Beyond 30 Days Wild - Avenue Washlands Open Day

  Well the official 30 Days Wild with the Wildlife Trusts may be over but like many others we will continue to get out and try to do wild activities to keep our connection with Nature and to help my mind and body heal.
 
  On Saturday I was kindly invited by Stewart Abbott, a fellow Hen Harrier campaigner and a volunteer with the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to attend their open day at Avenue Washlands Reserve near Chesterfield. This place was once one of the most polluted in Europe but with the help of EU funding and lots of hard work by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and its volunteers the area is now a fantastic reserve and haven for wildlife.
http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/the-avenue-washlands

  We had hoped to get there earlier than our 11.30am arrival time so unfortunately had missed the checking of the Mammal traps which produced Voles and Mice and also missed the amazing opportunity to see a Kingfisher up close as one was caught and ringed at the reserve.
  Stewart was out and about doing a guided walk when we arrived so we had a chat with his partner Lynne and checked out the stalls.Derbyshire Wildlife Trust(where we met Louise, another Hen Harrier hero), RSPB, Beekeepers Association had information stands and there was a chance to build a bug hotel or bird nest box.In the marquee you coudl buy plants or do the Tombola which among other things I won the Concise Moth Guide on :)
  We then headed out on to the reserve to have our first ever walk around Avenue Washlands.
A few views around Avenue Washlands.

People enjoying the Pond dipping despite the rain.

River Rother creates amazing suitable habitat for Water Voles.

  As you can see the July weather wasn't great but there were sunny intervals between the heavy rain showers.
  Canada Geese were relaxing among the Buttercups.

  Male Reed Bunting

  There were also quite a few Yellowhammers, Linnets, Swallows, Goldfinches, Greenfinch, Bullfinches, House Martins and a Kestrel. 21 species seen in the end during our walk.
  When the sun did come out between the dark clouds, insects took full advantage with the numerous wildflowers becoming a hive of activity.
  I was determined to find a Moth and finally found this Clouded Border hidden in a hedgerow along the Sidings.

 
  In the warmth of the sun Butterflies once again took to the wing.
Meadow brown

Speckled Wood

 Large Skipper

Ringlet

  With having to be up at 4.30am Sunday morning we were unable to stay for the Moth trapping later in the evening but had already had a good day at the reserve.
  Many thanks again to Stewart & Lynne and the rest of the staff and volunteers that made it a great day and had lots of adults and children engaging with wildlife.
  We will be back :)

30 Days Wild:Day 30 - Join Our Fight To Protect Hen Harriers

                                           











  Well it's the last day of the #30DaysWild Wildlife Trusts Challenge and what another fun month it has been.Not only for myself getting out more than usual but for being able to read through other peoples blogs and see what random "wild" acts have been done up and down the country.
  Unfortunately the last day coincided with my busiest work day so not much done besides catching up on more reading with Mike Dilgers book though I will be trying to continue beyond 30 Days with more wild activities.So for Day 30 I am going to share something I am passionate about, saving our Hen Harriers.

  You may have heard of an event called "Hen Harrier Day" organised by Birders Against Wildlife Crime, Mark Avery and some guy called Chris Packham.It's now in its third year and what started as a small idea from a few birders(namely Charlie Moores, Phil Walton & Lawrie Phipps) has now become numerous events around the UK attended by hundreds of people and supported by naturalists, MPs, Police forces, RSPB, Wildlife Trusts and a new generation of young birders/conservationists.
  Hen Harrier Day 2015 in Derbyshire

 With Chris

Mark Avery speaking.

With Henry

  Chris making another passionate speech on what needs to be done.

Hen Harrier supporters

  

  The very shortened version is that we just want the law to be upheld.Some landowners of shooting estates have got away with murdering our wildlife(in particular the Hen Harrier which has been a protected bird for over 60 years) just so they can have a larger number of Grouse to shoot when the "Inglorious" 12th arrives to announce the start of the shooting season.

  I could go on about intensive land management causing untold environmental damage, Defra's "Hen Harrier Action Plan" and Brood management scheme or the other wildlife such as Mountain Hares which are destroyed to to protect Grouse numbers but it would be better if someone would write a book about the whole issue, and someone did.........Dr Mark Avery.

 Buy his book "Inglorious" and read for yourself what travesties are happening on our uplands.

  The bottom line is we have enough suitable habitat to sustain 320 pairs of Hen Harriers in England, in 2015 we had 6 successful nests, this year we may have 3...........THREE!!

  Satellite tagged birds are still disappearing and bodies of others have been found to be shot, trapped or poisoned all in the vicinities of Grouse Moors. This HAS TO END!!

  To see a silver Male Hen Harrier hunting over a hillside is a  mesmerising and magical experience and one that our future generations should NOT be deprived of just to cater to some "rich" folk who want to shoot other birds for fun.

  If you want to show your support in protecting this magnificent Raptor then click on the link below to see if there is a Hen Harrier Day 2016 event near you.

http://henharrierday.org/2016-events.html

  There are ones in London, Scotland, Derbyshire, Dorset, North East, North West & Northern Ireland all during the weekend of August 6th/7th with speakers such as Chris Packham, Mark Avery, Iolo Williams, Natalie Bennett and members of Wildlife Trusts and National Trust among others.I will be at Edale in the Peak District if anyone wants to come and meet up ;)

Some important sites to check out -

http://birdersagainst.org/

http://henharrierday.org/

http://markavery.info/blog/

http://www.league.org.uk/

Petition to Ban Driven Grouse Shooting - 

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125003

Or follow these Twitter accounts to stay up to date - 

@birdersagainst

@MarkAvery 

@inglorious_book 

@Ban_DGS 

@ChrisGPackham 

@RaptorPersecution

@HenryHenHarrier

@RareBirdAlertUK

@Peak_HHDay

@HHDaySouth

@HHDatNorthEast

@HHDLondon

@HHDHighlands

Thanks for reading and please support and help protect our stunning Raptors from illegal persecution and hope to see some of you in August :)

  

  

30 Days Wild:Day 29 - Tigers at 100

                                                               










  Before we get on to Day 29 I would just like to say that this is my 100th blog post with more than half been posted during 30 Days Wild 2015 & 2016 so I just want to say a massive Thank You to everyone who is one of the 8760 views and has taken the time to read through any of my blog posts and look at my photos since I began my wildlife blog. :)

  As you can see from the pic above today was a slightly wet day but even with the pouring rain we wanted to get out and spend some time with the Big Cats and maybe a Bear or two so off we set for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park.We have been annual members since just after its opening and it has changed a lot from a park with a few old wooden aviaries containing Squirrels and then the rescue of the Lion pride from Europe.It is now one of the best managed Wildlife parks in the UK that also does a lot for conservation through the Yorkshire Wildlife Foundation.

  

https://yorkshirewildlifepark.com/

  Of course we would all prefer to see wild animals like Amur Tigers, Leopards & Lions in the wild but due to the destructive nature of the Human Race their populations continue to decline.

  Anyway back to the Park :) I always looks for birds(wild ones) when wandering around and am at 42 species so far seen at the Park.Today though due to the heavy rain I didn't see much bar a few Jackdaws, Swallows, Mallards, Mute Swans and Pied Wagtails.
  Pied Wagtail with food.

  One of the recent additions to the park are a pair of Giant Otters, though today and not for the first time, a person next to us watching them said they were Seals lol.I thought the large sign next to them saying "Giant Otters" might've given it away.

 
    The majority of the Lion pride were not too impressed with the weather and prefered to stay snug in their shelter and catch a nap.

but the mischievous Brothers were out keeping an eye on things.

  A quick shake to disperse some of the excess rain water.

  Three of the four Polar Bears now at the park were slowly following each other between the large enclosures.

  The main reason of our visit though was to see the Amur Tigers.Vladimir, the two girls, Sayan and Tschuna and the three very grown up cubs.Vladimir , we have known nearly all his life as we first saw him at a few weeks old in Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore before he was transferred to Yorkshire. They are part of the European Breeding Program as there are thought to be less than 500 Amur Tigers left in the wild.
  Vladimir

   Vladimir getting some love.....

 ...though I don't think he was too impressed with getting a love bite lol

  More pics of the Amur Tigers.

  These are just stunning animals and need our help.You can help too :) There are a few Tiger charities that work to protect Tigers and their habitats in areas such as India, Sumatra and Russia.
 We are walking to raise money to help Tigers in India through projects done by Tiger Awareness, just 3 weeks til our walk so still time if you would like to donate and help protect these iconic animals and their habitats and help reduce Tiger-Human conflicts.
  Your help will be very much appreciated :)

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/StuartPike-MajellaFox

http://www.tigerawareness.co.uk/

  So that's it, blog 100 done with just one day of 30 Days Wild to go. Let's keep it going beyond June and see if we can help more people become aware of the beauty to be found in our Natural World and motivate them to help protect it :)

  Thanks again for reading and I hope you are still here for blog number 200 ;)

30 Days Wild:Day 27 & 28 - Bye To The Kites & Beauty By The Roadside

                                               











  Two blogs for the price of one today as both are quite brief.
  Nothing was done on Day 27 as it mainly involved our 6hr journey back from Wales to Lincolnshire.The only photos I took were the Red Kites seeing us off in the gloomy morning at Gigrin Farm.

  So goodbye to another Welsh adventure and home to work and find Nature nearer to home.

  Beauty By The Roadside....

  We did hope to meet up with a friend at RSPB Bempton Cliffs this morning to see the Gannets and more Puffins.Unfortunately the toll of the 6hr journey yesterday meant another 3hr round trip today was pushing it a bit too far :( My friend did go and had a great time though :)

  Lucky me got to spend 10-15 minutes at the side of a busy road into town on a grass verge and a bit of waste ground ;)

Thankfully the local council saw sense on their recent grass cutting expedition and actually went around the areas of wildflowers on the grass verge near the roundabout.

  There were some strange looks from people driving by wondering why I had my head in the flowers lol

  On the opposite side of the road from here is a larger area of waste ground filled with Thistles, Poppies, Ragwort and other assorted plants, all next to a Morrisons and retail park.

  Due to the drizzly weather there were not as many insects about as I'd hoped for but we did see Large Skippers.....

...and Ringlets.

  I was happy enough to get to spend 15 minutes wandering through the unexpected meadow to calm myself before the hassle of grocery shopping lol

 I am hoping to be out more tomorrow despite the weather forecast predicting heavy rain all day.
#Itsjustwater ;)