Tell us your flora and fauna tales for a chance to win a ?100+ Exped Bag!!

[ditzy 24//7]

we had a trip in wapping with two of my friends, one of them hates spiders and the other thought she was being helpful by warning her not to get too close on the climb in /out
being told there were loads of cave spiders right by her head and long hair did not make her day

 

[Paul Marvin]

Haha, I'd decided not to mention that episode. But now you have, it swam through my legs too as we were heading up the sough! Actually there were two of them, and they split up, one running off up the crosscut to Alice shaft. And they didn't even have headtorches. We found three 'nests' a long way up Magpie Sough too in 2018 that had to be from otters. A large trout swam through my legs right there on that occasion. The pic below was taken in Cromford Sough, 2015, on the last trip we did with Jon Humble.

We saw the same prints in Dale Mine .

 

[Leclused]

During a solo prospecting dig (in 2013)  I had an encounter with a badger. The badger was kind enough to pass by a few times and I was able to grab my camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otfjVfF_-co

Sorry the text on it is in dutch.

 

[Fulk]

Many years ago we found a live-and-kicking sheep at the bottom of the first pitch of Sell Gill Holes (dry way). It appeared to be uninjured, is spite of its fall, so we set up a sheep-harness and hauled it out. Although we plonked it down several metres from the hole, the poor thing set off straight back to the hole, and this time plunged to its death!

 

[pwhole]

Eweicide

 

[Fulk]

Did it fall, or was it 'tipped'?

 

[Space Doubt Caver]

Many years ago we found a live-and-kicking sheep at the bottom of the first pitch of Sell Gill Holes (dry way). It appeared to be uninjured, is spite of its fall, so we set up a sheep-harness and hauled it out. Although we plonked it down several metres from the hole, the poor thing set off straight back to the hole, and this time plunged to its death!

I'd of went straight back, I'd never pass up the idea of getting some free pre-tenderised mutton 

 

[Leclused]

During one of the 2019 Rigotte expeditions (France) one of the divers had an rather special encounter with a BLUE fresh water lobster.

 

[mrodoc]

On my one and only visit to Penrecca Mine in Devon I came across this spectacular fungal formation that had clearly been growing for a very long time indeed. How long I don't know but there is a part of the mine I have a photograph of called Fungus Corner (sadly not showing any fungus) suggesting it might have been growing for decades. I would be interested to know whether anybody can identify it and what would be its source of nourishment over such a long period.

 

[mrodoc]

A really weird experience when exploring Doolin River Cave (County Clare) occurred shortly before we  arrived at Fisherstreet Pot.

Whilst hands and knees crawling in deepish water, a shoal of Eels (100s of the buggers) swam past us at speed going upstream.

This was truly creepy with them all wriggling round us to get past.

On arriving at the Fisherstreet Pot entrance we tried our best to free climb out, but it was beyond our capabilities (we hadn't intended to do the through trip)

The only way out was back the way we came, which was like a horror movie, knowing that at some point the buggers would be coming back.

We didn't see them again, I don't know where they went maybe they went back while were were clowning around trying to climb out of Fisherstreet Pot

This is fascinating. If they were elver sized they might have been migrating upstream from the submarine resurgence. If they were mature adults they might have entered the cave accidentally following the surface stream and been unable to exit via the resurgence so were coming back. I am sure eel researchers would be intrigued to hear this story. What does Graham Proudlove think?