Woodland Bird Song

As I learn to use the video editing software, I discover there is more that I can do. Here in a short film shot in Chopwell Wood I have been able to add a soundtrack of some common birds, Blackbird, Great Tit and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

No Luck and Good Luck

It has been hard to believe that we have just had the Summer solstice. Not just from the weather, but as hard as I look, I cant find where the year has gone. There was so much that I wanted to do, related to the seasons, but I have not had the time. I always knew that I would not be able to do all on my wish list, therefore I have been concentrating upon what I can do. That includes my observations of the Badgers.

As it was the solstice I thought I would have the best chance of filming the badgers. So I went out on Saturday night Sunday morning to watch them. While I still don't have access to the main sett I have been watching, there are others I can observe. While the wet weather does make it uncomfortable, the rain can help deaden noise and can make it easier to remain undetected. However, this night I saw absolutely nothing. Normally, I would see something, be it a mouse or vole, the odd rabbit but not a creature stirred. It is probably just that they had better sense than to venture out.

Not deterred, most would say foolishly, I did the same last night. This time I did at least get to see, very briefly, six of the Badgers as they moved towards a known feeding ground. While I did think of moving to that area, I decided to stay as it was likely that they would return that way. But they did not.

So I returned home feeling tired but philosophical. I had to go in to Consett for some shopping and to the bank so I could not retire to bed. Therefore, I was able to snatch some film of one of the Red kites as it glided over my home as I went to bring in the milk. I kept the camera with me when I went to catch the bus. So often when I have been at the stop, I have seen the kites from there. So I thought I would take it more in hope than expectation.

There was no sign of the kite but there was a female blackbird, busy pulling worms from the ground. While a little shaky I filmed her. Then while standing there I was busy watching a small white butterfly that came to rest on the grass. I was just powering up the camera when a swift came down and snatched it from the air. So quick was it that I was not sure what I had seen, but as I could see the swift departing with the white wings visible in the beak, I was left in awe of the swifts agility.

While I tried to get round my chores efficiently, I was confronted by a queue in the butchers. That meant that I would have to wait an hour for the next bus. As I came out of the shop, I bumped into a couple from the village who I had not seen for a while. So we had a little chin wag. Then I decided that as I had to wait I would go for a cup of tea.

One of the things that is rather surprising is that in Consett there are some quite good Cafés. Not sophisticated dining, but much better than the greasy spoon one could expect. I have been slowly discovering these, and went to one that I have not been to before. As my accent is not a north east one, frequently this will cause me to stand out. Therefore, sitting at my table I heard one of the two children, in a stage whisper, make a comment. The mother apologised and we fell into conversation. It was just general chit chat, then the youngest child spotted my red kite badge. I have an enamelled badge that the RSPB issues to help raise money, and the mother said that her daughter was nuts about the red kites. So getting out my camera I showed them the film I had just shot of the Kite. It also ran onto the film of the Blackbird.

Well, without relating the whole of the conversation, it turns out that she works for the local education authority and asked if I would be willing to give some talks to schools about wildlife and natural history. Well I could have been knocked over with a feather. I cautiously said I would, but I would need to know how doing something like this could be educationally significant and add to help the children learn. It was her turn to be ready to be knocked over with a feather, as she realised I was on the same wave length as her and I could be what she has been looking for for ages.

It was left with us exchanging phone numbers and email addresses, and that we needed to arrange a meeting to discuss what is needed. Anyway I get home to a ringing telephone, its the husband of my driver from a previous posting. (its not my fault if your not keeping up) She had just delivered a baby girl. They had thought from the scan that it was a boy, so they now have to start thinking of a girls name. They had been thinking of giving this child the same name as I have, but as I told them calling any child “Mouse” was not fair.

However, the main reason for the phone call was that they wanted further help with some small mammal trapping. But this will not be locally but two hundred miles away. While I am interested I cant do everything and I have left it open.

I just wonder if in six months time I will still be wondering where all the time fled?

Blackbird

Yesterday after lunch I went for a little wander. For a change I thought I would just go and look what was about in terms of wildlife, rather than going looking for something or anything specific. Often of late I have been out watching badgers or looking at other specific aspects of the local habitats. For example over recent days I have been asked by someone local to look at what he thought was signs of a wild bore. This followed my previous talk on here, of a possibility of a wild bore on the loose locally. On the two occasions I went to look at what he was saying were marks left by a bore, they turned out to be marks left by badgers.

I don’t see any signs of wild bore at all in the local area. I suspect that it is now an “Urban Myth” that is just not true. What signs are misinterpreted as being wild bore, but are really other animals like badgers grubbing up worms. Further, there are no prints and what prints that are seen are in fact the hoof prints of the deer. Further there is a distinct lack of tusk marks or mud smears on the trees that are so distinctive of Wild bore. So while I do keep an open mind, I think at best people are mistaken or are misidentifying what they are seeing.

Yesterday, I was in danger of misidentifying a bird that I saw. I saw a Blackbird that I was not sure was a blackbird. There is a similar sized bird called a Ring Ouzel that looks similar to a blackbird except that the Ring Ouzel has this white patch on the breast. When I first saw the bird it had its back to me, I was approaching and trying to take pictures of it. Then I noticed what looked as though was a patch of white on this bird. What I knew of the Ring Ouzel was that it is a summer migrant thus if it was a Ring Ouzel it shouldn’t be here. Therefore I needed to get a clear picture to ensure I could make a positive identification. Well as you can see from the picture it was a blackbird but is has some spots of white on it.