Menootnaboot; Fishes Abound

Today's post from my trip is about somewhere that has become extra special to me. After Fraserburgh (see Monday's post), I dotted along the Moray coast to the town of Banff. As I drove through the neighbouring town of Macduff, I saw a sign that had me very interested.

But first, Banff. I parked by a rugby field in a carpark near Duff House. I didn't visit there due to building works on the lower level and exterior, and the available tours were a bit restrictive. 

The carpark was level, had public toilets, lots of walks of various lengths and standards, a dog park, wonderful kiddies gyms for different ages... and I had this view at my back door...

Yes, the sun shone for the one full day I spent there - rained both nights. I did a couple of short walks and chatted with dogs and their peeps; got to meet Rosco, a recently adopted Bully-mixer with reactive issues. His new dad was very happy to chat and let us introduce ourselves when he saw I was okay with it. Rosco did come and sniff and even accepted an ear-chuck from me. Then, Dad offered that I give Rosco his treat for being so good, which he took very gently. This helped Dad in his rehabilitation efforts, and I got to love a dog who reminded me very much of Big Boy. 

I did a litter pick in the morning and a van video in the afternoon—so for those who were asking, you can see the latest layout on THIS VIDEO!

On the next day, I backtracked across the River Deveron to Macduff... and the aquarium! Given that it appeared to be quite small, I had planned to spend a couple of hours at most, then head westward. However, it didn't open until 11 a.m., so I sat for an hour at the charger while waiting. Just as it opened and I made my way over, an enormous bus arrived and disgorged hordes of junior school students and their teachers! Mayhem. The girls at the desk said that my ticket allowed me to come and go, so if it got too noisy, I could leave and go back. I sat and watched the first tank of fishies, which held Cod, Saithe (aka Coley), Pollock, Halibut, Thorn-tail Skate, Plaice, Turbot, Wrasse... you name it... the kiddies ran amok. The echo in there was quite high, so after half an hour of waiting for the walkway to unblock (and didn't), I decided to go have lunch and come back for the talk at one o'clock. Good decision. Abby was telling us about the estuary nature of the Moray and how varied the sea life is here. She fed the fish as she did so.

The talk lasted about 15 minutes, but I lingered, and Abby stayed with me as I asked all sorts of questions about the aquarium, the fish, and her own part in it. She is a delightful young lady. I moved along the exhibits then, taking my time but conscious that the day was getting from me. There were to be two more talks, at two and three, respectively, and I found that I really wanted to linger. I loved this place! It may be small, but it is perfectly formed and is dedicated to displaying only those fish and other environmental parts that pertain specifically to the Moray area. (Prepare - I went photo mad! Some will be kept for Me-Now-Views. Given tomorrow is filmclub day on this blog, I am making this my offering for Nature Friday.)

There were some excellent boards on the effects of plastics - I hope you are able to biggify and read these - but the first one shows you the overall display.

Now for some more fishy piccies!

Now to share something very extra special. As I was at the counter waiting for the two o'clock talk, I was chatting with the attendants, Abby and Janice, and said I was already behind time as I had to find a park-up for that night. 

"Why not just stay here?" asked Janice, to which Abby added her further encouragement. "The park is free, and we've had vans park overnight before. As long as you are self-contained...well, stay with us!" How could I refuse??!!! The decision was quick to stay until they closed and soak in as much info and chat as I could. Did I mention I am in love with this place?

The talk at two was also feeding of the starfish and lobster and sand eels - and Abby asked me to stay with her after that to help feed the Mackeral and the Wolf-fish. I lingered with the Dahlia Anemones and Moon Jellies, the Dogfish and sharks and touch pool, until the three o'clock talk - of which I was an audience of one, this time with Janice. It's her voice you will hear at the end of the video...yes, of course there's a video! We had a moment of sheer excitement. As she was talking, I caught the eye of something lurking - and I, in turn, caught its fancy. That thing swam toward me, and I nearly squeaked - "Is that a Conger Eel?"

"Yes!" came the excited reply, "I haven't seen it for months." They are nocturnal, and the keepers rarely glimpse them. Abby said later it had been over a year since she had seen either of the two they had in the main tank. I felt really grateful for this darshan...

As my visit drew to a close, I browsed the gift shop but found nothing of interest - so I asked about sponsorship. I had noted the 'shoal' wall earlier...

Now my name will be on a fishy there; I sponsored the Conger and got the privilege of naming it "Argyll". The sponsorship is for one year and the funds will go to feeding and maintenance of the environment. In turn, I will get regular updates - and I received a free gift. Meet "Abbyjan" (yes, named for the two dears who made me so very welcome!)

I now have confirmation, and I look forward to revisiting the aquarium later this year with the hope of seeing Argyll again. Even if I don't, I know I have friends there!