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/
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