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Georgie's Wildlife Blog
Sunday 11 December 2016
Monday 7 November 2016
A Beautiful Early Morning with the Red Deer
Everything seems to have settled down after the establishment of the leks during the rutting season in October. The men have been sorted from the boys, and the boys now seem a little lost and confused. The females calmly graze by their designated protective fellows, and their babies by their side look like they are to getting as much of the grass as they can whilst there is still some sugar in it to help them grow strong for winter.
I got to the park early this morning, before the golfers arrived to chase me off the course, so I could get a proper glance at the red deer in the early hours. As I arrived the sun was just starting to reflect like gold dust in the sky, with the misty morning dew seeping away after the bitter evening before. The light of a new day warmed the backs of the red deer, as it did it warm my face, so I smiled and peddled on to see what was occurring within their groups today.
Firstly I was greeted by two rather troublesome teenagers, loitering by a fence and clearly up to no good. One glared cautiously as I edged closer, as if he was keeping for any authority that may catch them. The other in the meantime was up to the dirty work, making rather a mess of the fence post, vigorously rubbing his antlers against the wood with every intention of grating it to a toothpick. It was clear that the testosterone filled season was not enough for these two who just weren't satisfied, needing to find something to do other than behaving themselves!
After leaving Kevin and Perry to their fence post I peddled on to find a much more civilised section of the park on the edge of the golf course. There stood three does with a fawn from this year, protected by an older and grand male with what I assumed to be his young disciple. Between them they did not seem too worried about my presence as I crept to a nearby tree where I sat and watched. As I crouched there it was the most peaceful I had been all morning, with the golden light slowly sweeping across the green, and the deer enjoying the fresh due sweetened grass. The squirrels were dancing around the trees, scurrying to gather all the horse chestnuts they could find. The odd Magpie was hopping around, dancing and chattering to himself looking for mischief to get up to. I on the other hand was as motionless as I could be, taking it all in and soaking up every bit of this magical moment that I could
Unfortunately my peace was short lived. They were there! Golfers! No time to dawdle but to scarper home for breakfast - and quickly.
!
Monday 31 October 2016
Rutting and Red Deer Conservation
It’s rutting season again! The
stags are full of testosterone, chasing the ladies, and calling to warn other
males of the unwelcome greeting they will receive if important antics are
interfered with. Last week I had a fantastic afternoon watching the males, albeit
from a very safe distance, with fascination over the tireless determination used
to maintain their territories. Although not all males will successfully mate
with a female this year, I am sure the herd will have no trouble this autumn
and winter in surviving to produce young in the spring. Whilst the Red Deer are
doing very well in Wollaton however, a little reading up on this species made
it all too clear that the thriving and fruitful resilience of the our
population is not uniform across the continent.
Red Deer are the most widespread
large mammal across Europe, however recent genetic studies suggest a number lineages
dating back to the last ice age that are both distinct from the Red Deer in
other regions, and endangered. During
the peak of the last ice age, Red Deer populations became isolated whilst
finding refuge from the cold and harsh conditions. Later, with the warming of
the earth’s climate these isolated herds moved to different corners of the
continent, creating the isolated lineages across Europe today. The Red Deer
that seem so widespread across our continent are probably a number of
separately divergent and evolved herds or even subspecies, unique to certain areas
of Europe. It is really important to understand the extent of separate
evolution between herds like these, as although the distinction between groups may
seem trivial, it could have important consequences for conservation of the
European Red Deer.
When two populations become isolated
for a long enough time from a phenomena such as an ice age, they can evolve unique
adaptations to their individual habitats. As two isolated populations may
evolve separate adaptive traits through time, it could mean a hybrid between
these two distinct and locally adapted populations would not be adapted to
either habitat, but be a mish-mash of adaptations suited to the two different
areas. When individuals move between populations, problems often arise that
mean individuals such as the deer may suffer in the long run if hybrids become
a frequent occurrence.
One isolated Red Deer lineage that
is both endangered, and unique from any other populations across Europe is the
Mesola Red Deer population from Italy. The Mesola population is not only small and
suffering from a huge decline in genetic diversity, but is also the last
Italian Red Deer population remaining since the retreat of the last ice age.
Since monitoring of this population began, catastrophes and inbreeding through
a lack of genetic diversity have been identified as important threats to the
population’s survival. An option to reduce the risk of inbreeding is to
introduce Red Deer from other populations into the Mesola population, to
increase genetic diversity within the herd. As discussed before however, we
need to be careful to try and maintain the locally adapted traits that make
this population unique to any other Red Deer herd across the globe.
Whilst it seems I am approaching
the thought of moving Red Deer between populations with some red hot and
smoking barge pole, it has to be said that in European Red Deer conservation, translocations
to date have been quite successful. In Croatia, two distinct populations have
still been maintained with the help of translocations between populations to
try and boost the genetic diversity within each herd. Without careful movement
of the deer, the Croatian populations may have suffered from inbreeding and so
an increase in susceptibility to disease through a lack of genetic diversity. It
is still to be ironed out for sure if there will be any long term ecological consequences
as a result of translocations, but at the moment things seem to be improved
after these conservation efforts.
At the moment, new research is
being undertaken to get a better understanding of the Red Deer species, and
hopefully as a result we can continue to protect the distinct populations that
remain across Europe. Whilst this exciting research is being undertaken on the
continent however, we can still go out and enjoy trying to understand our
native population thriving here. Whilst this is on a slightly different level
to the population geneticists guiding conservation action in Italy, Croatia and
Iberia, we can still enjoy investigating our own Red Deer all the same. If anything,
I think knowing about the rich and interesting history of this species makes me
appreciate the local animals’ company a little more than before.
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Badgers, Bovine TB and Bad Scientific Practice
Bovine
tuberculosis is a long term epidemic in the South West of England that spreads
fear across cattle farmers as cattle are slaughtered in attempt to control
spread of the disease. With the potential of transmission from badgers or
cattle to humans the badger cull pilot scheme was launched in 2013 with
the aim to reduce Bovine Tuberculosis in the British cattle herds. Since the cull however, people have found themselves stuck between articles stating the apparent success
of the cull, whilst other groups are actively campaigning to stop the
apparently useless and meaningless destruction of one of Britain’s most iconic
species. It is a shame that given the importance of this disease and amount of
conflict rising between the two parties however, that clashing beliefs are probably a
result of governmental ignorance to scientific practice. Throughout the pilot cull so far, little attention has been paid to scientific evidence and because of it
we are still non-the-wiser as to whether the cull could successfully help to
eradicate tuberculosis or not.
The
threat of bovine tuberculosis in Britain is real. Since 2008, 227,835 cattle
have been slaughtered in England as a result of this disease, and at the moment
protecting the cattle with a vaccine is not a legal, or viable option either.
Approximately 28,500 cattle per year have to be killed after testing positive for
the bovine tuberculosis disease, and shockingly many of these deaths will be the
result of an inconclusive test, meaning healthy cattle are being destroyed. There
is also no legal vaccine due to the interference that will follow with the test
either, meaning options for freeing the country of bovine tuberculosis and this
economic burden on the industry are far and few between.
After
a background of scientific evidence gathered to understand the connection
between badgers and bovine tuberculosis, the government sanctioned the culling
of badgers in the South West of England in 2013. In Gloucestershire, Somerset
and Dorset, farmers were appointed to control badger populations via both cage
trapping, and free shooting. In 2016, the culling areas were then widened to
seven locations in addition to these previously existing areas. The number of
license holders for the disposing of badgers were later increased 2016. Culling
in these new areas will be carried out over the next four years, so you would hope
this expansion would be a result of the successful pilot culls surely!?
Unfortunately, due to a series of irresponsible errors on the government’s
part, the answer to that is no. The disorganisation that has surrounded the
cull means that we don’t even know if the cull is or is not successful, and
because of this, both sides of the badger cull debate are up in arms.
Add caption |
Well-grounded
evidence behind the cull states that the control of badger populations must
follow an all or nothing approach. Heavily reducing the badger population size
in our countryside would help reduce bovine tuberculosis. However, culling
small numbers of badgers in patchy areas would be unlikely to have the desired
effect. Whilst undisturbed badger clans remain relatively stationary so disease
does not spread quickly, culling will disrupt this system. Badgers evading the
cull or moving into land vacated by the cull will have a larger range that
could increase the spread of the disease. To sum it up, not conducted carefully,
the bovine tuberculosis problem could actually be exacerbated by the culling
rather than solved.
As the badger cull was and still is such a controversial movement,
it would make sense that pilot tests were conducted with precision, vigilance
and careful monitoring to gain enough information to either support or neglect
this as a form of disease control. Unfortunately from the moment culling
targets were set, the project was not treated with nearly enough sincerity. Following
Independent Expert advice, a target to reduce population size by 70% was set in
the three areas for 2013. To achieve this, a range was calculated based on
population estimates, to cull between 1876 and 2584 badgers. This meant that if
the lower limit of 1876 badgers were killed, there would only be a 1/40 chance
that 70% of the population would have been killed. Of course in attempt to cut
corners the government took the 1/40 chance in order to “remain realistic” in
meeting given targets, and set for 1876 badgers to be killed in these areas.
Even before a single badger was shot, not enough effort was being made to
ensure the highest probability of success for the badger cull.
If it wasn’t enough
that the cull used a target that was unlikely to sufficiently control the
badger population, this target was then given little chance of being met or
adhered to. Firstly, culling was carried out by the farmers themselves, making
an extra job for workers who may not have the adequate free time to effectively
undertake the badger control. It came to no surprise then that in 2013, only
between 37-51% of badgers were culled in Somerset, and between 43-51% in
Gloucestershire. Furthermore, in 2014, the government discarded the Independent
Expert monitoring of population size methods that revealed the previous year’s
failures, and left the farming marksmen to assess the population size. In 2014 no
published estimates of population sizes were achieved. Lastly, as the final
nail in the badger culling coffin, restrictions on maximum cull duration, cull
area size and percentage of accessible land, previously considered “unduly
inflexible”, were proposed for abandonment by the government, as apparently no
longer fundamental guidelines to the cull. It is no wonder that the catastrophe
was soon followed by an announcement declaring that “despite killing badgers,
cattle slaughtered for TB continue to rise in and around the area.” (DEFRA). Anger
has since boiled from both sides, where the cull was neither taken seriously,
or responsibly enough to be worth it.
Whilst it seems that there is little hope for the cull, new
pilot areas are being rolled out across the country in what seems to be half
hearted attempt to address bovine Tuberculosis in Britain. To certain members
of the public, this movement has not been conducted to help the cattle
industry, but as a means of being seen to be doing. The culling could provide a
reasonable means of badger control, just as it is currently conducted with other
species like deer and other forms of wildlife. Given the unscientific way the
piloting procedure has been conducted however, the success of the badger cull
seems dubious if the current practice is not given a serious shake-up. If the
cull continues to follow suit as it has in the past three years, we can’t only
hope for failure of the cull, but expect that we will not know the
effectiveness of the cull at all, and cannot help to guide future wildlife con
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090330154646/www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/isg/pdf/final_report.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/183227/defra-stats-foodfarm-landuselivestock-farmstats-dec2012-130314.pdf
https://theconversation.com/badger-cull-didnt-kill-enough-badgers-to-be-effective-36388
https://theconversation.com/british-government-on-the-badger-cull-ask-scientists-for-help-then-ignore-them-31435
http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06837#fullreport
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/03/badger-vaccination-cheaper-than-cull
https://www.zsl.org/blogs/wild-science/badger-culling-2015-where-are-we-now
http://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/scientific-case-for-badger-cull-is-clear-minister-insists.htm
Monday 3 October 2016
Summer Swallows!
So the summer has come to a close whether we like it or not, and with the end of the long and sunny days (sometimes!), comes an end to natures family making as well. The Swallows in particular have exploited any nooks and crannies available to nest their young. A local stables has a thriving Swallow population that comes back each summer from Africa, and this year I have been photographing the families, observing the behaviour, and intently tracking their progress as the chicks attempt to fledge the nests.
Any Swallow mother and father in these stables requires vigilance, determination, and a fierceness that will ward off the Magpies in the area looking for an easy snack. Swallow chicks are plentiful with tens of nests in these stables, and so these children provide a nice meal for any scavenger able to avoid the wrath of the swallow parents. Although the Magpie is well over twice the size of the swallows however, this proves rather difficult. The presence of a Magpie around a Swallow nest is made apparent to all, as the rippling and churring chatter of the Swallow parents changes into a sharp, shrill, and shaking screech. The doting parents immediately turn into bombers, swooping and gliding and diving on the Magpie. On one encounter a younger looking Magpie was found at the helpless and unyielding end of a Swallow attack, cowering as multiple parents joined in on protecting their chicks from the scavenger. There is no doubt that Magpies are fatal to any chick within its reach, but for the Magpie, getting so close may sometimes be all too difficult.
If the Swallow parents are able to ward off predators, the sons and daughters will be ready to fledge the nest and clumsily explore the world outside the nest. One morning we came to the yard to be distracted by a number of siblings ready to fledge the nest. One brave individual had already ventured out of his nest, to nearly crash into us, before desperately clinging to walls, becoming entangled in a cloak of dusty cobwebs, and eventually fall onto a window ledge nearby. The parents would chatter away to their child, encouraging him and giving him every bit of available advice that may help him. Watching them fly as if learning to ride a bike that has recently had the stabilizers removed. Each flap would tilt the unstable body from one side to the other, as the fledgling would clumsily meander its way through the sky. It would not be long before the youngsters could carve their way through the sky like a knife through butter, but until then the fledglings would be very vulnerable to the Magpie who was searching for breakfast.
Should the
fledglings make it this far in life, they could learn to soar through the
skies, catch food, and communicate with extended family members before setting
off on their treacherous voyage. The birds began to leave in early September,
but this year’s fledglings have remained for around 3 weeks after their parents
set off to Africa. The return journey will take about six weeks, and the final
destination of the Swallow will depend on where in Europe they come from. It
has been found that these birds are so good at reliably flying along a similar
flight path each year from their first migration, unguided by the parents, because
there are certain genes involved in determining where the bird will fly to. The
Swallows will travel down through western France and eastern Spain from the UK
into Morocco. The birds will then cross the Sahara desert and the Congo
rainforest, finally reaching their home for the winter. Travelling 200 miles
each day, let’s hope that the birds are currently well on their way to a good
few months holiday in the sun.
Monday 9 May 2016
(very) mini documentary on the early family life of the Coots
I know I should probably be revising instead, but have taken the evening off to put a short video together about the new coot families arriving at the lake, whilst unveiling a nasty secret about their family lives...
Saturday 30 April 2016
Spring is here! (apparently)
The snow has been falling, the wind blowing, and the rain
pouring down onto Nottingham - of course this can only mean its spring. It has
been a while since I took a visit to the university lake, and despite the
recent strange weather, it is like somebody has waved a wand over the lake,
transforming it while I have been home for Easter. The black headed gulls that
were so numerous have vanished and taken with them the grey and drab cloth that
swamped us over winter. In every corner of the lake a nest has risen out of the
water to host a coot family that is soon to arrive. Some new arrivals on the
lake who looked like something crafted by the devil himself, and a slightly
older friend from last term I was a delight to meet again too. Everything is
happening on the lake, and I can’t wait to see what may happen next!
While I felt quite privileged being able to watch this one nest so close, it was not long before I realised coot nests had popped up all over the lake. All along both sides of the lake the water is quite shallow, meaning nine nests in total were made all along the banks of the lake. There was one nest amongst the willow tree branches where the twigs could easily be bundled together, held by the long fingers of the willow branches like a leafed cage around the home. Another had been dumped in a slightly unexpected place, amongst the scurvy and scummy remnants of rubbish, twigs and slime. The gentle currents in the lake pushed surface debris to this south corner of the lake, perhaps making it easy to gather nearby items quickly, before it would be broken down by the slow running water.
While I was happy to see the new arrivals, my heart leapt
when I found a slightly older friend who I had met last term. I was concerned
after walking most of the way around the lake and catching no sign of the
Egyptian Goose family. My worries were set aside however, when then there he
was, barely recognisable, a gangly and strange looking teenage chick, bumbling
around on the boat ramp. The father was nowhere to be seen, as Billy (which I
have now named him) is old enough to only need the care of one parent. The
transformation that can happen in the space of a month is still hard to
believe. The look of strength in his legs now was phenomenal, fully grown and
just waiting for his adolescent body to catch up. His body was now half the size of an adult, and his proper juvenile feathers had come through. It was
magical to see him from the fluffy little ball I had first met curled up in the
sun. Through frosts, and wind, and snow, rain and sleet, this little chick had
grown up so much and it was a wonderful thing to see.
On first arrival, I caught a glimpse of my first nesting
Eurasian Coot. There she sat, very satisfied with her arrangement of sticks and
leaves piled up high in the water. The lady of the house had to constantly
maintain her mound in this shallower part of the lake to avoid her home being
swept beneath her with the gentle currents. As usual, I was transfixed by her
forthrightness as she was plumping all her leaf cushions, shaking them and
patting them down on her bed ready for her babies to arrive. I wasn’t too sure
what difference this made as the bed didn’t seemed to change all too much from
before she had started organising her nest, but I got the feeling this was a
very important task that needed to be attended to.
the Eurasian Coot, very proud of her nest in the scummy corner of the lake |
While I felt quite privileged being able to watch this one nest so close, it was not long before I realised coot nests had popped up all over the lake. All along both sides of the lake the water is quite shallow, meaning nine nests in total were made all along the banks of the lake. There was one nest amongst the willow tree branches where the twigs could easily be bundled together, held by the long fingers of the willow branches like a leafed cage around the home. Another had been dumped in a slightly unexpected place, amongst the scurvy and scummy remnants of rubbish, twigs and slime. The gentle currents in the lake pushed surface debris to this south corner of the lake, perhaps making it easy to gather nearby items quickly, before it would be broken down by the slow running water.
The nest tucked into the bank of the lake, and the Coot pruning her feathers in the rain |
believe it or not a family live here! |
In contrary to my initial thoughts, it soon became apparent
that the coots had no good sense of housekeeping at all in their nest building.
While they did spend a substantial amount of time ensuring the nest remained
sturdy and intact, this is the point that I stopped agreeing with their
requirements of a good home. I came across yet another nest in the lake in one
of the grimiest locations they could have chosen. Between some black railings
and a few willow branches that had rooted amongst a pile of stagnant rubbish
settled my best find of the day. Out from behind the rubbish, emerged three ugly
and wrinkly individuals, with heads red like fire with tufts of burnt off
feathers, sprouting out these strange evil looking minions’ necks. I laughed to
myself as the coot parents doted upon these horrible children, a parent’s love
really is blind.
the ugly little chick next to an unhatched egg |
mother and chick, or now teenager |
Billy looking very gangly - still has a lot of growing to do! |
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