GM and Propaganda

As at least half of my readers are from overseas, I need to explain how The BBC British Broadcasting Corporation is funded. In Britain If you have a Television or a video recorder that has a tuner or even a computer that has a TV card is is capable of receiving broadcast signals you need a TV Licence. This Money goes to fund the BBC. While there are some that see this as a tax, the money this raise does mean that the BBC can and does produce some very good quality television programmes. As well as all the radio stations it has, and these you do not need a licence for so are effectively free and free from advertising. When it comes to the world service radio that is funded by a grant direct from government.

Even though the BBC is indirectly funded by the British government, it does maintain editorial independence, well most of the time. There was one incidence that stands out in my memory during the First Gulf War when on the radio programme From Our Own Correspondent there was an essay that really sounded like propaganda As I am a regular listener to that broadcast I even noticed that the person reading the essay was not a name that I recognised. Well in days it was exposed as not a BBC correspondent but a NATO press officer. The programme and the BBC had effectively been caught presenting propaganda as news in the most blatant manner.

While on the whole I am full of praise for some of what the BBC does, there is also a lot of rubbish they put out too. However, overall I do think that most of the Auntie Beebs output is quite balanced. That said I have noticed a subtle but disturbing trend in the BBC out put on one particular topic that of GMO, Genetically Modified Organisms.

Earlier this year the then Government Minister for Agriculture said that as GM had been grown for ten years in the US then it was time for the opponents of GM to prove there was a danger from this technology. The implication being that if no scientific evidence was put forward that GMOs are proved to be harmful, then GMOs would be allowed in Britain. Since this announcement I have noticed more of the output from the BBC seems to be more bias towards allowing GM to be grown here. Or extolling the future benefits that may come from GM.

Now taking any single programme or news report in isolation does not prove bias and nor should it be. However, since the change in government policy the BBC has reported on GM in a much more positive way. Recently there was an episode of Horizon, A science programme that looked at the issue of GM. While the programme seamed balanced, it is all part of what appears to be an effort by the Government via the BBC to change attitudes to be more favourable towards GMOs.

The Bio Technology industry has always been a great self promoter and there has always been promises of new crops that will help feed the world, but the reality is that all that has been commercialised have been crops that benefits big business and large scale agriculture.

While we have been selectively breeding animals and plants for centuries. However the traditional methods use the genes that were ready there, enhancing traits. With Genetic Modification the scientists are introducing genes from other species. Sometimes even introducing animal genes into a plant and vice versa. So there is a real fundamental difference between traditional breeding and GM. Genetically Modified Organisms could not ever occur naturally.

This has already lead to what is called Genetic Drift. There are already proven and scientifically validated examples where weeds have cross pollinated with wild plants to produce herbicide resistant weeds. The two main developments that GM has given us and are commercially used is herbicide resistant crops as well as insect resistant crops. These crops kill any pest that tries to eat them. The problem is that unlike the herbicide resistant weeds that have spontaneously occurred and are apparent when the herbicides are used, the crosses that have occurred from introducing insect resistant plants into the environment are nearly impossible to spot. While no proven and scientific validated examples have been found, they are out there.

The proof that they are out there can be seen with the condition known as; Colony Collapse Disorder, found in Bees. The problem is that to find these plants would require running DNA tests on every plant in a field or meadow.

Genetically modified organisms are out there and the pollution they cause is already happening. Add to this the fact that when tested GMOs do have a suppressant effect on the immune system. This is not a theoretical problem but one that is well known in the industry and they test to exclude developing organisms that carry that effect to strongly.

Now while I can see the attractive potential for the the British government of having a strong Bio Technology industry, the government needs to be sceptical of the industry claims. Thus far GM has not helped feed the starving and what has been developed has had serious environmental impacts already. Forests have been cleared to create monoculture soya plantations in South America. And far from helping to feed the poor it has decreased the ability of the poor in those countries to feed themselves. In India farmers are committing suicide because of the debts they owe the GM companies because the yields have been far lower than promised by the Bio Technology industry.

There are many examples where an industry has promised much but delivered little and all governments have suffered from this. With GM the British government needs to look very carefully at the real threats to the environment that this industry creates.
In ten or twenty years time when the damage has become so clear that GMOs will end up being banned who will clean up this pollution? I can bet that it will not be the Bio Technology industry.

Further with its role in creating the propaganda that seems to be peddling now, will the BBC then be able to report the failings of the industry?

Rather than making unsubstantiated claims of benefits in the future, the Bio Technology industry needs to prove its products are completely safe before they are allowed in this country.

Poaching

I have been busy over the past few weeks trying to help prevent poachers taking deer. I would have done more but as you folks know I had “Man Flu” (That's a cold where the man or is that mouse, thinks he is dyeing). It did come at the wrong time for me as I had just to much to do. In fact I thought that I have not got time to be ill.

While I know that the situation is different in other countries, but I Britain not just anyone can go out hunting. Further, firearms are generally only held by people that are sane, safe and responsible. However, there is a minority of people that are not responsible.

When people think of poaching there is an image of someone who is poor taking the odd animal for the pot. While that was true a century ago, the reality is that poaching is a criminal enterprise and when poachers target an area they can devastate the area. For example there have been incidents where dynamite is used to kill salmon and the poachers will take everything. Further frequently the methods used by the poachers will seriously damage habitats and the rest of the ecology can take years to recover.

So dismiss any romantic notions of the poacher, the modern poachers are criminal gangs. Further they are very violent. Thus when I was out trying to film the deer one night, I was rather surprised when I suddenly had the screen of my camera flooded with light. As I was using IR, I initially though that I had a problem with the camera. Then I spotted that I had the red dot of a laser designator on my chest. I realised that what had happened was that my camera had been flooded with IR light from a night vision rifle sight and that I risked getting shot. All this took a second or two as I jumped out of my cover shouting don't shoot.

I reported the incident to the landowner and they reported the matter to the police. But while poaching is illegal, the reality is that there is very little that can be done. I have long been collecting car and van numbers as a way of helping defeat the poachers. Anyway I was asked if I would join in some of the anti poaching patrols the land owner was organising. Fortunately these appear to have been successful as thus far there is no evidence of the illegal killing of deer.

While doing this was taking me away from the wildlife watching I enjoy, it also discovered some potentially good wildlife watching areas. However, because of the problems with poachers will be an on going one the land owner has removed his permission that allows me to access these areas. He acknowledges that this is extremely unfair, but only by him disallowing anyone on the land can he know that anyone spotted on the land is likely to be up to no good. While I can understand that view it does also mean that I no longer have access to two of the Badger setts.

As you can imagine I am feeling a little miffed by all this. However, I will go off and find other places where I can watch Badgers from and other locations to watch wildlife.

Personally I don't understand what it is with people that they are so selfish and greedy.

Regulation in Business

One of the aspects of the food and cooking videos that I wanted to get right was the true facts regarding healthy eating as well as ensuring that I was not inadvertently passing on any bad practices regarding hygiene Thus, when I first was thinking of the idea I contacted a team from the local NHS National Health Service. In email exchanges and telephone conversations the people I was talking with were really enthusiastic and were wanting to help. The people I was talking to realised that using new media and new ideas could really help get good information out to people.

Anyway while I am fully aware of the messages like eat five different fruit and vegetables per day, I wanted to know if there were any other details like that that I could include. Therefore a meeting was set up where I took a DVD of some of the footage I had already shot and my notes so that I could look at making adjustments.

While I got some information at that meeting two of the main people that I was supposed to be meeting were ill that day. So it was rearranged for today Monday. Well I went along ready to learn. Therefore I was ready to be criticised but I could not believe some of the comments that one of the people there.

Now while I wanted to keep this bit as a surprise, I have been using glove puppets in the films. These parts are filmed separately to the cooking. But when edited form an important part of the films. Now this chap, who is a hygiene specialist was not happy with me using them as he said that they were a cross contamination risk. Now while I would not expect him to now or understand the finer details of film making, I would have thought that in this day and age people would understand that events in a film are not always shot in the sequence they are in the final edit. Therefore I had to explain that to him. While he accepted that he still said that some of the people watching the videos could emulate me and give themselves food poisoning by handling food with glove puppets.

Well at this point I really thought that he was playing a joke on me, as I could not take that seriously. But he was not, he was being serious. I was also given a list of other criticisms; including the length of my hair even though its tied up and I am wearing a cooks hat to keep it in place. Then I was told I should be using plastic chopping boards and not wooden ones. And while he agreed that my kitchen looks clean in the films, he said that I should have ensured that my kitchen met catering standards.

Well by this point I was getting really angry with him. I kept my temper but I spoke to him as though he was a retarded child explaining that the whole idea was to show people that you do not need a fancy kitchen or expensive equipment to cook with. As part of the reason for doing this is to help educate people who do not know how to cook, then what he was wanting me to do would impose serious barriers on people who are already reluctant cooks.

Anyway after this exchange one of the two women called for a coffee break. When we returned this chap was not there. The rest of the meeting went very well and the two women were positive and helpful. In fact they were very supportive of the ideas I was putting forward. At the very end they admitted that the chap was upset as he had wanted the organisation to do something similar to what I am doing and he was there to see if the organisation should be supporting what I am doing financially. Well I was not expecting or even seeking that from them, so if someone had waved a feather around I would have been on the floor.

Now, I had not been seeking financial support but it could come in very useful, however I did say that I would have to retain editorial control if any money was forthcoming. Thus while the meeting was not an easy one, on the whole it appears to be have been a positive meeting.

However, one aspect that struck me regarding the meeting was the way that in some aspects of food the regulation seems to be over the top. While hygiene is very important, most of it should be common sense. And while folks need to understand what you need to do to avoid food poisoning, often the messages given just make people scared of food and cooking. Also that means that far to often it is the food industry and the supermarkets that are left to prepare our food. Thus further de-skilling people.

Anyway, I am a lot more confident that I am on the right track with what I am doing. But to go off on a tangent though, in the news is the story of a major financial fraud. It strikes me that it strange that in some areas where regulation was needed the regulation was seriously diluted. If there had been better regulation of the financial markets and the banks then most of the financial problems we have now. Nor could that fraud have happened with proper regulatory oversight. Yet in Britain and Europe when it comes to food, the regulations are gold plated. When the real problem is lack of educating for the public. Also the regulations are aimed towards increased profits for the food industry. To my way of thinking if all regulations were primarily aimed at helping the public and not big business then many of the problems that always come up would just be eliminated.

Food and Labelling

I have discovered a fantastic diet. Well it worked for me, I have lost two inches off my waistline in a week. The only downside is you need to have “Man Flu” for it to work. Hey I am playing this for all the sympathy I can get, even though I know that I will not get any here. Anyway going to bed with a warm cat works wonders.

But being serious, my forced convalescence did mean that I had time to think about some of the things I have been doing. As my regular reader will know I have been trying to put together some material for a series of films to help people make better choices about food. I have filmed quite a bit of material, and I have created a style that I am happy with and I hope will also be entertaining and funny. However, as I did not want to make it elitist or condescending so I wanted to use my old existing equipment. However, visually that was not working as a couple of my old pans are tatty looking, they are more then twenty five years old. The difficulty was that on film the old pans looked dirty and unhygienic. So I decided that I needed to get a new pan or two.

Now with the announcement that Woolworth were closing down, I thought I would see if I could get them there. To go off at a tangent, I had already seen some decent pans in Woolworth a few months ago, but they were not cheep. In fact pans of the same quality were on sale in the supermarkets at a few pounds cheaper each than they were at Woolworth Therefore when Woolworth went into administration it did not surprise me. But when I went to the store in Consett to try and get the pans, they still had them and even in the clearance sale they were more expensive than other stores not having a closing down sale. So I did not get the pans there.

The following day, I went to the one in the Metro Centre, a large out of town shopping centre near here. Well there the shelves of the Woolworth there had been cleared of anything decent, what was left was telling about the state of the company. What was left on the shelves was junk, the type of products that I have long railed about as being a complete waste of resources and stuff that I just would not give up house room for. The problem is that so much of our economy has been based on selling tat that we just don't need or really want.

Anyway I still had not got the pans I wanted, so I went looking elsewhere. I found what I wanted in a small chain specialist shop. I got a salute pan, deep frying pan, and steamer. I have wanted to get one for ages in the past I had two. One my ex wife got and the other one my Ex got so need to avoid clocking up a new ex to keep this one. Also I got a boning knife. Again an item that I have wanted to get for a while, but finding a good one has been nearly impossible. I could get one that cost nearly thirty pounds, but that was far to expensive. So I was pleased to find one at under ten pounds of the same quality, in fact I think it was from the same manufacturer. Well with my pockets lighter I went home happy with the cooking equipment I have now got.

So while I will have to re-shoot some of the footage for the videos, I now have equipment that I am happy to use. Also as I have learnt from the mistakes I made initially, I really hope that I can help people to learn to cook and eat well.

It seems that my timing on this is nearly perfect as folks will know that last week there was yet another food scare regarding Irish Pork. This alerted the media to fact that quite legally many products, ready meals, pies, do not show the true country of origin for the meat. This is not just a problem in the UK or Europe as this is part of the world trade agreements. If a meat pie is made in one country then the labels only have to show that country as the country of origin. But the meat could have come from anywhere. Thus when there are safety concerns even the food industry doesn't know where the meat in the products has come from without checking records and batch numbers.

Now I may be unusual but I have always questioned when a food product is so cheep. When I see chickens for sale at three pounds, I wonder how that can be? Where have the costs been saved? Equally with prepared foods, I wonder what's in the food that makes it so cheap?

I have infuriated ex girlfriends by being a inveterate label reader. I just want to know what I am eating, and I don't blindly accept claims on the labels of food packets. But I suspect that once people start to realise that business and the food industry are feeding us the cheapest crap they can get away with, then things will change.

There needs to be a fundamental change to the way that food is treated in the developed world. I became a vegetarian when I discovered that cattle was being fed protein derived from fallen dead sheep and cattle, back in the 1970s. When I told other people of this I was told I was talking rubbish and that would never be allowed. Well when BSE emerged people discovered the truth.

Industrialised farming and the modern food industry have been quietly allowed to carry out all sorts of practices that if the public discovered what was going on would be horrified. All this is done in the guise of producing cheep food. But the real costs are hidden. In environmental damage, just think of the costs of cleaning up water due to the run off from pesticides and fertiliser. Or the costs to governments of dealing with problems like BSE (Mad Cow Disease). These practices are all about greater profit and not cheep food.

Personally I have always seen food as a joy to be enjoyed and not just as fuel to keep the body going. Further good, well produced food is much better for the environment too. I am sure that many of the health problems that impact the western developed world would be greatly reduced if only we stopped many of the perverse practices that are allowed in the food industry at the moment.

Whale Shark

Recently there was a Natural History Documentary on the largest fish in the sea the Whale Shark It covered many aspects of the scientific effort to track these animal's using satellite tags and DNA data to see if the Sharks were migrating across the Indian Ocean. Much of the evidence was inconclusive but as the depth and scope of our knowledge is so small it all adds to the pool of knowledge.

The film was remarkable not for the fact that they were able to film a Whale Shark having a poo for the first time, but that one aspect of the research work is the result of tourists in the Seychelles volunteering to help.

The tourists get the chance to dive with these sharks and by photographing them it is possible to track the movements of these fish. Now personally I think that is a brilliant way of helping the sharks and of helping people to get close to some of the mega fauna in our seas.

Further reading and a link to Save Our Seas

A Hunting Fox and Wild Swans

I have had a really busy weekend. I was up and out early to check on the Badger setts. Not to see the badgers but to ensure that there has been no interference as while there is not a massive problem here with Badger Baiting or Badger digging it does go on. Thus I try and keep an eye on what's happening. As I did not want to take the tripod I decided to leave the camera at home too. Well I wished I had not as after checking one of the Setts I saw a Fox. I stopped and was able to observe him for a good ten minutes. He was scavenging, I had seen a dead pigeon on the way to the Sett and he was “Hunting” it. What foxes do is they pounce on their pray even if it is dead, I guess that its just to prove that he is a real hunter. It would have made a great sequence.

Then I still had to go and get some shopping so I went for the Supermarket bus. While waiting I spotted one of the Red Kites, if anything else this was a good wildlife day. There was nothing exceptional about the shopping other than the cost, I can not see where all these price cuts they keep on advertising are. Then as the bus was leaving Consett, on a planted roundabout I spotted a waxwing. There was likely to be more as they are normally seen in flocks. As the roundabout had ornamental shrubs covered with berries so this was obviously a roadside feeding station for these Scandinavian berry eaters.

Then to keep Saturday full, I went over to Tynemouth. As in the news there is discussions about the fishing quota that is due to be set by the European Union, I wanted to see if I could get a more accurate picture by talking to some of the fishermen. Now I have a clear picture of he official situation, as I discovered when I lived in North Shields, not all the fish that gets landed is officially recorded. Therefore I wanted to get a clearer picture of what if any “Black” fish are being landed.

But before I met with my contact I went for a wander around the market that is held at the station at Tynemouth. As there are a few Second hand book sellers there I do like to see what there. I spotted some natural history books, well one was a different edition to the bird guide that is my primary source. Its not a field guide as its far to large, but its an excellent book. I picked it up to see the price, I did not have a spare arm, so I would not be buying it. But I did notice that it had an error slip in it. When published two very similar birds were given each others name. The Tree Sparrow was called the House Sparrow. Well I latter checked my own copy and it was the same. Now as I learnt my bird identification from using this book, I have had it for over thirty years, it looks as though I have been misidentifying these birds for years.

One thing that I did buy was a remote controller for my video camera. It was designed for a much older model but as it was new and just obsolete I took a chance and bought it. It works and is ideal for many wildlife filming situations. So I am really pleased.

Well I did finally get close to the true picture, but I will leave that for a latter full posting.

I then had a stressful journey home as I was not sure I was going to make the connection with the bus home. While I had the resources for a taxi if I needed I have better things to do with thirty pounds. Well I made it just, had it not been for another passenger that was struggling with his money, I think he was about 40% proof, I would have missed it.

The following day the Sunday, I was up and out very early. I wanted to get down to the bird hides that the local authority provide on its nature reserves. I have a pass key and that three pounds is the best value purchase I have ever made. However, when I got to the first one I wanted to film from I realised that because of the Ice covering the water. So I started to pack up when someone else came in. Now that normally would not be a problem as other birders will have a key. But this was no birdwatcher he was a young man that was intoxicated and I don't think from alcohol either.

Now I should explain to my overseas reader that it is now illegal to smoke in any enclosed public spaces. This young man lit up a cigarette. I did not say anything but I looked and that got a very aggressive reaction from him. Had I been able to I would have just left but he was blocking my way to the door. Anyway I then had to spend four hours of fruitless birdwatching while keeping an eye on him. Eventually he did leave and without incident. I didn't allow him to see that I was scared.

Anyway, I left the hide locking it, and went for a wander around the pond. At one end of the pond it was ice free. I did cause some disturbance when I moved to a good position but the birds soon settled back down and I did get some interesting footage. But while I was hiding behind the reeds, I spotted one of this years Cygnets was coming along the edge of the pond towards me. I turned the camera on it. It came closer and closer, then suddenly it realised I was there. The young Swan was just three feet from me and hissing at me. Well I filmed the encounter and I have no doubt that it would have gone for me had I not moved away, keeping the tripod between us. The bird then went down a track to the water. It was a regular bird track but as the water was frozen there I did not think that any bird would use it. Well I then filmed the Swan as it broke its way across and through the ice. When I can put that up you will see that it was not a dignified journey.

Not long after the light started to fade and I made my way home. I was very tired and eating I fell asleep on the sofa. I am sure I would have stayed there had I not had a fat over fed cat leap on me.

Moths

There is one advantage of the dull and dismal weather we have today, it has kept me in the house. That and slipping on my Glutinous Maxima. I took one step outside and down I went on my butt. I had just put on a clean pair of Jeans too, well they were clean. Over night a hard frost had frozen the melting snow, so I sprinkled a little salt to ensure that my neighbours did not suffer the same fate.

Thus I decided that I would stay home and get on with other tasks and this included getting more of the video footage archived. After the delays due to camera and computer problems, I am making good progress, I now only have three hours of back log to sort out.

However before I could do that I had a report to finish off. While I was doing that I noticed one of the Red Kites at the horizon then it disappeared from my view. I kept on working for the next twenty minutes or so, as I finished off what I was doing I picked up the binoculars to watch a Mistle Thrush that keeps on visiting my yard. Suddenly it gave an alarm call and it and the other birds on my feeders flew off. As I looked to see what had disturbed them a Red Kite flew right past my window, eight to ten feet away and under the telephone lines. As it did it dropped something, rushing down stairs I grabbed the Camera but by the time I had unlocked the back door the Kite was gone. I saw what it had dropped though it was the shoulder blade of a rabbit. Red Kites eat on the wing and that had been its last snack and I am left wondering if the Kite had seen its next meal. Anyway, what a wonderful sight. I am so lucky.

With my spirits boosted by that sight, I got on with sorting out the video clips. I now have 48 DVDs containing over one thousand clips of usable footage. So while it can be mundane and at times tedious to file them away properly, unless I did that I would never find anything for latter use.

Anyway two films for you today, one is of quite a rare plume moth, Agdistis bennetii. I say rare it was until recently. It was infrequently seen in the south of England but over recent years with climate change it has extended its range further north. I understand that the first confirmed sighting in the area was only made in 2002. However what pleases me about this footage was that I was able to film it unfurl its proboscis to feed and while not as clear as I would have liked you can see that. The other moth is quite a common moth, often called a sack moth, but as there is another species with that common name I am just using the Latin name, Anthopila fabriciana.

While I know that many people don't like moths, personally I love them and they are just so beautiful.

Agdistis bennetii

Anthophila fabriciana

Do we want a Police State?

Yesterday the European court of human rights ruled that it was illegal for the British police to keep on the DNA database the genetic profiles of people arrested but not convicted. Now before anyone howls that well they would not have been arrested if they had not done something wrong, some of these people have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have know cases where following a fight in a pub everyone gets arrested until the police can focus on who was actually involved. Further some of the people on the DNA database are there purely when the police have done a mass screening. This has occurred when there has been a series of rapes in an area and men have come forward to help them be eliminated from the investigation.
Thus there are now eight hundred thousand profiles on this database that have never been convicted that now will have their genetic profiles removed.

I am fully aware that DNA can be a powerful tool for catching criminals and removing dangerous people from our communities, but there has to be a balance struck between the liberties of the individual and the powers of the state.

If we allow the police or the state to powers grant themselves these powers then they will use them and sometimes abuse them. In the media here in Britain there is much debate about the arrest and searching of the office of an MP. Now while the debate has been focused on the rights and privileges of MPs, the real issue is the powers of the police.

MPs are not above the law, but thus far this seems to be just a matter of a Civil Servant leaking documents to an opposition MP that the government found embarrassing. But the government used Anti Terrorist police officers to conduct this investigation and by doing that everyone rolled over and just allowed them into Parliament. As has been widely reported they did not even have a warrant to search the Palace of Westminster.

In Britain the police have to obtain a warrant from a court who judge if there is sufficient evidence or suspicion to grant that warrant. Thus providing one of the checks and balances required.

The problem here with this case of the MP is that all the police need to do is say that its a matter of national security and everyone (Or nearly everyone) just allows the police to go their own sweet way. It is no different to the police wanting detention without charge of terrorist suspects for 42 days, six weeks. If the police were granted those powers it would not be long before other suspects were being detained in this way. That is not being far fetched as the British government used Anti Terrorist powers against Icelandic banks during the banking crisis. The point is as soon as the police or the state have those powers, they will be used and they will be abused.

In the Queens speech the government are proposing to read all our Emails, intercept our phone calls, you name it they want to see it. All in the name of protecting us from Terrorists. Well as I already think that copies of my emails and a list of every website I visit lands on the desk of the prime minister and the head of MI5 every morning along with the newspapers...

All this will do is snow intelligence personnel under with a lot of dross in the hope of catching a few.

We are seriously in danger of allowing a police state to come into being. The absurd aspect is that we are supposed to loose our freedoms to protect our freedoms. All we are doing is letting the Terrorist and Criminal win, if we don't safeguard and protect our freedoms.

White Cold and Wet

Well it snowed last night and along with it came the high winds as per the forecast. I stayed up to watch it start as I had a film sequence in my minds eye that I wanted to film, but the high wind stopped the snow from behaving normally, thus I was not able to film the stop motion effect of the snow building up as I had wanted.

It also caused some disruption, as I said in a previous post I wanted to go and get some shopping and the journey into town was slow as the bus driver took great care. I got what I needed and as I had some time to kill before getting the bus back I popped into one of the charity (Thrift) shops. I have been in before and bought a couple of natural history books. So when I went in one of the assistances told me that she had a book that had just come in that I may be interested in. I was and with a strange coincidence it is a book that I had recommended to a reader of this nonsense that is my web log just a week or so ago. A book on the Blackbird. While there I also spotted something that I have been looking for, a rain cover for the video camera. While it is not exactly for the same model as mine, I can adjust to make it fit. So fifteen pounds lighter I now have this book and a rain coat for my camera. See what happens when it snows.

When I got back I then had to fight with my neighbour as to who was going to clear the path. I lost. They are a wonderfully independent couple and I am glad that they are able to just get on and enjoy life even though they are in their seventies.

I was able to get out and do some filming but before I set out I made sure that I was well clothed for the trip. That makes it sound like an expedition. However, as I have found myself out in bitter weather in the past, I am now much better prepared. Thus before I left the house I was in danger of cooking, oven ready mouse! But I was grateful as I was able to spend four hours or so out in sub zero and latter just over zero temperatures and feel comfortable and happy. This actually bodes well for more of my wildlife watching as previously I have had to cut short some previous attempts to watch or film wildlife because of the cold. I have invested in some good gear that has proved its worth today. While the Wood Mouse is hardy (foolhardy) it was nice to return home and not have to sit in the fridge to get warm for a change. Still look a scruffy mouse though.

Anyway here is my little attempt to film the effects of the weather today.

Pied Wagtails

When I first moved to the village I filmed these birds. As my long standing reader (and a cat that thinks my films are cookery programmes) will know I had bought a cheap second hand camera that stopped working almost as soon as I got it. However, I did get this film with it before it failed.

While I may have posted this previously, I can't remember, I am posting this to help a friend that needs something to provide a grin.

Dragonfly In Flight

Earlier in the year while out I was able to film a Dragonfly in flight, I am genuinely pleased to have captured this, all to brief clip, as filming insects in flight is far from easy. I have many minutes of duff footage too.

Derwent Walk and Charles Darwin

As I am sitting here waiting for the snow to arrive, I thought I would share a film that I put together yesterday of some of the views along a track called the Derwent Walk. Just to remind us all of late summer early autumn.

The Derwent Walk is a trail, used by horses, cyclists and walkers that runs along the bed of a disused railway. Here in Britain in the 1960s we ripped up a lot of railways in favour of the Car! Then in the 1980s a number of these routes were converted to recreational routes and are used as part of a national Cycle network. The Derwent walk runs to Consett and beyond to Lanchester. That part I have not strolled along yet, but next year...

putting together this film showed the limitations of my computer, it struggled to cope with rendering the film and refused to do it three times. But then I spoke nicely too it and it finally worked. It also took a long time, to little memory in this steam powered device.

However while I was waiting I was able to read five chapters of The Origin of Species a book that I am rereading. I first read the book in 1978/9 and while I understood the concepts that Darwin was talking about, it is no easy read. But even now, a hundred and fifty years after its publication, it is still a powerful book. I doubt that many people have read the full text, there are shorter paperbacks out there, but I do have a full text (Sixth Edition) that benefits from amendments that Charles Darwin made to make it easier for a non specialist to understand the theory. However the aspect of the text that was and remains remarkable is that Darwin had obviously thought of all the arguments against Evolution and discovered the evidence to repudiate those arguments.

I was once asked, when I was about eighteen, what I wanted to do in life, I answered;

“When I grow up I want to be David Attenborough”

Well I think that if I were be asked the same question now, I would wish to have the intellectual prowess of Charles Darwin.

Snows Coming

While we have had a light dusting of snow here and it has settled it really has not been anything to write about. I know that several of my readers would dismiss what I have here as nothing more than Gods Dandruff. But there is more on the way four to Eight Inches and with blizzard conditions that is likely to drift.

It will be the first significant snowfall that I have experienced here, and the first time in years that there has been this level of snowfall across the region.

As well as going out to get some pictures tomorrow, I am planning on making a shopping trip into town, so I will check with my elderly neighbours if the need any help and assistance. I guess that one of my first jobs to do tomorrow though will be path clearing.

Common Toad

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I had seen and filmed a frog in my yard. Well I seem to be having a brain storm as what I meant to say was that it was a Toad. Does that mean I am living in Toad Hall?

Anyway, brain storm over here he is in close up.

A Mystery Solved

About five or six weeks ago while sitting at my computer I noticed a bird of the crow family that was sitting on the chimney stack of one of the houses that are at the back of me. There are two short terraces that run at a right angle from my back lane and the Jackdaws nest and roost in many of the chimneys. However this one that I saw had a red bill.

From my angle of view, I could not see the whole of the bird as if I could see red legs too then it had to be a Chough. But equally I was well aware that if it was then it was out of place, as they are not normally seen here. What's more I kept on getting fleeting glimpses of the bird but not enough to make a clear identification nor get a picture.

Also at the same time I was informed by one of the local farmers that they thought they had a Pine Martin on their land. They has seen a weasel like animal near their bird table and while they had not seen what was taking the Jam sandwiches they were putting out, there were paw prints of a stoat like critter near the bird table too.

Thus I have had my time divided between looking for a possible Pine Martin and a Possible Chough. Both are rare and I was determined to discover if the identification was correct. I have had plenty of opportunity to test my extreme weather clothing, as I sat out watching for the possible Pine Martin. I did not see the Pine Martin and I became convinced that it was in fact a stoat that had been seen. As it snowed last night, I was able to confirm this with the footprints and trail left.

However, that still did not explain who was taking and eating the jam sandwiches. Well I saw this morning that it is the Jackdaws. I am guessing that your ahead of me here, I saw several Jackdaws that had jam smeared on their beaks making them appear red.

This is where it was wise not to rush to judgement and to rely on good observation to establish what was really happening. I don't know if I will get a chance to try and film the Stoat before going up to Scotland, but I will try. And who knows if there is a Chough around then I may get a picture of it. But I may just get a picture of a messy sweet beaked Jackdaw.

Melting Polar Ice And CO2 absorption

Melting ice from glacial ice from the Greenland ice shelf dilutes the salinity of the North Atlantic, this slows the circulation of nutrients that feed the CO2 absorbing plankton and other organisms this leads the a drop in the ability for the seas to take up carbon dioxide leading to an increase in atmospheric CO2 and leading to a temperature increase of 16 degrees Celsius.

That scenario is the findings of a computer model by climate scientists Andreas Schmittner and Eric Galbraith of Oregon State University and Princeton University respectively. Not of our current situation but events of 65,000 to 13,000 years ago.

Why this is important is that one of the impediments to understanding how climate change will effect us now and in the future, has been our lack of understand what occurred in the natural processes of the past. A scientific paper published in Nature this week progresses our understanding by leaps and bounds. It has long been realised that the melting of the Ice at the poles effected the CO2 in the atmosphere at the end of the last ice age, but exactly how was little understood. The main contender of the theories was that salinity of the sea water was at the centre of this process, but exactly how? Well using a climate model that is normally used to predict our future climate, the scientists have been able to match exactly what happened in the past.

The important factor to remember here though is this natural process took place over a period of over fifty thousand years. The principals though are the same as what is happening now with the damaging man made climate change of today. Except what we are seeing is happening in a couple of centuries not over many millennia. Further just as the natural process speeded up near the end of the Ice Age, we are seeing the processes of Melting Sea Ice and Land based Glacial Ice increase.

We are looking at a very challenging future.

A link to the news story

Looking Forward to Scotland

I have now been sent the details of the job up in Scotland and for the most part I have done before everything that will form part of my duties. It was interesting though that will I said that I was happy for all this to be sent via Email it was in fact printed off and sent by post.

There was further details of the accommodation and I am happy with that too. While it had been described as a cottage it is in fact a house with four bedrooms, well three and a box room. That box room will be my office. Also the place has a garden, very neglected but if I have the time I may get some vegetables growing there.

The only aspect that is making me feel a little unsure is that it has a wood stove for the heating, hot water and cooking. Now I know that at least one of my readers could tell me some tales about cooking this way, but I have never had to use a system like this. So at the very least it could lead to some interesting posts. Also among the gubbings sent to me was a note from the man who turns out to be the boss of the person who appointed me. Asking me to wring him as soon as I got the information. Well I did and I finally got to talk to him today (Sunday).

Our conversation seemed to start really badly as he said that he was not happy with the way I had been appointed. This lead to us talking at crossed purposes, until I had been reassured that the position was mine. The difficulty he had was simply that in the previous two years others had been appointed but had quit after only a few weeks as they could not cope with the isolation. Now while I can be happy in my own company, we all need human contact but I am reasonably sure that I will be able to cope. Anyway, from the details sent there is a Post Bus so I will not be stranded either. Also, while I will have a lot of work to do, I will also have the time to film and take photographs as well as observe the wildlife.

This did reassure him a bit, then we started talking about the accommodation. Well it seams that the biggest problem is and has been the electricity. Winds bring the power lines down regularly. So they are thinking of installing a generator. At this I said well that's not very green, and rather costly. I suggested why not get some solar panels so that they can charge 12 volt batteries and run the lighting off a 12 volt system? After a little chat about this he realised that it could be the solution. It could run a small fridge such as used in caravans (Trailers) also it could power a lap top too. And for about the same it was likely to have cost buy the generator and to have it fitted.

I also suggested that a solar hot water system could be fitted at the same time. I was surprised at just how receptive he was to this. It turns out that one of the thoughts that the charity has had was to use this property as a holiday let specifically for wildlife watchers. As not far from the place is a regular Osprey nest (that's why I have not revealed the exact location here), as well as it being Red Deer territory.

We also talked about how I was going to cope with shopping and getting supplies. I said that I should be able to get most of my needs delivered, and while there would likely be a charge, I was content to do that. Also, I could easily revert to a vegetarian diet and rely on stocks of pulses and nuts for my protein. Anyway, he seemed reassured that I was likely to be able to cope with the isolation.

Again, I still need to remember that all this is dependent upon the charity getting the grant they have applied for. I also discovered that previously they have had to repay the grant as the people appointed were not willing or able to stick with the job. He also told me that if there was a problem with getting the grant, that he would keep me in mind should any other post came up as he was delighted to talk to someone with such a positive attitude towards natural history.

One last thing that was amusing about our conversation, when he was talking about the problems with the power, he asked how would I cope with no television? Fine I said as I normally listen to the radio. Now he thought I meant music but when I told him that I mean speech radio he was more than a little surprised as he could not remember the last time he had spoken to someone that prefers to read or listen the radio. Anyway he said that I should have been living in a different age.

Shoveler Duck in Eclipse Plumage

Here is an interesting bit of film of a Shoveler Duck in his Eclipse plumage. When I shot the footage I could see that it was a Shoveler from the shape of its bill but it was the plumage that had me fooled until I was able to look it up in my field guide. This I had left at home as when I first ventured out it looked as though it was going to pour with rain. But it was one of those days when the right things just seem to happen at the right times. Thus when I arrived at the location the clouds had parted and I was blessed with bright sun and even when the clouds did obscure the sun it was a nice diffuse light.

I am hoping to return to this location in the next few days as with winter here now, I just never know what to expect there.