Monday 19 May 2014

Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog!

Foundation Degree Countryside and Wildlife Management students accompanied your resident blogger to set some very crafty 'bottle traps' to try and capture a highly elusive and secretive creature that is protected by law - the great crested newt. With trapping success in one farm pond last year, students were pleased to find that the specialist traps had snared live specimens in another pond where they had previously never been recorded before.

Matt and Tim (pictured below) were careful to obtain some pictures of the belly markings of each animal which gives each a discernible identity (akin to a finger print). Studies have shown that these surprisingly long lived creatures can return to the same pond for up to 20 years! The presence of great crested newts on the farm clearly shows the health of the farmed environment for wildlife which to the untrained eye would appear of limited value to any native rare species. Indeed, these amphibians exist in 'a population of populations' (or a metapopulation) where breeding animals can migrate up to 1 km between different ponds. But how they are able to do this, no one knows!

Paul's group of BTEC Countryside Management students have also done their bit by expertly fencing off one of the ponds to protect it for future surveys.



Tuesday 13 May 2014

Bee-ing a Student on a Moulton Countryside Management Course!

Countryside Management lecturer Jonny has been able to share his passion for bee-keeping with students on the BTEC Countryside Management Diploma's this year. The College currently has two hives and is exploring options to offer a range of short courses to the general public. You can see some images of the students working with the bees below, but can you tell who is who?!




Hornets: Friend or Foe?

As one of our most imposing and feared insects, the hornet (Vespa crabro) carries quite a reputation as an insect to avoid. So imagine the surprise of your resident blogger when he noticed a king sized 3.5 cm specimen nonchalantly ambling across his shoulder as he sat on the sofa at home last night! I am not sure how you would react but after quickly running into the garden and jumping around a bit the stowaway launched idly away to patrol the nearby gardens.

But do they really deserve this fearsome reputation? Building their nests from chewed wood, they are true construction artisans and although will sting if provoked, they will generally avoid conflict. They also predate heavily on the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), which are far more numerous and aggressive - so perhaps the hornet doesn't deserve its reputation after all.

But if one lands on your shoulder, I'll let you decide!

James





Monday 12 May 2014

Incubation Success

Countryside management lecturer and technician Matt Thorley reported some good news this morning - the first ever successful hatching of grey partridge. Once common, this native species has undergone major declines due to unsympathetic land management and is now classified on the 'red list' of birds of conservation concern. You can see the chicks in the image below:


Also successfully hatched are some white and silver pheasants (see below):


Friday 2 May 2014

The James Littlemore Trapping Adventures

Trapping: Episode 1 - Introduction

 

Trapping: Episode 2 - Removing from Bag

 

Trapping: Episode 3 - Longworth Traps

 

Trapping: Episode 4 - Weighing and Identifying

 

Trapping: Episode 5 - Trap Resetting

 

Trapping: Episode 6 - Set and Work Tube Traps

 

Trapping: Episode 7 - Final & Expert Advice