Up the Creek......

.....and All at Sea was the intriguing title of Rupert Kirkwood's talk to Coastwise members.

Rupert, a retired vet is a dedicated kayaker, and has undertaken long trips, including the whole of the marine equivalent of the SW Coastal Path, but also taking in caves, estuaries and rivers.

He's also made the trip out to the Eddystone Lighthouse, Lundy, and back from the Scilly Isles (he took the regular ferry boat out there in a weak moment !).

The kayak seems to be entirely acceptable to wildlife of all sorts, which accepts it and the paddler as just another natural world water-user. 

The constraints of a kayak mean that Rupert has had to use a (not waterproof) bridge camera to get the zoom range, as a selection of lenses is not practicable, but he has been able to capture remarkable wildlife pictures and video.

He's captured on film a huge range of animals and their behaviour in water, including Bluefin Tuna, sunfish, basking shark, a swimming squirrel, badger and roe deer, beaver, dolphins, seals, Minke Whale and Humpback Whale.

Rupert documents his adventures on 'thelonekayaker.wordpress.com', where there's comprehensive coverage, and he donates talk fees to Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

All pictures courtesy of Rupert Kirkwood. R from top: Durdle Door from the sea, Rupert's SW travels, Bluefin Tuna attacking shoaling sprats, a Grebe managing to eat a large pike. 

Here is the link to out Facebook report on this talk:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/563739230330790/posts/5669802663057729/