Birding fun

My adventures have already got off to a flying start (heh, see what I did there?) with a brilliant birding session this morning. It happened quite by accident, whilst I was on my way around the Downs on an early morning walk in the sunshine. I recently bought a fab book called "The Bristol Downs: A Natural History Year" by the wonderful Geraldine Taylor. It's a comprehensive and beautifully written guide to wildlife on the Bristol Downs, including a monthly 'what to see' calendar and suggested walking routes.

Get your own copy for a bargain £7.50 from the Downs Tea Rooms, next to the old water tower

The route that I chose took me along Ladies' Mile, past the zoo and down to the corner near Bridge Valley Road. The first part of the walk, while very pretty and a nice walk, left me a bit disheartened as I realised that I know bugger all about how to identify anything, so my mental commentary was along the lines of "tree... bird... grass... another tree... dog turd..." etc. However, once I reached Bridge Valley Road, and the walk took me through the wonderfully-named Fairyland, things started getting interesting. The gorgeous woodland trail winds between dells and meadows, before suddenly opening up into a stuning vista of the Avon Gorge:


Just after I took this photo, another twenty metres or so down the trail, I came across Peregrine Point. As its name suggests, this is the finest point along the gorge to view the magnificent Peregrine Falcon, Bristol's wildlife superstar. A cluster of birders stood around the clearing by the lookout point, complete with binoculars and a very professional-looking telescope. As I approached the clearing, I was greeted with a huge smile and a friendly "Morning!"

"Are you looking for peregrine falcons?" I asked (somewhat stupidly).
"Yep, and it's a lovely day for it. Ah, I see you're reading Geraldine's book..."

And so it began. I ended up spending a fantastic hour with this group of very friendly, extremely knowledgeable birders - and got my very first sighting of the incredible bird that gives the lookout its name.

Obviously, I didn't take this actual photo. A mobile phone camera can only do so much, and 40x optical zoom is definitely not one of them. This photo was shamelessly pinched from http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/EEBprojects/BioClub/ContactUs.html

I didn't just glimpse it, either. My new friends eagerly helped me locate in as a tiny dot in the sky, and as it glided and wheeled above us, it gradually flew closer and closer. At one point, it was so close overhead that I could see the dappled barring on its underside. A mated pair (peregrine falcons mate for life) gave us a fantastic aerial display, and we watched as a very lucky wood pigeon escaped the female falcon's talons by mere inches. The impressive telescope that I had noticed upon my arrival was put to use as the pair landed on an outcrop of rock on the cliffs on the opposite side of the gorge. I was honoured to be allowed to have a sneaky peek through it, and got a startlingly close-up view of this incredible bird.

During the hour I spent at Peregrine Point, I learned that these birds are the fastest creature on earth, with a stoop (dive) that can reach 250mph. That is very, very fast. The females are noticeably larger than the males, and more powerful. They lay eggs in March/April, at which time it's prime season for the birders on Pergrine Point. The female hunts almost constantly to keep up with the vocarious appetites of her chicks, attacking birds on the wing at literally break-neck speed with her impressive talons. Often, she will dump a carcass with the male and leave him in charge of the actual feeding of the chicks, so that she can return straight away to get the next meal.

Much as I would have loved to have stayed there all day, after an hour my extremities had gone numb (I sensibly wore wellies this time. Although unfortunately not thick socks. One of these days, I'll get the footwear spot on). I left with a promise that I would return next week for some more birding - my new friends are there every weekend throughout the spring. I think I'm going to enjoy this...

The first adventure

Today was the first of many trips out and about in the Bristol wilderness, and the lucky recipient of my visit was Blaise Castle Estate. I was actually out on a mistletoe hunt (for work) - and found tons of the stuff. As I've found out, mistletoe is a very cool plant, and is actually really common. At first glance, I thought it was birds' nests in the trees, as it grows quite high up (apparently all the stuff that grows close to the ground gets nicked!) but it's just bushes and bushes of the stuff:


It's a parasitic plant, which means it gets some of its nourishment from its host tree and some from its own photosynthesis. The berries are actually really sticky, and each berry has one seed inside. Birds (like the Mistle thrush) eat the berries, then fly to another tree where they wipe the sticky residue from their beaks onto the branches - along with a few mistletoe seeds. So that's how it spreads - clever stuff!

After my successful mistletoe hunt, I went for a bit of an explore. It turns out that Blaise Castle Estate is brilliant, and has some very pretty walking trails through the woodland. Unfortunately I discovered a bit too late that I was wearing highly impractical footwear:


Hmm, wellies next time, methinks.

But apart from that small glitch, it was a really lovely walk. And the most exciting thing is... I found a CASTLE!!! As in, a real, live castle!! To be fair, I probably shouldn't have been that surprised - after all the name of the estate is a bit of a giveaway. But I literaly clambered up a muddy bank to find this:


Which was very, very cool. Other good stuff I saw included lots of squirrels, one of whom was totally scoping me out from his vantage point in an overhead tree. I thought this was quite funny and started talking to him, then rapidly stopped because I realised I was talking to a squirrel. I also saw some nice trees with little red buds on, but have no idea what they are:


Of all the things I'm rubbish at, trees are definitely my worst area. Oh, and birds. Actually, and other plants... OK so I'm rubbish in quite a few areas. But anyway, trees are one of those areas. And another reason I was at Blaise Estate was to find some oak trees to hunt for galls (knobbly growths that form on trees as a response to a chemical from a female insect, like a gall wasp, when she lays her eggs. The insect actually persuades the tree to build it a little home. Cunning). I embarrassed myself massively by having to ask the lovely estate manager if he could point out an oak tree to me. He gave me a sideways glance of pity before pointing to the enormous, impossible-to-miss tree right in front of us. Look, it didn't have any leaves on, ok? I think even I could recognise an oak tree if it had leaves on. I think.

Finally, here is an awesome cave I came across in the middle of the wood:



Oh, and finally finally, here is me looking very pleased with myself. If I look a bit sleepy, that's because I was a bit hungover. Actually, it turns out that bracing walks are quite good for hangovers. Maybe I should do it more often. Or maybe I should just stop getting hangovers. Or maybe both...

The Beginning

Hi. Welcome to the blog. This is the bit where I set the scene and explain who I am and why on earth I’m writing a blog, and indeed why I’m writing one with such an obscure title. Allow me to explain…

Many years ago, I was a total fiend for the outdoors. I’d spend pretty much every waking minute playing in the garden – collecting beetles, making forts, climbing trees – basically, my childhood pretty much consisted solely of mud and bug-filled jam jars.

Then I grew up, and discovered boys, and pubs, and writing, and travelling – and without noticing, I spent less and less time outdoors and got more and more wrapped up in a busy life, whilst daydreaming about far-flung countries. I still maintained a fascination with the natural world, mind – so much so, that I ended up going to uni and getting a Biology degree. Not only that, I’ve made the science of the natural world my career, by becoming a science writer and TV producer. Which makes it even more appallingly embarrassing for me to admit what I’m about to tell you.

I have absolutely no idea what’s in my own countryside.

As in, no idea at all. I can tell you plenty about South American Army ants, give you masses on Australian marsupials, and bore you silly about exotic reptiles. But when it comes to British wildlife, I struggle to identify a magpie. British tree species? Forget it. Wildflowers? Not a chance.

This realisation has only recently dawned on me – and it happened whilst researching a TV series about British nature. My job was to find interesting things to see and do whilst on a walk in the countryside, so that we could get a presenter in to talk about them on camera and make it all look pretty. My god, I thought – how are we going to make the British countryside exciting? It’s all Barbours and ruddy-faced ramblers as far as I’m concerned – give me a tropical rainforest and some venomous snakes any day. But I had a job to do, albeit what I thought was a nigh-on impossible one, so I got stuck into finding exciting stories. This wasn’t made any easier by the fact that it’s February, so after a quick look outside the office window I realised that everything was probably dead and/or brown at this time of year. What hope did I have of finding anything to film, let alone anything exciting?

Oh, how wrong I was. This was just the beginning of what has turned out to be somewhat of an epiphany for me. Over the course of researching the programme, I’ve met some amazing people and learned some amazing things – and yes, cheesy as it sounds, even though I’ve travelled to the other side of the world and worked with some of the rarest and most exotic animals on earth, I’m only just discovering what’s on my own doorstep.

This blog is a chance for me to share what I’m learning. It might take a while (I really mean it when I say I know practically nothing), but it’ll be fun. There’s a hidden underground world of local naturalists in Bristol (not an actual underground world – I’m being metaphorical. Although an underground society would also be very exciting) whose vast knowledge and experience I’m hoping to tap into. There are hundreds of green spaces within minutes of my city flat, all of which have extraordinary wildlife living in them. It’s going to be the expedition of a lifetime, and I’d be delighted if you’ll join me for the ride…

Clifton Suspension Bridge - just one of the lovely green spaces in Bristol...
photo nicked from this guy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/3791279897/