September 4th 06

Today I’m at the beach with Holly. Lovely calm evening, 7pm and the tide just coming in. Holly is hovering over a big clump of seaweed and I walk over to check what she’s at. I’ve never seen a baby seal up close before. This one is quite a beauty and watching me with these enormous eyes which seem not at all fearful, she curls up and seems to dose off again. he As usual I panic and tried to get the number of the seal sanctuary but I seem to miss a digit and only odd sounds come from the phone. Then I manage to get Liz who tells me that as it appears healthy, under no circumstances to touch it, to leave it be as the parents may have been out fishing and could be still keeping an eye on it. She said that if there was too much human activity about, the mother might abandon it. God was I relieved that she wasn’t telling me to haul it home and put it in a tepid bath with a ton of seaweed and keep it there till it grew several feet longer and then haul it back to sea. She did advise me to return next day though and see if it was still there which thankfully it wasn’t. I went over again at 7pm and a man and his dogs who had walked over to the very end of the beach got into conversation with me and explaining what I was doing he said that he’d seen him Monday morning and he’d put him back into the sea and watched him swim off. That produced mixed feelings as to the survival of the little creature, but he’d meant well and he said that he’d keep his eye glued and between the two of us we could monitor the situation.

I avoided the beach yesterday and went to another instead and there was a much older seal washed up – very dead. At first I thought it was a dog as the hair was thick and flowing in the sway of the waves. Wondered if it was the mother of the baby seal?

Sept 7th 06

Before I left for the city this morning I went round back to hang out some clothes. As usual I was cautious in case any swallows are around so I’m checking first and coast clear, I’m just rounding the shed when I hear the fluster and panic and there is a baby swallow trying to get out through the window. Ahhhhhhhh. I stand outside it and he changes direction and out the door and up and away and soon he’s joined by the others all swooping and chittering and causing lots of noise. The last two weeks I’ve been aware of the activity and movement and stand in the field my binoculars trained on the shed as for a while now they’ve abandoned the nest – can’t fit anymore they’ve got so plump – and remain atop the basket box on the opposite wall. They are comical in that they seem so serious, so solemn, the weight of the world on their shoulders, waiting to be fed.
Later in the day, two were huddled at the edge of the box while another was firmly plonked in the middle and that’s the one mother came and fed, so instantly seeing who was getting the attention, one of the others moved right up beside it ,beak open not to be by-passed by the next offering. No wonder my house is in disarray – I’m spending hours out watching them. Friday and Saturday no sigh at all but when I got back from Kens I went out about 7ish again and they put on a great display for me and yesterday again around the same time they were swooping in and out of the shed but I feel they’re perhaps not perching in there anymore.
The one this morning took me by surprise. He looked a lot smaller that the others – maybe there were 4 all along and he remained in the nest where I couldn’t see him? Hope he won’t be left behind – even if he can make it as far as sunny Spain.

Sept 30th 06

Warm today but pelting rain and I’m glad the swallows are indoors. Great chatter coming from the shed today, lots of communication going on. Wonder if they’re planning their route to Egypt. I must remember to get ‘The Happy Prince’ for Doreen.