Springwatch – Page 7 – Canned Wildlife

Day 25 (YD) & Day 26 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 26, 2015Jul 4, 2015Posted in Challenge, Coast, Holiday, WalkTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Countryfile, Countryside, CUMBRIA, For The Love Of, LAKE DISTRICT, My Wild Life, National Trust, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Wild Time, Wildlife Trusts1 Comment

Day 25

I’m going to the Lake District on Saturday (Day 27) for a week. I shall be staying in a National Trust Cottage in Little Longdale near Coniston 🙂 So I made sure I was all organised for my trip to Cumbria! I’m pleased I will be spending the last few days of 30 Days Wild in a stunning part of the UK!

Day 26 – “Save a life”

I’ve allowed what I believe to be a Thistle (and a wee Doc plant) grow in my plant pot; which also contains a baby Pineapple plant (the original inhabitant) on my windowsill at my house-share. I shall consider this as saving a life 😉

Thanks 🙂

Day 24 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 24, 2015Jun 25, 2015Posted in BBC, Birds, Challenge, Conservation, Country Park, Encounters, Farm, Film, Greenbelt, Local, Nature Reserve, TV, Video, Walk, WoodlandTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cadbury, Conservation, country park, Countryfile, Countryside, Film, For The Love Of, Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Lickey Hills Country Park, My Wild Life, National Trust, Rubery, Springwatch, The One Show, The Wildlife Trust, Video, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife Trusts, WorcestershireLeave a comment

Behind the Scenes: Video for the Wild

I chose the mystery location for yesterdays’ video, because I grew up a short walk away from it and was inspired by an episode of Countryfile where Anita Rani showcases rural Bradford 😛 Incase you’ve not seen the video, I’ll not ruin the ‘surprise’ with naming it. It’s where I cut my teeth as a child and naturalist, so to speak and over the years I’ve seen loads of wildlife there, a few firsts, which includes the time I saw my first Weasel as a child! Yesterday my friend Gary and I observed a Kestrel and Jay up there.

In the second shot of the intro to my video, I’m on the top of Rubery Hill/Cock Hill, with the Frankley countryside and suburb in the background, there are more great views from up there; the Lickey Hills, Rubery and Bromsgrove in the distance – plus the country park I reveal in my video 😉

When we were filming near Frankley Beeches wood, we heard and saw a beautiful male Yellowhammer – it’s the second time I’ve seen one in Frankley, (I’ve mainly distantly heard their song now and again) so I decided to record and feature this Yellowhammers’ song as the soundtrack for the video. We could also hear the beautiful song of the Skylark in the distance, down near Lower Hill Farm. On New Street, near the Greenbelt just before Frankley Hill Lane (which leads up to the Frankley Beeches Wood) I saw a partly Leucistic male Blackbird collecting worms, I almost mistook it for a Ring Ouzel!

**Yesterdays’ Video for the Wild** 😀

Today I observed a male and female House Sparrow feeding on aphids from the wee Willow Tree that’s in my parents garden.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Day 23 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 23, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in BBC, Challenge, Conservation, Country Park, Farm, Film, Greenbelt, Local, Nature Reserve, River, Video, Walk, WoodlandTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, BBC Midlands Today, Birmingham, Cadbury, Conservation, country park, Countryfile, Countryside, Film, For The Love Of, Frankley Beeches, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, River Rea, River Tame, Rubery, Springwatch, The One Show, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Waseley Hills Country Park, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife Trusts, Worcestershire1 Comment

Video for the Wild

My favourite local patch – and why it matters to me:

Ode to a Secret River – the poem I mention in the video.

Thanks for visiting 😀

Day 14 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 14, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in Birds, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Environmental, LocalTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Challenge, Coast, Conservation, Environment, Random Acts of Wildness, RSPB, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Wildlife Trusts4 Comments

I got back from work (I don’t usually work on Sundays) and I didn’t have to wait long until I was eating a lovely Roast Dinner made by my Mum. Afterwards my Dad said a newspaper he read earlier had something about birds nesting on a roof – he kindly fetched it for me… I was appalled by what I read! So as of a few minutes ago, I did “send a letter to your local newspaper” – one of the suggestions in the 30 Days Wild booklet.

I e-mailed the newspaper, this is what I sent:

Dear Sunday Mercury/J Taylor,

Firstly, Peregrines are Falcons – not Hawks. They haven’t and won’t decimate Songbirds. Also, not all ringed birds are Pigeons and are ‘owned’ by people.

Secondly, they are ‘native’ and are protected due to the years of persecution on Raptors (Birds of Prey) from a minority of small minded people – with unfair unrealistic outdated views.

Thirdly, Peregrines have moved to where their food is, due to the affects us humans have on the natural world – they are originally Coastal Birds (mostly), like Rock Doves a.k.a Racing/City/Feral Pigeons.

Lastly, a Peregrine is only doing what is natural in nature – keeping and racing Pigeons is not. The RSPB conserve all nature equally.

Adam Canning

In reply to:

Thanks for reading 🙂

Day 10 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 10, 2015Jun 22, 2015Posted in Challenge, Environmental, Local, PlantsTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Environment, Flora, Semirural, Springwatch, SuburbanLeave a comment

“inhale the scent of a wildflower”

Kiss-me-quick, Fox’s Brush and Jupiter’s Beard – all very cool alternative names to the above plant, that I chose to stop and sniff after work today – Red Valerian!

It’s a pretty good source of nectar for bees, butterflies and moths – like the Hummingbird Hawk-moth! 😀

To me it has a delicate fragrance, but that may depend on how old the flowers are. I assumed it would have a similar smell to Buddleia, the popular purple Butterfly Bush.

Just a short one today, thanks for reading 🙂

Day 8 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 8, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in Farm, Local, Mammals, Walk, WoodlandTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Beach, Countryside, Flora, Springwatch, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, WalkLeave a comment

A Tale of Discovery

Yesterday was a very long day… The Beach Clean only lasted two minutes, but there was the early start, the traveling and finding somewhere with WiFi (the connection was awfully slow) not far from the beach – so I could finish yesterday’s blog and do a blog for that day – to share what I had done before the journey back home. Getting to grips with my friend Gary’s video editing software and waiting for the video to upload to YouTube was very time consuming. We both got home very late!

More positively; this morning I caught up on Countryfile! Which funnily enough was in Somerset for yesterday’s episode! I decided in the afternoon I would venture a little into the South Birmingham/North Worcestershire countryside (which I grew up next door to) 🙂 I came across three discoveries, one more exciting than the other!

1. An old brick bridge that is part of a Public Footpath – which leads from suburban greenspace into the countryside – has been cleared underneath, revealing it fully and making it a lot more accessible to walk under. The tree lined path that leads away below the bridge had been tidied as well!

2. Two flights of steps have been created/installed! On either side of Princess Diana Way – a short walk down from the bridge. You walk up into a meadow (unfortunately not pictured below) with the Farmer’s field going round it.

I followed the steps leading up the other side, to pass over the old bridge and come back on myself – to follow another Public Footpath which leads you deaper into the countryside, through an underpass to the other side of the M5 Motorway. I took a few snaps before that.

Field of Wheat with Lower Hill Farm in the distance

Top of the bridge with facing away from the farm — On the bridge facing away from the farm

3. I’m a fair distance away from the bridge now on the other side of the M5, I’ve just had a brief explore of Doctor’s Coppice and have come back into the meadow I’ve just walked across. The pictures and captions below will end the tale 😉

Something's hiding in the middle... — Something’s hiding in the middle…

Thanks for taking time to read my blog 🙂

Day 6 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 6, 2015Jun 10, 2015Posted in Birds, Challenge, Film, Nature Reserve, TVTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Film, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, WebcamsLeave a comment

It’s a short one today. I started work at 4pm and wanted to catch up on Springwatch during the day, so I decided that would be my task for Day 6.

I’m loving the natural-nest-site camera on the Barn Owls – it’s brilliant we can watch their goings on inside an old Oak Tree! The Stickleback footage is amazing, such clear crisp stunning images of behaviour we wouldn’t normally know is going on beneath the surface! I thought it was a real privilege that the BBC got to film the Beaver analysis and release, I personally like that we have them back in the UK and on a river called Otter! 😛

I also liked it when Michaela got to paddle around the reeds and witnessed the various Warblers and saw inside a Bearded Tit nest. And there was that film featuring the talented cameraman with dyslexia, that was inspired to film Wildlife from the Ladybird books illustrator (apologies – I have forgot certain names, I may add them later).

Thanks for reading 🙂

Day 5 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 5, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in Challenge, Local, Plants, Vlog, WorkTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Flora, Springwatch, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Video2 Comments

It’s yet again another workday, so I was pleased that The Wildlife Trust helped me pick something simple to do, by posting their suggestion to Instagram 😀

The garden at my house-share – North of where I grew up – is satisfyingly unkempt! Great for Nature and getting your feet into! So I went out and did Day 5 of this wonderful campaign there 🙂 But I didn’t stop there, oh no! This is moi we’re talking about 😉

I treated my toesies to one of my favourite front gardens, just up the road! It too is gratefully unkempt and has a fantastic variety of flora! ❤

In true form, below is another video awaiting your viewing.

Day 4 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 4, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in Birds, Challenge, Film, Local, Nature Reserve, Plants, Walk, WoodlandTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Film, Park, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Walk1 Comment

“Discover urban wildness and mini habitats.”

I was at work again today, so went with a simple Random Act of Wildness – on the days I’m not at work they’ll be somewhat elaborate 😉 I chose “Discover urban wildness and mini habitats.” – from the booklet and decided I would complete this challenge by walking home from work and passing by certain places and stopping when something catches my eye etc. Again, I filmed (with my phone) and have a video for you to see!

Brownfield along the Northfield Relief Road.

BYPASS
I left Sainsbury’s and walked down the relief road/bypass, knowing a short walk down it there is a Brownfield site adjacent and that I’d see something there. A patch of land with scrub and a smattering of wildflowers – Poppies being the more obvious flower. I witnessed a skirmish between two male House Sparrows and heard a Dunnock and Blackcap singing. At the top there is a really nice amount of Ivy growing onto of some Hawthorn.

The Dunnock and Blackcap were somewhere in the Ivy. A short distance past the Ivy is a Alder tree, which had a Harlequin Ladybird on it – which features in the video.

Buttercups growing in an unkempt feature thing

BUZZING
Off the bypass is Bristol Road South, I crossed over and headed down there and came across some Buttercups growing on top of some sort of feature; a raised garden brick-structure-thing and saw a few Bees flying around! I climbed on top to get a closer look etc.

BROOK
I carried on down the road and admired the grass verge that separates both lanes, as some parts of it haven’t been mown – to deliberately leave strips of wildflower! I passed by a lovely park called Manor Farm Park, but decided not to venture into the park and head on down to Merritts Brook Greenway, where I took the pictures blow and end my short film.

Wild Garlic (Ramsons) flowers past their best

I’ll say no more and let the video say the rest 😉 Enjoy! 🙂

Day 3 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 3, 2015Mar 17, 2016Posted in Birds, Challenge, TV, WorkTagged #30DaysWild, #MyWildLife, #WildTime, 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Webcams2 Comments

I decided on something quick, simple and easy today!

I would be at work for a good chunk of the day, so I needed to do something where I could easily relax afterwards… Doing the previous challenges – which, don’t get me wrong, I had tons of fun doing! It’s just; I didn’t quite get time to relax once I was done. I had a video to edit together, a blog to write and then attempt to get them online (and shared via Social Media) before the day was up!

(Time has flown sorting everything out for this blog, etc…)

I only get a 20 minute lunch-break on Wednesdays (due to the hours I do) – I wanted to make it a wild one! But I couldn’t risk going to a local park or something and then not get back in time… So, I improvised! And decided to make it somewhat wild by watching the BBC Springwatch Webcams! Via the BBC Red Button channel. There were three other people in the room, I don’t think they realised what I had put on, aha! 😀

Springwatch Cetti's Warbler Nest Live — Springwatch Cetti’s Warbler Nest Live

I sat stuffing my face with a create-your-own cheesy garlic pepperoni pizza from Sainsbury’s (where I work) Pizza Counter 😛 Watching a Cetti’s Warbler attend it’s chicks! It’s pretty amazing what we can do nowadays, thanks to technology! It was really enjoyable, eating my food whilst the chicks got theirs and intern having their faecal-sacks disposed of 😀