Albert Ross really is a star!

The Black-browed Albatross which has been present at RSPB Bempton for several weeks now (reported again this morning whilst writing this post) has now become a magazine cover star!

The September issue of Bird Watching which has just been delivered to me features him on the front cover but photos of him also appear inside the magazine too.

What a poser! .... he is evidently very happy to be seen and photographed by so many adoring fans 😀

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More on the Black-browed Albatross at RSPB Bempton Cliffs

I was extremely fortunate to bump into (as you do!), the Black-browed Albatross at RPSB Bempton Cliffs during my one day visit on 4th July 2021 .... see here.

What a bird!

The RSPB blog has just published a story regarding this remarkable bird plus general information on the species and the threats that it faces in its natural range in the far south of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The UK welcomes an ocean wanderer - but is it raising brows for the right reasons?

Photo: Black-browed Albatross and Gannet at RSPB Bempton Cliffs (Phil Palmer)

Photo: Black-browed Albatross and Gannet at RSPB Bempton Cliffs (Phil Palmer)

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Record from my flat - Green Woodpeckers

I have recorded Green Woodpecker in very close proximity to the flats where I live on 2 occasions recently .... 27th June 2021 (when I was able to get several photos) and 20th July 2021.

At 1.55 p.m. this afternoon, I heard the distinctive calls of a Green Woodpecker behind the flats and guessed that a bird may be foraging in the rear communal garden area.

However, before I had a chance to look for it, the call transferred to the front of the flats and I quickly saw 2 Green Woodpeckers clinging to a tree on the front lawn where I have seen them on several occasions before.

It also became evident that I was watching an adult and a fledged juvenile Green Woodpecker, the latter identified by the barring on its underparts, breast and neck (the barring on an adult is far less extensive).

After a short while, the adult flew down to the ground and proceeded to feed (presumably on ants) on the lawn and at the kerbstone edge to the garden and car park, just like the individual on 27th June 2021.

The juvenile quickly joined its parent and they both fed together around the kerbstone edge to the garden and car park.

However, Woody junior then decided he wanted to regress to being a chick in the nest and being fed again by its parent.

After a few more minutes, both birds flew back up in to the trees for a short while before the parent flew off out of sight closely followed by the juvenile.

My photos are rather soft and grainy as a result of being taken through an upstairs window and this short video is somewhat shaky for the same reason but it does show Woody junior reverting to being reliant on its parent for food. 

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 29th July 2021

Date: 29th July 2021

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, moderate wind, 14°C to 17°C

I had a very short visit to the site this morning since I wanted to be back home in time for an RSPB webinar for legacy donors …. "Inspired by Nature: From your back garden to Bempton Cliffs".

I don’t have a back garden living in a block of flats so my local patch sites are effectively my “garden”, especially the area around St. Nicholas Church which is immediately accessible as I step outside from my home. However, I am very familiar with the awe-inspiring seabird colonies at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, having last visited on 4th July 2021 …. see here.

My visit this morning was probably the most disappointing ever for birds. Whilst it is high summer, a period when bird activity and bird song is significantly reduced or non-existent, I did expect to record more than 5 species! …. Blue Tit (1), Robin (2 heard briefly singing), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 heard very distantly calling), Magpie (1) and Woodpigeon (5).

It is just as well that I had other sightings of interest!

I have not seen Red Foxes at the site for a few months now although this is largely due to not visiting for various reasons. This morning, I saw 4 Red Foxes.

As I walked out of the wooded area into the eastern section of the cemetery, I immediately saw 2 Red Foxes standing together at the edge. They were quite obviously fairly well-grown cubs from this year although one was clearly larger than the other. As soon as I had spotted them, they spotted me and bolted for cover in the hedge. This location is well away from where I had seen a Red Fox vixen carrying food in the south west corner of the site in the spring. However, I am unsure if these cubs are those of another vixen or cubs now venturing away from a natal den in the south west corner.

After walking up to and past the church, I started to walk down the area in the south west corner of the site and I saw another Red Fox standing in the long grass at the edge of the hedge line. This, too, appeared to be a fairly well-grown cub and, again, it bolted for cover when it saw me. Just slightly further along, I spotted yet another Red Fox sitting down in the sun, almost entirely obscured by long grass. I was able to watch this animal for a few minutes before it seemed to sense my presence, stood up and ran off in to the hedge. Judging by its size and appearance, I think this was a vixen.

Where I saw this last Red Fox, there is a clear trail through the long grass to a smeuse in the hedge. I think I may trying baiting this location with a “Fox buffet” and seeing if I can get any photos.

This also proved to be a very good visit for dragonflies since I recorded my first 2 species of the year for the site: a female Migrant Hawker around the hedges and bushes at the edge of the church car park and a female Common Darter around the bushes in the south west corner of the site. 

This visit was far less successful for butterflies than my last visit on 17th July 2021 both in terms of numbers and diversity of species.

Meadow Brown (c.10) and Gatekeeper (c.20) were relatively abundant but the only other species that I recorded were Small White (3) and Comma (1). I saw no Marbled White or Large and/or Small Skippers which were both abundant on my last visit. I am wondering what impact the storm on 20th July 2021 (see here) has had on these grassland species.

As on my previous visit, the area of Bramble in the south west corner of the site was proving to be very attractive for large numbers of bees, hoverflies and other insects. However, additionally, this morning I also saw 2 Hornets at this location, a species that I have not recorded before at the site.

It is not even the end of July yet but the signs of autumn are already here with small numbers of blackberries starting to appear.

My only other "sighting" was this in the church car park ….

Yet another one! …. SS15 wildlife watching: Is anyone else getting increasingly annoyed about e-scooters?

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blue Tit

Robin

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Magpie

Woodpigeon

Comma

Gatekeeper

Meadow Brown

Small White 

Migrant Hawker

Common Darter

I did not take my camera with me on this visit as it was clearly obvious that the moderate wind would prove to be extremely problematic for macro photography of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. Fortunately, the Red Fox sightings were not of animals posing for lengthy periods of time, otherwise I would have been extremely annoyed!

Site totals to date (2021 totals in brackets):

Birds = 53  (42)
Mammals = 6  (5)
Butterflies = 21  (13)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7  (2)
Reptiles = 1  (0)
Amphibians = 0  (0)

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Chris Packham

I have a huge amount of admiration and respect for Chris Packham as an environmental campaigner, a TV presenter and a photographer and I have seen him speak on many occasions over a number of years.

This recent article gives some insight into what an extraordinary individual he is ....

The Guardian - Chris Packham: "People like me have a very aggravated sense of injustice"

Perhaps less well known to many people is his mental health struggles which he has spoken openly about since the publication of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar and in a subsequent BBC documentary. The book is a remarkably honest and courageous personal testimony and I attended one of the publication events in Stratfoed-upon-Avon where Chris Packham was interviewed about it.

On 28th July 2021, BBC 2 broadcast a programme, "The Walk That Made Me". In the programme, Chris Packham carries a 360-degree camera and revisits a natural setting that provided solace during his youth: the River Itchen and Itchen Navigation between Eastleigh and Winchester in Hampshire. As he wanders along his 10 mile walk, he recounts how nature helped him deal with the depression and isolation he experienced as a young man living with Asperger’s Syndrome.

“It’s not any old walk, it’s a really important walk to me. I’m going to be following in my distant footsteps, on a path where I grew up. Where I really cut my teeth as a naturalist and had plenty of time to think about the world.”

BBC 2 announces Chris Packham: The Walk That Made Me

BBC iPlayer - Chris Packham: The Walk That Made Me

He also speaks very emotionally about the loss of his 2 Poodles, Itchy and Scratcy, who helped him through his mental health struggles. 

The Guardian - Chris Packham reveals wish to have ashes scattered with those of his dogs

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Another summer's day, another storm and another rainbow

After the dramatic weather just a few days ago (see "Summer weather"), there was a further period of heavy rain this evening culminating in yet another rainbow over SS15 when the sun came out again.

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Rewilding Britain - rewilding our National Parks

The beneficial case for rewilding seems to be gaining a lot of recognition recently which is very welcome if more and more aspirations and plans can be converted into reality …. see here.

After watching the excellent Scottish Rewilding Alliance webinar on rewilding in that nation on 22nd July 2021 (see here), last night I watched a webinar from Rewilding Britain which also provided much hope and inspiration for the restoration and recovery of the natural world and its positive contribution to tackling the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.

Rewilding Britain are actively campaigning for the rewilding of the UK’s National Parks (see here) and the webinar had contributions from the following brilliant speakers ….

Guy Shrubshole …. Rewilding Britain 

Iolo Williams …. Iolo Williams

David Morris …. RSPB

Doctor Briony Fox …. North York Moors National Park

Shaila Rao …. Mar Lodge Estate (National Trust for Scotland)

Ali Hawkins …. Exmoor National Park

Phoebe Cox …. Wild Peak (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

This short video animation from Rewilding Britain demonstrates perfectly what can be achieved through strategic leadership from Government and the involvement and contributions from conservation and community organisations.

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UK butterflies hit hard by changeable weather

This year's Big Butterfly Count started on 16th July .... see here.

Spring this year has been very poor for butterflies due to the unseasonably cold and wet weather. Although April was the sunniest on record, it was also very cold with a record number of frosts. This was then followed by the wettest May for more than 50 years.

The UK is experiencing an increasing number of extreme weather events, very likely a result of climate change, and it is important we learn the effect these changes have on our native butterfly species in order to understand the likely long-term impacts on biodiversity.

There were more than 145,000 counts submitted to the Big Butterfly Count last year, more than ever before. However, what was worrying was that 2020 also saw the lowest average number of butterflies logged since the event began 12 years ago. Butterfly Conservation scientists are keen to see if this is a trend that continues in 2021, hence the importance of the public taking part and helping to gather data.

Chris Packham, Vice President of Butterfly Conservation and wildlife broadcaster, said: "Biodiversity loss and the climate crisis is an urgent issue and it can be overwhelming to think about what we can do as individuals to really make a difference. Because butterflies and moths make excellent indicators of the impacts of climate change and other human environmental factors, collecting data on their numbers is really important. So, something as simple as recording a butterfly spotted in your garden, at your local park or on your window box can play a part in vital research into a global problem. It's a really valuable contribution everyone can make."

Taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is something anyone of any age or ability can do in any outdoor space. It provides a real contribution to science and our understanding of butterfly and moth populations in the UK.

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The Scottish Rewilding Alliance - "Scotland: What will you choose?"

I have recently written again about rewilding .... SS15 wildlife watching: The principles of rewilding.

Yesterday evening, I watched an online webinar from the Scottish Rewilding Alliance which proved to very informative and hugely inspiring in its demonstration of what is possible if we choose it.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance say ....

"Imagine a Scotland where nature is reawakened. Where a rich tapestry of native woodlands, wetlands, wildflower meadows and grasslands is stitched back together. Where land and seas teem with life. Where people feel connected to the natural world, wherever they live. And where nature-based enterprises support thriving communities far and wide."

.... and ....

"This is our vision of rewilding. This is why we’re calling on Scotland to become the world’s first Rewilding Nation."

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance webinar was hosted by Peter Cairns, a wildlife photographer and rewilding campaigner, and there were exceptional contributions from the following speakers ....

Mark Ruskell, the MSP and Green Party spokesperson for Environment, Climate and Transport in the Scottish Parliament.

Lynn from Lynbreck Croft located in the Cairngorms National Park and focusing on regenerative wilder farming. 

Kevin Cumming from the Langholm Moor Initiative, a community development trust for Eskdale in southern Scotland that is developing a wide range of inspiring nature-based projects following a community buy-out of a large estate previously owned by Buccleuch Estates.

Will Goudy from Seawilding who are working with coastal communities in Scotland to restore degraded inshore marine habitats to enhance biodiversity, improve water quality and sequester carbon.

Sophie Ramsay from Bamff Wildland , a rewilding project in Perthshire.

The UK, including Scotland, is one of the most nature depleted countries on the planet. Whilst the Scottish Government is far more progressive and ambitious than the Westminster Government when it comes to a green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and tackling the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis (no surprise there), they need to do much more. They need to move beyond just protection and conservation and take a global lead on restoration and recovery through encouraging and supporting rewilding projects and the development of large scale nature networks. The Scottish Rewilding Alliance is urging Scotland to become the world's first Rewilding Nation.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance have framed this in the context of a personal choice for the whole of society. We can choose life over continuing decline by forging a new relationship with nature and by reconnecting with the wild world. The wild world has largely been separated from our world other than in some of the indigenous communities where people still see themselves, their environment and nature and wildlife as a single entity, a single living ecosystem.

Value the wild world and choose more nature.

Here are 2 short videos that are well worth watching ....

Scotland: the world's first Rewilding Nation?

Scotland: what will you choose? 

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Is anyone else getting increasingly annoyed about e-scooters?

Essex County Council launched trials of e-scooters across the County some months ago, including in my home town of Basildon .... see here.

Apparently the trials are being promoted in the context of the Council's "Safer, Greener, Healthier" transport campaign.

All I have seen is e-scooters being ridden at speed on pavements at great risk to other people, especially to those with visual and hearing impairments. There have already been reports of fatalities in other parts of the country where trials are in place.

When I am out, I nearly always see an abandoned e-scooter or e-scooters. This was the second in as many weeks in my own road.

And as for "green travel" in urban areas, what is wrong with putting one foot in front of another (it is commonly known as walking) or using public transport? I do both and see no need whatsoever for e-scooters.

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Summer weather!

It has been very hot and sunny for a few days now, as in much of the south of the UK, but late afternoon today there was a 15 minute interruption to that with a huge storm, heavy rain and hail, thunder, strong winds and flash flooding.

I don't recall anything quite as severe in the many years that I lived in my flat.

Then suddenly it was all over and the sun came out again. Much lighter rain continued for a short while leading to the inevitable rainbow.

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