Worcestershire – Canned Wildlife

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna)

Mar 5, 2023Mar 5, 2023Posted in Canal, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Exploration, Farm, Garden, Greenbelt, Lakes, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, River, Walk, WoodlandTagged Adam Frost, April, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Springwatch, BBC Wildlife, Botany, Bromsgrove, Bugs, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Canal, Canal Walk, Conservation, country park, Countryside, CPRE, Days Out, Encounter, Exploration, Farm, February, Flora, Garden, Gay Farmers, Gay Naturalist, Get Your Boots On, Green Belt, Green Space, Greenbelt, Horticulture, Huawei, March, Meadow, Micro Farm, Midlands, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Naturalist, Nature, Nature Reserve, Outdoors, Pond, Rewildling, River, RSPB, Semirural, Sir David Attenborough, Spring, Springwatch, Suburban, Suburbia, The Campaign for Rural England, The Lakes, The Wildlife Trust, Walk, Waseley Hills Country Park, Wetlands, Wild Garden, Wildflower, Wildflowers, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Gardening, Woodland, Woodland Trust, Worcester & Birmingham Canal, Worcestershire, World Land TrustLeave a comment

Pilewort or Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), flowering between January and April; these lovers of damp woodland pathways, stream banks and ditches, can be found in gardens, meadows and shady hedgerows, and even Narnia, yes, Narnia! ✨

Ficaria verna growing on the bank of a field edge

An important nectar source for early emerging insects from hibernation, such as Queen Bumblebees 🐝

Lesser celandine were used to treat haemorrhoids, hence “Pilewort” and scurvy, due to being high in Vitamin C.

All in all, they are a pretty cool plant!

Thanks for reading! 😊

Local Natural Heritage

Sep 2, 2020Sep 3, 2020Posted in BBC, Birds, Conservation, Country Park, Countryside, Environmental, Exploration, Farm, Film, Greenbelt, Local, Natural History, Nature Reserve, Plants, TV, Video, Vlog, Walk, WoodlandTagged #MyWildLife, #WildTime, A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, Adam O'Hare, AFON, Autumnwatch, Autumnwatch 2020, BBC Countryfile, BBC Earth, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Springwatch, BBC Wildlife, Birmingham, Birmingham UK, Bromsgrove, Campaign, Conservation, Countryfile, Countryside, COVID-19, Documentary, Earth Capture, Environment, Environmental, Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Green Belt, Green Birmingham, Green Space, Greenbelt, Landmark, Landmark Trust, Midlands, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural England, Natural History, Nature, Nature On Screen, New Frankley, Our Plastic Feedback, Outdoors, Semirural, Springwatch, Springwatch 2020, The Campaign for Rural England, Video, Vlog, War On Plastic, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Filmmakers, Wildlife Vlog, WorcestershireLeave a comment

A few years ago and around May last year; I visited the Frankley Beeches woodland. I noticed it was being ill-managed and not really being cared for.

I have grown up with this remarkable wood, as my local landmark for 30 years (my entire life), and despite it looking lovely on the outside, it unfortunately is not the same on the inside!

Research concluded that it is the National Trust that haven’t been doing (their job) anything with it for years, and Bromsgrove District Council cannot have cared much either…

When I visited it last, it was in much need of restoration & conservation, within the wood there are dead & damaged trees, plus rubbish & disturbed soil from its careless visitors. The anthropogenic effect on the woodland is very much the same to this day!

I recently did a Tweet, tagging in those who it concerns and may care about the Frankley Beeches, and yesterday (01.09.2020) I visited there and made this video:

It appears there has been some removal of the added non-wild flora, which is great and I didn’t really notice any non-native invasion flora.

Today (02.09.2020) the National Trust in the Midlands got back to me on Twitter:

“…thank you for raising your concerns with us. I’m pleased to hear that you have seen a difference to the site. Unfortunately, like many places, we only have a small team who can complete essential tasks right now but we will make sure to take on your feedback when we update the conservation management plan. We did not put in place the plastic tree guards, but I have let the team at Clent Hills know that they are now littered around…”

So it’s the Clent Team who (are to blame) haven’t been doing anything for years, until fairly recently 🤔 I am pleased they finally replied to me, as a few years ago, I emailed them and was ignored!

Sorry to hear of their small team, thus causing neglect and negative knock-on effects to much cherished places…

💚 Thanks for visiting x

Waxwing Winter

Dec 27, 2018May 24, 2020Posted in BBC, Birds, Countryside, Encounters, Local, TV, VideoTagged BBC Midlands Today, Birder, Birding, Birds, Bromsgrove, Countryfile, Countryside, Encounter, Film, Interview, Migration, Nature, Ornithology, Outdoors, The Wildlife Trust, Waxwings, West Midlands, Wildlife, Winter, Winter Migrants, Winter Migration, Winterwatch, WorcestershireLeave a comment

Six years ago it was a similar mild and wet December, I happened to be looking on Twitter when I saw a tweet announcing that there was a large flock of Waxwings, at the Midlands best garden centre, Webbs of Wychbold in north Worcestershire.

It had been several years since the last irruption of Waxwings and it wasn’t a bird many people had seen, I had never seen any before and so like many people from all over the West Midlands region (and maybe further afield), I descended on Webbs of Wychbold.

Of course I took my trusty video camera along with me, it would have been madness not to get footage of these beautiful birds! Journalists at the local BBC Studios in Birmingham got wind of ‘something going on’ and so I decided to inform them of what it was and sent them a copy of the video I made (below).

BBC Birmingham loved my video, so I met up with Environment Correspondent, Dr David Gregory-Kumar and his lovely producer and cameraman, to be part of a news package on the Waxwing irruption (below).

Today I found out the collective noun for Waxwings is a museum or an earful. 😆

Many thanks,

Adam 🙂

Upton Warren: Eurasian Curlew

Mar 7, 2018May 24, 2020Posted in Birds, Conservation, Countryside, Farm, Nature Reserve, Video, VlogTagged Adam Canning, Adam L. Canning, Autumn, Autumnwatch, Birding, Conservation, Eurasian Curlew, Film, Natural History, Nature, Nature Reserve, Ornithology, RSPB, The Wildlife Trust, Upton Warren, Video, Vlog, Wetlands, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife Trusts, Worcestershire1 Comment

The now classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, UK Amber and Red List species under the Birds of Conservation Concern review and as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, Eurasian Curlew are still holding on at Upton Warren in the landlocked county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands region, and they can be seen throughout autumn and winter, roosting at The Flashes most evenings.

For waders they’re large and tall, approx the size of female a Pheasant – making them the largest European wading bird. Their haunting call (‘Cur-lee’) is unmistakable – it’s one of my favourite bird calls – it can be heard from February through to July on its breeding grounds; wet grasslands, farmland, heath and moorlands. From July onwards coastal numbers start to build up and peak in January.

Curlews feed on worms, shrimps and shellfish. The largest concentrations of them are found at Morecambe Bay, the Solway Firth, the Wash and the Dee, plus, the Severn, Humber and Thames estuaries. Their greatest breeding numbers are found in north Wales, the Pennines, the southern uplands and east Highlands of Scotland and the Northern Isles.

The agricultural intensification (e.g drainage and reseeding) of upland farmland and moorland – plus the afforestation of moorland – is a big factor in the decline of their breeding population.

Thanks for visiting 🙂

Wildlife in December

Dec 18, 2017May 24, 2020Posted in Birds, Coast, Conservation, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Farm, Film, Garden, Local, Nature Reserve, River, Video, Vlog, Walk, West CountryTagged Adam Canning, Adam L. Canning, Birmingham, BTO, Documentary, East Yorkshire, Environment, Feeding Birds, Journalism, Migration, Nature, Outdoors, RSPB, Upton Warren, Urban, Video, Vlog, Water Rail, Whooper Swan, Wildlife Gardening, Wildlife Monthly, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife TV Presenter, Winter, Winterwatch, WorcestershireLeave a comment

Out of the videos I have made, these three videos are definitely some of my ‘favourites’, as I love Water Rails, Whooper Swans and enjoy feeding the birds, and playingaround in the kitchen. 😀

We were pretty much Frozen Britain recently, certainly in the West Midlands…

Packed full of fun facts (2011):

Thanks for your visit! 😉
x

About Me

Sep 9, 2017Sep 10, 2017Posted in UncategorizedTagged A Focus On Nature, Adam Canning, BBC Gardeners' World, BBC Midlands Today, BBC Wildlife, Birding, Birds, Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Conservation, Countryside, Documentary, Frankley Beeches, My Wild Life, National Trust, Natural History, Reader's Digest Magazine, RSPB, The Wild Side, The Wildlife Trust, West Midlands, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Wildlife, Wildlife TV Presenter, Worcestershire

Just a (very) short one, to say: Finally! I have an ‘About Me‘ page! 😀 I’ve decided I will be gradually turning my WordPress into my website, so it becomes more than just a blog!

In the past I used Webs, I believe my website there was looking ‘dated’ and I no longer do anything branded Nature On Screen – so I stopped using that site. Eventually Canned Wildlife will look great!

Thanks for visiting. 🙂

Wildlife in August

Aug 15, 2017May 24, 2020Posted in Birds, Country Park, Countryside, Encounters, Farm, Garden, Greenbelt, Insects, Video, VlogTagged Adam Canning, Birding, Birds, Birmingham, country park, Countryfile, Countryside, Documentary, Environment, Film, Flora, Garden, Insects, Meadow, My Wild Life, National Trust, Nature, Outdoors, RSPB, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Vlog, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Trusts, WorcestershireLeave a comment

A lot of birds are quieting down now, but Yellowhammers 🐤 are continuing to sing away! Plus this is another great month for seeing some beautiful Butterflies! 🦋

(The videos below were made a few years ago)

Thanks for visiting! 😊

Day 15 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 15, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in Birds, Challenge, Conservation, Countryside, Encounters, Environmental, Farm, Film, Literature, Local, Nature Art, Nature Reserve, Video, VlogTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birding, Birds, Bromsgrove, Challenge, Conservation, Countryfile, Countryside, Environment, Film, My Wild Life, Nature, Random Acts of Wildness, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Video, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Trusts, Worcestershire1 Comment

“Write a wild poem”

15/06/16

The weather has been inclement again, and I was off to the N.E.C later as a member of Press, to report on BBC Gardeners’ World Live. So I opted to write a wild poem; I was happy there was a break in between showers, because I was able to get out into my partner’s garden to recite my poem.

Thanks. 🙂

Day 14 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 14, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in Challenge, Conservation, Country Park, Countryside, Environmental, Exploration, Farm, Film, Greenbelt, Local, Nature Reserve, Video, Vlog, Walk, WoodlandTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birding, Birds, Bromsgrove, Challenge, Conservation, country park, Countryfile, Countryside, Environment, Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Meadow, My Wild Life, National Trust, Nature, Random Acts of Wildness, Rubery, Springwatch, The Wildlife Trust, Video, Walk, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife, Wildlife Trusts, WorcestershireLeave a comment

“Tweet for the wild”

14/06/16

Today I tweeted a link to the video below – which I made last year – about my favourite local patch and why it matters to me:

The poem I mentioned in the video: Ode to a Secret River

Thanks 😀

Day 13 – 30 Days Wild

Jun 13, 2016May 24, 2020Posted in Challenge, Film, Garden, Local, Video, VlogTagged 30 Days Wild, Adam Canning, Birmingham, Challenge, Film, Frankley, My Wild Life, Random Acts of Wildness, Semirural, Springwatch, Suburban, The Wildlife Trust, Video, West Midlands, Wild Time, Wildlife Trusts, Worcestershire2 Comments

“Dance in a downpour”

13/06/16

To the exact day; like last year – I danced in the rain! This time, I changed the lyrics to a popular song to accompany this particular Act of Wildness. 😉

Thanks for visiting. 😅