BlogGo for Blogger

This is simply a post to authenticate the mobile app 'BlogGo for Blogger'. Does it seamlessly integrate with my MacBook blog? Let's see.....

Tyneham Village - A Casualty of War

The village of Tyneham is nestled in a remote valley in Dorset, five miles by road east of Kimmeridge. These five miles of single track road are twisting and tortuous, up hill and down. One wonders if you will ever arrive but I was determined to find this remote place, which just happens to be an anagram of the village where I was born: Teynham in Kent.

Tyneham was a thriving rural community. The inhabitants were farm workers and fishermen, who paid rent to the village owner Ralph Bond. He inherited the village in 1935 from his father William.

During the 2nd World War much of southern England saw a build up of troop encampments as preparations were made for the Normandy invasion that was to occur on 6th June 1944. Lulworth camp remains today and in 1940, following the evacuation at Dunkirk, thousands of men passed through this camp on the way back to their units.

In 1941 Tyneham House was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force as an administrative centre for the radar station at Brandy Bay, which lay to the east of Tyneham. In 1942 Winston Churchill inspected tanks at Lulworth. The writing was on the wall for the fate to befall Tyneham village.

In November 1943 Winston Churchill's War Cabinet issued clearance notices to all 106 properties in an area of approximately 12 square miles, including Tyneham Village. It was necessary for the British Army to extend its existing training area. The residents were given just one month to leave. And they were never to return. When the residents left they pinned this poignant notice to the church door:

"Please treat the church and houses with care. We have given up our homes where many of us have lived for generations, to help win the war to keep men free. We will return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly".

In 1945 with the Cold War looming the newly elected government decided to retain the valley and the villagers could not return.

Tyneham church has been beautifully restored

In 1952, Ralph Bond, the last Squire of Tyneham, died "still bitterly unreconciled to the loss of Tyneham and deeply wounded by the government's shabby behaviour and broken promise to return Tyneham to him and its former inhabitants".

In 1967 the Tyneham Action Group was launched by Rodney Legg to campaign for the release of Tyneham and the return of its former families. The publicity produced by this and subsequent groups eventually forced the government to take action. The Lulworth Range land however stayed with the army. But, since 1978 the Army has worked with the Purbeck Heritage Coast project to develop public access to the village (or should I say, the ruins of the village) and surrounding coast and countryside. Buildings have been made safe, coastal paths and walks have been way-marked and information is provided for visitors to the valley.

The remains of Post Office Row, Tyneham

The remains of Rectory Cottages, Tyneham

Part of St. Mary's church interior, Tyneham

Before the 2nd World War, Tyneham was just one of many small isolated Dorset villages. Its residents led a simple life, relying mainly on farming and fishing for their livelihood, oblivious to the future events which would give their home a special place in history. Today the village remains part of the MoD Lulworth Ranges. Only the empty buildings remain, trapped in a time warp. The only positive thought I had as I wandered quietly through the ruins was that the area has remained protected from many of the modern developments that, elsewhere, has changed the face of the Dorset countryside. I thought about the families wrenched from their homes, only allowed to take with them a few chattels. Families that were never allowed to return.

The casualties of war, long forgotten by most... It left me deeply saddened.

  

What? No Wi-Fi?

Ros and I are staying in beautiful Lulworth Cove. The weather has been magnificent. Wall to wall sunshine. Great food, great ale provided by Hall & Woodhouse who own the Lulworth Cove Inn. But, we have had no wi-fi service since we have been here. So presently I am sat above Durdle Door using my Huawei 3 portable router and a Macbook Air to make this short post. I have much to catch up with when I get back home.

The iconic Durdle Door to the west of Lulworth

Chalk cliffs to the west of Durdle Door

So, that's it for now. I am going to enjoy the sun and the birdlife. Have just seen a Peregrine falcon...

More at the weekend.

West to Isle of Purbeck

Ros and I are heading west to Dorset and the Isle of Purbeck. Well, it's not actually an island but its geographical inaccessibility makes it feel like one. Our journey will take us along the A27 and M27, over Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth and Poole and through Wareham to our destination of West Lulworth and the Lulworth Cove Inn http://lulworth-coveinn.co.uk

There is much to see in this area of Dorset including Corfe Castle, the Swanage to Norden steam railway, Shell Bay with its superb, soft sands, Durdle Door, Dorset's iconic geographical landform and one of the highlights of the Jurassic Coast, and Tyneham, the village that was evacuated in World War ll and has remained eerily empty ever since.

Probably won't have much opportunity to post over the next week so it's TTFN....

Juvenile Birds - Helping Our Wildlife

My constant vigilance in keeping the bird feeders replenished is paying dividends. For some time now we have enjoyed seeing juvenile Goldfinches and Greenfinches visiting the feeders, particularly those containing sunflower seeds. Today, for the first time, I spotted a juvenile Great Tit, rather grey overall with a shadow of the black streak on the breast developing, and a juvenile Robin, its breast developing a pale pink colour before it will have its full red breast.

So, what is the significance of this? Well, for me it is a clear indication of the need for householders to provide food for our native birds in our gardens, not forgetting the need for water as well. I have two bird baths that are constantly replenished and in continuous use. (Mind you, the rain today has done the job for me).

Today I have recorded Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Collared Dove and Woodpigeon on the feeders and in the bird baths. They are a joy to watch, are terrible time-wasters and provide me with a certain sense of achievement.

You too can help to reduce the decline of our resident birds. Place a few seed feeders in your garden and add a bird bath. The rewards are very satisfying and you can be assured that you are aiding the survival of birds that might otherwise not make it through the winter.

A world without birds is unthinkable. They need our help...

40 Years of Dark Side

March 1973. Pink Floyd release their eighth studio album. I had moved from Rugby to Bristol in 1972 to be closer to my wife to be. I bought "Dark Side of The Moon" on vinyl and hurried home that evening to listen with a few friends. My bog standard Amstrad system and Dual 505 deck provided the sound. My word. We were totally blown away. The album used some of the most advanced recording techniques of the time including multitrack recording and tape loops. The result was a prog rock album like no other. The performance of 'rock chick' Clare Torry on the track "The Great Gig in The Sky", a soulful metaphor for death, left us stunned. Heard near the end of the track, the words: "I never said I was frightened of dying..."

The iconic album cover

So, 1973 saw the release of this great album and my marriage to Rosalind. 40 years on I am still happily married and still listening to The Dark Side. In between times I bought the 25th anniversary edition on CD in 1998 and for some reason I cannot explain, I downloaded the mp3 40th anniversary edition this year.

No other album has had the same impact on me. It is frequently ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time. I wholeheartedly concur with that thought...

Fears for Seabirds

A study by the National Trust has found that Puffins and Terns are among key species in the UK that are being put at risk from global warming. The UK's coastline is being transformed as sea levels rise and storms grow fiercer. The study predicts that sea levels will rise by up to half a metre by the turn of the century and coastal erosion is accelerating.

Puffin chicks are being particularly affected as their preferred meal of sand eels is disappearing, most probably caused by overfishing and changing ocean temperatures. To add to their problem a new fish has moved into UK waters, which the chicks find indigestible. The snake pipefish is having a devastating effect on the puffin population, as it is bony and hard to eat. The report states that some chicks have been found dead, having choked trying to swallow  pipefish.

The snake pipefish

Colonies of puffins can be found in the Farne Islands and at Lundy Island in Devon where burrows were flooded during last year's exceptionally wet summer, which was followed by the unusually long winter. As a result many puffins died of starvation.

Terns are also likely to suffer as they tend to site their colonies just above the high tide line. When storm surges occur their nests can be easily flooded.

Matthew Oates, a specialist on wildlife at the National Trust, said: "With rising sea levels our rich mud flats could simply disappear. Wildlife that relies on the gradual erosion of soft rock cliffs or lives on loose sand and shingle habitats could be caught out by an increasingly mobile landscape as a result of extreme weather...."

Plants, animals and humans will have to live with an increasing rate of environmental change. It's happening now...

Rutland Breeding Bird Atlas 2008 - 2011

I purchased a copy of this excellent record during my recent visit to Uppingham in Rutland. The edition published in 1992 documented the county's breeding birds as part of the BTO's "The New Atlas of Breeding Birds of Britain & Ireland 1988 - 1991". Recording for "Bird Atlas 2007 - 2011" stimulated fieldwork for this update. All 117 Rutland tetrads were visited. Where timed visits were made interested observers submitted lists of species breeding in their local area. The results were mapped at two levels, 'Present' and 'Breeding' to enable direct comparisons to be made with the 1988 - 1990 survey. The changes which have occurred are in some cases dramatic.

 
For example, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor was recorded as present in 11 tetrads during 1988 - 1990 and only 4 tetrads during 2008 - 2011. The future does not look at all promising for this species, not only in Rutland but elsewhere in Britain.

This book represents a scholarly work for any keen ornithologist, not just for those interested in the Rutland area. It makes for very interesting reading for anyone interested in birds, recording as it does the decline in numbers of so many of our resident and migrant birds. There are lessons to be learned here in biodiversity and habitat conservation. Terry Mitcham deserves our thanks for compiling this important breeding bird atlas.

Badger Cull To Start

The Guardian has learned that England's badger culls are due to begin on the night of Monday 26th August. The cull will take place in Gloucestershire and Somerset. The animal welfare group 'Care For the Wild', using figures released by Defra under the Freedom of Information Act, has accused them of not properly assessing the suffering of badgers as the figures reveal that as few as 120 out of the 5,000 shootings will be independently observed. The Information Commissioner instructed Defra to reveal this information.

The expected cull has split national opinion. Although the badger is a protected species ministers and farmers insist that a cull is necessary to stop spiralling rates of bTB in livestock. Opponents say it will have little effect on infection and will cause suffering to badgers.

Many of you will recall that Lord Krebs, one of the Government's key advisers on the issue and a world expert in zoology, has previously described the policy as a mistake. He said research showed that killing 70% of badgers in a restricted area only reduced bovine TB by 16%.

Philip Mansbridge, Care For the Wild chief executive, said: "The truth is this cull has no scientific or moral basis. Going ahead with it will give false hope to farmers, is pointless for cattle and utterly disastrous for badgers".

The NFU is making an injunction bid today in the High Court to restrict the activity of badger cull opponents. They claim that some farmers have been intimidated and harassed and therefore need protection. Opponents will challenge the legal bid claiming it will prevent their right to peaceful protest.

An e-petition to HM Government, created by Dr Brian May CBE, entitled "Stop the Badger Cull" has been signed by 264,965 individuals. No matter which side of the debate you support this is a compelling number of people who want to see the cull stopped.

The nation will, I am sure, remain divided on this one.

Rutland's Hidden Gem

Uppingham is one of England's hidden gems - a delightful, historic market town with an attractive mix of honey-coloured stone buildings that represent a long architectural history. The Times recently named Uppingham as a really appealing small market town, well placed in Britain's smallest county. It is a friendly and welcoming place to visit and I have just completed my third visit to this delightful place.

typical architecture in Uppingham High Street, opposite my room at The Crown Inn

Rutland is the smallest county in mainland England, occupying 151.1 square miles of the East Midlands and extending only eighteen miles from north to south and seventeen miles from east to west and Rutland Water is the ornithological gem in the county's crown, with a shoreline in excess of 40 kilometres (24 miles).

One of the joys of Uppingham for me is the wonderful selection of individually owned shops, including several second hand book shops, crafts and gifts, old fashioned sweets, pre-loved clothes, jewellery, handmade shoes, two first class butchers and a superb traditional baker, Baines with its adjoining tea shop, a step back in time and a sheer delight. I enjoyed toasted teacakes with butter and strawberry jam and a pot of real leaf tea, whilst listening to music from the 40s and being fussed over by an attentive waitress.

Baines Bakers and Tea Shop

The Falcon Hotel is located on Uppingham's historic Market Place that dates back to the 13th century. From c1750 the Falcon was the coaching inn for the town. The main arched doorway into the hotel is the original coach entrance.

The Falcon Hotel, Uppingham

Uppingham  is famous for its public school founded in 1584. It spreads its impressive buildings throughout the town.

Uppingham School main building

My favourite spot in Uppingham is The Crown Inn in the High Street, Rutland CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011 and runner up in 2013. I always stay here to enjoy Alan's hospitality, Phillipe's cooking, the friendly locals and the Everard award winning ales. The accommodation is comfortable and spotlessly clean.

View from my room at The Crown Inn

There is much to see and enjoy in the Rutland area (known as the 'second Cotswolds') not forgetting the Ospreys that return in the summer months to Rutland Water. There are nature reserves, an RSPB bird centre at Egleton and plenty of good walks.

Time moves slowly here...

Blue Moon 20th August 2013

A beautiful clear sky enabled me to take this photo of tonight's Blue Moon. A blue moon is usually used to describe a second full moon in a single solar calendar month, which happens every two to three years.

So, here it is: "Once in a blue moon...."

Taken with a Nikon Coolpix P510

The Birdwatcher's "Glastonbury"

There are distinct similarities between Birdfair 2013 and Glastonbury festival as Graeme and I discovered on Friday 16th August..... Mud! We travelled by taxi on Friday morning, in pouring rain,  to the Birdfair site. We were suitably attired with boots, hats and an umbrella. But nothing can prepare you for the squelch through fields of thick mud! By the time we reached the admission point our boots were well and truly caked as were our lower trouser legs! But, we had our electronic tickets and soon escaped into the welcome of a very humid marquee...

Once 'inside' the weather is of little consequence. There is a fantastic buzz around the place. This was the first day of the 25th annual Birdfair, the largest and best wildlife fair anywhere in the world. And we were sharing this amazing event with 1,000s of other birdwatchers and wildlife lovers. The inclement weather is soon forgotten.

The 25th fair was huge, attracting almost 350 exhibitors and the most sponsors (24) than ever before. In the first marquee I bumped into David Lindo, writer, broadcaster, speaker and bird guide, aka The Urban Birder. A great character who writes every month in Birdwatching magazine. I would very much like to tour with David on one of his organised birding events.  http://www.theurbanbirder.com

Me with the Urban Birder David Lindo

BTW: you will notice in the photo that I am wearing a rather fine Tilley hemp hat unlike David's rather shabby baseball cap!

One needs a plan to navigate the Birdfair: eight marquees, the art marquee, the optics marquee, three lecture marquees and the catering marquee. So far as the last of these is concerned I am pleased (and relieved) that I managed to visit all the optics manufacturers' stands without adding to my collection of binoculars... (Ros - please note!)

The Isle of Islay stand was well worth a visit not only for the information on tourism and birdwatching opportunities on the island but for the fact that they were providing wee drams of Islay single malt whiskies. Well, it would have been rude to refuse! I also entered a competition to win a holiday to this fabulous location. Fingers crossed...

I always visit the Event Gallery and my favourite wildlife artist, Kay Johns. Her talent is astonishing and once again I had to purchase a piece of her artwork entitled 'The Line Up', a stunning picture of five Belgian Brown Hares. See more of her work here  http://www.theeventgallery.co.uk/default.asp  Last year I bought 'The Mad March Hare', which hangs in my study.

Lynn Hazel is a very talented sculptor of British Wildlife. It is pretty well impossible to visit her stand and not purchase something. I did. A beautiful Goldfinch, which complements the Wren I bought last year. More about Lynn here  http://www.lynnhazel.co.uk

One of the very busy marquees

Clint Banbury creates art that makes you smile. His illustrations have been featured in over a hundred different projects ranging from an Italian poster campaign for Vauxhall cars to his current children's Scribble Down transfer packs. More about Clint here  http://www.clintonbanbury.com . I bought the highly amusing "Blackbird & Robin".

Graeme and I spent six hours walking around the fair, taking in the Bat Conservation Trust, the Bird Watching Magazine, Birdlife International, Birdwatching Northumberland, British Birds, the British Dragonfly Society, Country Innovation Clothing (I did not buy anything!), Extramadura Spain, the Fair Isle Bird Observatory (a visit here is on my bucket list), Garden Bird Supplies, the Hawk and Owl Trust, In Focus, KT Nestboxes, Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust, Mongolian Ornithological Society, Oman Ministry of Tourism (I last visited the Sultanate of Oman in 1994), Outdoor Photography Gear, Rare Bird Alert, the RSPB, Shetland Nature and many more.

Six hours in the humid atmosphere of the marquees was enough and we taxied back to the Crown Hotel for a few well deserved pints of Everard's best.

We have booked to go again next year...... 

The Journey North

On Thursday 15th August I set off on my journey to Rutland with my best mate Graeme, to spend a long weekend in Rutland and a visit to the 25th annual Birdfair held at the Egleton Nature Reserve on Rutland water. Our journey started at Brighton station on a First Capital Connect service to St Pancras International. St Pancras is known for its Victorian architecture and is a marvel of engineering and construction, remarkable when you consider that it was opened in 1868. When it opened, the arched Barlow train shed was the largest single-span roof in the world.

St Pancras escaped planned demolition in the 1960s (thank goodness) and the complex was renovated and expanded during the 2000s at a cost of £800 million. This now includes a security-sealed terminal area for Eurostar services and domestic services operated by East Midlands Trains, First Capital Connect and Southeastern High Speed. The travel writer Simon Calder  has described the redeveloped terminus as "the world's most wonderful railway station", a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.

For our onward journey we joined an East Midlands train service to Sheffield and alighted at the first stop - Leicester - where we transferred to a Cross Country train service to Oakham via Melton Mowbray.

A local bus took us to our final destination of the Crown Hotel in Uppingham where we thought it would be rude not to have a pint of Everard's Tiger ale before checking into our rooms.....

More to follow about Rutland and the Birdfair.

Somewhere in Rutland....

As I suspected when I left home on Thursday, the wi-fi signal here in Uppingham is either weak or non-existent. A pity, as I have been unable to post about my visit to the 25th Birdfair or indeed the delights of Rutland. I shall get up to date when I return home to Brighton. No point in trying to load some photos here.

Back soon....

The Woodpigeon

We have regular daily visits to the garden feeders by Woodpigeons Columba palumbus and these birds have become remarkably adept at accessing the smaller, hanging seed feeders. Of late, the parent birds have been joined by two juveniles who tend to feed on one of the platform feeders.

This photo of two juveniles, taken earlier today, is not particularly sharp - taken on a Nikon Coolpix P510 at full zoom, through the kitchen window and hand held at 1/60th! The juvenile lacks the white neck patches of the adult bird although they do already have the diagnostic white wing flashes. These two youngsters clapped their wings noisily as they took off in tandem.

I am now getting everything packed for my journey tomorrow to Rutland to visit the Birdfair 2013. I will be travelling by train: 1st leg on First Capital Connect from Brighton to St. Pancras International, then a change to East Midland trains to Leicester and the final leg on Cross Country trains to Oakham. The plan is then to take a bus for the 12 mile journey to Uppingham and the Crown Inn.

Meanwhile another photo of Bertie:

And some attractive flowers in my garden. Anyone know what they are?

I hope to post from Rutland if I can find a sufficiently strong Wi-fi signal.....

The Holly Blue

The most frequent butterfly visitor to our garden is the Small White Pieris rapae, two or more can be seen throughout most days. This year I have recorded the Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus, also know as the Hedge Brown, the Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae, the Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (cracking latin name) and the Peacock Inachis io. But my favourite has to be the diminutive Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus.

The butterfly in the photo is a female Holly Blue that visits our garden fairly regularly, here seen on a jasmine plant. Not a brilliant pic because she refused to open her wings fully as I repeatedly pressed the shutter release. But the black wing tips help to identify this as a female. The lilac-blue male can be confused with the Common Blue Polyommatus icarus. The black borders of the Holly Blue female are bolder near the wing tips.

Populations of the Holly Blue vary greatly from year to year due mainly to a combination of the climate and the presence of a parasitic ichneumon wasp called Listrodomus nycthemerus. This black and yellow insect parasites only the Holly Blue and kills large numbers of its caterpillars.

The parasitic wasp Listrodomus nycthemerus

Pied Jackdaw

Leucism is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from being properly deposited on a bird's feathers. As a result the birds do not have the normal, classic plumage colours listed in field guides. The plumage may have several colour changes including:

• White patches where the bird should not have any
• Paler overall plumage that looks faint, diluted or bleached
• Overall white plumage with little or no colour discernible

Birds that show only white patches or sections of leucistic feathers - often in symmetrical patterns - are often called pied or piebald birds.

We have a fair number of Jackdaws Corvus monedula in our locality. They are regular visitors to the bird feeders, particularly the fat balls. Early this morning as I stood at the kitchen window, I suddenly noticed a most unusual 'pied' jackdaw on a platform feeder near the garden fence. I managed to get to a camera with a decent zoom lens - Nikon P510 - and fire off a few shots before the bird flew off. Not brilliant but they do show a degree of leucism in this bird that I have never seen before in a jackdaw.

A nice start to the week....

Nothing Glorious about the Twelfth

As expected there has been an abundance of correspondence in the press about the Glorious Twelfth, a rather inapt name for the day when many individuals, often untrained and inexperienced, invade the countryside to kill and, worse still, to injure wildlife - wildlife managed solely for this purpose. It is well documented that the suffering inflicted on wildlife in many cases surpasses the shooting itself. It is also a fact that a large number of native birds and mammals who interfere with grouse shooting are trapped, poisoned or snared. Victims include stoats, weasels and raptors such as hen harriers, red kites and golden eagles.

Mind you, Adrian Blackmore, Head of the shooting campaign, Countryside Alliance, completely refutes such inflammatory comments as unfair and misleading. Well, he would wouldn't he?

There is no doubt that careful grouse moor management does help many other species of birds, including waders. But there is no doubt that the biggest problem associated with driven grouse shooting  is the number of natural predators that are illegally killed to support the artificial environment of the grouse moor. The illegal killing of raptors happens, despite what Mr Blackmore says, and does nothing to help legitimate shooting, which is more and more populated by tweed-clad gentry who can afford to spend £1,000s on his/her 'sport'.

The illegal killing of birds of prey is rife in the Scottish uplands. What a pity that Mr Blackmore won't acknowledge that and do much more to improve the image of legitimate shooting.

The Red Grouse

Hen Harrier Under Threat of Extinction in Britain

The "Glorious 12th" is imminent - the 12th August when the annual grouse-shooting season starts. It will also mark the ongoing acrimonious row between conservationists and the body that represents English and Welsh grouse moorland owners.

England has just two pairs of breeding Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus remaining and, according to the RSPB, these birds failed this year to produce eggs for the first time in 60 years. The Hen Harrier is now on the point of extinction thanks to gamekeepers working for rogue moorland estate owners who have systematically persecuted these birds to protect baby grouse that live on the moors. These people should respect the law that protects these birds - but clearly they don't. The government's own wildlife advisers say that the harrier population has been forced into this precarious position by illegal killing by shooting and trapping.

The Hen Harrier is a large bird of prey and its breathtaking aerobatics are a joy to watch. In my birding life I have seen this once only and the tragedy is that I will probably not have the chance ever again owing to the actions of a ruthless few.

In 2007 there were 15 breeding pairs in England and the RSPB has argued that English moorland could support more than 300 pairs.

I fear it is too late for this magnificent raptor....

Tiger Moth Survey

The Butterfly Conservation charity is urging nature lovers to report sightings of Tiger Moths Arctia caja in a nationwide survey of the insects.These beautiful moths are usually found on the wing towards the end of the summer, during July and August. The Garden Tiger Moth was once common in British gardens but over the last 40 years its numbers have fallen by 92%.

Garden Tiger Moth

Two thirds of common and widespread larger moths have declined over this 40 year period with the Orange Upperwing, Bordered Gothic and Brighton Wainscot all becoming extinct in the last 10 years. Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation said: "Our suspicion is that the primary thing driving the decline in the south is habitat loss". Paradoxically, moth numbers have held up well in Northern England and Scotland with no overall decline in the abundance of larger moths north of Lancaster and York where there has been less habitat loss.

If you wonder what moths have ever done for us - they pollinate plants at night, they are snapped up by bats and their caterpillars are a crucial source of food for almost all garden birds.

It's not all bad news though. Rothamsted Research using light traps to capture and count moths (and release them unharmed) have recorded more than 100 species for the first time in Britain in the 21st century, with 27 new moth species establishing a permanent home here. Many of these have flown across the channel. Thriving moths include the Jersey Tiger, a spectacular day flying moth. If you are really lucky you just might see a long-distance immigrant, the beautiful Humming-bird Hawkmoth, with its whirring orange hind wings and chessboard tail, feeding on your lavender.

Humming-bird Hawkmoth

Moth-night 2013 is planned for 8th-10th August and you can read more about it here  http://www.mothnight.info/www/

The Coast in August

Ros and I will be holidaying towards the end of the month in Lulworth Cove, staying at the Lulworth Cove Inn http://lulworth-coveinn.co.uk

I will be looking out for Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea, a white-and-grey seabird with a black cap on its head and a striking red bill. These guys will be feeding up ready to migrate 10,000 miles to their winter quarters on the other side of the world.

I will be beach-combing on the lookout for Blue-Rayed Limpets Patella pellucida, that attach themselves to seaweeds such as kelp. I might be lucky enough to spot the Lesser Weever fish Echiichthys vipera (try pronouncing that!) often seen sitting amongst sand in shallow waters. Bathers need to watch out - if trodden on these guys can deliver a painful sting.

Another possible find will be the Spiny Starfish Marthasterias glacialis, one of the biggest starfish, ivory white in colour with large, blunt spines. This guy is a voracious predator. The spines can be jettisoned to aid escape and can be regrown later.

The Marine Conservation Society is the charity that looks after our seas, shores and wildlife. It cares passionately about clean beaches, the need to protect marine life and the importance of the sea's resources. More information here http://www.mcsuk.org

Hydraulic Fracturing - Sifting Through The Facts

I think that most of us are aware now that "fracking" is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. More pertinent facts include the disruption caused to local infrastructure around the gas well site: each gas well requires an average of 400 tanker trucks to carry water and supplies to and from the site.

It takes between 1 and 8 million gallons of water to complete each fracturing job. The water brought in is mixed with sand and chemicals to create fracking fluid. Approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used per fracturing.

Up to 600 chemicals are used in fracking fluid including known carcinogens and toxins such as:

• lead
• radium
• uranium
• methanol
• mercury
• hydrochloric acid
• ethylene glycol
• formaldehyde

The fracking fluid is then pressure injected into the ground through a drilled pipeline.

The mixture reaches the end of the well where the high pressure causes the nearby shale rock to crack, creating fissures where natural gas flows into the well. During this process methane gas and toxic chemicals leach out from the system and contaminate nearby ground water. In the USA it has been shown that methane concentrations are 17x higher in drinking-water wells near fracturing sites than in normal wells.

Only 30-50% of the fracturing fluid is recovered. The rest of the toxic fluid is left in the ground and is not biodegradable.

The waste fluid is usually left in open air pits to evaporate, releasing harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the atmosphere, creating contaminated air, acid rain and ground level ozone.

This morning I listened to the highly respected geologist Dr Alasdair Bruce discussing the dangers of fracking, on BBC Radio Sussex. He left me in no doubt that this process can cause untold harm to aquifers and that our ground water could remain contaminated for many years.

A horrifying thought....

Grey Long-eared Bat Numbers Declining

The Grey Long-eared Bat Plecotus austriacus is nowadays confined to small pockets along the south coast of England, including the Isle of Wight. A few of these mammals are also living in the Channel Islands and south Wales. It appears that the breeding colonies are so fragmented that the bat could become extinct unless more work is done to protect it and the habitat it needs. A study published today says that only 1,000 grey long-eared bats are thought to remain in the UK. And the numbers are declining.

There is an area near the river Teign in Devon where between 20 and 30 female grey long-eared bats live in an attic (the males are in temporary roosts elsewhere) while 250 lesser horseshoe bats occupy a neighbouring roof space.

The research was carried out by Orly Razgour, who studied the grey long-eared bat for her PhD at Bristol University. She said: "The two species live in perfect harmony. This is one of the best and strongest colonies of grey long-eared bats, but the population is very fragile. Unless we do more to protect them, they may die out completely. The problem is that the bats' hunting habitats are vanishing and colonies are becoming even more isolated. Intensive farming over the decades has meant that the lowland meadows and marshes that the bats favour are harder to find". Razgour further stated that she was shocked when she discovered there were so few grey long-eared bats remaining and is calling for them to be afforded UK priority species status.

If you would like to get involved with bat conservation then why not consider joining the Bat Conservation Trust  http://www.bats.org.uk

Celebrating 25 Years of Birdfair

The August edition of British Birds arrived yesterday, in the post, with a nice surprise. The 80 page Official Programme for Birdfair 2013 had been included. I usually purchase a copy when I visit the event and it is particularly useful to have a copy well in advance to be able to plan my visit.

This international wildlife event is celebrating 25 years 1989 - 2013 and this will be my third consecutive year of attending. The Fair runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th August and is held at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve. More information here www.birdfair.org.uk

For the third year I will be staying here: http://www.thecrownrutland.co.uk a fabulous pub with accommodation, quality real ales, a comprehensive selection of single malts, proper English food and a great atmosphere. The pub is located in Uppingham, a delightful market town in Rutland.

Horizon: What's Killing Our Bees?

This documentary aired last night on BBC2 and was presented by Bill Turnbull who has been keeping bees for 12 years. It was excellent, a well balanced and thought provoking documentary concerning the plight of our bees. Bill said that for many beekeepers the main challenge over the past few years hasn't been harvesting honey, but simply keeping their colonies alive.

Honeybees are the only insects that produce food for us in the form of honey and the work they do in pollinating our crops is vital. One mouthful in every three that we eat we owe to the work of bees, but their numbers have been falling for decades.

The list of suspects that has contributed to this alarming decline is several:

• the weather. This year's cold spring could have been fatal for many colonies weakened by the wet summer of 2012.
• the varroa mite, a pernicious little pest that sucks the bee's bodily fluids and in return injects it with fatal viruses. The varroa mite can wipe out a colony in a matter of weeks.
• the most controversial suspects are the modern systemic pesticides known as neonicotinoids. The EU has imposed a two-year ban on the use of three of them.
• the effect of modern agriculture on habitat. Scientists have started to show a link between the decline in bee numbers and the practice of using vast fields to grow single crops. And here is the environmental Catch-22: by boosting agricultural production to feed our growing world population we are threatening the bees on which we rely to produce those same crops.

Simple things can be done however to help turn things around and as was well illustrated in the programme. Farmers can sow wildflower strips on the edge of fields, which would give bees somewhere to feed all through the summer. And we can all do our best to plant bee-friendly flowers in our gardens - or even just in window boxes. 

It is up to us to make the changes that can save bees. 

Barn Owls Under Threat

Alarming figures have been published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) recording a 280% increase in reports of dead Barn Owls in March, at the start of the breeding season. Many had starved. According to the Barn Owl Trust this has been the worst breeding season for more than 30 years. This catastrophic fall in numbers follows a series of cold and wet springs.

1,234 breeding sites across Devon are monitored every 10 years. Of 276 sites checked so far this year, barn owls are nesting in seven and only four sites have young. West Sussex normally has up to 55 nests but only five have been found this year.

The fantastic weather in March 2012 meant that owls started breeding earlier, but then in June the rain started and didn't stop. This prevented adult birds hunting and many young birds starved. In some cases entire broods of owlets were found dead in the nest.

Jeff Baker of the BTO said: "Barn Owls can sustain one or two years of poor breeding performance, but we don't want another very cold spring, or very wet one".

It is hoped that these icons of the countryside will be able to recover.

The Campaign against Fracking

The battle for Balcombe in Sussex has become headline news. The company Cuadrilla has a licence from the government to "look for oil and gas by conventional means" in a piece of woodland called Lower Stumble near the village of Balcombe in Sussex. But the company has said that they would apply for licences to use the chemical fracturing technique if the rock 2,000ft below fails to deliver. And therein lies the rub.

The rhetoric surrounding the issue of fracking is considerable from both sides of the debate. One key concern is the link between fracking and the possible detrimental impact on drinking-water aquifers, the bodies of saturated rock through which water can move easily. Water bearing rocks are permeable. Consider that for a moment. Chemicals are used in the fracking process. Is there any wonder that people are concerned about the significant damage this might cause?

Here is an article from the well respected Washington Post about fracking in Pennsylvania:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-official-links-fracking-and-drinking-water-issues-in-dimock-pa/2013/07/29/7d8b34b2-f8a1-11e2-afc1-c850c6ee5af8_story.html?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost

And this from the BBC's political editor, Peter Henley:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23492213

And take a look at this:

https://www.facebook.com/gaslandmovie

It all concerns me a great deal...