Just as I was about to email today's links out to the newsgroups etc, my anti-virus threw a wobbly and the main office computer has been down ever since. It is now 10:20pm and Graham and I are still hoping that we will get it fixed tonight. Keep yer fingers crossed.
Many thanks to Dale for posting the details on as far as he could. Hopefully things will be back to normal by tomorrow morning.
I think it looks like it will be a long night...
Saturday, June 04, 2011
NEW FROM THE RSPB
You can take part in Make Your Nature Count from now until 12 June. It’s an easy, one-hour survey of the wildlife in your garden or local park.We want to find out how garden birds are doing. We’re also keen to know if you've seen other animals including badgers, bats, snakes or frogs.
The survey is quick and fun to do. Don't forget to submit your results! We’ll use them to build an important snapshot of summer wildlife in UK gardens. We’ll find out which species are thriving and which might need our help.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount/
DAVID MARSHALL: THE BLUE REEF AQUARIUM PORTSMOUTH
Text and photographs by David Marshall
The Blue Reef Aquarium, Portsmouth is situated at Southsea and is set against a tranquil promenade, where you can walk for several miles without hardly coming across the ‘trappings and hard sell’ of most other U.K. sea-side towns.
The Blue Reef Aquarium, Portsmouth is situated at Southsea and is set against a tranquil promenade, where you can walk for several miles without hardly coming across the ‘trappings and hard sell’ of most other U.K. sea-side towns.
A ‘close encounter with Triggerfish’ is something the Author will always remember.
Three small native marine displays follow before another spectacular display comes into view. Here you are looking into a large, and very deep, aquarium that is home to large tropical marine fish that include White-tipped Sharks, Stingrays and Panther Groupers. This sets the scene for a further eleven tropical marine displays. These vary in size and dimensions but what does not change is that they all hold wonderful displays of fish and/or invertebrates in the best of health. Sue and I loved the ‘World of iridescence’ and here the neon blue-green body colours of fish such as Blue Chromis and Sgt. Major fish glow in specially chosen lighting. The Nautilus look like remnants of a lost age and some fellow visitors were almost afraid of these creatures. These displays end with a small walk through ‘Sea of Cortez’ tunnel where Pork fish, Ramora, Lipstick Tang and a number of other species swim above and around your head.
Turn a corner and you are into ‘Otter Holt’. The first display is a cylindrical aquarium that is home to a shoal of variously sized Red-bellied Piranha. ‘Wow’! was the spoken word as we found ourselves against a large indoor pond, fed by a fountain, that is home to ‘baby whale’ Mirror Carp and Sturgeon. To see this exhibit is worth the entry fee alone. This section ends, as the name suggests, with a family of very playful, and beautiful, Asian Short-clawed Otters.
Nile Monitor.
Yellow Anaconda.
If we forget the fact that some of the species information boards seem sparse in the information they relay to the visitor, then the Blue Reef Aquarium at Portsmouth is excellent. We found less native marine exhibits that we had expected but here they ‘push the boat out’ to display tropical marine creatures in all their glory. Sue liked the fact that from the moment you walk through the door you are met by friendly staff and that soothing, and very apt, music is played from the beginning to the end of your visit.
In conclusion this Public Aquarium is well worth a visit. You will find an excellent variety of aquatic creatures on display - all of which are in excellent health and are well cared for.
OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today
Yesterday’s News Today
On this day in 1910 short story author O Henry died.
And now the news:
You could have a video about climate change or you could have a video of a cat talking to a moth for just random jolliness, which will it be?