I’m feeling a bit sad that I’m onto the last few weeks of my wild challenge. I don’t plan to stop my ‘daily acts of wildness’ when we hit 2022, but it does feel like another journey is coming to a close.
So it’s definitely important for me to make the most of December and share all of my stories with you. And Week 47 certainly had some more highlights in store, including:
🌲 A big ol’ larch tree
❄️ A cold walk at dusk
🤓 Fun facts about 3 lesser-seen birds
🐦 Spotting a very adorable tree creeper
Thank you for sticking with me over the past 47 weeks (through all the ups and downs). Hope you enjoy as always 😊
Monday 29th November 2021
The article I read this morning was called ‘The shocking truth about the UK’s primate trade’ and it really did shock me. I had no idea that private ownership of primates (as pets) was so easy to do and was so unregulated. Marmosets are apparently the main victims of private ownership, but a primate rescue centre called Monkey World in Dorset has also saved spider monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs and a chimpanzee.
It’s difficult to get a good idea of the numbers of primates in private ownership but BBC Wildlife says that most estimates suggest it’s between 1,000 and 7,500 individuals. It just beggars belief. The article offered some solace though – the law is slowly but surely changing and, under proposed new regulations, privately kept primates will need to live in ‘zoo-level’ conditions and owners will need to have a license. I hope that’s enough to solve the problem for these poor animals.
Tuesday 30th November 2021
I knew that time for ‘acts of wildness’ was gonna be tight today. So I took the opportunity early doors, while at work on campus, to have a short wander on my own. I went around one of the university’s smaller side-campuses and saw some squirrels, robins and blackbirds. This larch with its cones and spines caught my eye too. Apparently it loses its spines but its cones will stay over winter.
Larches originate in central Europe but were introduced here for timber. In European folklore, the trees were said to protect against enchantment. I didn’t need this today, but I definitely needed some protection from a long day at work – I wonder if it helps with that too?
Wednesday 1st December 2021
What better thing to do the morning after a late night at work than to have a walk around the meadow. My brain was still whirring and buzzing but I enjoyed the very fresh, cold air. The weather has confused me a lot over the past few days – it got milder but it was still cold. And it’s felt really cold when it hasn’t been much below freezing yet (at least not in the West Midlands). How am I going to cope with actual winter?!
Thursday 2nd December 2021
Another walk today but this time at dusk. I was lucky with this one. I managed to take a bit of time back from work and clocked off early. Notwithstanding my good fortune, I was nearly too late to beat the sunset. I wanted to venture a little further than my recent wanderings which would involve walking on an unlit single track road.
I know lots of people enjoy listening to podcasts or music while they walk. I don’t tend to do this since learning some common bird songs and calls, but this is another reason why I often refrain. I knew I had to listen out for cars in the half-light and there turned out to be a fair few of them this evening. The dusk didn’t disappoint though – a clear sky with oranges and yellows on the horizon.
Friday 3rd December 2021
My partner found a list earlier in the week. This is the official list of wild bird records in Britain. And can you believe there are 628 species listed?! I think our list for the year is at around 100, which is about half of the more common species.
I’m pretty pleased with that tally, but I would be well up for seeing some of these impressive critters!
1. Cackling Goose
I was drawn to the name instantly in the list. A Cackling Goose! Who knew there was such a thing? Cackling Geese look a lot like Canada Geese but in miniature form – these photos don’t really show it, but they look absolutely tiny in comparison.
I’m not sure when these were first sighted in Britain, but Twitter tells me that they were spotted not far from me in Gloucestershire last December. If you want to hear their cackle, I’d strongly encourage you to listen to the second recording on this website.
2. Common Nighthawk
Look at this impressive beast! Spotted in London in October 2019 (and elsewhere in the UK over the years too). Related to the Nightjar and found largely across North America.
I’ve never seen a Nightjar, but I’ve flicked past it a number of times in the good ol’ bird book. They’re odd-looking birds and you can see the similarity in the Common Nighthawk in its stumpy face.
3. Blue Rock Thrush
And last, but not least, the Blue Rock Thrush. Such a beautiful colour. Apparently their song is Blackbird-like but there would be no mistaking this one if you spotted it!
Blue Rock Thrushes look to be more common in warmer climates – southern Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East and South/East Asia. I wonder how often it pays a visit to us…
Saturday 4th December 2021
Another valuable lesson learnt today. Always, always take the binoculars.
I went out for a quick walk in the sunshine and could’ve kicked myself. In a tree across the field was a giant black bird with a long neck, perched on a branch. I reckon it was a cormorant, but I have absolutely no proof – I just couldn’t see it properly with the naked eye. If I’m right, it would definitely be a bit of a peculiar thing to spot around here.
One thing I can be sure of is that I got my first reasonably-good-quality-ish photo of a fieldfare! I can finally show you one of our locals! I don’t usually see them in trees on the streets of Shipston, but there you go!
Sunday 5th December 2021
I’d like to end the week with a tree creeper. I’ve seen a few of these around and spotted one at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve today. They’re pretty secretive birds – they make their way up and down tree trunks, checking in cracks and crevices for food. They almost look like they’re hopping vertically.
They’re small but distinctive – long curved beak, white belly and beige, zigzag wings. Overlooked and underrated I reckon. So that’s why they can have a spot in my blog this week.
*For anyone new to my blog, let me explain a bit more about what these posts are about. Every week I share a summary of my daily ‘acts of wildness’. This wildlife challenge was inspired by ’30 Days Wild’ and ’12 Days Wild’ from The Wildlife Trusts. The ‘356’ isn’t a typo – typically, I only thought about doing this after 2021 had already started so I won’t be able to do a full year this time. Next year will be different though! Thank you and I hope you’ve enjoyed the post!
Ramblings of a (very!) amateur artist 