Rain, rain, go away and come again another day and Royal Fish.
This time last year it was so hot but now the weather seems trapped in a spiral of rain, cloud and drizzle. I have been busy taken numerous groups out and although much of the area is covered in shingle and sand the best place to search for fossils is the beach to the east of Charmouth. There is a large mud slide developing about 1/2 mile to east of Charmouth and the other day a section of the cliff tumbled down onto the beach. The cliffs fall and crumble with-out warning and the area below the cliffs should be treated with respect.
On the beach at Charmouth, a dead dolphin was washed up onto the sand. The dolphin was in a state of decay. The Parish council lifted the remains of the dolphin with mechanical bucket and carefully moved it 200 metres further up the beach. I am not sure why, but it did attract a large crowd to watch this strange event.
A dolphin is designated Royal Fish and the finding of a dead one should be reported to the Crown (via the Coastguard Agency). Royal Fish included whales, dolphins and sturgeon. I think years ago such fish were a valuable commodity for their flesh and oil. To the best of my knowledge the Queen no longer consumes whales or dolphins. The similarity of the dolphin to that of an ichthyosaur is remarkable as both have evolved into this perfect shape as a fast moving marine predator.
A couple of months ago a, film company descended on the area, to make a new movie about Mary Anning. The Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet is cast as Mary Anning. There is not much known about Mary Anning’s personal life but in the film she is cast having a romantic entanglement with another woman. There is no record or historic evidence for this. I think it just a screen writer attaching a story line to a famous person. The story could be ascribed to any number of famous women and is slightly demeaning to the reason as why they are so important…but that’s just my personal opinion
Nigel