Friday 24 August 2012
Monday 20 August 2012
Black Swan Causes a Flap
One morning last week I decided to take advantage of the fine weather and get the old dugout out and row up to Lidl on Seven Bretheren bank to do some shopping. I'd heard that it was Spanish week up there so I thought I'd take a look and see if they had any Basque cheese, some authentic chorizo, not the looky likey German stuff they normally sell and maybe a tin or two of canned seafood. I also needed to get some rubber adhesive from Jewson to repair my wetsuit.
I was carrying the canoe down to the Strand shoreline when my attention was drawn to several small craft bobbing about in the water slightly downriver from the Taw Bridge. I thought this a bit odd as it wasn't quite the tide for setting out night-lines, neither the right time of year for trawling up some mullet or netting a couple of salmon. Plus, it was broad daylight. Intrigued, I launched myself into the Ashford Channel and paddled my way upstream. As I approached the craft I became aware of quite a crowd of people gathered on the Pottington bank and judging by the amount of ocular equipment that they had set up alongside the path and were aiming in my general direction and beyond I was able to deduce that they were an advance party of twitchers obviously reccying the river before putting out a call to their fellow ornithological enthusiasts who would soon be flocking down here in their scores to glimpse and record a unique avian visitation. I had no idea what that could be but you do get them from time to time in these parts just popping up like one of those flash mobs. First off, there'll be one or two of them shlepping about in the muddy mire of the wetland beneath Anchorwood bank about and then before you know it dozens of them will turn up laden with bins and cameras and notebooks before disappearing as the evening light begins to fade.
I eased alongside the closest of the craft which turned out to be a lovely old clinker built wooden skiff with an expensive looking camera and impressively long lens rigged up astern on some kind of tripod contraption. I greeted the boatman. a bloke bedecked head to toe in camouflage garb, he even had his face daubed in green and black warpaint. Choosing to ignore this strange visage I asked him what was what? He told me, in hushed tones, keeping low in the boat and beckoning me to do the same, that there had been a rare sighting of a black swan and he had taken these extraordinary measures in order to get some prized snaps of this alien specimen. He explained that the bird was Australian and so was some way away from his usual habitat. I told him I hadn't seen one and to be honest, taking a look about with my inherent nautical eye I couldn't see a single swan, black or white. Lacking the patience of these birdy folk I decided to take my leave and wished him good luck in his endeavours before paddling on upstream eager to get on as it's true time and tide wait for no man and I had some Iberian provisions and Evo Stik to buy and I also hoped to squeeze in a couple of pints in the Marshals before floating back home on the ebb tide.
Glad to say that the trip to Lidl proved to bountiful as I manged to purhase several tins of octopus and some mussels in salsa picante, smashing. I had to get the glue at B&Q as Jewsons were out off rubber adhesive.
In the pub I found old Charlie Street at the bar wetting his whistle after spending a tiring morning pushing his mother Ada around the shops. Apparently, her mobility scooter has conked out and they can't get the parts for it so in the meantime Charlie has to push it if mother want's to go to the shops. He looked rather forlorn and bleddy knackered. So to jolly him up I bought him another pint and told him about the goings on downriver with regards to the black swan. However, this did not seem to do the trick, as he turned to me with rather alarming look on his face. "Black swan" he says, "Don't talk to me about bleddy black swans. I've had my fill of those buggers" Obviously Charlie wasn't much of a twitcher by this dismissive show of disdain. Evidently, we seemed to have got our wires crossed here as after his continued muttering and spluttering I was able to ascertain that Charlie was referring to some film about ballet, not a blck swan of the feathered variety. It turns out that Ada, Charlie's mother had got this film called Black Swan on DVD out of the library thinking that her great granddaughter Dolly who is eight and very keen on dancing would like to see it. However, she hadn't taken the time to take a close look at the cover as upon viewing the film it was less about sugar plum fairies and more about sex and violence and not really the kind of thing you should let artistically natured eight year olds watch. So annoyed was Ada that she summoned Charlie to push her fuming back down to the library where she made a forthright complaint about the inadequate labelling of their DVD stock. The Librarian gave her a customer complaint form to fill in but Ada wasn't happy with this and on Saturday she's determined to get Charlie to push her down to the Castle Centre to take up the matter with Nick Harvey in person. "If he's back from his holidays that is", I added cynically. She wants some answers. Why does Devon County Council Library Services feel the need to stock such mucky and violent stuff? In these hard times they should be spending what little money they've got adding more improving materials to their catalogue. It's a library not bleddy Blockbusters. To my mind you cant fail her on that one.
In getting all this off his chest Charlie appeared to cheer up and grudgingly he admitted that there was a smidgen of a funny side to the tale. Little Dolly however remains traumatised and has not put on her tutu since.
With the tide turning I bade Charlie farewell assuring him that Dolly would get over it sooner rather than later. Poor mite. Once, I got the canoe back in the river I was glad to be able to make it back down to the twitcher in the skiff in no time. Walking back over to Seven Brethren I had a thought concerning little Molly's plight and was keen to have a word with him. There had still been no sighting of the bird I suggested he take a row up to the Yeo at least there he may be able to get a sighting of some ducks or a shag or two. He thanked me for this but continued scanning the delta. I waited for a moment before asking him a little question. If he did get any footage of the Black Swan did he reckon he could make me a copy as I knew someone who may like to see it if he could drop it into my place next time he is out on the river bird spotting.
That very evening, beautiful it was, as I was appreciating a glass of Thatchers and doing a bit of cyclist spotting I heard the tell-tale beating of swans' wings and out over Spider Island there came into view a wedge of swans. Low and behold, there before my own eyes, following up the rear was a black swan, cygnus atratus as this antipodian native of the species is known. It was a truly magnificent sight and as I followed their flight up river I hoped that the twitcher mariner would be able to get some fabulous footage that I intended to share with Ada and Dolly so that they could marvel at the grace and beauty of the real thing and so inspire the youngster to take to tie up her ballet shoes and take to the boards once more. Clever eh?
I was carrying the canoe down to the Strand shoreline when my attention was drawn to several small craft bobbing about in the water slightly downriver from the Taw Bridge. I thought this a bit odd as it wasn't quite the tide for setting out night-lines, neither the right time of year for trawling up some mullet or netting a couple of salmon. Plus, it was broad daylight. Intrigued, I launched myself into the Ashford Channel and paddled my way upstream. As I approached the craft I became aware of quite a crowd of people gathered on the Pottington bank and judging by the amount of ocular equipment that they had set up alongside the path and were aiming in my general direction and beyond I was able to deduce that they were an advance party of twitchers obviously reccying the river before putting out a call to their fellow ornithological enthusiasts who would soon be flocking down here in their scores to glimpse and record a unique avian visitation. I had no idea what that could be but you do get them from time to time in these parts just popping up like one of those flash mobs. First off, there'll be one or two of them shlepping about in the muddy mire of the wetland beneath Anchorwood bank about and then before you know it dozens of them will turn up laden with bins and cameras and notebooks before disappearing as the evening light begins to fade.
I eased alongside the closest of the craft which turned out to be a lovely old clinker built wooden skiff with an expensive looking camera and impressively long lens rigged up astern on some kind of tripod contraption. I greeted the boatman. a bloke bedecked head to toe in camouflage garb, he even had his face daubed in green and black warpaint. Choosing to ignore this strange visage I asked him what was what? He told me, in hushed tones, keeping low in the boat and beckoning me to do the same, that there had been a rare sighting of a black swan and he had taken these extraordinary measures in order to get some prized snaps of this alien specimen. He explained that the bird was Australian and so was some way away from his usual habitat. I told him I hadn't seen one and to be honest, taking a look about with my inherent nautical eye I couldn't see a single swan, black or white. Lacking the patience of these birdy folk I decided to take my leave and wished him good luck in his endeavours before paddling on upstream eager to get on as it's true time and tide wait for no man and I had some Iberian provisions and Evo Stik to buy and I also hoped to squeeze in a couple of pints in the Marshals before floating back home on the ebb tide.
Glad to say that the trip to Lidl proved to bountiful as I manged to purhase several tins of octopus and some mussels in salsa picante, smashing. I had to get the glue at B&Q as Jewsons were out off rubber adhesive.
In the pub I found old Charlie Street at the bar wetting his whistle after spending a tiring morning pushing his mother Ada around the shops. Apparently, her mobility scooter has conked out and they can't get the parts for it so in the meantime Charlie has to push it if mother want's to go to the shops. He looked rather forlorn and bleddy knackered. So to jolly him up I bought him another pint and told him about the goings on downriver with regards to the black swan. However, this did not seem to do the trick, as he turned to me with rather alarming look on his face. "Black swan" he says, "Don't talk to me about bleddy black swans. I've had my fill of those buggers" Obviously Charlie wasn't much of a twitcher by this dismissive show of disdain. Evidently, we seemed to have got our wires crossed here as after his continued muttering and spluttering I was able to ascertain that Charlie was referring to some film about ballet, not a blck swan of the feathered variety. It turns out that Ada, Charlie's mother had got this film called Black Swan on DVD out of the library thinking that her great granddaughter Dolly who is eight and very keen on dancing would like to see it. However, she hadn't taken the time to take a close look at the cover as upon viewing the film it was less about sugar plum fairies and more about sex and violence and not really the kind of thing you should let artistically natured eight year olds watch. So annoyed was Ada that she summoned Charlie to push her fuming back down to the library where she made a forthright complaint about the inadequate labelling of their DVD stock. The Librarian gave her a customer complaint form to fill in but Ada wasn't happy with this and on Saturday she's determined to get Charlie to push her down to the Castle Centre to take up the matter with Nick Harvey in person. "If he's back from his holidays that is", I added cynically. She wants some answers. Why does Devon County Council Library Services feel the need to stock such mucky and violent stuff? In these hard times they should be spending what little money they've got adding more improving materials to their catalogue. It's a library not bleddy Blockbusters. To my mind you cant fail her on that one.
 |
| Black Swan - the ballet thriller |
In getting all this off his chest Charlie appeared to cheer up and grudgingly he admitted that there was a smidgen of a funny side to the tale. Little Dolly however remains traumatised and has not put on her tutu since.
With the tide turning I bade Charlie farewell assuring him that Dolly would get over it sooner rather than later. Poor mite. Once, I got the canoe back in the river I was glad to be able to make it back down to the twitcher in the skiff in no time. Walking back over to Seven Brethren I had a thought concerning little Molly's plight and was keen to have a word with him. There had still been no sighting of the bird I suggested he take a row up to the Yeo at least there he may be able to get a sighting of some ducks or a shag or two. He thanked me for this but continued scanning the delta. I waited for a moment before asking him a little question. If he did get any footage of the Black Swan did he reckon he could make me a copy as I knew someone who may like to see it if he could drop it into my place next time he is out on the river bird spotting.
That very evening, beautiful it was, as I was appreciating a glass of Thatchers and doing a bit of cyclist spotting I heard the tell-tale beating of swans' wings and out over Spider Island there came into view a wedge of swans. Low and behold, there before my own eyes, following up the rear was a black swan, cygnus atratus as this antipodian native of the species is known. It was a truly magnificent sight and as I followed their flight up river I hoped that the twitcher mariner would be able to get some fabulous footage that I intended to share with Ada and Dolly so that they could marvel at the grace and beauty of the real thing and so inspire the youngster to take to tie up her ballet shoes and take to the boards once more. Clever eh?
 |
| Cygnus atratus |
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