Tuesday 26 March 2013

Building on farmlands - good idea?

To: Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 

To persuade the Government to rethink the idea that building housing estates on farmland is a good idea. With an increasing population surely it would be best to put our efforts into providing an efficient food supply.... Would it not also be better therefore to help our farmers to create this 'efficient' food supply and to also help wildlife, to assist with our own health and well being? 

Building housing estates could have a detrimental effect on our wildlife. With the removal of hedgerows within farmlands, pesticide use and intensification which have already had a big effect, building more houses would just make this 10x worse.

If you feel as strongly about this as I do, please sign the petition: Petition

Monday 25 March 2013

Back to some level or normality.

As I've mentioned the dissertation is finished, although I have other assignments to do, the dissertation was the 'biggy' and having that completed is a big relief.

I've been to my local bird club the last few days to have a break and to enjoy the wildlife around me, and here are a selection of my photographs:

Water Rail
Long Tailed Tit





Chaffinch
Cormorants

It's been a long time

It has definitely been a long time since I updated my blog. To be honest I've not had much time to do any photography because I've been so busy with University. I've therefore not updated my blog as much as I didn't want to burden you all with unnecessary stuff because I'd rather focus the blog on my journey in the natural world.

University is going well though on the other hand.  I am a bit stressed right now but it is my final year so it's bound to be, just got my dissertation handed in so that is a might relief. The dissertation was thoroughly enjoyable and it has definitely given me an insight into the career I would like to go into.

The results showed that there was more diversity in the barn owl's pellets in a 1km radius when most of the agricultural land was under 'plus' stewardship (i.e. higher level, higher level + Entry level etc) which was expected. Although in a 2km radius of the pellets location more diversity occurred in 'total' stewardship (i.e. the total amount of stewardship that weren't plus).  
 
Barn owls also tended to consume bigger prey stewardship in land under less stewardship.

Since my dissertation was handed in I've been out and about enjoying the snow and taking photographs of the natural world around me, and I'll sort this photos out in due course and will get them posted on here today (hopefully!).

Thank you all!

P.s. A positive bit of news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21329015

Monday 19 November 2012

The year of the Waxwings

It looks like it's going to be another fantastic year for waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus), the majority of which are being observed in Northern and Eastern Britain but I've been fortunate to have them on my local 'patch'. I therefore treasured the opportunity to photograph them.

Observant waxwing









Flock of Waxwings






Waxwing on 'look out'








































The Waxwing gets its name from 'bombycilla' meaning silk tail, and 'garrulus' meaning chattering, babbling and noisy. The meaning of garrulus came from (BOU, 1915) who states: "applied by Linnaeus to the Waxing because of its fancied likeness to a Jay".

Sunday 9 September 2012

Help Save out Seas: Petition Fish

To those of you who are aware of the petition created by the Wildlife Trust's, and have signed their petition thank you, to those of you that aren't aware I will explain.

The Wildlife Trust's are trying to put pressure on the UK Governments to create Marine Protected Areas (MPA's) and they're calling on us to try and help with this and to make it happen. The sea life around the UK is amazing, people think that you have to go abroad to see colourful reefs, turtles, and whales but this simply isn't the case, they can be found here, around the British Isles.

2013 is when the first MPA's should be established under the Marine Act of 2009 but this cannot happen without the help of you and I. The Wildlife Trust are asking the Government to place the MPA's correctly and to therefore help where nature conservation is required, to support the declining species and to mange our seas with adequate regulations and controls. 

To make sure the Government are taking note the Wildlife Trust has set up this petition: Petition Fish. 

If you think our seas should be protected sign the petition and make sure the Government listen!