Washed up

Whilst our colleagues in the Scilly Isles have been dealing with part of an American Space Rocket here in Swanage we couldn't quite beat that although last week when we were called to the washed up speed boat we found this too.




Ok so it's not a space rocket ..... Just the remains of a laser sailing dinghy.

Sadly at the time we couldn't recover either the speed boat or the sailing dinghy as the parts are too large. We will let the land owners know or if the owners can be traced they may be responsible for the clean up.

Many things get washed up and some are more hazardous that other items. If your not sure what the item is dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Nurdles

I was at a friends the other night and in a pot there was a collection of "Nurdles".

Nurdles are the raw material of plastic and how plastic is transported around the world to be made into products (a very simple explanation).

Now sadly these little bits of plastic are finding their way into the seas, incidents like the Napolli off the Devon coast saw several containers of these go into the sea. Fish and birds eat them and this kills them, many millions of them float around and come up on the beaches.

Now my friend has a super idea to help clear them up. When his children want an ice cream, they have to collect 100 of these little things before obtaining the funds to purchase the ice cream!

Simple and a good way to help the environment?

Health warning - these are very small and not to be eaten! Be careful when digging around in the tide line, there is often all sorts of rubbish mixed in with these. Wash hands before eating ice cream. This activity should always be done under the supervision of an adult!

Snakes Alive!

European Adder- Vipera berus

Nice day in Swanage today for a spot of sunbathing!

We spotted these up a Durlston Country Park this afternoon; looks like they’re getting frisky! Perhaps some additions (gettit) later in the summer!

‘Generally speaking, this is not an aggressive species, tending to be rather timid and biting only when cornered or alarmed. Many people are only bitten after stepping on them. They will usually disappear into the undergrowth at a hint of any danger, but will return once all is quiet, often to the same spot.

Relatively speaking, bites from this species are not highly dangerous. In the UK there have been only 14 known fatalities since 1876; the last a 5-year-old child in 1975. Domestic animals and livestock are more frequent victims.’ (Wikipedia)

Advice: If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. (They are a protected species too!) If however you, or the dog, are unlucky enough to be bitten, seek medical or veterinary advice.

What does an exhibitionistic snake wear to the beach? A pythong

Looking after the environment

The other day whilst out for a walk, I came across three young chaps on the parish slipway having some fun with some red ribbon. Whilst I never what to spoil any bodies fun (I was once there myself) ,I was a little concerned that this ribbon was being spread along the beach, around the rocks and into the water. Calling over to them to come and have a chat, I explained whilst it was no doubt fun, had they considered what would happen if they left the stuff on the beach, what would happen if they were swimming and got caught up in it ?, let alone what it would do to the marine life? Im very pleased to say they stopped, gathered up the stuff and placed it in the bin. (it was later collected by the patrol to ensure it didnt end up back on the beach)
In this day and age where some are ready to condone the actions of the young, credit to these guys who realised their actions could have led to an accident.