Coconuts, turtles, ocean quahogs - discover the mysteries of Sefton's shorelines

Flotsam and jetsam from the seven seas can – and does – wash up on Sefton’s sandy beaches, such as Southport, Ainsdale and Formby, and the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership has decided to celebrate the fun and mystery of beachcombing with a one-off festival day in October.

Coconuts covered in goose barnacles, Kemp Ridley’s Turtle, octopus, exotic Triggerfish and the shells of the enigmatic Ocean Quahog have all come ashore in recent years – but you never know what you’ll discover on the tideline.

The free Beachcombing Festival will take place at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre from 10am to 3pm on Sunday, October 30.

But if you can’t get there (like most of us) explore the seashore nearest you for amazing finds.

Memories?

A gigantic fireball lit up the skies in Cyprus in the early morning hours of Friday local time, causing not only an incredible burst of light but also a boom so loud that the ground shook. Authorities don’t believe the meteor hit the Earth and more likely exploded in the sky.

Remember:

• http://beachcomber-alex.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/aurora-australis-unleashes-southern.html
• http://beachcomber-alex.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/heavenly-firework-display-may-have-been_01.html
• http://beachcomber-alex.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/thousands-watch-spectacular-fireworks.html

Beachcombing with heart

Beachcombing isn’t about stuff; it’s about people. We are connected to one another through our love for nature, walking beaches, appreciating the ever-changing tides and the wave-worn treasures we sometimes find and always appreciate as gifts from the sea, gifts we sometimes are more than happy to share with our beachcombing families.

See the touching story and remarkable finds, when the author lost her sea pottery finds:
http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/beachcombing-family

 

 

Makes my collection look sad!

Beachcombing in America!

Is there a simpler summertime pleasure than strolling a beach to collect the shelled treasures that wash ashore? Well, only eating ice cream in bare feet, perhaps, though those can go hand in hand. Follow our lead for the best beaches for beachcombing across the USA and get ready to fill your buckets with sand dollars, shark’s teeth, sea glass and more.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/2016/08/26/best-beachcombing-beaches-around-usa/89358988/

Beachcomber think’s he’s found balloon adventurer's gas canister

A beachcomber believes a large gas tank that washed up on the West Australian coast is from the hot air balloon Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov famously used to fly around the world.

In July, Mr Konyukhov, 65, broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth in a hot air balloon, landing safely at the small WA town of Bonnie Rock, 11 days after launching from nearby Northam.

 

Beachcombing is a longstanding tradition on Texel, the largest of Holland's West Frisian Islands

What washes up on the island's shores? Apparently airplane propellers. Jars of money. Mammoth bones. Lots of messages in bottles.

The nearby shipping lanes, strong currents, and steady winds make Texel a magnet for anything adrift in Northern Europe…..

http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/other-coasts/treasure-island-texel-netherlands

Mudlarking

“the sound and smell of dying centuries” of the "river highway"  [It’s basically a book review, but interesting]
http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/london-in-fragments-a-mudlark-s-treasure

 

Stubby Squid

A species that looks like a cross between an octopus and a squid, but is most closely related to a cuttlefish. "This species spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish,"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEhYJEQmExE

New Jersey beachcomber finds mystery U.S. Army ring

Viral search for owner highlights life of man with a metal detector

http://www.phillyvoice.com/new-jersey-beachcomber-finds-mystery-us-army-ring/

I always wanted to know what a sand dollar is!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-instagram-takeover-pamela-doyle-oceanluvngal-1.3677435

So I looked it up, guess this one is more of a biscuit

The term sand dollar refers to species of extremely flattened, burrowing sea urchins belonging to the order Clypeasteroida. Some species within the order, not quite as flat, are known as sea biscuits

There’s beachcombing, and then there’s beachcombing!

Volunteers collect tons of marine debris from Alaska shores

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/national/article90622802.html

FAMILY EXCURSIONS - Beachcombing

Yesterday's Island/Today's Nantucket (blog)

Beachcombing is simply searching the shores for items of interest. I find myself collecting seashells each time I go to the beach. There is always a shell ...

Wowie! I’m moving.

Tim Davies has collected more 2000 coins and other items with his metal detector after last weekend’s storms, at Ettalong Beach.

This we heard, remember?

The 'song' of ancient stars

Scientists in Britain have recorded rhythms of a 13-billion-year-old star cluster. The 'music' is captivating, and it is also instrumental in furthering our understanding of the origins of the Milky Way Galaxy.

You need to take care in Tassie waters

Dragon over Edinburgh

Please vote now : παρακαλούμε να ψηφίσετε τώρα

Greek islanders who have been on the frontline of the refugee crisis are to be nominated for the Nobel peace prize with the support of their national government.

Of the 900,000 refugees who entered Europe last year most were received –scared, soaked and travelling in rickety boats – by those who live on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.

The islanders, including fishermen who gave up their work to rescue people from the sea, are in line to be honoured with one of the world’s most esteemed awards. Eminent academics from the universities of Oxford, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell and Copenhagen are drafting a submission in favour of awarding the prize to the people of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros.

Sign the petition at https://secure.avaaz.org/en/nobel_prize_greek_islanders_21/?pv=73&rc=fb

It was a near thing!

Το καλοκαίρι - δε φεύγει απ’το μυαλό