Blog - Page 16 of 18 - Megan Shersby

‘Fessing up to an urban love affair

As a naturalist and improving ecologist, you might think I would hate or at least dislike the large urban craziness that is our capital city (i.e. London). I say that nay, it’s not true! Despite the greyness, the common “heads down, don’t talk to anyone” attitude and the high concentrations of people, I do love London. It’s my hometown, I grew up here.

On a non-natural side, I adore some of the architecture in the city. You’ve got the classics and ionic buildings such as St. Paul’s Cathedral or The Gherkin, but it is usually the less well-known things that get me. Walking around a corner to find an unexpected and beautifully designed church. Looking up and spotting a golden statue on top of a building. It’s the little things that get you. Saying that, my favourite is of course the Natural History Museum which is just stuns me every time I see it, the exquisite details and that there are carvings throughout the older building.

Beautiful carvings alongside a window

Newer architecture – no carvings but I love it, the Cocoon in the NHM

Related to the architecture, you’ve got the spots of greenery spotted throughout the urban layout. Small corners or large expansive parks, and everything in between. And often where you don’t expect it – such as the small Wildlife Trust reserve next to St Pancras which I hadn’t even known existed (Camley Street Natural Park)!

Traveller’s joy seed head on the fenceline along Camley Street

Sometimes, it’s the combination of nature and buildings that stops me, such as this fuzzy view on Euston Road earlier this week.

Quite a fuzzy photo – apologies!

On a different note, London provides some fantastic opportunities for any naturalist. An obvious start is the previously mentioned Natural History Museum, a great place to learn a wide variety of information – my favourites are always the mammals room with the blue whale, and the whole ecology section! And of course, the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Part of the NHM ecology section – some of the conservation work done in the UK

The wide variety of parks available is brilliant, right in the centre of the city and continuing right throughout to the suburbs. As my family own a dog, we’re always over there and aware of the wildlife – the birds chirping away in the trees and the squirrels attempting to forage despite repeated chasings by all the dogs! (I should say that I don’t particularly like them doing this, but Toby never actually comes anywhere close to catching one!)

My dog, Toby (right) with his best friend: fellow squirrel chaser and completely soppy dog, Bertie.

Then there are the events available, from lectures at institutions (my favourites are the ZSL Scientific Events) to outdoor activities to sociable events (such as this week’s #ukscitweetup), there are plenty of dates to schedule into your diary.

All in all, I do love a rural location, but I never complain too much when I am back in London as I’m usually busy exploring and learning new things!

January 15, 2014/2,315 Comments/by admin

Adventures, S4F Traineeship

Something old, something new

Just to clear up first, no I am not getting married. However, this part of the traditional saying rang true this week during my visit to Dorset, where I was room hunting prior to my move down there at the end of the month.

Being me, I absolutely had to do some wildlife-related stuff during my visit. First, the something new – i.e. my new workplace (from February), the Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre! Based halfway along the causeway between Weymouth and Portland, it is perched at the eastern edge of The Fleet, a unique lagoon protected by a range of designations and a real hotspot for birdwatchers.

The centre and the Fleet

I popped in to say hi and actually see my future workplace. It is fab and in a brilliant location! Better yet, I found out that there is a dog in the office, which is always a major bonus for me. Even more of a bonus, I went into the Taste* Chesil cafe (in the centre) and it doesn’t have nuts in the flapjacks – could life get much better?

The beach on the other side of The Fleet – going up!

Well, it seems it could. When thinking of Weymouth, I was sure I had never visited, but upon driving around I saw Radipole Lake, an RSPB reserve in the centre of the town, and had a sudden sense of déjà vu! Why, I had been here before, as part of school geography field trip which must have been almost seven years ago now. Obviously, I adjusted my schedule and made a visit to have a little wander along its walkways.

Currently I don’t know one species of gull from another, so I can’t say if I saw anything special, I suspect not though. However the senior member of staff there soon pointed out a water rail to me – my first one! No photo though as it was only a quick appearance. Apparently they spend the majority of their time hidden away in the reeds, so I was thrilled. I also saw a couple of cormorants drying out their wings, some swans, coots and a variety of ducks.

Resting cormorants

Swan grooming itself

One bird I will always love is the grey heron. I know they are everywhere and such, but I think they’re brilliant. I love watching them launch off and fly (which this one didn’t do, but nonetheless I liked watching it).

Grey heron

My visit had a great ending when I was told that they have at least one otter on the lake! Naturally, I immediately asked after the possibilities of collecting some of the spraints (otter poo), as I love taking them apart and identifying what they’ve been eating, and was told that it should be ok. So hopefully there will be some blog posts on that in the not too distant future!

A lovely view from the walkway

January 12, 2014/2,315 Comments/by admin

Adventures, Birds

A Walk In The Woods

Festive tradition saw my family and I taking a lovely walk, in an attempt to wear off some of the calories we had piled on during the gluttony that is Christmas. Past walks, dependent on the Christmas have been along Hertfordshire fields, up onto the South Downs, the Newhaven coastline and over the pebbles of Seaford beach. This year saw us in Sussex again where we went off to someone new – Selwyns Wood, a Wildlife Trust reserve not far from Uckfield.

Naturally, we needed a few days to wallow in our self-pity from eating so much, but soon enough we were entering the wooded and muddy reserve. Luck was on our side as we strolled in the warm sunshine, discussing how I might improve my photography and laughing at our dog’s antics.

A pretty start to our walk!

I don’t think I’ve mentioned the dog before on this blog – a gorgeous black and white Lab-Collie cross called Toby. For him, a walk is not complete until two events have occurred. First, he has met at least one other friendly dog, though it need not be a playful one but he does like to be sociable and say hello. Since at home, he is often taken for walks with family friends and their dogs, that event is easily ticked off. Second, he does love to go into a river, or lacking that, a large puddle. He can’t swim mind, but he does like to jump about and then run around like a mad puppy after.

The handsome Toby

Fortunately, we met some friendly dogs, and there was a stream for him to paddle in before leaping out and barking at us. There was plenty of wildlife to take notice of as well, smaller birds flitting in and out of the trees. A walk across the heathland part of the reserve prompted discussions on the different plant species, with my attempting to remember the little I know about heathland plants. The gorse flowers were a sight for sore eyes, a bright yellow colour shining in the sunlight amid the green of the gorse.

Bright yellow makes the day feel even sunnier

The muddiness and puddles of the paths did little to deter us, rather instead they made it more enjoyable I think. I do always enjoy a good splashabout in my wellies, particularly when the dog joins in. One highlight of the walk were the two woodpeckers of unknown species. Naturally, they were either flying or on the opposite side of branches, so I failed in getting a photo. I shall just have to take more walks in woodland. We also came across a few types of fungus and spotted some pretty berries which made some nice photos.

Fungi!

A lovely spot of colour

A great finish to our outing was a rather late pub lunch – superb food and atmosphere! And a well-behaved dog, even when the horses went past!

December 31, 2013/2,315 Comments/by admin

Adventures, Moths

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it saved the French wasp

I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in south-eastern France during early November (it’s nice having connections!). Although I spent much of the time working on ecology assignments or trying out new recipes, I still had the chance to see some wildlife.

The first species seen were a couple of small birds – blue tits, great tits, a dunnock. Although these are fairly common species at home, I was still happy enough to watch them on the bird feeder, flitting back and forth, with the occasional squabble against each other. What surprised me was another bird, similar size to the blue tit and certainly of the same family – a crested tit! Although fairly common across Europe, in the UK they are only resident in the pine forests of Scotland. This was my first time seeing a crested tit so I was fascinated. With an unusual facial pattern, and its black and white crest, it is a distinctive species.

Crested tit on the bird feeder

I’m lacking in equipment currently, so I don’t have a moth trap or sweep net, but I don’t let such things stop me from finding some invertebrates. A couple of butterflies were loving the warm sunshine (as was I, since London had been much colder!), such as the Painted lady below.

Painted Lady butterfly

On the calmer nights, the window was often besieged by moths drawn in by the light. I managed to identify some, such as the Crimson Speckled moth (U.pulchella). However, I couldn’t find all in my moth identification book. Upon conversing with someone in the know, I found out that whilst the UK and France do share many species, the total number of moth species present in France is about twice as many as are present in the UK. Crumbs! Therefore some of the moth species remain unidentified (only for now though, as I’m determined to find out whom they are!).

Crimson Speckled moth … caught in a wine glass! Well, naturally, I was in France!

Unknown moth species (again in a wine glass!), possibly Streak, C.legatella?

The moths weren’t the only nocturnal creatures about, there were also two animals in the courtyard who were rustling the fallen leaves and were very pleased when it rained later in my stay. These mystery rustlers were two rather large toads! And by large, I mean amongst the largest wild toads I’ve come across (thus not including exotic toads in zoos).

Not so impressed to see me

A number of other invertebrates were also found in and around the house, from small swarms of ladybirds loving the open window, an interesting red bug investigating my shoe and a rather odd looking red insect found in the sink! A noteworthy insect would be the wasp I found partway through my stay there. It had managed to get itself trapped in a small bottle, drawn in by the remaining sweet drink. You may have read a previous blog post where I mentioned that I have had a rather traumatic experience with wasps. However, curiousity about its identification overcame my fear and I rescued the wasp. I’m sure glad I did as I managed to capture this photo as the wasp recovered from its ordeal. If you were wondering, it is a common wasp apparently (V.vulgaris).

Wasp! Still makes me shudder

In conclusion, I had a lovely time in France and got to see some new species which is always nice. Below are a couple more creatures I came across. And in case you were wondering, I got the ecology assignments back – 80% and 90%, whoo!

Another unknown moth species. I reckon it is one of the Carpets, maybe a Mallow or Dark Marbled? But might be a non-English spp. And again, in a wine glass!

Ooh, pretty!

Everyone loves a blue tit

December 22, 2013/2,315 Comments/by admin

Adventures, Birds, S4F Traineeship

Three counties, three days, three reserves.

Now if you’re a friend in the real life, or you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I’ve been having some adventures since I came back from South Africa. One of these took place last week when I headed southwest to Dorset from the big city (London) and decided to make the most of the trip by visiting a couple of places.

On the way down I took the opportunity to visit the RSPB reserve, Farnham Heath, since my route was taking me quite close anyway. I knew nothing about this reserve before I picked it out on a map and had a quick read about it and its history on the RSPB website. As part of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this reserve is being restored back to heath and acid grassland. Through felling the conifer plantations and managing the heath through traditional grazing, the heath is being brought back to this area along with its associated wildlife. Some of the coniferous and deciduous woodland has been retained, in which traditional practices are again used – coppicing (sweet chestnut trees) and encouraging wet woodland (willow and alder trees). The wildlife on the site is diverse with a range of bird species throughout the year, and over 150 species of fungi during autumn.

Unknown fungi from above

Unknown fungi from below

As a mid-autumn day, the weather was perfect. A little chilly, but sunny and clear. I had a nice wander through the reserve on the orange route, watching some birds and making friends with a couple of dogs. I also found this fungi which I am attempting to identify (suggestions on ID are welcome).

This pool was lovely to sit by, I even saw a dragonfly though it was gone before I could take a photo.

Great spot to relax, wish I’d got a photo of that dragonfly though!

Walking through the heath, I saw a couple of little birds dropping down from branches to the heath and the ground, but didn’t recognise the species. Naturally, I’d brought my bird ID book with me but left it in the car (I also had my moth ID book, in case I should come across one). Once I got back to the car park, I looked it up and found it was a stonechat, Saxicola torquata. I’d heard of this species but never seen one (or at least, I have no memory of seeing and identifying one), so I was rather pleased. They often perch on the top of bushes or on overhead wires, and drop down to pick up invertebrates.

Stonechat resting on a branch

The next day I was down in Dorset at the Urban Wildlife Centre near Poole with the Wildlife Trust. This was for a day of activities and meeting mentors and current trainees to get a better idea of the Skills for the Future traineeship that they run. One activity was scrub-bashing which was very good fun – lots of cutting of birch trees and having arguments with brambles (I won – I was definitely more stubborn!). These were used for a fire in which jacket potatoes were cooked for our lunch.

The scrub-bashing area with the fire on the right

Later on, we took part in a Forest Schools session where we made forest friends (i.e. figures made out of sticks, clay, leaves etc). Mine was a warrior who defended the forest from the baddies, though he didn’t have a name. My group all agreed that the session was brilliant and felt rather like a group therapy session!

Materials for the Forest Schools session

On my last day away from the big city, I was in the New Forest as I’m lucky enough to have a friend who lives there and let me stay the night. I was leaving early, but managed to fit in a dog walk through the heathlands. We didn’t see much wildlife but did meet a couple of ponies who were completely unbothered by both us and the dogs. Driving back was lovely as the sun peeked through the clouds to show the autumn colours of the forest. Shame I didn’t have a passenger who could take a photo for me!

Ignored by a horse …

NB: the three counties in order were Surrey, Dorset and Hampshire.

December 7, 2013/2,315 Comments/by admin

Species or Group Profile

UK Animal Profile – The Dormouse who fell asleep instantly

Before writing this blog post, I did a quick whip-round knowledge survey of my friends and family via Facebook and e-mails on their knowledge of the hazel dormouse. Roughly one fifth had never heard of them, whilst almost two thirds knew of them but knew nothing about them. Only 3 people out of 28 knew a few facts. Obviously this is only a quick and unprofessional survey of my own contacts, but I wonder how much it reflects the UK as a whole? Furthermore, I wonder how much the knowledge of dormouse varies between counties where they are found and counties where they are not.

Anyway, this is an overall view of the hazel (common) dormouse, with the facts that I find particularly interesting. I hope that you will enjoy and come to love this species as many do.

A dormouse found in mid-Wales

The common or hazel dormouse is a distinctive species, easily recognizable when compared to our other small mammals here in Britain. With prominent black eyes, rounded ears and soft golden fur, you can’t help but think of the word “cute”. Add in that fact that they have a furry tail, rather than the hairless one of mice or rats that often freaks out people, and they become even more adorable.

(Perhaps it is wrong of me to use these subjective terms, but I know that this is how many people feel. For myself, I will describe many animals as cute, lovely or beautiful, much to the befuddlement of my friends. Crikey, I’ve even called a cockroach cute! But I digress.)

Their large black eyes and other adaptations are indicators of their behaviours. Such eyes help to them to see in the dark as they are nocturnal animals, whilst their feet have small pads, sharp claws and hind ankles can turn sideways, all adaptations for arboreal living (in the trees). Their daytime activity consists of sleeping in a nest, sometimes in torpor where an animal’s metabolic rate and body temperature is low, to reduce the energy used by its body. During torpor, an animal does not respond to stimuli. Torpor is quite similar to hibernation, though hibernation lasts for much longer whereas torpor lasts for only a few hours at a time.

A dormice found during the day is often unresponsive to stimuli

Now if you’re like me, you may have had a similar thought upon reading the previous paragraph. Nocturnal, sleeping in the day, not responding to stimuli … is it only me that thinks of students? Particularly prior to assignment deadlines!

The sleeping activity of dormice doesn’t stop there, they also hibernate. This starts in October or November, lasting through to March or April, during a time when there are no food supplies. Rather than hibernating up in a tree, they actually hibernate in a nest at, or below, ground level. This means that it is easier for them to maintain a consistent temperature and not become dehydrated.

If you combine the time spent asleep by the dormouse – sleeping, torpor and hibernation, you realise that this species actually spends much of its time asleep. As Pat Morris (a leading expert of many British mammal species) says in one article: “It’s almost as though their natural state is asleep”. Again … anyone else thinking of students here? This is perhaps one of the best-known traits of dormice, mentioned in literature such as Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) – ““The Dormouse is asleep again” said the Hatter” (hopefully you noticed that is where part of this post’s title is from).

Dormice are well known for eating hazel nuts, but they will also eat a variety of other foods including flowers (from bramble, rowan, oak and honeysuckle) and invertebrates (aphids and caterpillars). During late summer and autumn, dormice need to gain fat reserves for their hibernation for which hazel nuts are a good source. Dormice eat hazel nuts in a distinctive way, leaving a hole with a smooth inner edge and toothmarks around the hole. This means that eaten nuts can be used to find out if dormice are present in an area, and Great Nut Hunts have been run by PTES (Peoples’ Trust for Endangered Species) where the public searched for nibbled nuts to find new sites where dormice were present.

Dormice boxes are put up for monitoring, but dormice aren’t the only ones to make use of them!

Some other interesting facts

A female dormouse may actually mate with multiple males, producing a litter sired by a variety of fathers. However, the benefit to the female is not yet clear. For the species as a whole, it is likely due to greater genetic variation and to counter inbreeding.
The dormouse is a priority and fully legally protected species in the UK and in Europe, and a license is needed to work with them. (I currently don’t have a license, my encounters with them have been through volunteering or on educational, and always with a license holder.)
Typically the dormouse has been associated with old deciduous woodland, hazel coppice and hedgerows. However, they have been found in conifer woodland, gorse, scrub, heath and reed beds.
The other species of dormouse in the UK is the edible dormouse, Glis glis, which was introduced deliberately into Tring in the early 20^th C.

Now I know that I’ve not covered everything about the dormice, such as the threats they face or more detailed analysis of their behaviours, as this is just a general overview and introduction to this species. If you are interested, both the Mammal Society and PTES have plenty of information of them (as well as other species), as will other organisations.

“… the last she saw of them, they were trying to put the Dormouse into the teapot.”

– from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

NB: I should point out that my remarks about people not knowing much about dormice isn’t a slur against my friends and family for not knowing, just something I found interesting. Particularly since mammals are the animal group that people usually identify best with, yet the overall knowledge of even this group can be rather low. One of the reasons I enjoy doing small mammal trapping with children, it’s a chance to create some memories of wildlife that can stay with them for life. But the topic of children and wildlife is a whole other kettle of fish (or a nest of mammals?).

References

Ambrose, M. et al (2012), Wilder Wych Dormouse Research Project, A study of the re-introduced dormouse population in the Wych Valley, Cheshire.

ARKive, Common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), http://www.arkive.org/common-dormouse/muscardinus-avellanarius/ [Accessed: November 2013]

Bright, P. and Morris, P. (1991). Ranging and nesting behaviour of the dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius in diverse low-growing woodland. Journal of Zoology, London, 224: 177-190.

Bright, P.W., Morris, P.A. and Mitchell, J.T. (2006), The dormouse conservation handbook, English Nature, Great Britain.

Mammal Society, Dormouse FactSheet: http://www.mammal.org.uk/species-factsheets/Dormouse

Md. Naim, D. et al (2011), Prevalence of multiple mating by female common dormice, Muscardinus avellanarius, Conservation Genetics, 12, 971-979.

Morris, P. (2004), Dormice, M. Avellarnarius, Whittet Books, Stowmarket, UK.

Morris, P. (2012), Taking a closer look at the dormice in torpor, The Dormouse Monitor, (1), 7.

People’s Trust for Endangered Species (2011), The Golden Great Nut Hunt report: http://www.ptes.org/files/1640_gnhreportnov2011.pdf

November 29, 2013/0 Comments/by admin

Adventures

A green surprise in the centre of London

Earlier this week, I left my leafy suburbia and headed deep into urban environment. Rushing through dark tunnels on a Tube train where everyone was consciously avoiding each others’ eyes, walking through a swish but very grey Kings Cross train station and along a busy city street – which was also rather grey.

But then I came to Camley Street and suddenly, there was colour! A wall of green extending perpendicularly from the corner along Camley Street and along Goods Way, shining a lovely mix of bottle green, emerald, and olive green in the warm autumn sun. Trees towering above (though that’s not difficult at my height!) and plants spilling out over the fence.

A wall of greens!
(taken from Goods Way looking at the junction with Camley St / Pancras Rd)

I was fascinated by the number of wasps buzzing in the sunshine, evidently interested in ivy flowers. Despite a fear of these insects (the result of a traumatic experience a few years back!), I went up close to take some photos and get a better look. Unfortunately I am lacking in my ownership of invertebrate identification keys (except moths, I love my moth book!), but fellow Twitterers helped me out. Apparently they were the females of the common wasp, V.vulgaris. I love the one in the photo below. She was very content to sit in the sunshine and groom herself for a while, completely unfussed about me trying to find the best angle for a photo!

Relaxing in the sunshine

So Camley Street Natural Park itself. The first thing that struck me was this amazing dragonfly artwork! I especially love the use of a stereo for the head, that’s inspired and actually makes perfect sense! I took a wander down the paths, taking a sneak peek at the Growing Out section with all the vegetables. They have a great pond dipping area, and I bet it’s full of interesting wildlife! I also scampered amongst the log piles, intrigued by the fungi growing there. I have limited identification skills with fungi so I don’t know what they were but I had good fun looking at them and taking photos.

Great dragonfly sculpture!

Fungi from below!

The park is one of many reserves by the London Wildlife Trust (and somehow, it may possibly the only one I’ve been to!) and is the hub for their volunteers, as well as being a great spot to escape the busy city rush. I’m definitely bookmarking it for a return visit!

My favourite photo from the day:

Traveller’s joy seed head on the fence line along Camley Street – did you know they’re also known as Old Man’s Beard?! Looking at it, you can see why!

Check out Camley Street Natural Park at http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/reserves/camley-street-natural-park

Thanks to @RichardComont, @bugmanjones and @Bex_Cartwright for helping with the wasp ID!

November 3, 2013/0 Comments/by admin

Dwarf Mongoose, South Africa

Wherefore art thou mongoose?

This was meant to be published in early October but my internet connection wasn’t good enough for upload photos, so here it is now.

Oh the frustrations of finding dwarf mongoose in the bush. To start off, they are pretty small – less than 30cm in length! Add to this, that they are a lovely brown colour that happens to blend in quite well with wood and the ground. In addition, they can be very quiet. I’ve been with a group before and they have gone silent, leading me to believe that they have moved but actually they’re just being quiet. So when you’re looking for them, that’s no help.

It’s easiest to look for them in the morning and just before sunset, as they will either at or near their sleeping refuges. At these times of day, it is a case of making the rounds within their territory and hoping you catch them before they leave (in the morning) or go to sleep (in the evening). This usually works, but occasionally the group will be using a refuge that we don’t know of, so the theory falls down there.

A mongoose up in a tree!

During the day, it gets a bit more difficult as you have got to walk throughout their territory calling for them. Yes, we call out to them and we actually call “Mongoose”! It sounds a little bizarre, but they’re habituated to come to that call and receive a little bit of food for it. Some groups are great, they’ll respond to your call with enthusiasm. I have had one group come running to me from almost 50 metres away. On the other hand, I have been right next to a group and been completely ignored by them.

So you still have to rely on your eyes and ears for any tell-tale signs of mongoose presence. The slightest rustling can get me suddenly veering off my path and calling hopefully for mongoose. I say hopefully because it is usually a couple of birds that I’m scaring off. They do make small contact calls to each other, but you usually can’t hear them unless you are fairly close.

As for seeing them? Almost no chance unless they’re moving between foraging spots or in an obvious sentinel position. Take these photos below, can you spot the mongoose? To myself, the mongoose in the first photo is very obvious, and in the second photo, still quite noticeable. But usually, they’re hidden amongst the rocks or branches and it’s a bit more of a challenge.

Spot The Mongoose – Level: Easy

Spot The Mongoose – Level: Medium / Hard

October 24, 2013/1 Comment/by admin

Moths, South Africa

Domestic wildlife – The South African version

Due to the recent increases in temperature, the middle of day is now quite hot and as a result, the mongoose flake out in the shade for a few hours and we head back to the house. During one of these midday breaks, I got a good view of the local troop of baboons as they cavorted on our back lawn. One of the larger males even came and sat himself on the stoep (patio-type area), no more than 5m from me – although I was inside and hiding behind my curtain. When I moved and took a photo he freaked out and ran off.

Not the big male, but a nice photo of one of the others

Not long after, I heard a noise from the other side of the house and moving to investigate, I found another part of the troop, including the cutest little youngster who was exploring various things by chewing them – twigs, grass, even his own foot at one point!

My favourite photo of the baboon family

A number of reptiles are present both in and around the house. Before I came out here, there were apparently some baby Mozambique Spitting Cobras in the grass outside my bedroom. Nyala and Kudu both have skinks in their room, whilst Kudu also found a tiny gecko. We recently found another gecko in the kitchen, which moved into my room a few hours later. Despite flicking through a reptiles book, we couldn’t identify it. If you know what it might be, we would be very interested to find out!

The unidentified gecko

Talking of things I’m interested in, I found a pretty awesome moth the other day. A Walker’s Owl Moth which can have a wingspan of 12cm! I put it in a box and into the fridge to reduce its activity (standard practice for restless moths), which the others were somewhat bemused by. But it worked, as I managed to get a decent photo of it for identification.

Huge Walker’s Owl Moth!

We’ve seen kudu and bushbuck down at the riverbank, vervet monkeys scrambling around the trees and across the lawn, and waterbuck grazing on the lawn. Hippo have also been heard on the lawn at night (slightly unnerving when you’re just dropping off to sleep). So even being at home can be exciting for wildlife … and it helps when that home is in South Africa!

September 29, 2013/0 Comments/by admin

South Africa

My workplace is pretty cool

Unlike most of the previous blog-worthy sightings, this week’s ones occurred at our workplace. On a side note, I like using the word ‘workplace’. For many, it will evoke an image of an office or another indoor environment, which reminds me of the fact that – yup, I’m in South Africa, out in the bush, in lovely weather (usually) and seeing a variety of exciting animals. Anyway, enough gloating and back to the topic of the post … exciting animals this week!

Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time with our newest habituated group, getting sound recordings as they forage or go on sentinel (looking out for predators on behalf of the whole group). At one point, they had taken me into a new part of their territory (we didn’t even know that it was part of theirs!) and were latrine-ing at a rock. As I watched, I noticed something odd. They were also taking turns to investigate something under the rock, scrabbling away at the gap at the base of it. When I got slightly closer, I could hear a noise that sound like deep breathing. It reminded me of Darth Vadar, but I soon realised that it must be a puff adder. Apparently, mongoose will mob snakes whenever they can, to encourage the snake to move on. I have to admit, I felt quite sorry for the snake. There it was, just having a nice sleep under a rock, then it gets disturbed and harassed by this group for over ten minutes! Poor thing.

The main big sighting of the week was Nyala’s (like I said previously, I’m using code names for the others here). As she was weighing the mongoose group she was with, they started alarming at something. A common practice for them, and usually at something very uninteresting – they’ve been known to alarm at hornbills, who they co-forage with, so I don’t always trust their alarm calls. Naturally, we take a look around anyway, because you never know what they’ve seen. And this time, it was a pretty awesome animal – a leopard! About 40ft from where she was sitting and sniffing a tree. The sighting lasted about a minute though as the leopard realised she was there, growled and ran off into the bush.

Naturally, the rest of us are completely jealous, I would love to see a leopard! The closest I’ve come previously has been setting out camera traps when I was last in South Africa at UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve, and the leopard was only caught on camera just over a month after I left! Oh, and I’ve seen paw tracks. It doesn’t quite compare to a live sighting though, I shall keep my fingers crossed and my eyes peeled just in case.

The leopard at UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve (Sept ’11)

Kudu also had a very enviable feline sighting, a serval who leapt into the middle of the foraging mongooses (leaping quite a reasonable distance, the arm movements used to describe this distance backed up the words), causing them to scatter in all directions and remain lost from each other for the next few hours.

Other sightings have also occurred this week, though slightly less exciting they still inspire delight. I’ve spotted a Giant Plated Lizard, whom I have nicknamed Grumpy Face (go take a look at what they look like, and I’m sure you’ll agree!), a duiker who came quite close to me whilst I sat at a refuge (before realising I was there, then running 10m in the opposite direction, stopping to check if I was still there, then freaking out and running away again), and a new type of butterfly and dragonfly. Unfortunately I can’t easily identify the species of the latter two as the insect book I’ve been using was on loan from a friend.

The problem with great sightings is that they seem to occur when your camera is in your bag and they’re over before you can get it out. Hence the lack of photos in this post!

NB: My previous visit to South Africa was in 2011 to UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve (http://www.umphafa.com/) when I volunteered for two months and collected data on plains zebras for my undergraduate dissertation.

September 22, 2013/2,315 Comments/by admin