A lunchtime fossick at Cuckmere Haven

22 Monday May 2017

Posted by sconzani in coastal fauna, nature

Tags

British coastal fauna, chalk cliffs, Cuckmere Haven, Cuttlefish bone, limpet shell, Mermaid's purse, Seven Sisters Country Park, shingle beach, Whelk egg cases, whelk shells

170522 Cuckmere Haaven 7 sisters

To me, this is one of the most beautiful views in the world so what better place to sit and enjoy a picnic lunch after our wildlife walk around Seaford Head.

And, of course, I couldn’t resist a little fossick to see what the sea had washed in. Jill found the first Mermaid’s purse, one of the leathery brown-black egg cases of rays and sharks, then I found two more. The cream-coloured egg cases of Whelks were scattered all around, and Jill also discovered a sizeable chunk of Cuttlefish bone. Empty seashells lay everywhere amongst the shingle and flint, with limpets and whelks the most numerous. But then my eyes were drawn back to just soaking in the views of the incredible chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters.

170522 Cuckmere Haven sea fauna

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

largest coastal shingle area in Europe, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, shingle beach

On the first full day of my short break in East Sussex, my friend Jill and I enjoyed a long walk around the fabulous Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, which, along with Dungeness, encompasses the largest coastal shingle area in Europe. Former gravel pits now filled with fresh water together with salt-marshes and saline lagoons provide the perfect habitats for a huge number of birds, as well as both common and rare species of plants and insects. I was in biological heaven!

160814 Rye Harbour (18)

The species in my photos are just a very small selection of what you can see: Black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and an unidentified small brown wader; Geranium sp; Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare); Little egret (Egretta garzetta); Great mullein (Verbascum thapsus); Curlew (Numenius arquata); Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba); Large white butterfly (Pieris brassicae); Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus); a plant that looks like a dandelion but isn’t (!); Wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum); Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo); Yellow horned poppy (Glaucium flavum); Coots (Fulica atra); Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and rather raggedy Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterflies; Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus); and Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis).