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Arne – grasshoppers (or are they crickets?)

Whilst at Arne I discovered that there were many more varieties of cricket/grasshopper in this country than I’d imagined. These creatures are spectacularly cool, not only are they blessed with the most amazing propulsion system, but they also have wings. If you were playing invertebrate trumps then surely these would be a great card to have in your hand.

Apparently there are three main types of Grasshopper, Common Field Grasshoppers, Meadow Grasshoppers and Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers. I’m afraid, from the id notes I’ve found on the subject, I only seem to have decent pictures of the first two types…

: Chorthippus brunneus – Common Field Grasshopper?

: Chorthippus parallelus – Meadow grasshopper?

: I think this is another Chorthippus brunneus – Common Field Grasshopper?

: And probably another Field Grasshopper

: Unfortunately a shot in poor light of what is probably a meadow grasshopper.

Posted by Phil Golder | 14 August, 2010 | Categories: Travels | Leave a comment

Arne – First week highlights

Here are some pictures from my first week at Arne. Thanks to Craig (Daters – the volunteer co-ordinator) I’ve been able to enjoy a wide variety tasks, including moving cattle, making up signs (with power tools, yeh!), fixing the electrics on a trailer board and cleaning hides and toilets. Nice.

: First job of the week – myself, Craig and the two other vols, Dianne and Rhiannon, move some cows

: Rhiannon leads me through the reeds as we search for gauge boards

: Swallow cam

: The air ambulance looking for a place to pick up an ailing visitor

: A great spotted woodpecker

: Two adults (grandparents?) look after all the local baby Shelducks

: I can’t be sure, but I don’t think this Sika stag had noticed me creeping through the undergrowth

: Paul Morten leads the Wednesday heathland amble…

: …and finds a Smooth Snake

: Two Green Woodpeckers, the second is a bit difficult to spot…

: ..and their old nest?

: This is one of the coolest places on the reserve. The edges of this field are planted with Sunflower, Quinoa, and other seed baring flowers. As a result large numbers of small birds hang around in the field

Posted by Phil Golder | 8 August, 2010 | Categories: RSPB | Leave a comment

RSPB Arne

Today marks the first day of my two weeks at the Arne RSPB reserve. The reserve is situated just across Poole harbour from Poole, and it seems a bit odd to be standing in an area where all around me I can see heather or trees, and yet I can still hear the rumble of traffic far in the distance. Anyway, here are some shots from my first day…

: One of the first things I notice is that there are lots of wood ants on the reserve, which is fantastic

: Arne is a heathland habitat on a sandy bed

: These spiders are awesome, uk funnel webs, Agelena labyrinthica, I think

: There are plenty of Gatekeepers about

: and some Godwits (I think most of these are black tailed)

: And here is one of the places that the springwatch team looked for raft spiders. I can’t see any today.

Posted by Phil Golder | 1 August, 2010 | Categories: RSPB | 1 Comment

Cycling from Bristol to Land’s End

I’ve just got back from a great cycling trip, from Bristol to Land’s End. Myself and Manoj mostly followed Sustrans cycle routes, cycled about 30 to 40 miles a day, taking 12 days to travel over 350 miles. We camped and carried all of our kit on our bikes.

Yes, I’d do it all again. But maybe in the other direction. And for longer…

More details to follow, but first I must try and make a video of the trip… Hmm, ok, so the video is bigger, and taking longer than I expected. So, here are a few shots from the trip:

: Our first day’s camp, nr Bradford-upon-Avon

: Here we are, looking happy to have made it to Glastonbury Tor

: By this time my knees were busted, but it was too late, I was addicted to Tiger Balm

: Our first sight of the sea – Woolacombe Bay in the distance

: On the Tarka trail approaching Bideford

: We passed by the spectacular Eden Project

: We only had one really wet day. There were big winds and people’s tents were destroyed. But we plodded on unharmed

: Woohoo! nearly there…

: Wow, what a let down. The beautiful views have been spoiled by this abomination. The waves were drowned out by the sound of machines making dalek noises. Very disappointing.

: One more night’s camping and then we caught the train back to our homes.

Posted by Phil Golder | 18 July, 2010 | Categories: Travels | Leave a comment

Sun, sea and surf at Woolacombe

Say no more, a top few days indeed.

: Croyde – some racing shenanigans. It was also the weekend of the Gold Coast fest

: Wooly looking splendid in the late afternoon sun

: Paul catching some wave action

: Dave looking for some wave action

: This jellyfish’s wave action is, sadly, over.

: Waves.

: Half man, half sun

Posted by Phil Golder | 21 June, 2010 | Categories: Travels | Leave a comment

Heading South for the summer

So, I left Dundreggan on the morning of the 25th, and made it back last evening (28th). I’d been in Scotland since the end of January, my longest ever stint up there. And, as much as I’m really looking forward to spending some time with the family, and activities in the sun, and meeting up with folk I’ve not see in a while, etc; I had this urge to stay North of the border, the closer it got.

The trip was great, all apart from the sizeable jams in Bristol (BH weekend, and half term, I’m a bit out of touch, I had no idea). And on the way I was able to stop by John’s to gee him up for his forthcoming Focaliser training. I have the privilege of Focalising with him on his first F week in the Autumn. Something I’m really looking forward to. Anyway, here are some photos from the trip…

: Heather and Stuart take me on a fabulous walk up the river Nevis

: Shortly before the wire snapped…

: Looking back at the amazing Glencoe

: John’s axe target, before you ask…

Posted by Phil Golder | 29 May, 2010 | Categories: Travels | Leave a comment

Last stop at Dundreggan before heading South

After the weekend at Achnashellach, I had one last stop to make before starting my journey South for the summer. The weather was fine, Steve was out working in the garden, there was some IT stuff to do, and Russell and Stephanie made supper. Great stuff. I stayed for the night before seeing the wild boar fed in the morning. The boar seemed in relaxed mood so Steve took myself, Russell and Steph for a walk in the enclosure, where we spotted a wild boar ‘nest’, a dragonfly, and some signs of regeneration…

: As I was driving from Achnashellach to Dundreggan I stopped at the WGS site alongside Loch Claunie, where I spotted this Stonechat

: Mr Swallow uses some, soon to be successful, chat up lines

: A Gold Ringed Dragonfly, in the wild boar enclosure

: Steve and Russell admire a gnarly hawthorn

: Hmm, don’t know what type this is – any guesses?

: A Hazel in the Dundreggan riparian planting area

: A Rowan in the FCS riparian planting area (adjacent to Dundreggan’s)

Posted by Phil Golder | 29 May, 2010 | Categories: TFL | Leave a comment

Planting at Achnashellach and some time in the TFL Findhorn office.

Following my two work weeks at Plodda I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to hang around the Trees for Life Findhorn office for a week, under the guise of an IT professional. My work was mostly based around upgrading slower MACs, ensuring machines were being backup up and specifying and ordering any other required IT kit. This was the last chance to see the TFL staff at Findhorn for the spring season, and I was treated to a beautiful walk in the dunes, a large slice of carrot cake, and a bbq party round at Mick’s (thanks Mick).

However, (possibly) the best part of my season was yet to come. On the Friday (21st) I had to leave Mick’s bbq reasonably early to head over to Achnashellach. There were still some unplanted trees left over from the season’s work weeks, and I’d agreed, with Colin, to have a go at getting some of them in. Armed with a spade, a couple of planting bags, and an FCS key, I drove to Craig, crossed the railway crossing, and was into the wild.

My illusions (delusions) of being into the wild were shattered at 7.30 the next morning when the slow trickle of walkers started to make their way into the hills, up the track past my sleepy camper. So, I dropped the roof, picked up some trees and got on with the business of increasing the population of Scots Pine on the hillside.

Amidst reports of some kind of heat wave across the rest of the UK, the weather gods were kind enough to leave Achnashellach overcast, with some fine rain at times, much to my relief, as carrying hundreds of trees up a hillside covered in 3ft high heather is warm work. At the end of each day the weather would brighten a little and I would stand at the top of my hill and survey the Glen. To the West were a series of majestic craggy mountains, to the East a large rolling Glen. Near me there was a burn running down the hill with a number of native trees alongside it; a sign of how large parts of the hill should look in just a few years time. In amongst the trees were Willow Warbler, Tree Pipit, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blackbird, Thrush, etc…