Diving at Babbacombe, Devon

Wow - what a week it's been. Last Tuesday I gave a talk about peregrines at Bristol Zoo for Mandy Leivers with a full house. The rest of the week was busy at work and X-mas parties in the evenings! Friday evening was a real highlight - it was the opening of Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition with over 200 visitors and guest speaker Charlie Hamilton James. Charlie gave an excellent speech, supported by his wife Phillipa Forrester. It was also a great chance to catch up with people I've not seen for ages! Finished off in a lovely South Indian restaurant on the Triangle with some of the judges and key people involved with the exhibition.

The next day, after getting myself a shortie for diving, I headed up to Beachley, a village on the Severn by the old Severn Bridge. My target was a pomarine skua which has been living on the foreshore for the past week left over from the storms. I saw the bird within 5 metres of so, but not before sinking knee deep in black, smelly mud - a marshy area I hadn't predicted! I slopped back to the car and shyly had to get some petrol at a service station before heading home!

Sunday just gone was a real highlight - it was my first sea dive. After getting all the gear together, 13 of us heading down to Babbacombe beach in Devon. It was a beautiful day - the wind had dropped and the sea was pretty calm. I got to show fellow divers various birds while we waited our turn - highlights included shags, kittiwakes, a Balearic shearwater, a little auk and three great northern divers. My turn came and it was such an exhilarating experience. It wasn't cold like I had imagined - instead it was an amazing immersive experience seeing crabs, murk, and bioilluminescing seaweed (glowing a neon blue!). We headed back around 3.30pm after an incredible fun day.

This week's back to work and beginning to think more about Christmas which seems to have crept up on me very quickly. Just got my Christmas cards so that's a start!!