The Brixham diver
I’ve decided to have a trip out to Brixham in South Devon. Yes, again. It’s a beautiful town, with fishing and tourism its two main legal sources of income. Smuggling has always been more profitable than fishing here, but, with severe penalties, like death by hanging, it’s had its down sides as well over the years.
In 1334, Brixham’s value was assessed at one pound, twelve shillings and eightpence. Now the price of a single average house is £250,000.
I’m taking photographs of the birds here when I see a diver in the water. No, not a Great Northern Diver. Well, he might be great and he could be northern, but he’s not that sort of diver. He’s got the full gear you need at this time of year, together with an action camera strapped to his forehead.
He’s got a float to indicate his position.
I suppose that’s a safety feature. You don’t want to be run over by a motorboat, after all.
Behind him I can see the bird I want to photograph. That’s a Great Northern Diver behind a pair of flippers.
He comes to the surface with a scallop.
And signals to someone on the beach.
When he comes back onto land we get chatting. Jamie’s got quite a haul and he’s very kind and shows me what he’s caught:
Multiple scallops.
And a lobster.
Brixham’s teeming with life below the waterline.
More Brixham
A shake in turquoise There's a Great Northern Diver in Brixham harbour. It's been floating and preening for a while now and I've been… read more
Snoozing Diver There's a Great Northern Diver in Brixham harbour. I climb down the slippery stone steps to sea-level and perch as… read more
Sneezing We're on board the Kelly's Hero out of Brixham when a loud sneeze echoes across the water. This Grey Seal… read more
Common Guillemots on the turn This is a Common Guillemot in its non-breeding plumage. Some of them, however, are getting frisky. This one is in… read more
Blubber The pontoons in Brixham harbour are the dry dock for up to forty Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus, at the moment.… read more
Cormorant in Brixham Harbour The colours of Brixham boats reflected in the water of the harbour make a superb backdrop to the bird life… read more
Balearic Shearwaters and Common Dolphins We're out on a wildlife cruise from Brixham, guided by Mike Langman and skippered by Dave Saunders on board the… read more
An open mouth I find the shape of this gull's open mouth fascinating. It's rare to see the fully open mouth from the… read more
Ledge nesting How do you land on a narrow ledge, high above the sea, in a stiff wind, which is already full… read more