GWT Photo comp

P.s. any nice person who would spare one of my pictures a vote would be very well appreciated!

Gloucestershire Wildlife trust Photo Comp

Lets get this up to date

7/08/11 - Great Crested Newt Training

Last of three sessions towards my training course. This one was based on identifying newt species Larvae. Found plenty of them in the different ponds up on Rocksavage Power Plant NR. Brilliant day. Absolutely recommend this course to anyone who wants to go into newt work. Not only does it include EVERYTHING you need to know, you can also get one of your two references needed towards your newt license. Check out the Cheshire Active Naturalists.


9/08/11 - Otter Spraint Surveying

As a Gloucestershire Wildlife Volunteer I got involved with the species surveying programme developing for the Forest of Dean. I was given a route with numerous points on it to be monitored for signs of otter (esp spraints). This was very much an all day job, as there were around twenty points down a 4km stretch. All in all quite successful as managed to find, identify and photograph four spraints.

NBMP Waterways Survey - Ryeford
Had to re-route this survey as the riverside path was so overgrown it was completely inaccessible, which was quite frustrating. However! Plenty of bat activity on the canal, including lots of Daubenton passes.


11/08/11 - Bechstein radiotracking

Not going to mention too much, such as the site because I am not sure how hush hush it is. But must say it was an absolutely brilliant opportunity to meet and learn from such experienced and nice people. Plenty of Bechstein activity, emergence counts were fascinating to see, as was learning about the behaviour of the bats that had been tracked.


18/08/11 - Dormice Box Checks

Unfortunately no dormice, but nibbled hazelnuts and even nests were good to see. Old scabby birds nests were not so nice and made me feel itchy! But really appreciated the opportunity and hope to go again.

Bat Harp Trapping

What a superb evening. Numerous different species:
Daubentons, Long Eared, Brandts, Whiskered and Pips.

Got handling experience and released a whiskers :) The combined knowledge in the group was overwhelming and I learnt alot from being there. Brilliant people can't wait for the next meet!

Look on my flickr page for new pictures.

Collin Park Wood Bat Box Checks

17/07/11

Gloucestershire Bat Group :)

Found a whole nursery of Natterers Bats
A very rare Brandts!!
And a soprano Pip, which thanks to Will Ponting I will forever associate with Britvit 55

Got to handle a Natterers bat which was amazing





17/7/11 BCT National Bat Monitoring Programme, Survey Site: Walford, Ross on Wye

Badger
Tawny Owl
Lots of Common Toads
Serotine
Noctule
Common Pipistrelle


22/7/11 BCT National Bat Monitoring Programme, Survey Site: Walford, Ross on Wye

Tawny Owl (metres away!)
Soprano Pipistrelle
Common pip
Noctule
Serotine

Daneway Banks 26/06/11

I visited the three reserves in the are: Daneway Banks, Siccarage Wood and Sapperton Valley.

1 Female Fallow Deer
Dark Green Frittillary
Marbled White Butterfly
Small TortoiseShell
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
Small Copper Butterfly
Blue butterfly species unknown
Small Skipper
Pyramid Orchid
Perfumed Orchid



Also visited Highnam Woods RSPB reserve earlier last month

1 dead Bank Vole :(
Wood White
Orange Tip
Common Blue
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Comma
Speckled Wood
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Peacock Butterfly

We also went to Cheddar Gorge the weekend  2/3 July and saw the most spectacular show of a Peregrine Falcon high in the sky above us :)

Coombe Hill Species List

18/6/11

2 buzzards
2 little egret
13 lapwing
1 common sandpiper
2 curlew
4 hare
1 grey heron
1 greylag goose
1 canada goose
1 juv grey heron
2 woodpigeon


20/6/11

5 Curlew
1 Greylag Goose pink legband on right leg
1 Little Egret
23 Lapwing + two chicks
1 grey heron
8 black headed gulls
cuckoo heard
2 brown hare
common blue damselflies
Small tortoise shell butterfly

Summer Project 2011

I've been doing alot of thinking recently. Whether I did the right thing leaving two jobs to move here, whether it is worth it, if it's going to get me anywhere, whether I'll ever get the job I want. And I came to a few conclusions: that whether or not I do get a job this year out of my voluntary work, and whatever it is I decide to do after these six months (stay, move home, move away somewhere new) I should be proud of myself for having the guts to drop two jobs and move to pursue something that I really want to do. I need to stop getting so depressed and unhappy if I haven't as much work as I hoped and so on so forth, and make the most of this. Because if I get to the end of it and I've spent the whole of it miserable and unhappy, then it won't have been worth it. So I decided to try and come up with something that would motivate me. Something I could turn around at the end and say 'I did that'.

Gloucestershire is gorgeous. The Cotswolds, Tewkesbury, Forest of Dean, Wye Valley. And I plan to see as much of it as possible.

There's 59 Wildlife Trust reserves within this county. And two big RSPB reserves. I'm going to go to them all before October. Or at least that's the plan.

So far I have been to:

1. Chaceley Meadow
2. Collin Park Wood
3. Coombe Hill
4. Greystones Farm
5. Mythe Railway

Which leaves me with 56 reserves in four months. 3 1/2 a week :)

Definately do-able.

 

My camera will always go with me. So if nothing else my photography skills should hopefully benefit from this! Lets get cracking..

More gloucestershire wildlife

A few butterflies on flickr and I've attempted to ID them. Not too sure on the white or blue species but I've had a guess.

I thought I might start blogging where and what I see when I'm out. It might be nice to have a collection to look back on.

So first of all:

11/06/2011
Symonds Yat
15/06/2011
Peregrine Falcon
Nuthatch
Great/Coal/Blue Tits
Chaffinch
Robin
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard


Chaceley Meadows
Meadow Vetchling
Tufted Vetch
Greater Burnett
Red Clover
Meadow Sweet
Yorkshire Fog
Meadow Barley
Perennial Rye
Wood Mouse
Silver Weed
Yellow Rattle
Crested Dogstail
Knapweed

Tewkesbury (out and about so far)
Swallow
Sand Martin
House Martin
Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Comorant
Banded Demoiselle
Wood White Butterfly

16/06/2011
Chaceley Meadow
Bank Vole
Wood Mouse
Comma Butterfly
Meadow Brown Butterfly
Ringlet Butterfly
Common Blue Butterfly
Marble White Butterfly
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly