HMCG Seashore Safari at Helford Passage
4th April 2008
Taking advantage of the extremely low tide and with dry, mild and slightly breci conditions, 40 persons, about half of them young children, assembled at Helford Passage to take part in the Seashore Safari run by Joana Doyle with two helpers from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. All were enthusiastic, searching the shallow waters on the shore and carefully turning over small rocks to look beneath (and replacing them afterwards). Many creatures were found, to the delight and interest of all, enhanced by the keenness of Joana and her helpers in identifying the wildlife and explaining its habits. Goby and butterfish, sea slug and sea urchin, tube worms, sea-squirt, starfish, various sorts and sizes of crab, the list seemed endless. Mussels, barnacles and limpets festooned the rocky parts. Intriguing structures were produced by mounds of slipper limpets, by mussels attaching small stones and shell fragments to themselves as camouflage and by clusters of whelk eggs. A range of seaweeds and wracks added to the story. Many thanks are due to Joana and her assistants for giving freely of their time, knowledge and enthusiasm, ensuring the success of a very satisfying and informative outing.