First of all, many many apologies to readers of this blog for the length of time since I last posted. I hadn’t realised it was quite so long as it was. The reasons are a mixture of a heavy workload and being away, meaning I had very little time to go walking and seeking Cornwall wildlife and nature. But now I am back!
This is a short post, to share a lovely amble down to Lizard Point yesterday afternoon. I was looking for seals, so had gone down as close to low tide as I could (a good time to spot seals). I didn’t see any in the end, despite much scanning with binoculars, but, because low tide was a little after sunset, I was able to sit and lose myself in some very beautiful skies.
The sea was comparatively quiet, the air was crisply cold and still, shags and cormorants and gulls were perched on the rocks, and a kestrel flew by, its feathers catching the golden light. The seals were missing a great evening!
There’s a few more photos on the What’s Wild in Cornwall Facebook Page.
Love living in Cornwall! And especially love Lizard point + sunsets over the sea!
Okay, gotta ask why it is called Lizard Point? And as a landlubber 2,000 miles from salt water, why is low tide best for seal watching? Terrific sunset, thanks for sharing!
Well, I am fascinated by and could go on for ever about the meanings of place names – but I promise not to! Lizard Point is simply the southern tip of The Lizard peninsula. The name The Lizard is a corruption of the Celtic Cornish name for it of ‘An Lys-ardh’, which means ‘The High Court’ or ‘The Fortress’, and is probably a reference to The Lizard’s high craggy cliffs, as well as the fact it is a peninsula, giving it a sense of separateness from the rest of West Cornwall. Some people assume the name is linked to the beautiful green serpentine bedrock of The Lizard, but that’s just a coincidence.
And seals haul out on to land close to low tide, because more rocks and beaches are exposed. Glad you enjoyed the sunset!