The first Shore Safari of 2011...a huge success !

On Tuesday 19thApril a combination of fine weather and school holidays helped make the first Coastwise Shore Safari of 2011 a roaring success, with nearly fifty people enjoying the sunshine on Croyde Beach. The event took place at the Northern end of Croyde Bay among the rocky outcrops and sandy gullies.

Coastwise member Jim Monroe has been the focal point for the Safaris, ably helped by Anne Brown - their efforts have made these events very popular with the public, and combined events with other bodies such as the National Trust have also been held.
    

Eighteen members of the Coastwise Shore Safari Team were on hand to help the families find and identify the wide variety of marine life to be seen among the rocks and in the rockpools.  Parents, grandparents and children all discovered many interesting finds, including five species of anemone, some fascinating hermit crabs, prawns, blennies and even a sea hare.

At the base camp the display aquarium was constantly restocked by enthusiastic rock-poolers, to make a fine display of the wide variety of creatures to be found on the shore even at this early part of the season. A field microscope was also available for visitors to see the smaller organisms in even more detail.