For Christmas, I have part-received and part-offered a WWT membership. As some of you will be wondering what that is, well, WWT is the acronym of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, a charity founded in 1946 whose ambition is to conserve wetlands in the UK and abroad. In the UK, the WWT manages 9 reserves, including one in…
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A New Year filled with flowers?
If you’ve read my previous post on Plant Hunting in the 21st Century, well, don’t be surprised, this is a different kind of Plant Hunt! Organised by the Botanical Society Britain and Ireland, aka BSBI, the New Year’s Day Plant Hunt, now in its third year, is quite simple in principle. These were the rules: 1….
Bioblitzing
This weekend was held the second edition of the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Bioblitz at Wisley Common Nature Reserve near Woking. Now, as I can imagine your eyebrows raising – what on earth is a “Bioblitz”??? As I’m lazy, here is Wikipedia’s definition (but it’s actually quite good) : “A BioBlitz is an intense period of…
How do bats cross a motorway? – the results!
I hope the plant enthusiasts among you won’t be too disappointed – in this article I’m talking animals, and more precisely bats! Some of you might remember an article I posted in June last year, about a specific bat survey taking place in Brussels to reveal the impact of large motorways on bat behviour. If…
Behind the scenes at Kew Gardens…
No need to introduce Kew Gardens, this 121 hectare estate in the middle of London, home to the world’s largest collection of living plants and producing the finest botanical research! When I read about a “Tropical Nursery Event”, that would enable people to see discover some of the secrets of the tropical greenhouses, I booked…
Invasive species week
This week was Invasive Species Week at Surrey Wildlife Trust. http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/ But I should tell you first what an “invasive” species is! In their most common definition (here is DEFRA one), these are “non-native plants or animals, which have the ability to spread causing damage to the environment, the economy, our health and the way…
My first adder!
Yesterday I took part in a great survey organized together by Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARCT) and Surrey amphibian and reptile group (SARG). The site, called Frimley Fuel Allotments and located near Camberley covers around 100 hectares. Half has been leased to a golf centre, the remaining half is managed by a local charity…
How do bats cross a motorway?
I got the chance to take part in a survey organized by two local bat groups, Plecobrux & Vleermuizenwerkgroep Brussel in Brussels two weeks ago to answer this interesting question. In the East – South-East of Brussels lies a very large forest called the “Forêt de Soignes“. Now mainly populated with beeches and oaks, it has…
Ode à la Plaine
Comme certains lecteurs le savent peut-être, le campus de la Plaine est en passe de perdre sa quiétude…et pas mal de biodiversité! Les explications et détails du projet sont donnés sur ce site : http://laplaine.jimdo.com mais voilà un bref rappel concernant la situation. Les terrains de la Plaine regroupent un campus double (deux universités :…
Et si on s’intéressait aux oiseaux?
Ce week-end du 4 et 5 février, c’était la grande journée du comptage des oiseaux de l’association Natagora. 4266 jardins ont participé à l’opération, pour une moyenne de 36 oiseaux par jardin. L’association a publié ses résultats sur Facebook et ici : http://www.natagora.be/index.php?id=792 Les trois oiseaux les plus fréquents sont donc le merle noir, la…
