Lower Sid [January 2023]

 


Lower Sid

22nd January 2022

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On my walk ... the rock samphire

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  Walking the paths by the sea even though it is getting late in the season it is still possible to see this 'iconic' flower of the seaside, rock samphire [ Crithmum maritimum] . It is one of those plants that seems capable of growing in the most extreme conditions and, indeed, only grows in extreme conditions, on rocks, walls, shingle and barren conditions exposed to the weather and sea spray. Rock samphire looks as though it is not quite in flower even when it is! The flowers are cream or green and are umbrella shaped which is quite typical of the carrot family to which it belongs. Unlike other carrots however the leaves are very fleshy and this helps it store moisture and so thrive where other flowers cannot. It is also known as sea fennel and sea asparagus or just plain samphire but the name samphire is also used for other seaside plants such as glasswort. There is also a golden samphire which is totally unrelated.  This was once a popular food plant and was harvested and ...
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On my walk ... the herring gull

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  On any stroll along the prom in Sidmouth you will see herring gulls. Despite popular belief herring gull populations are in decline as they struggle with diminishing natural food supplies and nesting habitats. They have become quite resourceful and have adapted their behaviour to nest on roof tops and to scavenge for scraps that humans leave behind although that scavenging seems to be reaching the point where they will boldly take food before humans have left it behind! The herring gull is a stocky bird and not something one would wish to tangle with especially when it is in the air near you and in some places it is claimed visitors are staying away because of the gulls. In Swanage recently a local started a petition to try and get the town council to 'cull' them as they are considered to be a nuisance. It is, I think, a shame that we humans act in a way that encourages animals to become what we then consider to be a nuisance and then our answer is to want to kill off the poo...
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On my walk ... the turnstone

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  One of my favourite encounters as I walk along the seafront in Sidmouth is with the small flock of turnstone that can frequently be seen on the beach or on the rock sea defences. There are about twenty in the group and in autumn and winter they certainly flock together being birds of a feather. Turnstone are what are termed 'waders' and are distant relatives of the sandpiper family but although they are 'waders' you never see them wading. They are very much a bird of the shoreline resting on rocks and walls at high tide, scouring the beach when it is available to them and then, at low tide, examining rock pools and exposed seaweed.  The turnstone gets its name, of course, from its distinctive feeding habit of turning stones over to raid any grubs that might be hiding underneath but they also are adept at turning over seaweed and can often be seen rummaging around the tide line where drying weed and debris attract flies. On the beach in Sidmouth they run around between...
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