Good to see Sammy ..

brianhumber

brianhumber

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the seal back in Chi marina on free flow this morning, he is quite big close up. Shame he will not see off the ducks who roost and crap all over my stern platform but least I am not covered in Starling blackberry poo and Cormorant execrement like i was on the old swinging mooring down the reach.

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One morning back in May I threw back my hatch and there was Sammy lying alongside my boat on the visitors pontoon at Emsworth. I was amazed that he could get his massive bulk out of the water and onto the pontoon. Watch the next Chi newsletter for a pic

<hr width=100% size=1>A day not spent on my boat is a day in my life wasted.
 
There are more now appearing to be 'resident' in the harbour this year than ever before.

Lets hope they are here to stay.

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Leave an orange on your stern platform, and maybe Sammy will get the hint.

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Ducks are strange beasts - once had one nest in a window box at a third floor window of an office building in sunny downtown High Wycombe.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
There used to be a readily available web page linked from Chichester conservancy site for wildlife sightings, but I can't find it on the new site. The new "wildlife" section doesn't even mention seals. When I emailed Ann Poitier last year, she passed it on to the gentleman who runs the site (Ralph, I think,) who said that there had been about 10 or so harbour seals in a more-or-less permanent colony on Thorney island for some years, but not much is known of their habits.
This was news to me, as our "Sammy" in Mill Rythe was the first seal I'd seen from the boat since leaving the east coast in 1987. It would seem they move around the harbour quite a bit: the year before last, some were "missing" for a while, until they were seen around Guptner point nature reserve, hence our sightings in Mill Rythe. We've not seen any this year, but it seems they are still frequenting your side of the harbour. I'm pleased to hear they are still around.

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Lovely sight! I once spent a good hour and a half early one sunny morning watching a seal from the boat at Cargreen on the Tamar, just swimming around us in the pool infront of the pub. Thought it was a large black lab at first!

On the shytehawk problem, there's a small piece in this month's Classic Boat. Apparantly, in Sweden a toy rubber snake is often left on the coachroof, aftdeck &c. which puts off all but the most courageous eagle or vulture. I'm certainly going to give it try - probably deter unwanted two legged intruders as well!

<hr width=100% size=1>Khyber
 
They must have timid seagulls in Sweden, or big rubber snakes. Anything smaller than an anaconda would be seen as potential food by the Hampshire seagulls, and would be lifted as soon as the boat was deserted. It would be funny watching them trying to eat it, though not likely to get approval from the RSPB!

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Yes they are definitely still around.

Cant say I often see more than one at a time when they are in the water. But you can see a bunch of them when they are out of the water around the Thorney Island foreshore at low tide, although you would be hard pushed to see this from the water.

More often and not though we see them ‘playing’ in the waves over the winner bank as the tides on the way out, they never in much more than afew feet of water in the area they tend to ‘play’ in.

You often catch sight of them in and around the harbour entrance area, when its quite, so generally not a weekend thing!

Have seen one on East Head beach before now.

Anyone who windsurfs in the Harbour, specially during the week through out the year will if they have been in the water around the Thorney Island / Winner Bank / Mill Rythe areas will no doubt have seen them looking at you looking at them if you know what I mean. Bit of a shock the first one I ‘caught’ eye-balling me, but they appear to be more interested in you rather than bothered by you! They are quit bold!

Funny though how they come and go, doing their thing, whilst maintaining little acknowledgment (probably a good thing) from most.

Seeing them develop over the years I don’t suppose they have any reason to move on.


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There’s one seal that pops up just out side Tawe lock in Swansea. Probarly eating the unwanted fish the fishermen dispose of before they enter the locks

Gludy once told a young child about a seal who lived in the marina locks.... the child ended up in tears.
Jo x


<hr width=100% size=1>Spirt de la mer ! ;-)
 
Re: Eagles & Snakes - Memories

Ah, memories of Borneo. The Eagles would catch bloody great land snakes and drop them on the decks to kill them. Said snakes would 'bounce' and unless the boatmen caught them would proceed back to land via the lowered gangway and a long swim. Gave you quite a turn if you were coming up the gangway at the same time. Sea snakes abounded in the bay and were fascinating to watch when snorkling - they always seemed to avoid you but the advice if bitten was to catch it and proceed ashore with it to produce antibodies. No ever got bitten in my time there so never got to see this in action! I was more scared when I swam around a rock one weekend to meet a mask full of barracuda teeth. He was big but went one way and I went the other as fast as I could and spent the rest of the day safely on the beach with a few tinnies.

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Re: Eagles & Snakes - Memories

Fascinating - there must be all sorts of nasties lying in wait for the cruising man down that way, including pirates . . .

What do you think about effectiveness of the rubber snake versus shytehawks?

<hr width=100% size=1>Khyber
 
Re: Eagles & Snakes - Memories

With a bit of luck the buggers would choke on the rubber. I like birds but in the 8 years I was in the reach, I had constant troubles with bust aneometers, wind direction vanes bent over and fish regurgitations and backbones all over the deck. Enough was enough.

Brian

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