St Agnes VMCA

Volunteer Seashore Rangers needed!

Dan — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:04:34 +0000

Are you passionate about Cornwall’s Marine Life?
Would you love to share your enthusiasm with the general public?
Would you like to be given a chance to develop your skills and experience to help your career in marine conservation?
If you have answered YES please get in touch!

Click on link above to see a PDF with more details.

For full job description and application details please email chrisbailey878@googlemail.com

VOLUNTEER JOB VACANCY

Dan — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:51:25 +0000

Are you passionate about Cornwall’s Marine Life?

Would you love to share your enthusiasm with the general public and lead and motivate a team of volunteers?

Would you like to be given a chance to develop your skills and experience to help your career in Marine conservation?

If you have answered YES please get in touch!

St Agnes Marine Conservation Group are looking for a

Head Seashore Ranger (Volunteer)

To lead the exiting new St Agnes Seashore Rangers Project

Part time flexible hours – 2-3 days a week – between May and September 2013

The aim of the project is to set up a team of volunteer Rangers who will deliver marine information and educate the public about marine conservation at one of Cornwall’s most biodiverse coves – Trevaunance Cove St Agnes home of St Agnes Voluntary Marine Conservation Area.

The Head Ranger will coordinate the Rangers to ensure that a small information station is manned through busy periods between May and September 2013. Information on the seashore code and on local marine species will be given out to the public and interest in local marine conservation issues will be generated.

For full job description and application details please email matt.slater@cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk

Dolphins and sharks

Chris — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:30:12 +0000

The last two weeks have seen the start of the delayed summer plankton bloom and an explosion of great sightings. The basking sharks have arrived with several being seen over the last few days. the last weekend also saw the unusual sighting of a thresher shark hunting mackerel around Bawden Rocks,thrashing the water with it’s extended tail.
Not to be outdone the cetaceans have also put in an appearance with 30-40 common dolphins surrounding a couple of divers when they surfaced after a recent dive and a pod of bottle nose dolphins sharing an early morning session at Chapel Porth with a couple of lucky surfers.
Leatherback turtles and blue sharks have also been seen from the Atlantic Diver on a trip out from Newquay. Good time to have a look for yourself?

Seabirds and sunfish

Chris — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 06:46:49 +0000

Seabird breeding season is at a peak now with young shags just fledging and gull chicks changing from attractive balls of fluff into squawking menaces. Guillemots and razorbills are nearing the time when their half grown chicks will jump off the ledges and swim away. Up to 3 puffins have been seen around Bawden Rocks and many Manx shearwaters can be seen flying past each day, especially when the wind is in the west or north-west.
The first ocean sunfish of the year are around and can sometimes be seen being of parasites by gulls whilst lying on their sides at the surface.

Cetacean, shark and seal watch at St Agnes Head

Dan — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:30:57 +0000

A total of 30 people joined St Agnes Marine Conservation Group Volunteers at St Agnes Head to look for dolphins, porpoises, sharks and seals on Saturday 19 May, a beautiful clear sunny day with a calm sea, perfect conditions for spotting wildlife!

As well as enjoying a fantastic view along the North Cornish coast we were lucky enough to briefly see at least one porpoise and a playful seal eating a fish as well as gannets, fulmars, razor bills and many other seabirds.

Lots of people new to the project came along and were keen to get involved with future events and went home full of enthusiasm clutching event leaflets and marine wildlife guides. We are all looking forward to the next marine event as well as sending in our sightings to Cornwall Wildlife Trust. So if you see some interesting wildlife in the water or the shore please go to the marine sightings page to report it and enable us to gain a better understanding of our Cornish sea life www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/marinesighting

Dan

Starfish and Seabirds say “cheese” for the camera at St Agnes VMCA

Dan — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:29:17 +0000

On Saturday 5th May St Agnes Voluntary Marine Conservation Area group teamed up with the village Photographic Club for a session of photography at Trevaunance Cove. The sunny day provided a great opportunity to explore the beach and rocky shore before heading up onto the cliff tops. There was plenty of interest to photograph – everything from life in the rockpools to seabirds, heathland flora and sweeping views along the coast – and members of the photo club were on hand to provide helpful hints and tips. We hope to post some of the pictures on the VMCA website, where you can also find out more about the area’s wildlife and future marine events being run with help from Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Your Shore Project. See www.st-agnesvmca.org or www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/yourshore. You can also find the photo club at www.stagnesphotoclub.co.uk

Tamara, VMCA Volunteer

Transition St Agnes Website

Dan — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:37:04 +0000

Visit www.transitionstagnes.wordpress.com to find out what St Agnes is doing to help develop a more sustainable and self sufficient community.

Rocky Shore Survey

Chris — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:53:43 +0000

We had a great day on Saturday around low water and learnt a lot about identifying molluscs whilst having fun and enjoying some fine cake. We managed to find 2 new species of sea slug for our rocky shore list-Elysia viridis, which looked superb under the microscope with its rows of bright blue spots, and Berthella (plumula?) and also a new chiton, Acanthochitona crinitus. Great start to the year’s rockpooling.

Beach Clean

Mindi — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:44:20 +0000

Another successful beach clean at Porthtowan Beach today, another 23 bags of rubbish collected!! 25 volunteers arrived and we were blessed with a mild day with no wind. Amongst the rubbish we found whelk egg cases, goose barnicles and egg cases from sharks or rays. We were also joined by the team from The Sea Chair Project and helped them collect some nurdles to recycle into furniture We always like to here of marine litter put to good use.

Visit the Sea Chair Project Blog – http://www.chairblog.eu/2011/08/16/the-sea-chair-project/

Events this week!

Jane — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:34:24 +0000

After the conference we’re all really looking forward to the volunteer meeting in the Driftwood this Thursday – please come along if you can – 6pm start in the back room – new people welcome!

Then we have a talk from Dr Nick Tregenza about his work developing pingers for fishing nets aiming to reduce cetacean by-catch. He’ll be talking from 7.30 – 9.30 – it should be really interesting so hope to see lots of people there!