Sunday, 2 September 2012
Bushnell in Badgerland
Recently I picked up a Bushnell Trophy Cam to use on an Otter project that I'm working on.
Because Otters range over such a large area, I decided to test the kit out on a Badger sett first. Besides Badgers I managed to film a Red Fox, a hyperactive Wood Mouse, a Grey Squirrel, a Tawny Owl, a domestic dog, a domestic cat, some inquisitive children, and lots and lots of Rabbits
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Maltese Poachers Slaughter Egyptian Wildlife
This is probably the most disturbing video I have seen of Maltese poachers in action. Egyptians need to wake up to the extent of the problem within their country before they have no wildlife left. Maltese poachers will kill anything and everything for fun. This is not hunting, it is the indiscriminate slaughter of protected species. It has to be stopped.
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Crossbills, Bramblings and Wagtails
It's worth checking out your local stands of Beech for Bramblings at the moment. I discovered a small flock above Withens Clough last Monday in pretty poor weather conditions. I had intended to look for the Crossbills that had been reported in Sunderland Pasture but the mist and drizzle made it a no goer, so discovering a flock of Bramblings en route was a welcome diversion.
A return visit on Saturday in order to try for better pictures came to nowt. Although I had a few sporadic flyovers of what may (?) have been bramblings, I wasn't able to locate the 20 - 30 strong flock of last Monday. There is still mast on the trees, but it is difficult to say how much of it still bore seed, and how much had already been plundered.
Driving home, I was cosidering posting a heads-up for winter wagtail roosts, when I drove straight into one.......Tescos car park at King Cross. I don't know how many birds are coming in to roost as many were already in bed when I came across them. I would estimate around 150 but this could be wide of the mark.
I counted 200 going into a larger tree by the Woolshops on October 14th 2007 and in Manchester in the late 90's I seem to remember around 500 going into a single tree outside the BBC.
This time, the birds were congregating on Tescos roof, probably around 4.00 - 4.15 and going into the tree between the car wash and the zebra crossing. There was plenty of traffic, people using the crossing and two guys making plenty of noise washing cars right next to the tree, but the birds did not seem the least bothered.
Standing beneath the tree, watching the birds jostling for position, I could almost reach up and touch them. Amazing site!
A return visit on Saturday in order to try for better pictures came to nowt. Although I had a few sporadic flyovers of what may (?) have been bramblings, I wasn't able to locate the 20 - 30 strong flock of last Monday. There is still mast on the trees, but it is difficult to say how much of it still bore seed, and how much had already been plundered.
Driving home, I was cosidering posting a heads-up for winter wagtail roosts, when I drove straight into one.......Tescos car park at King Cross. I don't know how many birds are coming in to roost as many were already in bed when I came across them. I would estimate around 150 but this could be wide of the mark.
I counted 200 going into a larger tree by the Woolshops on October 14th 2007 and in Manchester in the late 90's I seem to remember around 500 going into a single tree outside the BBC.
This time, the birds were congregating on Tescos roof, probably around 4.00 - 4.15 and going into the tree between the car wash and the zebra crossing. There was plenty of traffic, people using the crossing and two guys making plenty of noise washing cars right next to the tree, but the birds did not seem the least bothered.
Standing beneath the tree, watching the birds jostling for position, I could almost reach up and touch them. Amazing site!
Friday, 28 October 2011
The Twite Recovery Project
Towards the end of the summer, I was asked to produce a video for the Twite Recovery Project which is a joint venture between RSPB and Natural England to help halt the decline of our "Pennine Finch". This video has now gone live on the Pennine Prospects You Tube channel and is currently being used to encourage local landowners to become involved in the project.
Pennine Prospects aim is to support the regeneration of the South Pennines. The company is owned by the key local authorities, water companies, Natural England and voluntary/community sector and is focused upon protecting the built, natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of the area’s residents.
The loss of upland hay meadows in favour of "improved" silage fields has been one of the key factors in the decline of the Twite throughout the South Pennines.
The Twite has bred in the uplands of Britain for at least 8 thousand years. However, over the last 14 years, numbers have nosedived by over 90% in England, and now there are only about 100 breeding pairs, living in about 20 colonies - mainly in the South Pennines. Most seed-eating songbirds feed their chicks on insects, but Twite and their chicks are unusual in feeding almost entirely on seed. The Twite Recovery Project is working with farmers and landowners to help restore and maintain hay meadows close to the moorland edges where the Twite nest, thus providing essential food sources for this charming little bird, in an effort to help reverse its fortunes and save it from further decline
http://www.pennineprospects.co.uk/
Pennine Prospects aim is to support the regeneration of the South Pennines. The company is owned by the key local authorities, water companies, Natural England and voluntary/community sector and is focused upon protecting the built, natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of the area’s residents.
The loss of upland hay meadows in favour of "improved" silage fields has been one of the key factors in the decline of the Twite throughout the South Pennines.
The Twite has bred in the uplands of Britain for at least 8 thousand years. However, over the last 14 years, numbers have nosedived by over 90% in England, and now there are only about 100 breeding pairs, living in about 20 colonies - mainly in the South Pennines. Most seed-eating songbirds feed their chicks on insects, but Twite and their chicks are unusual in feeding almost entirely on seed. The Twite Recovery Project is working with farmers and landowners to help restore and maintain hay meadows close to the moorland edges where the Twite nest, thus providing essential food sources for this charming little bird, in an effort to help reverse its fortunes and save it from further decline
http://www.pennineprospects.co.uk/
Life in the Field
It's been quite a while since my last blog. The last few months have been particularly hectic, with most of my free time spent out in the field filming local wildife, improving my climbing and swimming skills, and learning to SCUBA dive.
Spring and Summer provided a host of material with more time spent filming at nest sites than during previous years.
Insects featured heavily on my itinerary, and I even managed to squeeze in a trip to the Farne Islands.
As a result, I have numerous projects on the back burner......most will find their way into a series of DVDs that I'm working on, and others will appear on thebaldibis You Tube Channel. In the meantime, here is a little teaser that I threw together recently.
So sit back and enjoy.
Spring and Summer provided a host of material with more time spent filming at nest sites than during previous years.
Insects featured heavily on my itinerary, and I even managed to squeeze in a trip to the Farne Islands.
As a result, I have numerous projects on the back burner......most will find their way into a series of DVDs that I'm working on, and others will appear on thebaldibis You Tube Channel. In the meantime, here is a little teaser that I threw together recently.
So sit back and enjoy.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Shark Attacks in the Red Sea
Sharks have killed and maimed five tourists at the idyllic Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. What's behind this wave of terror?
After a spate of highly unusual and shocking shark attacks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the authorities had been on the hunt for the culprits, and it appeared they had triumphed quickly and cleanly. Four attacks had taken place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with three Russians and one Ukrainian left with terrible injuries; one reportedly lost her right hand and left leg in the incident, and another sustained injuries to her legs and back, also lost a hand, had a heart attack and had to be resuscitated.
Full story in the Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/07/what-made-sharks-attack
After a spate of highly unusual and shocking shark attacks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the authorities had been on the hunt for the culprits, and it appeared they had triumphed quickly and cleanly. Four attacks had taken place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with three Russians and one Ukrainian left with terrible injuries; one reportedly lost her right hand and left leg in the incident, and another sustained injuries to her legs and back, also lost a hand, had a heart attack and had to be resuscitated.
Full story in the Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/07/what-made-sharks-attack
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Mystery Photo - Prepare to be shocked!
Originally taken in 2007, this photo still horrifies me, because very little has been done to stop this happening.
http://serendipityoucity.blogsome.com/2007/05/18/what-do-these-satellite-images-show/
Urgent Action Needed To Avert Badger Cull
It is the government’s intention to kill badgers in 2011 as part of a control to stop the spread of Bovine TB in cattle. This is despite robust and sound science that proves it has ‘no meaningful contribution to the control of Bovine TB in cattle’.
The Government is holding a consultation suggesting different methods and asking you, the general public to tell them what you want to see happen. They have said that they will listen to the replies to this consultation but they have not made it easy for people to reply.
The Badger Trust details suggestions as to how to reply. If you do not want to see badgers cage trapped and shot or free running badgers killed with a rifle – please take the time to reply.
Visit http://www.badgerprotectionleague.com/information.php and use follow their guidelines on replying to the English and Welsh consulations. Time is short - Please Do it Now!
Their lives are literally in your hands
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Mystery Bird Ringed In Malta
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Help wanted identifying this bird.
Looks like some kind of Accentor.
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Thursday, 28 October 2010
Costco, Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts Aid Species Extinction
Scary Business! Pizza Hut and Dunkin' Donuts serving up rainforest destruction
It doesn’t get much scarier than discovering that both Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts are adding a gruesome side of "forest destruction" with every meal. These fast food monsters are serving up extinction for species like orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and sun bears. That’s because a very spooky company, Sinar Mas, is slaying tropical rainforests in Indonesia and sucking out palm oil for hungry fast food companies like Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts to use in their products.
This horror story doesn’t have to end badly. Last month, Burger King announced that it’s cutting Sinar Mas out of its supply chain. If Burger King can do it, so can the rest of the fast food industry.
Tell Dunkin’ Donuts and Pizza Hut to dust the cobwebs off their environmental policies by cutting forest destroyers like Sinar Mas out of their supply chains once and for all.
The haunted aisles of Costco
If you’ve been into Costco’s lately to stock up for your Halloween party, you may have felt a chill as you walked down the haunted seafood aisle.
We love Costco for their low prices, but are horrified that the wholesale club is destroying our oceans. Costco is gobbling up red list fish species and leaving its customers in the dark by hiding the truth from them.
It’s time for Costco to put an end to their witches brew, "red list" fish with a heaping of ocean destruction.
Tell Costco to give our oceans a ghost of a chance - implement a sustainable seafood policy and stop selling red list seafood.
It doesn’t get much scarier than discovering that both Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts are adding a gruesome side of "forest destruction" with every meal. These fast food monsters are serving up extinction for species like orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and sun bears. That’s because a very spooky company, Sinar Mas, is slaying tropical rainforests in Indonesia and sucking out palm oil for hungry fast food companies like Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts to use in their products.
This horror story doesn’t have to end badly. Last month, Burger King announced that it’s cutting Sinar Mas out of its supply chain. If Burger King can do it, so can the rest of the fast food industry.
Tell Dunkin’ Donuts and Pizza Hut to dust the cobwebs off their environmental policies by cutting forest destroyers like Sinar Mas out of their supply chains once and for all.
The haunted aisles of Costco
If you’ve been into Costco’s lately to stock up for your Halloween party, you may have felt a chill as you walked down the haunted seafood aisle.
We love Costco for their low prices, but are horrified that the wholesale club is destroying our oceans. Costco is gobbling up red list fish species and leaving its customers in the dark by hiding the truth from them.
It’s time for Costco to put an end to their witches brew, "red list" fish with a heaping of ocean destruction.
Tell Costco to give our oceans a ghost of a chance - implement a sustainable seafood policy and stop selling red list seafood.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Petition Against Poaching in Cyprus
Protest against Poaching on Cyprus
The poaching problem on Cyprus, especially non-selective bird trapping and killing, threatens to reach the proportions recorded before accession to the European Union.This worrying trend must be urgently halted and reversed. The cyberaction against illegal bird trapping and killing in the Republic of Cyprus is actively supported by BirdLife Cyprus, the Federation of Environmental and Ecological Organizations of Cyprus and Terra Cypria, the Cyprus Conservation Foundation, as well as Friends of the Earth Europe and Friends of the Earth International.
Follow the link above for full story and to sign the petition
Friday, 1 October 2010
Rhino Poachers Caught
Professional hunters and vets arrested in swoop on rhino poaching syndicate in South Africa
27/09/2010 14:49:38
Dawie Groenewald and his wife in court. They have been charged in connection with rhino poaching.Follow the link for the complete article.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Monday, 7 June 2010
The Killing Fields of Kuwait
"Kuwait has the potential to have a rich avian biodiversity if we can nurture and protect rather than slaughter. This could become a fantastic revenue generator for birding related tourism that could be on par with or surpass Israel – normally considered as the Number 1 birding hotspot that international birders flock to each migration. However, but no-one wants to stand watching and photographing birds while shotgun pellets rain down on them as happened to our group last weekend. We should be doing all we can to protect species which generally have the odds stacked against them, together with a human population that is expanding exponentially and is taking more than it gives back to Planet Earth."
Howard King
Read the full story at http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/20_stub.php
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
The Glamorous Side of Wildlife Film-making
Whilst out on an expedition to film Snipe, I was distracted by the activities of some dung flies, so out came the close -up lenses and then it was time to get down and get dirty. Nick Dawtrey was the sneaky photographer who captured the moment. Was it worth getting covered in the smelly stuff? Keep you eye out for the Dung Fly close-ups coming to thebaldibis YouTube channel. Who said making films was a glamorous occupation?
Thursday, 27 May 2010
RSPB Hunt for the Harrier
The public are being asked to help with a nationwide survey of England's most threatened bird of prey to be carried out this summer. A special hotline has been set up for people to ring in with sightings of the Hen Harrier, which the RSPB fears may be on the verge of extinction as a breeding species in England. Last year there were just six successful Hen Harrier nests across the whole of the country, despite there being suitable habitat for at least 200 pairs. The RSPB believes the bird's numbers are so low due to years of sustained, illegal killing and nest destruction.
Source - Birdguides
More detaills here - http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2109
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Accused plead guilty to assaulting BirdLife volunteers in Dingli
Wednesday, 19th May 2010 - 14:13CET
Two men have pleaded guilty to assaulted two BirdLife Malta Spring Watch volunteers on April 18 in Dingli, the NGO said today. They also admitted threatening the volunteers, and slightly injuring one of them.
BirdLife said that on the day of the incident, its Spring Watch team heard shots coming from an area in Dingli. Two volunteers walked up a country lane to gain a better vantage point when a van drove along the track. Two men got out and immediately attacked them without warning.
The incident was caught on camera by one of the volunteers however the camera was dropped while he was attacked, and it was taken by the aggressor. The camera was later handed to the police by the aggressors, with the footage evidence of the attack deleted. Through O&O Media Recovery software the deleted footage was recovered by BirdLife. This footage was handed over to the police as evidence.
On April 22 the aggressors filed a judicial protest accusing the volunteers of trespassing, breaching the peace and assault. However at court today they failed to provide any evidence to support the charges against the volunteers. The charges were therefore dropped, BirdLife said.
The two men were then fined €80, conditionally discharged and held by a personal guarantee of €233 not to approach or molest both the volunteers for 12 months.
This, BirdLife said, is the first time in three years of attacks against its volunteers, where the aggressors had been convicted.
See video on
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100421/local/video-captures-violent-attack-on-birdlife-volunteers-in-dingli
BirdLife said that on the day of the incident, its Spring Watch team heard shots coming from an area in Dingli. Two volunteers walked up a country lane to gain a better vantage point when a van drove along the track. Two men got out and immediately attacked them without warning.
The incident was caught on camera by one of the volunteers however the camera was dropped while he was attacked, and it was taken by the aggressor. The camera was later handed to the police by the aggressors, with the footage evidence of the attack deleted. Through O&O Media Recovery software the deleted footage was recovered by BirdLife. This footage was handed over to the police as evidence.
On April 22 the aggressors filed a judicial protest accusing the volunteers of trespassing, breaching the peace and assault. However at court today they failed to provide any evidence to support the charges against the volunteers. The charges were therefore dropped, BirdLife said.
The two men were then fined €80, conditionally discharged and held by a personal guarantee of €233 not to approach or molest both the volunteers for 12 months.
This, BirdLife said, is the first time in three years of attacks against its volunteers, where the aggressors had been convicted.
See video on
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100421/local/video-captures-violent-attack-on-birdlife-volunteers-in-dingli
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