The underwater cameras were cleaned a number of times during Marine Week to ensure best pictures were available. The water ...   more »

Marine Week is almost at an end with the climax of SEAFEST 2007. Just one more day of events at the Chesil Beach Centre. The weather has not been great for August, but the last day looks to be good. All the Dorset Coastlink Cntres are represented and there are activities for all ages.

Ed

Underwater cameras cleaned. Visibility not too good as a result of recent windy weather. Water temperature down as well to 18.0C.

Plenty of fish activity with many mullet around and a few bass. Also regular sightings of corkwing and ballen wrasse. Two-spot gobieas around in large numbers. A tom-pot blenny makes a regular appearance close-up to the deeper camera.

The zostera is now coming down from the upper Fleet in some quantities and will clog the cameras for the next month or two.

 

This is Marine Week.

It is particularly Portland Marine Week!

Check www.chesilbeach.org/marineweek for details on all the planned events.

Take a boat ride around Portland Harbour or around Portland Bill. Take a minibus ride with GPS-triggered commentary around Portland, with time to stop and admire the views from all the best viewpoints. Attend a number of interesting  lectures on the local marine environment. Come and see the eco-hut outside the Visitors Centre on the Beach Rd car park.

Plenty still to do in MARINE WEEK! Come and enjoy it.

 

Both cameras cleaned on the last day of summer in order to give the best pictures for Marine Week. The Zostera is dying off quite quickly now and beginning to foul both cameras. The underwater visibility was very good and the water temperature up slightly at 19.0C.

Plenty of fish around at the moment with constant activity in front of both cameras. At least 5 very large grey mullet are to be found around the sunken pontoon with corkwing and ballen wrasse and the occasional bass. The two-spot gobies are still around in large numbers. An unusual sighting was a fifteen spine stickleback on the inter-tidal camera. Although this species was known to be around this area, this is the first time they have been seen on the camera. The young of the prawn Palaemon elegans are now around in some numbers.

We had a super walk along the waters edge at Ferrybridge, althought it was with a small number of people. 4 different species of crab were seen: hairy crab, broad clawed porcelain crab, shore crab and baby and smoewhat larger spider crabs. It was a very low tide and we were able to get very close to the deep water and see the very large seasquirts (4 different species), along with a very nice starfish, painted topshells, varigated scallops, a blenny, sea slugs, sponges. This is all I remember and from now on I will keep a log!

Fossil Walk Sunday 29th July - 25 people turned up on a lovely day (for a change!). The children enjoyed the mud and water as did the dogs! Nothing very special was found other than a very nice section of an ammonite whorl. This made Keira very happy indeed.