A midsummer night in an English garden

So what might you find in the middle of the shortest nights of the year in a suburban garden in England?

First here are a couple of views of my lawn in the early morning. The starling flock - now featuring a second crop of juveniles - has come to feed.

 Plus a couple of feral pigeons.

But a few hours earlier - in the dead of night - here was what was on the same spot:

First one

Then two

Squeezing under the fence at the back of the garden.

Taking a little drink. 

A Six Cygnet Afternoon

Meanwhile down on the canal.... it is high summer and a pair of swans show off their six youngsters.

Shark Art at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco

The Oceanographic Museum in Monaco is hosting a splendid exhibition of shark-themed art to raise awareness about these splendid animals. Here are a few images:

In the centre of the whale hall a fin whale skeleton - shark displays to the right and left

Children walk on the tail of a shark made of many other animals

A harpoon - a devise used for catching whales and sharks explodes form a mirror on the museum roof

The exhibition is called 'On Sharks and Humanity' and you can find out more about it here and see a film about the installation on You-Tube here.

In the footsteps of Cousteau.

I was privileged last week to chair a workshop on the effects of climate change on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in Monaco at the famous Oceanographic Museum where Jaques Cousteau was once based. Cousteau was the man who probably did more for marine conservation than anyone else of his generation. When I was growing up his films - the first that combined scuba diving and filming marine life - opened up a whole new submarine world for TV viewers around the world. .

Monaco itself is a fascinating place - a principality where the rich and famous go to play, with a long history, a famous car race and a selection of incredible boats in its harbours. Monte Carlo is probably most famous for its Casino and wealthy citizens and visitors but the Oceanograhic Museum built in 1907 has its own claims to fame and is still a centre of marine research.

I have been to Monaco many times over the years because of its central role in international conservation work - something which is strongly supported by its royal family - and also because the Agreement for Cetaceans of the Mediterranean and Black Seas and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) is based there.

Here are some some photos from around the town and the museum during my latest visit.

The super-yachts of Monaco marina

Close-up of a super-yacht

Main harbour

The grand entrance to the museum

The museum was hosting a shark art exhibition

Below - our magnificent meeting room

Simone Panigada presents on the vulnerability of cetaceans

Mark Simmonds - blah blah blah....

Monaco's law court

Dolphin detail on a funfair

The Royal Palace

A four badger night

Wondering into the garden last night came one, then two, then three and finally four badgers. It was raining quite heavily and they were wet and their noses were muddy.

I did not manage to get pictures of them all together but here are the best images - an adult and what I think must be a youngster, although he is almost as big as the others.