when the dolphins surfaced!

I thought it was a bit of a tall order to find a seal and dolphins to film in just a few hours, but the wildlife was in an exceptionally cooperative mood, and a seal appeared exactly where we had hoped.

Grey Seal

My last major (twenty plus miles) offshore paddle was from Portmellon, near Mevagissey.

A couple of Sandwich Terns were resting at Chapel Point. Adult in winter plumage above, juvenile dotted with dark chevrons below. The youngster calls to its parent every few seconds, the whole time. Whether flying or resting, all the way down to their wintering area off West Africa. You would think it would drive mum, or dad, bonkers.

Sandwich Terns

But of course it doesn’t. Wildlife is bigger than the very human emotion of getting irritated.

From an ornithological enthusiast point of view, it is great to see a ground nesting bird (terns nest on beaches) having a successful breeding season.

They are on migration heading west. They don’t nest in Cornwall or Devon.

juvenile Sandwich Tern

Another migrant, a Dunlin, was resting nearby. A rather anonymous bird when amongst thousands of chums on a wind-blasted estuarine mud-flat (their usual choice of habitat), but rather charming sitting here all alone on a barnacle encrusted rock.

Dunlin

Dodman Point was my destination, and I was relieved that the wind dropped just as I paddled out into the swirling water beyond. It’s a potentially hairy place.

Dodman Point

But the moving water off the point attracts the wildlife. Every so often I heard an explosion of splashes as Tuna burst out of the surface. Disappointingly none of the dozen or so feeding frenzies that I saw were very close. But some of the tuna were really huge…..bigger than dolphins.

distant Bluefin Tuna

At one stage a pod of about ten porpoises got really fired up and surged about with an almost tuna-like splash. This is unusual for porpoises which are quite sedate and rarely cause a ripple…they must have been homing in on a shoal.

Porpoise in a hurry

Just like dolphins, juvenile porpoises stick like glue to the side of their mothers. The maternal bond is clearly strong because this one is nearly as big as mum. It really doesn’t want to leave home. They are so close together that it looks more like one porpoise with two fins.

Mother and ‘calf’ porpoise

I paddled as far as Dodman C buoy, three-and-a-half miles off the headland. Hoping for a dolphin or a whale, but I saw nothing but more splashing tuna.

Dodman C buoy

The unexpected comings and goings of the megafauna off the coast enhances its appeal. It’s difficult to explain why one day will be full of splashes and action and loads of circling Gannets, and the next will be spookily quiet. One day loads of dolphins, the next none. But that’s all part of the fun.

With a weather chart like this, I won’t be heading anywhere offshore again for a while.

It’ll be back to the coast for a bit of seal watching…….

Mevagissey seal trio

Great White Cliffs, Great White Egret

A sunny day….and relatively still. Woopee!

I slid out of Wareham on the River Frome at the edge of the Isle of Purbeck at precisely the moment of high tide. My planned sixteen mile paddle would take me ten miles along the length of Poole Harbour, and then out into the open sea past the amazing chalk cliffs of Ballard Down to Swanage.

Departure from Wareham

I couldn’t dither about much though because it was already after lunch! I had forgotten to pack biscuits so no point in stopping for low tea either.

The section through the reed beds of the Frome was long:

Frome estuary

A large flock of swallows were fuelling up on insects before their big trip south, and I enjoyed their merry chatter before a Chinook gatecrashed the peace and quiet.

Chinook

Fortunately it soon whop-whopped away to the south, allowing me to enjoy watching the last remaining Sandwich Tern that I saw in the harbour. These too head south to the west coast of Africa (and further).

Sandwich Tern

As I approached Brownsea Island an Osprey cruised over heading north. A poor view, but unquestionably an Osprey. Rarer still was a large White Heron fishing along the shore, significantly bigger than several Little Egrets that were scattered about.

 

Brownsea Island

This was a Great White Egret, only the second one I have ever seen in UK. However, like many other members of the Heron family, they are starting to appear over here more regularly.

Great White Egret

The Egret was photobombed by the Barfleur as it sneaked out from the cover of Brownsea en route to Cherbourg (the Barfleur, not the Egret).

Great White Egret and Barfleur

My ears were pricked by the buzzing ‘churr’ of a Dartford warbler as I neared the exit of Poole Harbour. They are heathland specialities and more difficult to see than hear. This one was unusually obliging and posed on the top of a bramble.

Dartford Warbler

The outgoing tide spat me out of the narrow harbour mouth and I paddled the two or three miles along sandy Studland beach towards the lure of the white stacks of Old Harry Rocks. An attraction which prompted my first ever salt water kayak trip here, probably forty-five years ago (you old geezer, you).

Old Harry Rocks

The tide was in my favour and I was spat out for the second time in an hour, through the gap in the rocks. Quite handy because there was quite a fearsome looking tide race around the end of the headland.

Old Harry from the west

The mile of chalk stacks and pinnacles were absorbing as always.

I sped into Swanage over a smooth sea, although there was quite a groundswell diffracting round the corner because the Atlantic was still very restless. Four hours for the trip which is exceptionally quick for me…I usually spend a lot more time squinting at  nuggets of wildlife (and bobbing about supping tea and coffee and eating buns).

Swanage

 

 

The Lone Kayaker Loves…Terns

 

I wasn’t expecting to be admiring more than a selection of naval hardware and a handful of ferries  when I paddled out under the Tamar Bridge from Saltash for a trip down the last section of the tidal Tamar to where it exits into Plymouth sound.

It was sunnier and warmer than I had expected so shed a layer as I made my way past Devonport dockyard and dodged the ferries at Torpoint. The last of the ebbing tide spat me out into the Sound at Devil’s Point, and I made my way towards the sandy beach at Drake’s Island.

Devonport

I was very pleased to hear the animated ‘kirrick’ calls of Sandwich Terns as I approached the island, and drifted very close to a juvenile tern sitting on a rock. I  could tell it was a ‘this year’s’ youngster because of its squeaky call. This call , together with the replies from the parent birds , draws attention to and characterises family groups of Sandwich Terns migrating west through Devon and Cornwall. They don’t nest down here- I think the nearest colony is Brownsea Island in Poole harbour.

 

The young tern’s parents were fishing in the clear water beside Drake’s Island and every so often dived into the sea with a splosh, emerging with a sandeel or sprat.

Sandwich Tern adult

There was a whole crowd more out on the mooring buoys just off the island. I have never seen so many here….it must have been fifteen plus (although I only visit a couple of times a year). There was a lot of movement with birds coming and going and being disturbed by gulls, and constant squeaky calls of demanding juveniles. The calls of the youngsters are more or less incessant and I frequently hear it, with the parents replies, as family groups pass along the coast, often miles out to sea.  It goes on for months as I have heard it in the Mediterranean in October and November as they migrate through. It must drive the parents bonkers because it sound a bit whiny.

 

The juveniles have dark markings on the wings and body and lack the yellow-tipped bill of the adults.

juvenile Sandwich Tern

At this time of year the adults have already changed into their non-breeding plumage with white foreheads. When they pass through this way in the Spring en route to their breeding grounds they look even smarter with entirely black ‘beret’ hats.

Sandwich Tern non-breeding

Sandwich Terns breeding plumage

Feeling secure on their little artificial island they didn’t bat an eyelid as a Cruiser slipped past in front of Plymouth Hoe.

 

Neither was the local seal too phased by the show of military muscle.

Drake’s Island Seal

Terns are one of my favourite seabirds for a number of reasons. Their arrival in the Spring heralds the start of summer in the same style as the swallows in the barns around the county. Coincidentally Terns are called Sea Swallows because they both share a long forked tail.

They also have a very tough time finding somewhere safe to breed because they make their nests on the ground, frequently a beach. In southern England this really means a nature reserve because there is hardly a patch of sand or shingle that is not stampeded by people or dogs or both (or kayakers). And then there is the issue of hungry gulls and crows with their own broods to feed….

In my simplistic opinion any bird that successfully rears a family from a nest on the ground in the UK deserves a medal. (and in the case of terns, so do the volunteers  who help to protect them).

Sandwich Terns are the most frequent members of the tern family that I encounter during my coastal kayak trips. Much less common is the Common Tern.

Juvenile Common Tern

Arctic Terns are the next most frequent, usually far out to sea, and Little and Black Terns I have only seen a handful of times from my kayak.

Arctic Tern ( NOT far out to sea)

Black Tern

 

Seabird Spring

Much is changing in the seabird department at this time of year, in terms of departures, arrivals and alterations of appearance.

It’s a very prolonged process as I have recently observed whilst paddling along various sections of coast. Many Cormorant nests already contain chicks whose wobbly heads wave above the edge of their nests as they demand food in a weird gurgling way, whereas the overwintering Great Northern Divers (Loons) are not only still around in force, many are still in winter plumage and several thousand miles away from their breeding grounds.

Like many seabirds their winter outfit is unremarkable and essentially dark above and white below, and gives no hint of the amazing transformation into stunning breeding plumage.

I observed Loons in all states of transformation in South Cornwall recently.

A quartet still in winter plumage (or starting to moult):

Great Northern Divers

A bird in full breeding plumage with two winter birds:

Great Northern Divers

And just to top it off a very rare Black-throated Diver in Summer plumage, in the company of a Great Northern.

Black-throated Diver and Great Northern Diver

These divers nest in the arctic so are in no hurry to depart as it is probably still quite snowy up there, and a few could be around until June.

Other winter visitors will soon be heading north. This juvenile Glaucous Gull I came across in Newlyn Harbour will be off,

Glaucous Gull

as will this rare Red-necked Grebe,

Red-necked Grebe

and these Avocets that brighten up the dreary muddy scenes of some of the southwest’s estuaries.

Avocets

More Common seabirds also undergo a very rapid change of outfit. Guillemots overwinter like this:

Winter Guillemot

Then go through a quick moult when they look a bit flea-bitten,

Moulting Guillemots

before emerging in their smart summer look:

Summer Guillemots

Manx Shearwaters clear off to warmer places in the winter and have only just returned.

Manx Shearwater

Everbody’s favourite bird of the Summer is the Swallow, and I have seen just a handful of these coming in off the open sea over the last week. Almost a match for these  in terms of floatiness and liveliness are the ‘Swallows of the Sea’……Terns.

Although no Terns nest in Devon or Cornwall (I’m pretty sure), a lot migrate past during Spring and Autumn and I was thrilled to see fifteen or so Sandwich Terns fishing in the Camel estuary at Rock a few days ago. A fantastic sight in the bright sunshine with the air full of their excited chatter. They love sitting on mooring buoys so were quite easy to photograph.

Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Even birds as common and as overlooked as Shags, sporting snappy-looking quiffs and brilliant green eyes , can impress at this time of year.

Shag

Curiously there are a handful of Eider ducks, which really ought to move north during the summer for breeding, that seemingly can’t be bothered and spend the entire year in the same place. I suppose it’s a lot easier not to go, but looks like you might get a bit of a belly.

Drake Eider Duck

 

Trio of Top Trips along the South Cornwall Coast, and even one on the North!

MOUNT’S BAY

Lighter winds and an easing of the Atlantic groundswell lured Paul and myself down to Penzance for a tour around Mount’s Bay.

It’s one of my favourite circuits: from Penzance harbour along the coast to slingshot around St. Michael’s Mount, then three plus miles of open sea across to Mousehole and then back along the coast to Penzance with a nose around Newlyn harbour on the way.

St. Michael’s Mount was looking even more impressive than I was expecting….it always does even though I have paddled past it dozens of times.

St.Michaels Mount

Although there was more of a rolling swell than I was expecting for the sea crossing to Mousehole, the wind was light and the sun was trying to appear so Paul and I didn’t feel uneasy about the level of exposure. He did however intermittently disappear behind the swells.

Is that Paul or is that Jose Mourinho?

Phew, it’s Paul

I was a bit disappointed not to see any sea mammals on the way over. I have encountered several species of dolphin and a whale around here and was expecting a porpoise at the very least but it wasn’t to be.

We ventured a little way down the coast past Mousehole but the current combined with increasing wind and steady swell made it feel a bit less safe so we headed for the extreme cosiness of Mousehole harbour. Always a few seals hanging around St. Clements Isle just offshore.

Seal plus flatfish snackette

Around the corner in Newlyn there was a lot going on as usual with a constant movement of fishing boats. Tucked in behind the harbour wall out of the wind it, at last, felt really quite warm as the strong sun emerged from behind a cloud.

Newlyn

Half a dozen chattering Sandwich Terns floated past along Penzance promenade to confirm that Spring really had arrived. Yaroo.

GERRAN’S BAY, ROSELAND PENINSULAR

Next day took me to Gerran’s Bay and a launch from the stunning Carne beach. Even better that there is no parking charge here (unlike £8.50 for the day at Penzance….blooming heck!).

Carne beach (aka Heaven)

I swung offshore at Nare Head where I caught a microglimpse of a Chough after drew attention to itself with its animated call before disappearing. I checked out the Guillemot colony on Gull Rock before a long looping circuit out to sea, after reporting my journey plan over the radio to Portscatho NCI.

Nare Head

Wandering Gannets passed and the occasional Porpoise puffed, as well as a scattering of Guillemots, Razorbills and a few passing shearwaters.

Gannet

Guillemot

Razorbill

Manx Shearwaters

Fifteen miles later I arrived back at Carne beach which was now buzzing with activity and echoing to the shriek of holidaymakers finding out how cold the water still is.

Gerrans Bay Paddleboarders

Just offshore was a handful of loons (the ornithological ones, not the Paddleboarders), and I was extremely pleased to see some of these spectacular birds had moulted into their stunning breeding plumage, making them even more impressive to look at.

Stunning Black-throated Diver in Summer Clothes

FALMOUTH BAY

I could hardly believe that another day of light winds was in prospect, especially as we were in the middle of a low pressure system so the weather was far from settled.

This time I paddled out from a small side creek of Carrick Roads at Percuil (another absolutely excellent launch location) and out across glassy waters past St.Mawes and the lighthouse at St. Anthony and into the open sea. This time I was really hopeful of a BIG cetacean sighting as the water was completely smooth.

I could hear the Gannets hitting the water with a ‘thoomph’ from half-a-mile away, but when I came upon the mini-feeding frenzy which also involved a load of Manx Shearwaters, the only cetacean involved in the show was a single Porpoise, which was however unusually animated and surged at the surface while on the hunt.

Plunging Gannets

Although I had registered my offshore paddle with Nare Point NCI, a couple of fishing boats came over to see if I was OK, which I suppose was quite understandable as a kayak bobbing about motionless (as I was eating a cheese ‘n pickle sandwich at the time,  and cheese ‘n onion crisps with a handful of cherry tomatoes to provide the healthy bit) a couple of miles from the shore, is a bit weird.

Porpoise on collision course

The most surprising wildlife sighting of the day was a lone Puffin that was squadron leader at the front of a V-formation of Guillemots.

There is alot of hardware in and around Falmouth Bay but I was much more interested in the natural history which was made even more photogenic by the exceptionally smooth conditions.

Falmouth modern hardware

Falmouth Old Hardware

Porpoise on Glass

PADSTOW BAY

The North coast usually looks like this:

Hostile North coast of Cornwall

or this:

Calm canal, savage sea

So it was nice for it to ease off for a day or two to allow sea kayak access.

This was my first decent paddle trip on the North Cornwall Coast since last Autumn. I set off from Rock which is another of my favourite launch sites. Unfortunately the excitement of the day was a little bit soured by the slipway attendant who first told me I wasn’t allowed to use that particular slipway (which left me struggling for words as I had trolleyed my kayak down the water from the carpark and there was absolutely nobody else in sight), and then informed me I had to pay a £3 launching fee. It would be the same price if I was to slide the QE2 down the slipway. Someone hasn’t quite thought this through, methinks.

My clenched teeth slowly relaxed as I slipped out silently into the watery wilderness, serenaded by squadron of Sandwich Terns and their ‘kirrick’ calls.

Sandwich Terns

Out of the mouth of the Camel Estuary I crossed over to Pentire head and then into the more swirly water of Rump’s Point.

Newlands, Rumps Point and Pentire Head

A ghostly white shape below my kayak was my first Barrel Jellyfish of the year, quickly followed by two more.

Fist Barrel Jelly of the Year

As I watched the seals and Auk colony on the Mouls island I was joined by a couple of huge RIBs bristling with tourists on a Wildlife cruise. They sped off North while I followed a smooth patch of water, along which the Shearwaters tracked, back to Newlands island and then back to the Camel.

Shearwater

These sheltered waters reverberated to the sound of boat engines as people enjoyed the last few days of the Easter holidays.

Noisiest is the ‘Jaws’ speedboat which looks like it has been lifted from a scene from a James Bond movie from the seventies (or possibly sixties). A bit of a contrast to the stealth of a kayak.

Jaws speedboat

Looking for Humpbacks

After my encounter with the suspected Fin whale near the Eddystone rocks last August, and a couple of brief sightings of Minkes, I thought that would put a pause on adventures with large cetaceans, at least until late summer.

It is still completely pretty amazing that a Humpback would appear in South Devon at all, and beyond belief that it would spend over six weeks cruising about the sheltered waters of Start Bay, wowing the crowd of assembled whale watchers with some unbelievably close passes to the beach at Slapton. The very fact that the carparks at Slapton Sands are so convenient and close to the steep shelving shingle beach (and therefore in close proximity to deep water), and usually swell-free because it is east facing, is a remarkable coincidence. Its about as perfect a place for whale-watching as you are going to get.

Slapton Sands

If you were to put a pin in the map for the best pace for a whale to turn up for the maximum number if people to enjoy viewing it, you would choose Slapton sands. Even the bus stop is only yards away.

The View down to Torcross

Needless to say I wanted to see the whale from my kayak. My first view from my Gumotex Inflatable was when the whale was trapped in a lobster pot rope. Hardly very memorable.

First Slapton whale encounter

Ten days ago the sea at Slapton was just about flat calm and there was no ‘dumpy’ waves on the beach which can make launching here interesting/embarrassing/entertaining for the crowd. Apparently the whale was still around.

In my Scupper Pro kayak, which I had brought because it drags over the shingle well, I paddled a mile or two offshore. Lots of small parties of Guillemots whose guttural call could be heard for amazing distances over the millpond sea, a few Gannets and a pair of porpoises.

Guillemot

Harbour Porpoise

But no whale…yet.

I hadn’t really expected to see it because yet another remarkable feature of this remarkable whale is its habit of coming close inshore late in the day. Many seem to think this is tide-related but it can’t be because in the space of two weeks the tide has gone through its complete cycle, yet the whale still turns up at roughly the same time.

I slid my kayak into the water and sat around fifty metres from the shore, on a surface so calm I could have been in a lake.

To my toe tingling astonishment I heard the whale blowing half a mile away towards Torcross, and saw the bushy cloud of spray slowly disperse. Good grief, it seemed to be heading straight towards me. I fumbled for my camera but already my hands were trembling with excitement.

The Blow

It surfaced and dived once more. I then saw patches of smooth water appearing in a line like giant footprints coming towards me at the surface as the whale approached….fluke prints caused by the whale swimming along just below the surface! Amazing!

It surfaced and blew only twenty yards away and I got a very unsatisfactory photo. Like a complete idiot I thought the action had finished when the bulk of its body disappeared and I lowered my camera, but then the tail flukes came up in perfect humpback-style as it deep dived. Moron…would have been a pic to remember.

Slapton Humpback

However it was an absolutely extraordinary encounter. Who would have believed you could see a whale like this within a stone’s throw from the shore in South Devon. I had spent a fair amount of time during the winter researching where in the world you could see Humpback’s from a kayak, as it has been number one on my kayaking wishlist for some time. Hawaii or British Columbia were on the  shortlist.

Wherever it was going to be, I hadn’t expected it would only require about ten strokes of the paddle to get far enough from the shore to achieve the ideal position for viewing! Thinking about it, there probably isn’t anywhere else in the entire world when you can be loafing about  eating a Bakewell tart on the beach one minute, and having a Humpback swim more or less dirctly underneath your kayak less than five minutes later.

Four days ago a wildlife viewing boat (AK Wildlife Cruises) had absolutely incredible views of a Humpback breaching in the middle of Falmouth Bay right beside their boat. Crystal clear pictures and video, you couldn’t hope for better.

So a couple of days later I set off in my Cobra Expedition Kayak for a twenty-five mile paddle around Falmouth Bay, cutting right across the middle to the Manacles rocks, and then following the coast back. Tremendously exciting, calm waters, huge expectation, but no whale.

St Mawes

I had a reasonable consolation prize. About three miles offshore I sped towards a mini feeding frenzy of gulls which had attracted a handful of Gannets which appeared from nowhere and wasted no time in plunging in. As I approached I could see fins of dolphins slashing at speed across the surface, and the pale patch behind the fin to show they were Common Dolphons. Superb. They appeared a couple of times more but were only momentarily visible in a burst of spray. And suddenly they were gone, the gannets drifted off, and the gulls settled on the water. The lone Manx Shearwater also winged away. Feeding frenzy over.

Feeding frenzy participants including gannet and Manx Shearwater

This is not the first time this has happened. It is quite difficult to get to a feeding frenzy before it finishes. One of my objectives for this year is to see a big frenzy. The only time I have ever achieved this was off Bude over ten years ago, when I threw out some mackerel for the gannets and they dived in beside my kayak to catch them.

Other wildlife highlights were five Sandwich Terns, four Great Northern Divers, a Whimbrel, six Purple Sandpipers on the Manacles and several swallows coming in off the sea.

Purple Sandpiper on the Manacles

And an excellent Barrel Jellyfish in the clear waters off Swanpool beach.

Barrel Jellyfish

Nipped in for nice lunch at Porthallow and met up with former work colleague Andrew who is training for Lands End- John o’ Groats ! (by bike, not kayak)

Kayaker meets Cyclist

Looking closely at photographs of the Slapton and Falmouth Humpbacks, it would seem they are different whales. This seems even more likely because the Slapton whale has been seen in its usual area since the Falmouth whale has been sighted, and it is unlikely the whale would backtrack sixty or seventy miles when it is supposed to be on migration.

So, probably two Humpbacks. Even more amazing. And on my ‘local’ patch. Thank goodness I hadn’t booked a whale watching by kayak trip somewhere on the other side of the world, which would never have been so much fun. (actually it might have been, but I’m a huge fan of wildlife in the UK, so it would have had to have been exceptional).

More please.

 

 

 

The Total Tamar

Cormorant drying out

From Gunnislake weir it’s a twenty mile paddle down the entire length of the tidal reaches of the River Tamar. If you finish at Devil’s Point where it opens out into Plymouth Sound it’s more like nineteen but you really have to take a slingshot around Drake’s island to provide a satisfactory turning point for the trip.

It was such a nice sunny end-of-March day that I set out to paddle the whole length and back again, but because of the tide times I would have to start at Calstock and go downstream first and finish with the section upstream afterwards. The very high Spring tides would be a big help and power me along, especially in the middle section. Even so, a BIG day out and a good way to get fit for the Summer. Or collapse.

Definitely a job for my long and sleek Cobra Expedition SOT kayak.

I slipped beneath the never-ceases-to-amaze-me Calstock viaduct through the early morning mist before sunrise. Chilly enough to make me thankful I had remembered to bring gloves. Singing Blackbirds and Chiffchaffs injected a Spring boost into my cold musculature.

Early morning Calstock

The water was absolutely glassy as I cruised along absolutely silently past sleeping Cotehele Quay.

Cotehele Quay

The river then widens significantly for the long straight past Halton Quay prior to the huge loop starting at Pentillie and finishing at Weir quay.

Pentillie

Incidentally, there are good slipways to put in at Calstock and Cotehele although these are very muddy and tricky at low tide, and an excellent all-stage-of-the-tide gravel slipway at Weir Quay.

The next four miles to the Tamar Bridge is a bit uninteresting and potentially unpleasant if the wind is blowing. After Cargreen on the Cornwall side the River Tavy joins from the left and the branch line train clatters over the metal bridge at its neck.

Tamar Bridge

I was very pleased that as I approached the vast Tamar Bridge the wind was still non existent, and the outgoing tide whipped me along.

The moderate easterly wind which had so far lain dormant inland started to make itself felt as Devonport dockyard came into view. I always feel a bit small and vulnerable here as there is a lot of boat activity with navy boats shuttling about all over the place, and the Marine Police always watching, and no doubt wondering what on earth I am doing out in the middle of the wide river, all by myself, battling through the chop.

Four submarines and a couple of frigates on the left, a supply ship on the right, and then you have to time your passage correctly to dodge between the three Torpoint chain ferries. Not quite as straighhtforward as it seems as their movements seem a bit random, although I’m sure they aren’t.

Torpoint Ferry

Round the corner towards Devil’s point I hugged the Devon shore and although kept out of the wind found myself paddling against a stiff eddy current flowing upstream. I diverted into Mayflower marina for a breather and a cup of coffee. A seal popped up beside me and as I fumbled for my camera it disappeared and was gone.

King Billy (overlooking Devil’s Point)

As I emerged into Plymouth sound the wind really started to bite, but I was determined to get to Drake’s island as it provides such a good target and also the carrot of a sandy beach to stretch the legs. Although I’m pretty sure you are not allowed to land on Drake’s island I think there is some rule to say it’s OK if you are below the high water mark. This might be a load of tosh but I don’t want to find out because I am going to stop there anyway.

Lunch Break Drake’s Island

As I hauled up on the beach and levered myself out of the seat , a pair of Sandwich terns floated past with their grating call….Spring is here.

Sandwich Tern

I loafed about for the best part of an hour waiting for the tide to turn, very conscious of the marine police control tower half a mile away in Plymouth, watching me like the eye of Sauron in the Dark Tower.

As usual I set off too early and spent the next hour paddling against the last gasp of the ebbing tide, which as usual didn’t turn till way after it was supposed to. I think it is down to inertia; even though the tide is rising it takes a while to reverse the current in a large body of moving water.

I successfully dodged two of the Torpoint ferries but fell foul of the police boats when I ventured too close to the submarines. The officers were very polite and I diverted a bit further out.

The huge lake upstream of the bridge was a bit of a haul with wave chop coming over the deck but at least the tide was kicking in. I was surprised to see five Shoveler ducks flying over.

As the twists and turns of the river arrived the wind eased off. I was thrilled to see a pair of Barnacle Geese swimming beside the mud of the Devon bank at Halton Quay.  If this was a single bird it would probably have been an ‘escape’, but the fact that it was a pair makes wild birds seem more likely. If so, the first I have seen since I saw skeins migrating in across the Outer Hebrides (being harried by Golden Eagles!) decades ago.

Barnacle Geese (and Shelduck)

Only other birds of interest were five Common Sandpipers and a single Green Sandpiper on the corner just below Calstock.

Arriving back at Calstock with thirty-one miles under my belt, it was a bit of a struggle to set off for another five miles upstream. But the sun was out and pleasantly warm, and the water smooth.

Morwellham

Half a pizza at Morwellham Quay fuelled me for the final push to Gunnislake weir. The riverside tree that I had noticed had been gnawed by a Beaver last time I was here had fallen down. No other signs of any chewed trees, but I’m sure it was a beaver as you can see the teeth marks quite clearly.

Tree chewed by Beaver

Gunnislake Weir

I didn’t hang around at the weir as I was just about spent, and cruised back to Calstock on completely smooth water and a current that was just starting to ebb.

Three Kingfishers in the upper section.

Forty-one miles paddled. Total trip time twelve hours.

Biggest milage yet.