Fogged Off

I was fogged off this morning, not your Keat's season of mists and mellow fruitfulness kind, but full blown, can't see your hand in front of your face stuff..., well almost. 

When I got up at 5:30 a.m. it looked fine outside, but as I drove to the Nature Park a little later on it was foggy across the farm fields. I carried on, and drove down the road towards the estuary and the Nature Park, and still the pea-souper cloaked the landscape in its grey, damp shroud. There was no point carrying on and putting some nets up to do some ringing, as it was blatantly obvious that I wouldn't catch. And, after 37 years of ringing I don't need the practice of putting up and taking nets down!

 

There wasn't any point in going birding either, as the whole peninsula was locked down in the grey murk. The only thing for it, was to return home for a pot of coffee and some breakfast. Never mind, I've got a day in the hills in Bowland tomorrow with a group of farmers from the Hope Vally in Derbyshire, so I am looking forward to that.

 

I read an interesting, and worrying, article in the 'Buglife Scotland' newsletter recently about Crayfish in north America. A study carried out by researchers from the University of Florida, found that when exposed to low levels of antidepressants, Crayfish were more outgoing! They were emerging from hiding relatively quicker, and spent more time foraging, behaviours that make them more susceptible to predators. 

 

Low levels of antidepressants, excreted by humans or disposed of incorrectly, are found in many waterbodies, and I wonder what negative impact they are having on other aquatic invertebrates, both here in the UK, and in other parts of the world!