Watching wildlife in a straight jacket

There is an aspect of watching wildlife that never gets mentioned on television, in books or magazines. While they will mention the long hours that are sometimes required to catch an all to brief tantalising glimpse of wildlife. There in never any mention of the fact that the wildlife watcher will need to pee at some point.

While I have no problem slipping discreetly behind a holly bush, I also need to ensure that if that occurs it as far away from the the animal being watched as the scent can discourage wildlife especially mammals.

I tell you this as today was a perfect example of this problem. I had been asked to help with some survey work on a site where the people looking after the site are applying for a grant to carry out some much needed conservation and restoration work. While they had been using techniques like live trapping and conventional survey methods, the one creature they wanted to get clear evidence of was lacking. So while I was doing my course I had been talking to one of the other students and suggested other methods like camera traps. They did not have any nor the money so I was asked if I could help.

Therefore I found myself confined in a very small hide, really nothing more than a one man tent or a bivouac for thirteen hours. Before getting into this makeshift hide, I had set up my video camera in stills mode so that it would take a picture every thirty seconds. I had also rubbed some fresh horse muck on the tripod to disguise any human scent. This on a track that was in regular animal use and this was further scattered with peanuts.

Therefore with four watching points covered, one by my camera, two by other volunteers and myself we should get a clear idea of what wildlife was using the area. Further any pictures would also serve as supporting evidence for the grant application.

After about eight hours I was provided a break so that I could get a drink, and after washing my hands something to eat, and the inevitable need to find a Holly Bush. I also needed to change the Battery on the camera, while its long like it doesn't last eight hours. And as it had been eight hours before being relived the camera had missed about three and a half hours of the wildlife on the path.

Anyway, after my next stint in the little hide, all the observations were done, there was much better data on the wildlife in the area and plenty of factual observations to support the grant application. The only part that was missing was had we captured any pictures? Fortunately I was getting a lift back, the wife of one of the people involved in this project. As she is seven and half months pregnant, I was worried that the odour from the tripod would make her feel ill. But she said that not a bit of it, in fact she was going down to the stables (they have horses) every day as all during her pregnancy the smell of horse muck had been like perfume to her.

Anyway when we got back we were having to toss a coin as to who could use my bathroom first, as my female readers will be able to testify, it increases the urge and need. So computer on I set about uploading the images to the computer, while that went on I made some coffee. My driver as I shall call her, could not believe the number of books I have on wildlife. The books cover about twenty feet of shelf space, so I was getting a request to help further with identifying more of the wildlife in their project area. Plants, moths, Insects and while I would like to help I don't think I will have the time.

Finally all the pictures were downloaded onto the computer, there were nearly one thousand five hundred. So I set about placing them into folders, one for each half an hour. And then burn them to CD. While doing that, the man that had relieved me was clearly seen relieving himself in the very area that we had all been trying to watch over. When I showed this to my driver, she was amused and annoyed as she had long suspected that he was trying to scupper the plans for protecting this area. I leaned that in the past there had been some form of development that had been planed but rejected by the local authority and their little groups attempt to improve the habitat was part of an attempt to prevent any building on the land occurring in the future. However, when they realised that some of the oaks were nearly of an age to have them classed as ancient, within days they were felled by the landowner, or at least the ones on his part of this land were. Before tree preservation orders could be obtained.

As she and her husband own part of the land themselves, that part is reasonably safe, but they wanted to ensure that what they loved remained for others too. But they could not understand why it was that at every turn the potential developer of this little wildlife haven was one step ahead. Well it looks as though the answer was there for them.

As the idea had been to capture images of the mammals there, the urinating man had prevented them showing up. Nor did we find any ents helping to protect the trees. However, from the human observations we do know that there are Fallow Deer, Row Deer and Stoats there as well as fifty bird species. Plus and this will mean protection for the habitat, they have adders and palmate newts there too. Both highly protected.

While very uncomfortable at times a highly productive day. I am just glad that I don't have to type up the grant application, something I think they stand a good chance of getting. At least this little bit, of English countryside is being cared for.