A weekend of volunteering

Sunday, 30th May 2010
It was a beautiful sunny day when I returned to Langdon today to finish the fence we had started putting up around the lake.  Mick, Dave and I completed the fence posts round the picnic table and then attached the wire backing along the length of it.  We attached it by hammering metal staples across the wire and into the posts.  It was a day of heavy duty hammering but by the time it was finished the fence looked excellent and would keep the dogs safe from the blue-green algae.


Monday, 31st May 2010

The next day I had my first experience of education volunteering.  I had applied for a part-time voluntary role as a Young Person's Discovery Zone Volunteer with the RSPB at Wat Tyler Country Park in Pitsea.  I was given an RSPB t-shirt and the most exciting bit of all was my badge!

I spent the day with Maria inviting people into the Discovery Zone to see what was going on.  The activities on offer all had a 'Springwatch' theme and I worked from 10am until about 4.30pm introducing kids to tadpoles, wildlife trails, a pond-dipping competition and the delights of owl pellet dissection. 

The tadpoles were kept in a big basin and there were hundreds of them.  They had already started to develop their back legs.  The kids were allowed to handle them, and I showed them how to gently scoop them up in their hands, and when to put them back carefully.  They were wriggly blighters.  I was pleased to see that pretty much every child that came in knew what a tadpole was and what it grew into. 

Unfortunately the nearby ponds are in need of a bit of work and the RSPB is trying to raise some money to do this, so our pond dipping activities were restricted to a kiddies paddling pool filled with cut-outs of animals and some fishing rods of bamboo construction complete with magnets. 

All the activities were free and there were small prizes given out for the pond dipping and also for successfully completing the nature trail.

During my lunch break I took a stroll round the garden and admired the flowers and investigated the nature trail that we were encouraging people to follow. 

I got slightly carried away taking pictures of flowers, as usual.

Recent outdoor exploits

Evening stroll

A walk round the local playing fields on Wednesday night resulted in us spotting 12 ducklings in the little pond.  They were very young and fluffy and sped round the lake after their mum.  The pond has quite a bit of litter but there are always ducks and geese around and are clearly thriving there.  We wandered round the pond and up over the small hill.  On the other side of the hill there was another small pond with a couple of coots swimming about, and a beautiful old tree leaning out over the water.  Unfortunately I ended up with 6 bites from hanging around the waters edge looking at the ducklings!

Volunteering at Langdon Nature Reserve

After a long break from Langdon I returned on Saturday to do a spot of volunteering.  It was a beautiful morning and we set out through the reserve towards the lake.  Mick and Dave had been building a fence around the lake to help to prevent dogs swimming.  Unfortunately the lake contains blue-green algae which is harmful to humans and can be lethal for dogs.  We had a new volunteer as well so the four of us set about digging holes for the fence posts.  We were using spades and giant tongs to lift the soil out.  The soil was clay and wasn't too hard to dig out, although it did take Shelley and I some time to complete the first hole!  We dug four or five holes and then had a break.  We sat on the bench and enjoyed the sunshine and looked out across the lake where we saw 6 Canada Geese goslings.  They were swimming all over the lake, sometimes following a parent, sometimes leading the way.  We also saw a Holly Blue butterfly in the meadow.

We hammered on the posts with some very large nails.  Eventually it will have wire tacked along the back to prevent the dogs running straight under it.  Walking back through the reserve we saw several more butterflies and it felt good to be back!

Another visit to Langdon

Sunday was another gorgeous day and I really wanted to spend some time by the lake at Langdon.  I also wanted to show Joel our beautiful "rustic" fence.  We wandered through and saw a little green caterpillar [as yet unidentified], some sort of shield bug, goslings, ducklings, coots, moorhen, spawning carp, holly blue butterflies, a comma butterfly and a swift. We then stopped off at Ian's Garden [next door to the visitor centre] and checked out the vegetable patch and the pond.  There were some beautiful dragonflies on the pond.  We enjoyed an exceptionally delicious ice-cream and I went a bit daft in the gift shop!

A lovely nature-tastic week. :-)

A day out at Tiptree Heath

On Wednesday I attended the Essex Wildlife Trust Heathland Management course run by Tiptree Heath's Community Warden, Joan Pinch.  In the morning Joan told us about what heathland is and explained about the ecology of, specifically, lowland heathland.  We learned about the historic uses of heathland and the problems faced if heathland is not actively managed.  Different management techniques were discussed including grazing cattle, weedwiping, fencing, digging, removing birch trees, bracken bruising etc.  Tiptree Heath is a SSSI and has protection from Natural England.  The whole morning was very informative and was interspersed with tea breaks and lunch outside at the EWT HQ at Abbotts Hall Farm in the beautiful garden.  We had swifts flying overhead, huge bumblebees and the odd dragonfly whizzing past.  The sun was shining and it was just idyllic.

 

I realised quite early on that I had stupidly forgotten my mobile phone, and thus my camera.  I was devastated.  I do love to take a nature photograph!  So, resigned to missing all the photographic action I focused on enjoying the moment.  After lunch we headed out to Tiptree Heath to see the flora and fauna in action.  Heathland is a strange habitat.  To the untrained eye it looks quite barren.

However, in a few hours we had seen:

• Common ling heather
• Bell heather 
• Cross-leaved heather
• Heath Milkwort
• Tormentil
• Sheep's sorrel
• Heathwood rush
• Dog violet
• Rose bay willow herb
• Heath speedwell
• A baby rabbit
• Early Purple Orchid
• Creeping Cinquefoil
• Chiffchaff [song]
• Bluebells
• Peacock butterfly
• Marsh pennywort
• Grass snake
• Green woodpecker [yaffle]
• Aspen
• Greater Spotted Woodpecker
• Bracken
• Wood sage [which is a heathland positive indicator]
• Campion
• Hawthorn [flowering beautifully]
• Watercrow foot
• Water Boatman
• Cinnabar moth

All in all it was a very interesting day and despite initial appearances heathland is a place of great natural beauty and interest.

Monkey business

Last June I attended a Primate Evening at Colchester Zoo and won an auction for a private primate enrichment session with the animal trainer.  After almost a year of not pinning down a date Joel and I finally made it to the zoo last Sunday.

We were met at the zoo by Jez the animal trainer [of Zoo Days fame!] and he took us to our workshop.  We were faced with a multitude of materials with which to try and engage the primates and give them something stimulating to do within their enclosures.  In the wild animals would be hunting for food and rather than the keepers just giving them food in the zoo they like to get the animals to work for it.

The materials we were faced with included:  fruit, string, sellotape, rope, cardboard boxes, yogurt drink bottles, hay, leaves, twigs, hessian sacks, paper cups, old clothes, perfume, cocoa powder, old fire hose, bamboo sticks and my favourite.... meal worms!

We had just under an hour to assemble a variety of 'toys' for four different types of primate:  Orangutans, Buffy-Headed Capuchins, Squirrel Monkeys and Red-Ruffed Lemurs.  Our toys included:

• Boxes and yoghurt drinks bottles stuffed with food and hay and taped up
• Encasing stuffed boxes and toilet rolls in clothing and using cable ties to secure
• Egg boxes stuffed with fruit and meal worms and leaves
• Food inside a box inside a box inside a box inside a sack
• Stuffed clothing with a spray of perfume
• Fruit kebabs

Orangutans - Rajang and Tiga

These huge guys received three toys and we went into their enclosure to tie them up.  As we went through the cages at the back we were face to face with Rajang, a 41-year old orangutan.  Without the glass there, and just behind bars he was enormous.  Once we had placed the toys in the best locations we retreated and both organutans were permitted access to the main enclosure.  Rajang had a good sniff around where we had been and seemed interested in some of the toys.  To Jez's delight Raj climbed up to reach some of the toys which is very unusual because apparently he is pretty lazy.  He carefully took apart the box enclosed in the scented vest and received the reward of tomato and apple.

As he was playing with the stuffed pyjama bottoms [with a hint of cocoa powder] Tiga came in from the outdoor enclosure draped in an E.T. style cloak.  He quickly disrobed and made his way round all the toys where he climbed right up to the top and undid the knots on the highest toy.  He then dragged it back to the ground and undid more knots in the rope and fire hose and reaped the rewards.  Then he checked out the already empty vest box, then proceeded to Raj's toy.  Raj was having none of it and there was a bit of a squabble.  Tiga outsmarted him however by climbing up and undoing the top knot and yanking it away from Raj.  Poor Rajang was left with nothing as he chased Tiga and the treats outside.  It is always fascinating to watch these animals when visiting the zoo but it was even more amazing to see them working on toys that you have created yourself.

Buffy-Headed Capuchins

Next up was a family of buffy-headed capuchins.  We passed by them in their cage as we headed to their enclosure.  Here we hung the box in a box in a bag for them.  We made our way back out to the window and the keeper let them in to the enclosure.  They sensed immediately that there was something worthwhile in the sack and took turns to try ripping it open.  Given that Jez and Joel and really had to squeeze the boxes into the sack it was stuck pretty fast.  Eventually the monkeys just tore away at the cardboard and sent it flying along with the hay stuffing.  They were right inside the sack clawing away at it, ultimately just leaving a big mess for the keepers to clear up!

Squirrel Monkeys

There were about 30-odd tiny squirrel monkeys in this enclosure and we were not able to go in because they can give a bit of a bite.  So, the keeper took our toys in and hung them up.  She barely got a chance - the monkeys were all over her trying to grab at the toys.  Although these nimble guys managed to get at everything they didn't seem to realise that if they just pulled the hay out of the yoghurt bottles they would get a snack - instead they chose to try and chew through the plastic!  The bottles were turned over many times by monkeys almost rugby tackling each other and running off with the 'ball'.  It was fun to watch.

Red-Ruffed Lemurs

Finally, the one I had been looking forward to the most.  I didn't want to get my hopes up too much but I had a feeling we would be able to get into the enclosure with these guys.  I was right!  We arrived and tied the fruit kebabs onto the hammock suspended from their climbing frame.  They worked hard to get the bits of fruit from the scewers.  They were immensely cute and we even got to tickle one.  He was called Jess and enjoyed a bit of a tickle under the arm!  He even stretched out his arm so that you could get better access.

And that was the end of the enrichment session.  We spent the rest of the day wandering around the zoo watching the meerkats being fed, a bird of prey demonstration and we saw the new baby pygmy hippo - Ayo. 

The auction money went towards some of Colchester Zoo's conservation programmes.  I will continue to use my newly acquired enrichments skills on my hamsters - make 'em work for peanuts!

Dormouse Survey Course, 4th May 2010

Essex Wildlife Trust run several courses throughout the year and this was the first one that I signed up for.  A day spent learning about the habitat of, and monitoring techniques for, the hazel dormouse.

The course was run by Rebecca Banks from the Essex Biodiversity Project and was held at the LNR at Norsey Wood in Billericay.  We started at 10am with a presentation on the ecology of dormice, their prime habitats and how surveying has been carried out across the county.  We were introduced to the nest tubes used over the spring/summer and the nest boxes used for the dormice to hibernate over winter.  We then went out to look at some of the habitat where dormice have been found within the woodland.  Norsey Wood is a delightful woodland.  The last time I was there was back in March and things were very bare and wintry.  Today however was very green and spring has definitely sprung.  Bluebells carpeted the woodland floor and it was beautiful.  We followed one of the footpaths along and then cut off into an area of quite dense trees and scrub.  Rebecca asked us to alert her when we spotted the first nest tube.  We all kept our eyes peeled and spotted the first one in a small tree.  Once we had found one it was easier to find the others.  The tubes are usually put out along a linear transect and are a set distance apart.  We looked at what made a good spot for the tubes and that they should face in towards the centre of the tree or bush they were fixed to.  They need to be positioned to allow any rain to drain out easily and fixed securely with wire.

We headed back to the education room to have lunch and a chat.  After lunch we set to work on making some tubes of our own.  This involved some prescored corrugated plastic, some plywood, small blocks of wood and a nail gun.  It was great fun: we all made 5 tubes each and numbered them.  Then we headed out to place them in the woodland.  It was quite straightforward to make, and really good fun.  Whilst we were folding and nailing everything together Rebecca was stripping cabling to reveal two pieces of wire which she cut into lengths for us to use to secure the tubes to the branches.  We all headed back out to an area where the Ranger had instructed us to position the tubes.  Starting with number 1 we positioned each box, moving in a linear fashion, keeping track of where we put each one, noting the type of tree, the height from the ground and any adjacent landmarks, e.g. ditch, large Elder tree etc.

I was really pleased with the locations chosen for my tubes, finding sturdy branches with a good about of potential food sources and shelter.  Once we had put them all back we went back to the centre to pick  up some nest boxes.  The boxes are wooden and these ones had been made by the local prison.  We carried 3 boxes to the first location we had been at and Rebecca showed us how to put them up using more wire.  These were considerably more tricky and required two pairs of hands.  The best set-up for dormice is to have a selection of boxes secured in a coppice stool facing in different directions.  We managed to secure two boxes in the time we had left.  Normally monitoring suggestions are that you should put out at least 50 tubes or boxes.  The tubes are put out in spring and are left untouched until you can be confident that the dormice have gone into hibernation for the winter.  At which point you can remove the tubes and inspect the contents to see whether there is any evidence of dormice.  The nest boxes tend to be put out once evidence of dormice have been found in an area.  They are used for hibernation and these must only be inspected, at the most once a month, for population studies by a licensed person.

It was a fun day, and I can but hope that one day I might catch sight of one of these elusive animals, even if it is just their fluffy tail disappearing up a tree...

My first hedgehog encounter

I was ecstatic on Thursday night when Joel picked me up at the station and produced two pictures of a little hedgehog in our garden.

I've never had a hedgehog in the garden or had the opportunity to feed one. I was really excited and hoped that he would still be there when we got home. We headed straight out into the garden and sure enough there he was curled up at the edge of the lawn, in amongst some weeds. I insisted we head out to the shop to buy some dog food to feed him. So, rather than eat our own dinner we wandered down to the shop - closed. We wandered further to the next shop [another 10 minutes walk away] and I deliberated over the different flavours of Cesar! We finally settled on Rabbit & Turkey and Turkey & Chicken - yum. We got home and whilst Joel prepared the human meal, I prepared the hedgehog meal. A saucer of dog food accompanied by a saucer of water. I sat it on the paving stone next to the little critter.

Over the next couple of days we noticed that he seemed to have been eating some of the food, but that he was still sleeping and hadn't really moved. We checked on him a few times and he still seemed to be alive but not very reactive to our prods.

On Saturday morning I decided that he was no longer responding to the occasional prod, but since I don't really know much about hedgehogs I thought I would leave it a day - stuck out some more food and changed the water. Sadly the next morning it was apparent that something else had been eating the food and that the little hedgehog had died.

Donning my gloves I carefully lifted the wee guy and discovered that he had a badly injured back leg, which had possibly led to his demise. I took him across the street to an area of scrub and laid him to rest deep within - to return to nature.

My first encounter with a garden hedgehog was pretty shortlived but I look forward to welcoming another hedgehog to the garden... after all, I still have a tin of Cesar in the cupboard...!

EuCAN Weekend, The Kingcombe Centre, Dorset – 9 – 11th April 2010

Nigel and Kathy from EuCAN [European Conservation Action Network] invited me back to Dorset to take part in the April preparation weekend for their 2010 trips. It was a wonderful experience to go back to where a lot of my new-found passions started.

The Kingcombe Centre is an outdoor recreational facility set in beautiful Dorset countryside – much of the surrounding land managed by the DWT [Dorset Wildlife Trust]. It is the sort of place I would have adored going to on a school expedition – but a slightly classier establishment!! It’s a place of wellies, waterproofs, bright sunshine, binoculars, education and fun. Not least a place of culinary delights – venison and rabbit on the menu and a selection of cakes that make you want to stuff yourself silly and to hang with the consequences.

On Saturday we spent the morning taking a walk around the immediate area with Neil Croton from DWT during which he told us about the management of the area and showed us the recent hedge laying that he had been doing. We saw a peacock butterfly [Inachis io] whilst we were walking and heard a variety of birds, which included one of the first willow warblers [Phylloscopus trochilus] of the season. The scenery was beautiful and the geology was greensand and chalk. There was quite a bit of mud which was satisfyingly squelchy. I learnt something new about gorse [Ulex europaeus]…. that it smells of coconut! Having grown up surrounded by gorse in my local parks I am astonished that I did not know this, or even notice this a long time ago. It really was a beautiful scent that reminded a lot of us of summer.

We headed back to the centre and since it was such a beautiful day we had tea and cake outside in the sunshine. Kingcombe is renowned for its fabulous food, particularly the baking.

We spent some time with Neil whilst he did some bird ringing. The birds caught in the mist nets were predominantly Great Tits [Parus major] and Blue Tits [Cyanistes caeruleus], but he did ring some Chaffinches [Fringilla coelebs], Goldfinches [Carduelis carduelis] and a Nuthatch [Sitta europaea]. It was very interesting to watch and although it is something I would like to get involved in ringing it can be quite difficult to find a trainer as it is a two-year commitment. We had lunch at the centre and then in the afternoon we split into two groups. Our group headed on to Lankham Bottom to conduct a butterfly transect. It took us about an hour and a half [although we did get slightly distracted looking for signs of Marsh Fritillaries [Euphydryas aurinia]]. We were lucky enough to spot a few Small Tortoiseshells [Aglais urticae] and a few Peacocks as well. In addition to that we were lucky enough to find some caterpillars of the Marsh Fritillary.

Saturday evening was spent eating a delicious dinner and enjoying a presentation from Hungarian, Gabor Sramko about the habitats of the Carpathian Basin, followed by a demonstration of, and participation in, some Hungarian folk dancing. It was very entertaining.



Following a good night’s sleep it was up to start a day of physical work at one of the Butterfly Conservation’s sites at Alners Gorse. We were clearing scrub and conifers to return the land to its original grassland state. We had 3 bonfires to burn the scrub and branches but stacked the logs into piles. The logs would be sold later. We cooked some potatoes in the fire for our lunch and at 1pm stopped to eat. We continued working in the afternoon until 3pm when we stopped work and went for a walk through the woodland. I found a broken egg, possibly belonging to a Blackbird [Turdus merula] on the ground. Then we headed back to the minibus and back to the centre. We had a final round of tea and cakes and said our goodbyes. Nigel then drove us to the station. It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend which inspired me to learn more and to get back to Langdon for the next work party.