Posts tagged ‘Nature’
Season’s Greetings and thanks.
Firstly our hearts go out to all those souls, who face Christmas mopping up, drying out and generally trying to get some form of normality back into their lives here in the U.K.
Many are being flooded for the first time ever, and a lot more are having to start all over again having been flooded twice in as many weeks.
Our thoughts are with you.
A big thank you to all of you for taking the time to check us out, and a special thank you to all who have used our services over the last twelve months. We have enjoyed every minute of working with you.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and drier new year.
Were looking forward to working alongside you again in 2013.
Best wishes
Nigel.
Doing your bit for science
Most people interested in nature be it birds, mammals, or just the great outdoors are members of one society or another. All of these groups promote the environment and whatever your interest is, for the benefit of said species or activity. There are literally hundreds of these groups. But just stop to think for a moment, any chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and although not much love goes the way of insects, they are a great indicator of the larger environment’s health.
We all know that insects however small, ugly or creepy play an important role in the cycle of life. One insect to buck the ugly trend is the butterfly, and the people at butterfly conservation are asking for your help. This work is extremely important as they are a good indicator on how things are under the surface as it were, and all it takes is 15 minutes of you time.
What is being asked is for you to pick a 15 minute slot between now and the 5th of August and recorded your sightings. they even provide a downloadable sheet so all you have to do is tick boxes, nothing could be easier. It can be anywhere, in your garden, park, woodland, or even a regular walk. Just add the location to the information. Then fill in the online form. Job done, it’s that easy.
More information and the download sheet is available at http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/about
Remember you have until the 5th of August and you can do as many counts, in as many different places as you like. even over your morning coffee in the garden. The more entries they receive the better scientific picture will be created, every submission counts, and if every body does just one count, then wow that would be amazing, and whats more you get to sit and watch nature for 15 minutes all in the name science. It might even get you out of doing the washing up!
Gatherings social or otherwise.
- As I sit here writing this blog, I can hear the final sound checks that are being made at Rockness across the loch from home. Rockness is a weekend celebration of music and dance where upon approximately 30,000 people will enjoy the festivities.
- Make no mistake this is big business and large amounts of money will change hands over the next few days with many pounds going back into the economy.
These sorts of event’s attract all sorts of people from die-hard old hippies (myself included) to Rock festival virgins. Most will have a great time but a few will become victims from other less scrupulous human beings, who think rules are for others.
But are animals much different?
At my bird feeder this morning a number of birds were quietly having their breakfast whilst others waited in the branches for a free spot to feed.
Out of the blue came a small siskin who sat on a branch and watched the proceedings for a short while before launching an unprovoked attack on a feeding bird, chasing him off.
Not content with one victory he then decided he wanted the feeder to himself and proceeded to start on the other birds. The long arm of natures law arrived in the form of two large chaffinches who drove off the aggressor away before returning to feed themselves.
Despite showing much less aggression, his attempts to return to the feeder were thwarted, and the sentence of no seed was vigorously carried out by the chaffinch, who would not tolerate the siskin’s presence, but seemed quite happy to let others feed.
Despite our freedom rules have to exist in any society and my guess is animals aren’t that much different.
Fireworks close the proceedings at last years Rockness
Being out there still get’s my vote.
Having had a full English Breakfast last sunday, and watching as the rain gave way to glorious light, I decided that a second rarity would take place, we would go for a family walk. This was met with mild enthusiasm from Julie my partner and a total rejection from the youngest member of the household whom had only just surfaced from the duvet.
Despite her unusual protests (normally Rosie jumps at the chance of adventure) and after a series of “do we have to, where are we going to go, I have been round those wood’s loads of times, I don’t need to see them again…………..” You get the picture, we set of with no plan, A flask of hot chocolate, a camera each and enthusiasm, on my part any way.
After a short while and family chit-chat suddenly I found some flowering gorse (I know it’s January) I decided to try to get some images. The girls suitably unimpressed carried on walking, as I cursed for not putting the Macro lens in my pocket. Out of the corner of my eye a lichen covered post started to draw me ever closer as I studded the possibility of making an artistic image. I needed to find a way to get as close as the short zoom lens would allow. The more I looked the more possibilities came to light.
After a good hour I decided to try catch the girls up who by now had disappeared out of sight. After only 200 yards I found them both lying in the undergrowth photographing the frost on fallen leaves, and having much fun looking at the different patterns the frost had formed. They also were cursing at the lack of a macro lens. Finding some interesting frost Patterns we then carried on to the ridge over looking Lochness and poured ourselves a hot chocolate each, and taking in the view our young protester announced I love being out here its just so wild. Was this the same girl who left the house with us. The one that moaned belligerently for the first 300 yards.
I had to agree as much as I love taking images the just being there, seeing nature in all it’s glory is by far the best part and as I pointed out it’s just a case of making the time and effort to do it. As in life sometimes to do nothing is by far the easier option. But then our inner-self and well-being suffers.
