Green Holidays

This is a great way to learn about local wildlife – and entertain the kids!

Why don’t you spend a short time devising a nature key that can be followed local to where you live. For example a key identifying local plants, leaves on trees, animals at a zoo or even breeds of dog in the city!

It doesn’t take long to gather the information to get started – and then setting up the key can be quite a puzzle in itself – enough to keep you entertained as well as teaching you the information too!

Yeah – you can use a printed guide or photographic aid – but they will include all the plants ever! You only really need 10 to 20 to cover your local patch in a season, so yours will be more relevant to you. Your key doen’t need to incldue every single plant, tree or animal in the country – just those most common – the ones your kids will see almost every time they go out.

And they don’t have to use microscopes to tell them apart – just their eyes and your guide!

Breeds of Dogs:
If we use breeds of dogs as the test mode it should be easy to follow as we all know the most common dog breeds around town. Let’s use the following examples: Dalmation, Great Dane, Bichon Frise and Jack Russel

Now, with a key – it’s good to get rid of the obvious ones first, as they need no further description. So for example the Dalmation can’t really be confused with anything else – so that is your first step: ‘Is it white with black or brown spots all over?’

Then you can divide on size – so ‘Is it shorter than a Dalmation?’ The answer ‘No’ takes you straight to Great Dane and the answer ‘Yes’ then follows to the final question: ‘Is it white and fluffy?

Obviously this is only simple – and there are many other dogs that are shorter than a Dalmation – but you only focus on what you are most likely to see – let the more unusual ones dangle the carrot for further learning.

photo credit: Tanja de Bie

Getting Outdoors:
Most plants or animals have a specific feature that is unique to it that can narrow down your options when trying to identify something. So by getting to a general point you are halfway there – then by looking for these ‘individual’ things you can find the exact species.

For example, the early dog violet and the heath dog violet look very similar from head height – but they have very obviously different colour spurs if you get closer. And location can make a difference in the case of the cowslip and an oxlip. Both look quite similar – but the oxlip only occurs in the East of England.

So find plants/trees or animals that you already know are very common where you live and start from there!

Obviously the seasons change and bring out different plants or things to look for. Like deciduous trees don’t have leaves in the winter, and many trees and bushes have blossom in the spring. Seasonal plants only last a few weeks and sometimes look very different when they have ‘gone to seed’.

And birds and mammals don’t always hang out in the same continents let alone the same woodlands – so you can watch them come and go – as well as the young growing up and moving on.

All this change means that you can have the same activities running throughout the seasons in the same locations – but with different plants and animals to look out for. And it is a great way to connect to the landscape and to see the changes through time.

It can also make you feel like you belong to that area.

You know how to pack a rucksack properly – but what about save a life?

We all learn to pack our racksacks top heavy, learn which wildfood we can eat, how to get our tents back in their tiny bags, how to purify water and how to run away from a bear.

But what about help another human being?

When was the last time you took a first aid lesson? At school, in your teens or because your workplace told you to go?

Why do we wait – when our friends or family could get injured at any time!

Things that we learn on these courses could save other peoples lives – as well as our own, so why don’t we sign up in droves?
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What are you going to do?
Things change all the time in medicine and first aid – so some things your parents told you or that you learnt over 5 years ago might not still be current – like laying a person who fainted on their back with their legs raised. Wrong.

How about pinching the top of the nose and tipping the head back to stop a nose bleed! Wrong. Putting soothing creams or lotions on a burn – WRONG!

You don’t even check for a pulse anymore – there are better, more effective ways to save a life.

Obviously we all hope that we never have to deal with an emergency – but if you like to travel a lot – especially out in the countryside, emergency first aid could be your only chance of survival.

Call The Emergency Services!
It is all well and good to assume that the emergency services will come and save the day – but if the casualty isn’t breathing or is bleeding heavily – then 10 minutes is too long to wait. And you will probably be out in the countryside or up a mountain!

photo credit: Adam Tinworth

So, you could save someone by starting first aid straight away.

Immediate Action:
I can’t teach you first aid in this article – but I know that making sure that someone is breathing is more important that calling 999 in the first instance. The time it takes you to make the call is more time that they aren’t breathing.

By first checking the airways are clear and listening for breathing you could have done all that was needed to save a life. People who are unconscious and on their backs can suffocate on their own tongue – so by you moving their head to free the tongue – you can help them breathe again. Then, by putting them in the recovery position – and knowing that they can still breathe – you could have just saved their life.

However, if you make the call first; all the while you are trying to describe where you are for the emergency services to find you – they will be getting worse.

First Aid is about dealing with the most critical thing first – like not breathing. There is no point stopping them bleeding if they aren’t breathing, and no point moving them into a more comfortable place if they aren’t breathing either.

And an Emergency First Aid course can help you understand why things are important and when they are not. The course will help you gain confidence in your actions even if they seem rather odd and ‘different’ to what other people are saying.

You would have taken the most up-to-date course (to protect your friends and family) so it will be the best you can do for a stranger too!

And thank you for caring.

Have you ever put into words your close encounters or your love of the landscape?

Every year BBC Wildlife Magazine offer you the chance to not only be published in their magazine – but to win a wildlife experience in some far-flung destination desperately in need of volunteers and research.

All you need to do is write a short passionate story about something you love or have experienced that you want to share with others to help them see another side of nature – your version.

Whether you want to describe the fox family living in your garden, that one off encounter with a tiger in India, your hopes for conserving a small patch of endangered wildflowers or even your first-hand description as you witnessed a tornado rip through a field near you!

As long as it was something outside – and could appeal to anyone interested in the ‘great outdoors’ – then get your pen to paper and write out your thoughts!

The Competition:
Don’t worry if you can’t think of anything for this years competition (closing date 30th April 2011) – but you can start thinking about next years entry.

Nature writing normally means that you have captured your thoughts while caught in the middle of things – or that you have a lot of experience in your subject – so know it inside-out. Needless to say, you can’t just pluck such a story out of thin air.

They offer plenty of tips for your writing and you can read past winners tales too – but only be inspired by yourself.

The hardest part will be reducing your passion down to just 800 words – so don’t even worry about all the judging and the other people entering – get your story straight first.

photo credit: whyohwhyohwhyoh

(Click picture to play)

What If I Can’t Write?
Not everyone feels comfortable writing – so BBC Wildlife offer other competitions too – including poetry and photography.

Whatever your passion, experience, age or ability – they offer something that you can sink your teeth into!

Everyone is different – and their version of events or the way they can share their experiences and knowledge will be different too. By all means try your hand at everything, but some people are naturally just better at some things – but it can take a while to figure out what!

Visit their website for ideas and inspiration – and maybe I could be reading your story or admiring your photos on their website soon!

Buying a dog can be one of the best experiences for a family or individual – but take care!

It’s not just about buying from a reputable breeder, or making sure that it is vaccinated and wormed – it’s about what that dog can do for you – or what it can never do.

For example – if your dog is prone to skin problems and needs cream applied, you can’t take it for water-filled days out. If it get out of breath quickly with its short ‘bulldog’ face – you can’t go cycling with it or for long walks with it – or take it anywhere that it might get too hot!

And if it is prone to digestive upsets, takes certain medicines every 6 hours, has sore joints, patches of fur missing or can’t stop scratching – how much fun is he going be when you take him on holiday with you?

Your Dog Breed:
Some dog breeds are just the wrong shape to be outdoor active pets – for example any dog with a very short nose, dogs which are longer than they are tall, dogs with really droopy skin and dogs that have no fur!

photo credit: Jen and a Camera

Most dogs like this will have some sort of problems when you take them out over their lifetime. Now I am not saying that dogs with normal faces and skin won’t suffer from problems – I’m saying that these types probably will.

So if you want to run, swim, cycle, climb and basically spend hours out in the sunshine (and rain) with your dog – then think about getting a hardy average-shaped breed – like a pointer/retriever/terrier type. And avoid Great Danes, Bassett Hounds and Pugs!

Extra Un-Green:
In addition to choosing a dog that suits your lifestyle – you will also be choosing a dog that demands less from the environment.

For example, endless trips to the vets, tablets, treatments, therapies and operations can’t reduce your eco footprint can they? Even if you are insured (which I recommend) that only covers the money for treatment, it doesn’t buy carbon credits for all the fuel and chemicals you will be using!

Dogs which need extra grooming and clipping add to their footprints too – as well as dogs that have to be on special diets.

But, if you want a pet dog that can enjoy the outdoors as much as your – then consider all these things, and plan for the dogs lifespan (10-20 years).

They might not have any problems when they are young, but they will soon catch up with them as they mature.

So, we are moving on to our first batch of very similar looking species!

The remaining 5 tit species common to the UK are here – as we have already looked the more common Great and Blue tits in our previous Bird Hunt article.

And to make it more difficult for you, 4 of these birds all fit the same niche really in terms of their appearance, size, habits and the fact that they all look roughly the same until they sit still!

There are of course slight differences in terms of their specific habits and habitats, but it won’t be easy to master all 5 in a single sitting!

Right, lets get straight on with the 4 that look the same first while your brain is eager to learn!

Coal Tit:
This tiny fella has a face that is very similar to a great tit – and does have a hint of ‘blue/grey’ about him, but the shape and size of him is totally different.

He does however, have 2 white wing bars on his side that none of the other tits on this page have (and blue tits and great tits only have 1 bar on their wings).

So if it’s small with a black and white head with 2 wing bars – it’s a coal tit!

Marsh Tit:
Both the marsh tit and the willow tit (below) were thought to be the same species until quite recently as they look so very similar – which is no help to you!

photo credit: chapmankj75

However, on closer inspection, the marsh tit could be said to have a straight-edged glossy black cap atop his tiny head. They also have a neat square bib under their chin and wings feathers the same colour as their back when perched.

Willow Tit:
In comparison, the willow tit has a more curve-edged black cap and a larger more spreading black bib under his chin. He also has slightly paler band of wing feathers in the centre of his wings – more noticable when perched.

photo credit: Aschaf

Habitat-wise the willow tit is more likely to be seen along river banks – with willow, birch and alder, or in coniferous woodlands -and rarely ever at birdtables in winter. The marsh tit is very likely to be seen feeding at bird tables – most likely close to damp untended deciduous woodlands.

Crested Tit:
When he has his crest lifted – there is no mistaking him, but he is roughly the same size and colour as the 2 tits above so with a normal flat head you might have to look closer! However, these tits are only found in old coniferous woodlands in Scotland so if you aren’t there, you probably haven’t seen one.

photo credit: birdtracker

He doesn’t have the obvious ‘black cap’ of the others but has a distinctive triangular white shape framing it’s head with a beautiful face. However, if you were to look at him from afar or from behind he is the same buff brown colour with brown wings and a black bib! It is asthough someone stuck a different top on a marsh tit!

Long-Tailed Tit:
This one is the easiest of the bunch to identify as it is almost pink in colour when you see it in the bushes – and has an incredibly long tail!

photo credit: centralasian

On closer inspection, they have a white head with a dark eye-band running through to their dark wings and throught to meet the tail. These tiny birds are usually only seen in small flocks that chatter their way from tree to tree along a path or from the front garden to the back garden looking for food.

So – you feel confident with these (or just the last one?).

If you lost your dog on holiday – what could you do to get it back?

When you are in a new area – you may not know about the local vets, rescue centres or capture policy for ‘found’ pets.

And you really should!

Needless to say, if there was a simple and fast service available that did all the searching for you; shouldn’t you know about it?

Obviously not all countries offer such services – but if there was one available where you were heading – shouldn’t you really be signing up? Otherwise how would you find your lost dog?

Pet Finding Procedure:
Generally, if someone loses a pet like a dog, they would start by calling a few local vets and rescue centres locally, leaving details with everyone about their dog.

They may also contact other local services like pet stores to take their details – possible enlisting people to start travelling around looking for the animal.

And all this costs money and uses other people resources. The owner may just be making phone calls, but it is the charities that are using up time and money keeping records of all these details.

photo credit: ToniProtto

On average my local pet rescue centre gets 3 or 4 calls every day with people looking for their lost dogs and other pets. And each call takes at least 10 minutes of (volunteered) time, as well as ink and paper to record the details.

And if you multiply that up by all the other people that are called up about the same pet – and all the lost pets in a month – this can get quite costly.

But What If You Are Lost Too?
This is the standard route for someone living at home – but what if you were travelling and you were in a new town or city. Would you know which companies to call to help you? Would you even know where you were to say where your dog was last seen?

And – what is the standard procedure for finding dog owners? Some countries use microchips, some use tattoes and others give you 7 days to find your own dog in a Lost Dog Shelter – otherwise it is simply rehomed!

That is why it is worth knowing what happens to pets in the areas you are visiting – or finding someone who does!

The Experts:
There are several companies available now who know all the local vets to any given address in an instant.

Once your dog has been reported to them, they will alert all relevant centres and vets as to the description and contact details of you and your dog. You don’t need to worry about a thing.

Having built up a relationship with all these vets and centres, their faxes and texts are treated as urgent rather than as routine. So if your dog has been handed in to anyone on their contact list – you will have a result in no time!

No wasted calls, no endless reciting of your details and dogs description – just one call and then you can focus on looking for your dog rather than on the phone!

So I think it is best practice to make sure you find out about these companies before you head off on your green holidays – rather than wasting resources after the event!

This is where the phrase ‘Leave it to the Experts’ rings true!

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Did you know that it is illegal in the UK for you to take a close-up photo of a baby barn owl?

This little known law is part of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) where there is a list of species that receive full protection of the law – and this protection includes reducing the disturbance of the nesting young or recently fledged young of all the species on it – and this includes Barn Owls.

It also includes other seemingly random species such as Brambling, Fieldfare, Firecrest, Kingfisher, Bewick’s Swan and even the little Crested Tit!

All these species are among the 80+ protected wild bird species that frequent the UK, which can be native or just passing through.

There is, of course, already a law to protect all wildbirds from being intentionally injured, killed or taken from the wild – and the same goes for their eggs – but there are some exceptions.

In the case of the Barn Owl and the Kingfisher – they are for greater protection; whereas in the case of the Mallard or Woodcock – it means lesser protection at certain times!

photo credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region

These schedules also cater for captive-bred ‘wild bird’ species such as birds of prey and other more common species such as Magpies, Blackbirds and Goldfinches. And also the sale of wildbirds that have been killed legally and the rehabilitation of injured birds.

Game birds are not covered by these particualar laws however, but are covered under the separate Game Bird Act, which fully protects them outside of the Open Season.

The Bird Schedules:
There are 4 such catagories (which may have several parts) which cover those endangered birds to be protected as well as those species which can be killed or sold, and they lay out as follows:

Schedule 1: Full protection at all times (or during the close season for a specific 4 species). To get close to young, nesting or breeding birds in this list – you will need a licence (or you can visit them in specific reserves).

Schedule 2: Birds which may be killed or taken outside of the close season only – but not sold – basically to be killed to protect crops or other interests or to be killed for food or for sale as per Schedule 3.

Schedule 3: Birds which may be sold; either dead at specific times, or alive if captive bred and legally ringed. These include certain ducks and wood pidgeons to be sold dead; and siskins, song thrushes and other ‘garden’ birds that can be kept as ‘pets’ and displayed at bird shows.

Schedule 4: Captive Bred birds which must be registered and ringed if in captivity (mainly raptors). These birds need to be registered and you must have genuine proof of breeding and hatching. If you find an injured bird that happens to be listed on Schedule 4 – even if you intend to re-release it shortly – you should inform the appropriate authority as they may need to be registered.

photo credit: luc.viatour

Your Actions:
So next time you see the opportunity to photograph any nesting bird – think about what that means.

If they have made a law that specifically prevents human from getting close enough to a Schedule 1 species – as it would disturb them – think again for all birds and other wildlife!

If they think that getting that close could prevent birds from nesting at all or may make them to abandon existing young – then what harm are you doing being that close to any species?

Even with the fantastic zooms on cameras these days – you still have to be quite close to get a great shot – so what if you got a great shot of a nest, but after you left all the young starved to death after you had scared the parents off!

When trying to film or photograph nesting birds – or any birds really – it is best to set up a hide (or use one at a reserve). Birds get used to them and so aren’t so affected by all the keen photographers snapping away at them. And some reserves set up hides to be really close to the action just for this reason.

So, if you are going to enter a photgraphic competition with your nest shot – make sure it’s not a Schedule 1 species – otherwise they may ask to see your licence………. and I’m sure you don’t want the associated £5000 fine and accompanying prison sentence instead of first prize!

If you took part in the recent RSPB garden count – you may well have started on your way to spotting the 270 birds commonly found in the UK.

So why not keep it up?

I have put together this series of informative posts to help you through all the easy species, first. Then there will be the ones that you need to go on a walk to see and gradually we will get onto the birds that you will have to seek out for yourself – like the elusive White-tailed Eagle or the niche dwelling Capercaillie!

There is nothing better sometimes than knowing what a bird is by just checking off 1 sign, like ‘it has a red stripe so it must be a ????’ or ‘it has yellow legs so will be a ????’ Sometimes once you know the general appearance of a bird ‘type’ like a sparrow, warbler or grebe, you can seperate the individual species by just 1 thing.

And these guides will not focus on all the latin names and scientific groupings etc; there will be no use of fancy ornithological words like ornitholigical, tertial tip or emargination. Just easy to use visual descriptions of the birds that you will see while out walking in the woods, wetlands or your own back garden!

But to start you off before we lose you in geese and gulls; we will list the top 5 birds that you may well have seen this week or have probably already seen at some point in your life!

Robin:
This one is easy to spot with it’s bright red breast – and you can easily pick them out in the snow as they are quite bold little birds and use human garden tools and furniture from which to spy their insect prey! And they will come close to humans too if you feed them…..

photo credit: fwooper

Blackbird:
Another common species that just loves to run around garden edges looking for food under leaves and garden waste. The males are black with orange or yellow bills and feet, where the females are browner in colour. You can spot them from their loud warning call as you scare them off…..

photo credit: Keith Laverack

Magpie:
A larger bird that has such distinctive colouring that you will know when you have seen one. Their black and white plumage and their flap-flap-flap-then glide flight pattern will have you ticking off this species in a flash!

photo credit: goingslo

Pheasant:
If you live near the countryside or walk your dog in the fresh air, then you will no doubt have seen a rather handsome brown bird with a perfect white collar around his neck, large red wattles and nice long tail feathers – this is your male pheasant. Females have the same long tail and also frequent large country gardens, footpaths and cultivated fields but don’t have the fancy head! They both fly off clumsily and noisily when you get too close!

photo credit: gerrybuckel

Mute Swan:
I used to live on a canal and could see these all day long – but if you live elsewhere they aren’t difficult to find on any large body of fresh water, like a river, canal, lake or in a local nature reserve. Out of all the swans in the UK, the Mute Swan is the easiest to identify by its bill alone (handy really as all 3 common swans are totally white); it is the only one that has an orange bill which has a large knob of black on the top where it meets the eyes.

photo credit: TossMyPancake

So, if you have already seen these ones, then join me for the next 5 real soon – and make sure that you have seen these all again outside and that you know them inside out – as many other birds look very similar to them but for one or two small details. So only when you know these well can you learn some of the others coming on the list!

Grab your camera and document your journey if you like – it can make your travels more memorable.

See you soon…..

And if you want to know more about the fancy terms and descriptions used to identify birds, please look for my Bird Identification Guides – Technical Data series.

I have found a new way to learn a language – and it’s great!

Having used all the ‘standard’ language courses before and having got bored or completely lost less than half way through – a friend lent me her CD only course telling me that it was totally different to any other language course.

So I had to give it a go.

And it was SO different that I feel that I have learnt so much more about the language than from any other course that I have ever set eyes on.

Nouns, Nouns & More Nouns:
Most other language courses focus on a common phrase and then add loads of nouns on to it to make it seem fun. So for example you may learn the phrase ‘I would like….’ then you have to learn a page of words including tea, coffee, sandwich, milk, orange juice, soup and cheese etc. They may even show you a few ‘sizes’ like: a bottle of wine, a tin of tuna, a packet of chips, etc.

However, you are only really learning the 1 important phrase.

They then take you through the following chapters: ‘Where is the…’, ‘Ordering food’, ‘I live in a….’ and ‘In a Supermarket’ all in the same theme of common phrase then loads of nouns.

Verbs Are Great!
However, this course spent more time on the verbs and conjugating them. Now at school the thought of ‘conjugating verbs’ was enough to make almost anyone groan – but not so here.

We were taught how verbs can work for you in a sentance in a way that nouns can’t. You can learn 200 nouns for food – but you can still only say the same sentances (I would like a…/Can I have a…/I don’t want a…) – whereas with this course I don’t really need the noun to be understood.

For example I can say: I don’t want to buy that today, but I would like you to buy it for me tomorrow; or, Why don’t you want to come with me today, but you want to go with him tomorrow.

As you can see I can string together long sentances to express myself without a cup of coffee or some cheese even in the sentence! Yes, learning nouns is very useful in the long run – but to understand the verbs is to actually speak the language.

The Language:
Pronunciation is also a key to learning a new language as the stress on the wrong part of the word can render the word useless. It will either mean nothing to the listener – or worse – mean a totally different thing!

So the fact that this course is totally audio is great. Sitting in my car or at home and just listening to the voices on the CD is so helpful. There is no need to keep stopping and starting the CD in bits here and there – it just flows as though it is a conversation.

And the fact that there are also 2 students with him is really useful as a sort of ‘benchmark’ for yourself. Do you get the answer before they say it – or do they get it totally wrong? I found myself shouting at one of them as he just couldn’t get it right when I found that bit quite easy – but I suppose we all learn different bits faster.

The course was by Michel Thomas, andwas 8-part and is used as an introduction to the language as part of a more exstensive language course – but I feel that I have learned so much already.

I can’t wait to move on to the next level!

Found something strange – or beautiful – but have no idea what it is?

As long as you have a picture of it, then there is a new way to find out what on earth you have just seen.

It could be something common that you just haven’t seen before where you are visiting – or it could be a species that is new to your area (through land use changes or seasonal migration) and you have been one of the first to spot it.

Basically, the Open University in the UK has set up a database of images of everything in the natural world – as well as people who can tell you what it is.

Rather than just asking a few friends, searching through your field guides or just admiring it for what it is – you can now find out for good.

iSpot:
Not another iPhone application as its name insinuates – but a whole nature database online that can sort out the clustered bonnets from the milky bonnets, the brown bear from the black bear and the large white from the marbled white.

Basically, you can upload your pictures and some basic information about it and leave it to others to identify. You can have a guess yourself, and others will either confirm or deny this – basically like a forum.

You can also help identify other wildlife for photographers as well. It may be that you have experience in fungi – but have taken a picture of a strange insect on that fungi. You can find out what the insect is in exchange for identifying some garden waxcaps or woodland earth star!

photo credit: Marek Komorowski

It is divided up into categories including: mammals, birds, fungi, fish, etc and you can just look at some great shots, see different colour variants of common species (like white deer and black squirrels) or just use the labels to find out where these animals were seen so you can go and look for them yourself.

In Addition:
There are also links on the sites for further reading, related surveys, tips on identification and links to other useful id and specialist websites.

The OU have also recently launched a short course to run alongside iSpot and for all those people who haven’t taken a degree or had experience in the field before.

It’s called Neighbourhood Nature and can take you as little as 5 weeks or as long as 5 months depending on your other commitments. It allows you the support to run your own local field study relating to any area that you have ready access to and a keen interest in like a local woodland behind the houses, a nearby nature reserve or even a disused railway.

Nature is everywhere – and by working alongside your tutors and the experts on iSpot, you can find out what is living there and why – and anything you can do to keep it there or improve the number and diversity of plants and animals there.

So, if you have been meaning to get qualified in something ‘outdoors’ or to help brush up on your basic skills before embarking on a longer or higher level course – then maybe this course could help you out.

Also You Might Like To:
Obviously, signing up to volunteer with nature-related charities in your area will also enable you to experience nature first hand, access some great habitats, learn from experts and it could always lead to a larger project or a permanent job somewhere down the line.

And if anything, get a camera with a good zoom and an even better macro – and practice observing things – or take a basic photography course. Trying out the different settings is one thing – but knowing what to look out for is another.

You might take a great picture of a striking plant – but then get home to find out that you needed to find the berry, scratch the bark or see what other plants were around it to get a 100% ID. But until you make those mistakes and get annoyed with yourself – you won’t get any better at identifications.

It’s alright relying on others for rare species and all those ‘barely indistinguishable’ lichens – but you should really start to build up your basic id skills in the field if you are planning any sort of career based on nature.

So grab your camera, field guide and waterproofs – and get outside!