30 Days Wild 2021 – Day Twenty-nine.

Day 29: For today’s 30 Days Wild, I’d planned to tune into The Wildlife Trusts’ Wild LIVE: Bringing Back Beavers, however it has been postponed. Beavers went extinct in the UK during the 16th Century. For the past 20 years The Wildlife Trusts’ have been at the forefront in restoring beavers back to the rivers they once inhabited. This Wildlife Trusts’ talk was to celebrate the reintroduction of this ecosystem engineer and why beavers are so essential in the restoration of nature in the UK.

wild live

Here’s some facts on the Eurasian beaver.

The beaver (Castor fiber) was a semi aquatic mammal native to Britain before it was hunted into extinction for its fur and castoreum, a secretion used in perfumes and medicine. They are a keystone species due to their positive influence on the environment. They prefer freshwater habitats. They dig canal systems, coppice trees and shrubs, and create wetlands which in turn has enormous benefits on other species such as otters, fish and birds. As they create their environment, their influence can be seen in the reduction of flooding, increased water retention and cleaner water.

Eurasian Beaver from the Northwitch Guardian

Their home is called a lodge, made up of sticks and branches and they live in small family groups. They are herbivores and willow bark, twigs and leaves are their favourite foods. Beavers are a large mammal weighing in at around 30kg and are as large as a Labrador. Their teeth are orange due to the protective iron enamel and like all rodents they grow continuously throughout their life. They are crepuscular meaning active during dawn/dusk, and can remain underwater for 15 minutes. There are currently eight beaver reintroduction projects across the UK with several more upcoming.

Have you ever seen a beaver in the wild?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine xx

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Further Reading:

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/saving-species/beavers

https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/policy-insight/species/beaver-reintroduction-in-the-uk/

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/mammals/beaver/

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/beaver

30 Days Wild 2021 – Day Twenty-five.

Day 25: Continuing a theme from the past two years, Close Up, where I throw a spotlight on a given species and delve a little deeper. These Close up days will be on Fridays for 2021!

Today’s Close Up will be all about the fastest bird in the world – the peregrine falcon.

In the 19th and 20th centuries numbers of peregrine falcons declined rapidly due to persecution from humans and the introduction of pesticides such as DDT. The use of DDT increased adult mortality and caused the thinning of egg shells, resulting in many breaking and the parents unable to breed. By the 1960’s 80% of the UK peregrine population had been lost! There was another population decline in the 1990’s but the cause is unknown. Since these dark days the numbers of peregrines are slowly increasing, and city residents are faring better than their countryside brethren.

peregrine_adult_ rspb

peregrine chicks jack perks-alamy stock photo

In the past, peregrines were found in the north and west of the UK, however in recent years they have been spreading south. They do not migrate and most stay within 100km of their hatching. The peregrine is our largest falcon, and can reach speeds of up to 200mph as they stoop or dive for its prey.

In cities they prey on pigeons but have a wide and varied diet from garden birds to wading birds. They are very territorial and nest on cliff ledges but in cities nest on tall structures, such as cathedrals. The breeding season begins in March-April and the female will lay 3-4 eggs with incubation up to a month. The male will provide food. The chicks take up to two months to be independent and up to a third will reach breeding age. The lifespan of a peregrine is around five years. 20% of the European population of peregrines live in the UK. The main threat to peregrines is illegal persecution especially on grouse moors.

Have you seen a peregrine falcon? I briefly spotted one on a walk a few years ago at Raven Crag, the Lake District.

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine xx

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Further Reading:

https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/peregrine-survey/results

http://www.london-peregrine-partnership.org.uk/peregrine-info.html

https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visit-what-see/peregrine-falcons-live-stream

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/peregrine/#:~:text=Peregrines%20can%20often%20be%20found,lovers%20spot%20these%20stunning%20birds.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/peregrine/population-numbers-and-trends/

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/birds-prey/peregrine-falcon

https://derbyperegrines.blogspot.com/p/our-webcams.html

30 Days Wild 2021 – Day Eleven.

Day 11: Continuing a theme from the past two years, Close Up, where I throw a spotlight on a given species and delve a little deeper. These Close up days will be on Fridays for 2021!

Today’s Close Up will be all about the only true flying mammal: the bat – focusing on the common pipistrelle. Ever since I spotted a bat swoop in circles around my urban yarden last year, I have wanted to learn more about the species I think it was. Though I haven’t a bat detector I have plumped for the most common bat species in the UK – the common pipistrelle. 

The UK has 18 bat species. The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) is a formidable predator eating up to 3,000 insects a night, despite being the smallest species of bat in the UK. The common pipistrelle weighs around a pound coin and is small enough to fit into a match box! Being small has it’s advantages as pipistrelles feed in a wide range of habitats. They are active between April and October and come out of their crevices, tree holes or bat boxes 20 minutes after sunset. Being nocturnal they rely on echolocation to find their prey. These frequencies, being higher than the human range can be picked up with devices such as bat detectors. Pipistrelles can be heard on frequencies ranging from 45 to 70kHz. 

pipistrelle-bat from the RSPB

The breeding season is between July and September thereafter females form maternity colonies and give birth to one live young in June/July. The pup only stays with its mother for a month before they are able to fly and after six weeks they become fully fledged. 

From November onwards pipistrelles go into hibernation or torpor. They achieve this by lowering their body temperature which reduces their metabolic rate, surviving on stored body fat. It’s only when the outside temperature increases that they awake to forage on newly emerged insects. 

The only zoonotic disease that some UK bats carry is rabies which is why if you find a sick bat, do not touch and contact the National Bat Helpline on 0345 1300 228. 

In conclusion, bats are wonderful pest controllers. Some need our help as population numbers have dwindled due to changes in agricultural practices and the loss of habitat.  You can help by planting flowers that will attract insects and putting up a bat box, they are relatively inexpensive and The Wildlife Trusts have a fact sheet on how to build you own, here. 

Have you seen bats where you live? Have any roosting in your home?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine xx

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Further reading:

The Wildlife Trusts

RSPB

The Woodland Trust

Bat Conservation 

30 Days Wild 2020 – Day Twenty-five.

Day 25: Today is Throw Back Thursday!

In 2015 I went painted gorilla spotting on the streets of Norwich. I made fat balls for the garden birds in 2016 and took a wildlife filled trip to Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve in 2017. I got up close and personal with goldfinches in 2018, and in 2019 I attempted to ID some trees via their leaves.

Goldfinches Picture by David Evans

Swift

For 2020’s Throw Back Thursday I shall return to the topic of trees. Forestry England has some fab downloadable content, of which Tree Trumps is one of them.

Tree Trumps

Here’s some facts from the game:

• The UK’s tallest tree the Douglas Fir has a non-flammable bark which protects forests from fires
• Black poplar is the most endangered native tree, due to habitat loss and cross breeding
• Horse chestnut leaf stalks leave a scar on the twigs in the shape of a horseshoe
• There are 10 yew trees in the UK thought to predate the 10th century
• The Romans ground chestnuts from the sweet chestnut to make flour
• Downy birch aided the industrial revolution, its wood was used for the cotton industry and leather tanning

I would definitely recommend a download of the game to print and challenge your family and friends. It was a lot of fun!

What is your favourite tree? Mine is the hawthorn or May tree as it has beautiful flowers in spring and berries for hungry birds in autumn.

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

30 Days Wild 2020 – Day Twenty-four.

Day 24: For today’s RAW or Random Act of Wildness, The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild app has chosen: unleash an inner artist: sketch the wild up close. Since it’s National Insect week, and joining in the spirit of the occasion for 30 Days Wild, (even though I’m no artist) I’ve picked up coloured pencils and made a sketch of my favourite moth, (one I’ve still yet to see in the wild) the elephant hawk moth.

Elephant Hawk Moth

Some facts on the elephant hawk moth:

• • Adults can be seen between May and August
  • Wingspan can be up to 6cm
  • They feed on nectar
  • Adults are nocturnal
  • Their caterpillars look like they have a face and can grow up to 85mm in length
  • So named due to the fact that their caterpillars look like an elephant’s trunk

What is your favourite moth?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

30 Days Wild 2020 – Day Twenty-two.

Day 22: Today’s 30 Days Wild is Close up Monday and we are focusing on the UK’s largest predator, Badgers! In 2019 David and I had the wonderful opportunity of watching wild badgers by partaking in an event at RSPB Haweswater. For as little as £12 pp (if you are a member), you can spend up to 90 minutes with these elusive yet iconic animals.

I am sure you local wildlife trust or RSPB site has a similar event, check out their website for more details.

Gremlin the badger

Badger

Badger (Meles meles) Facts:

• • Badgers are mammals and sometimes are called brocks
  • They are common throughout Britain
  • They live in family groups underground called setts, and some setts can be 100 years old, being passed down from generation to generation
  • Badgers are part of the Mustelid family (otters and ferrets)
  • They grow to one metre in length
  • They are crepuscular (active dawn/dusk)
  • Playing and scent marking strengthens social bonding
  • Badgers can live up to 14 years though five to eight years is more optimistic
  • Females can have up to five cubs a litter and most cubs are born mid February, and will emerge above ground after 12 weeks
  • Up to 50,000 badgers are killed each year on UK roads
  • Badgers are omnivores but 60% of their diet are earthworms
  • They are the only predator of the hedgehog

Have you seen a wild badger?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

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Further Reading:

Badger Trust: https://www.badgertrust.org.uk/badgers
RSPB: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/other-garden-wildlife/mammals/badger/
Wildlife Trusts: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/european-badger
The Woodland Trust:https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/08/badgers-what-do-they-eat-and-other-facts/

30 Days Wild 2020 – Day Nineteen.

Day 19: For today’s 30 Days Wild, I’ll try and ID a feather. While walking Riley to and from our local park I have been looking for fallen feathers. Many have been pigeon feathers but the other day I spied a black and white feather. At first I thought it was a magpie feather but I wasn’t certain. After doing a quick search on Google, my first instinct was right. It is a magpie feather!

On looking at the Feather Atlas website, part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, there is a detailed entry on magpie feathers. On this site it states that the feather I found was a primary wing feather of the magpie. Primary meaning closest to the wing tip and most birds have about 10 of these on each wing. Without primary feathers a bird can’t fly.

Stock Adobe By J.C.Salvadores

Stock Adobe By abiwarner

The magpie (pica pica) is a member of the corvid (crow) family, and is an omnivore and a scavenger. They will only predate on songbird nests in the breeding season and during winter months they largely eat berries and grains. Magpies live up to five years and are seen throughout the year. They are sociable birds and during winter create roosts of up to 200 individuals. Being none migratory they don’t stray far from where they fledged. Folklore surrounds the magpie from being bearers of good luck to being in league with the devil the popular rhyme ‘one for sorrow’ is associated with this bird.

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told, Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten for a bird, You must not miss.

Have you found any interesting bird feathers?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

30 Days Wild 2020 – Day Eight.

Day 8: Today is World Oceans Day, so in honour of this campaign, today’s Close up Monday will be of bottle-nosed dolphins. I’ll admit that marine wildlife is one aspect of my knowledge that isn’t particularly strong. So I am going to use today as a platform to further my understanding around this subject.

What’s your favourite ocean inhabitant?

The bottle-nosed dolphin is probably the best known of all UK whale and dolphin species (cetaceans). While reading the summer edition of the RSPB’s Nature’s Home magazine, I was surprised to discover that up to 28 of these aquatic mammals have been seen around UK shores.

Nature’s Home

Magazine

Some facts on bottle-nosed dolphins:

• UK bottle-nosed dolphins are the biggest in the world, their larger bodies help with the cold of our waters
• They can live up to 50 years of age
• Are carnivore and eat other fish and crustaceans
• They have good eyesight and their eyes can move independently of each other
• They can’t detect colour
• Highly sociable and live within pods of up to 15 members
• Research has shown that dolphins have names or a unique whistle to identify them from other dolphins
• Like bats they use echolocation for finding food and navigation
• Their stomachs consist of three chambers, one to store, one to digest and one to excrete
• They sleep by shutting one side of their brain and the opposing eye
• ‘Breaching’ or jumping out of water is a way of cleaning parasites off their bodies
• As a mammal they are warm blooded and need to breathe through a blow hole

Moray Firth dolphins

Bottle-nosed dolphins enjoy the safety of sheltered bays and can be seen often at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Moray Firth in Scotland, Cornwall and Dorset.

Have you seen any bottle-nosed dolphins around the coast of the UK? Have you seen any other cetaceans?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

Going Sober in October

With my alcohol consumption slightly increasing over the year, I decided that this October I would challenge myself and sort of join in with Sober October. I mean sort of because I set the month of abstinence from 29th September to 29th October and aimed to raise money for a local animal charity. You can see my Facebook page here.

This was not the first time I went sober for a month, in 2015 I participated in Dry January. In many respects this years Sober in October has been such a breeze! I have actually enjoyed having a clearer head most mornings. I am generally a bad sleeper but during the monthly long challenge I have had some fantastic nights sleep. Mostly when I’ve not had Artie acting like a brain slug and taking most of my pillow!

I’m not sure if I’ve lost any weight but I do feel much less bloated. I also think my mental health has benefited from this break from alcohol and my mood has been much more stable for it.

All in all Sober in October has been a positive experience. I will definitely instill more alcohol free days into my diet.

To end with here’s some interesting facts about the Liver:

1. The liver carries out over 500 bodily functions
2. Is both an organ and a gland, and produces hormones
3. Breaks down carbohydrates and turns them into glycogen which is released when the body needs sugar and energy
4. Filters everything that the body comes into contact with and clears toxins
5. Has a vital part in the immune system
6. Produces bile which aids digestion
7. Is the only organ that can regenerate itself
8. Makes cholesterol (good and bad)
9. Helps clot blood
10. Stores vitamins A, E and K

Have you ever done a similar challenge?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x

30 Days Wild 2019 – Roundup!

I thought I would write a roundup of my 2019, 30 Days Wild.

Blogging everyday is a challenge in itself but when illness puts pay to plans it makes the challenge all that more difficult! Well it did for me! I had to cancel a weekend break to the Lakes and also a badger hide encounter. However, hopefully I will be able to re-book both in the near future?!

Before 30 Days Wild had even begun my story was featured on the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trusts’ page. I was surprised to see they used my picture of swimming in Rydal Water as their feature! You can read my story here.

Saturday’s in June were meant to be RSPB reserve visits but David and I only managed to visit one site and that was Leighton Moss to meet with their moths.

Buff Tip Moth – David Evans

Small Elephant Hawk Moth

I did manage to schedule some blog posts and enjoyed researching about red squirrels and dragonflies.

Red Squirrel by David Evans

Golden Ringed Dragonfly

Gaia was an impromptu visit but an impressive addition to my 30 Days Wild. I also focused on the moon with some facts about our beautiful satellite.

Gaia

The Moon by David Evans

There were two highlights of the month. One was of course watching my five painted lady caterpillars (from Insect Lore), become chrysalids and then beautiful adult butterflies! I would definitely do that experience again!

Day 9 – caterpillar

Chrysalids

Painted Lady Butterfly

The other highlight was the bee experience at The Bee Centre. It really made me wish I had a bigger garden so I could get a hive. I would love to become a bee keeper, and I think David would too.

The Bee Centre

Christine and honey bees

David and honey bees

Looking back, perhaps my 2019, 30 Days Wild really wasn’t that bad at all!

Would I blog again everyday for 30 Days in June? Probably. I do like how the challenge makes you focus on the small things as well as the large.

Have you enjoyed my journey through this years 30 Days Wild? What did you like and what didn’t you like?

Thanks for reading, and for one last time, stay wild!

Christine xx