Longtime friend of UKNB, Rose, is working on a wonderful community project celebrating nature in Bungay (that's in Suffolk, East Anglia if you didn't know) and exemplifying her magical story-telling is this blog post on Mayflies over the river. It transports you right there and tells you lots that you probably didn't know about Mayflies.
The blog is great and aims to foster community involvement of all sorts. If you're local to Bungay (or even if you're not) check it out and maybe get involved.
Graeme Rycyk got in touch to promote his really rather wonderful project. For just £2,500 of your Kickstarter backing he will produce a 6 part documentary filmed in Ultra HD on the UK's urban nature.
A particular interesting twist is his intention to cover urban hunters and poachers – those people who are out to bag our city wildlife for their own pot. I can't say I'd even heard of that as a concept but I suppose it makes sense and it would be interesting to hear their perspective on our urban wildlife. If they're trying to catch these animals, they probably know them and their habits inside out.
I'll be honest, it seems like a massive challenge, especially given the budget and timescale, but the teaser video suggests he's serious and knows what he's doing.
I see foxes and hedgehogs in my backgarden as well as Muntjac deer in the town very occasionally (not running down the street or chowing down in Nandos, but in the wilder more natural spots). I'd love to find out a bit more about what they're up to, beyond the fleeting glimpses.
Thanks to regular correspondent David for these great photos from his visit to Martin Mere Wetland Centre in Lancashire. Coots, Moorhens, Water Rails and Crakes, along with many others around the world, are collectively known as "rails" or "rallidae" more officially.
Here we see the ugly side of the family. Coot chicks, which you might easily think were Moorhen chicks given their colouration and that only a mother could love, frankly.
Below, fighting moorhens, their greeny legs scrapping in the water. I saw Moorhens fighting like this just today at Wicken Fen – more on that trip another time!
The BBC reports on recent studies into the power of bird song to lift the mood, aid concentration without distracting, stop you falling asleep after a big lunch and make you better appreciate petrol station toilets, amongst many other benefits.
The potential effects of a birdsong background are really quite startling (or quite Starling perhaps) and it's a really interesting article. I can vouch for the restorative effects of a walk in the countryside with lots of birdsong, including the first cuckoo I'd heard this year at the weekend.
Here’s a genuinely interesting infographic (all the rage at the moment) about the birds in your garden and feeding them – courtesy of Anglian Home Improvements. Perhaps I should get them to extend my blog sideways so their massive infographic actually fits!
This birdwatching infographic was created by Anglian Home Improvements, click on the image above to find out more about this infographic and its origins #birdwatching
