Paul Naylor offers another close-up look at a patch of British reefs , this time a photograph taken purely by chance that acts as a showcase for South Coast biodiversity
1 Steven ’ s goby ( Gobius gasteveni ) – the intended subject of the photo . This species has usually been described as living offshore but many have been recorded by Seasearch divers close to southwest coasts recently , and there is a thriving population in Plymouth Sound . I have found them guarding nests in the summer here – these are occasionally more open than those of other gobies , so their eggs can be photographed without disturbing the owner .
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On the Spot in Plymouth Sound
Paul Naylor offers another close-up look at a patch of British reefs , this time a photograph taken purely by chance that acts as a showcase for South Coast biodiversity
The photographs I have used for previous ‘ On the spot ’ pieces , where I look at the marine animal species you can see in a single photograph , were all taken on purpose . Even if they weren ’ t taken with specific articles in mind , I deliberately framed the shots to show the biodiversity in a small area . This one was different and came about by pure accident . We were diving at Firestone Bay in Plymouth Sound , the superb shore dive site often referred to by local divers as ‘ Eastern Kings ’.
As usual , I was observing and trying to keep track of the rich population of small fish that inhabit the bay , and had just spotted a Steven ’ s Goby . Wary of it retreating into its shelter as I approached , as they so often do , I snapped a photo immediately before I got any closer . Reviewing the downloaded material later , I almost overlooked this unexceptional and distant shot then noticed , right next to the goby , a small nudibranch that I hadn ’ t seen at the time . This sparked me to look further at the image , and I found a whole lot more …
1 Steven ’ s goby ( Gobius gasteveni ) – the intended subject of the photo . This species has usually been described as living offshore but many have been recorded by Seasearch divers close to southwest coasts recently , and there is a thriving population in Plymouth Sound . I have found them guarding nests in the summer here – these are occasionally more open than those of other gobies , so their eggs can be photographed without disturbing the owner .
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