Singing for his supper

Here's the resident blackbird again, this time drawing attention to himself by singing noisily from the ivy-covered fence.

Waiting to be served

The resident blackbird male has got me well-trained.  When he spots me in the kitchen, he alights on the fence close to the back door and waits until I go out and feed him a few dried mealworms.  It also works in reverse - I can call him in by shaking the glass jar of worms.
Today he was obviously feeling quite relaxed in the summer warmth and decided to sunbathe on the patio table whilst he was waiting for his human to appear.

Bad news for barn owls

Tonight I went to a barn owl ringing demonstration at Lower Derwent Valley NNR. We were supposed to see barn owl chicks being ringed, but it's bad news for the owls so far in 2015.  The vole cycle is at a low and the adult birds cannot get enough food to raise a brood - 30 nest boxes had been checked but there wasn't a single chick.

It may be that the owls breed later in 2015 when the vole population hopefully goes into an upward phase of its cycle, but in the meantime a pair of adult barn owls without leg rings had been carefully 'bagged' and we watched them being ringed instead (the birds are much calmer when laid on their backs).

When the ringing was all done the owls were released to fly off silently over the fields.

A quick roe down the River Humber

Today I visited Spurn Point National Nature Reserve at the mouth of the Humber, with the other volunteers from Pearson Park Wildlife Garden in Hull.

We used the Unimog off-roader to drive down to the tip of the Point, and en route spotted some of the reserve's roe deer.

 

The reserve is home to a huge range of wildlife, and later on I saw this bluetail damselfly near one of Spurn's brackish ponds.

 

Disgruntled field vole

Today I helped out with a small mammal survey at Filey Dams Nature Reserve in North Yorkshire. This field vole looked rather disgruntled at being caught in a live-trap, but it still sat calmly to have its photo taken (as field voles usually do).

On a roll with voles

A couple of weeks ago I was walking to work and spotted another water vole at a different location more than a mile from last month's Ratty. Today I took my camera with me and snapped the vole munching on the bankside vegetation.  It's amazing to see such an elusive and threatened animal on my 'commute' to work.

Ratty in danger

This morning I was delighted to see a water vole in the ditch alongside which I've walked various dogs for over 20 years without a single such sighting.
My delight turned to sadness later today when I learned that this ditch will be disturbed by the construction of part of a huge flood alleviation scheme - undoubtedly necessary, but I'm off to investigate what mitigation measures will be put in place for my little Ratty friend (and his/her descendants)!

Rings on the wings

The UK's Big Butterfly Count 2012 is on!  'Spotted' this ringlet today near High Hunsley in East Yorkshire.

A newt under the wheelie bin

Found this cute newt under the wheelie bin in my garden today.

Splendid toad

Walking along Riccal Dale in North Yorkshire today, we saw roe deer and grey squirrels disappearing through the trees, but this splendid common toad was more obliging as it warmed itself in the sun.

Seeing the sites

This morning we did the conventional touristy bit and drove out of the city through the smog and crazy traffic to visit the Terracotta Army (impressive, but I haven't posted any pictures because there are zillions on the web that all look the same). Unfortunately my most enduring memory of the visit to the Army was the dogs skins for sale at several market stalls on the site - some of the stall holders claimed they were wolf skins (which wouldn't have made it any better), but the larger ones were clearly from German shepherd dogs.
We then went back to Xi'an and visited the Wild Goose Pagoda which is a focal point for Buddhists and was very atmospheric but quite crowded. This lovely elephant statue graced one of the many courtyards.
The drizzly rain cleared and we walked around part of the old city wall, then meandered back to the hotel via narrow streets full of small shops. We bought gifts and I did my best to turn a blind eye to a trussed-up sheep being wheelbarrowed of to some no doubt grisly end.
Our trip ended this evening with a dumpling banquet.

Farewell to Foping

Today we bid farewell to Sanguanmiao Research Station and walked the 8km back out of the Reserve, taking in the atmosphere of the forest for the last time. We then continued our journey by road back to Xi'an, hot showers and softer beds! Although it's 5th November and the Chinese did invent fireworks, it wasn't their parliament that someone tried to blow up in 1605 so there'll be no celebrations in Xi'an tonight.

A last search for pandas

Today was our last opportunity for panda tracking, and thankfully the rain stopped. The paths were still streams as the rainwater continued to drain off the steep mountain sides. We bushwacked through the wet bamboo (tip - go near the back of the group so the people in front get the worst soaking!) to a beautiful wooded valley where there are resident red and white giant flying squirrels. They are pretty much guaranteed to put in an appearance when the guides bang on the bottom of their nest tree - fortunately there are still so few visitors to Foping that the squirrels don't get disturbed too often.I didn't manage to get any photos 'in flight' (which is impressive because at full stretch these animals are more than a metre across), but we climbed a steep slope to get on a level with the squirrels' home. Here is one showing neither its red and white coat nor its 'flying' abilities.In the meantime the trackers had had no luck with pandas, so we had lunch in the valley and headed home. One last Foping picture of some random moss (actually it did have takin hair caught on the underside, but not visible here).

Will we get out of the forest?!

By this morning the rain was absolutely torrential. Definitely no tracking today, in fact the river was now so swollen I was starting to wonder how much of the path through the forest was still intact and whether we would be able to get out! By this afternoon we were getting cabin fever stuck at the Research Station, so headed out in ones and twos for a walk in the rain, which eased off a little. The paths had turned into streams, but I did have a brief encounter with a rock squirrel on the way back to base.

The river swells

After a night of continuous rain which was getting heavier by the hour, the panda trackers didn't go out today. After waiting all morning to see if the weather improved (it didn't!) we attempted a walk in the afternoon towards the golden takin area. The rain got worse and the river was swollen - where we had walked across the exposed rocks two days earlier these had disappeared and there was now nowhere to negotiate the river safely.

More mist, rain, fungi & leaves

The mist and rain persisted today. We did attempt panda tracking, but the rain got heavier and the trackers went home early, soaked from walking through the wet bamboo.

The forest was still picturesque even in the rain, so I went for a longish walk and took some more pictures of leaves, fungi and anything that didn't move and looked vaguely photogenic!

The mists descend

There was only light rain at the Research Station this morning, but it was misty higher up the mountains and this apparently means that the trackers don't go out in case they unintentionally get too close to a panda and disturb it. The rain stopped and we waited for the mist to clear but it didn't, so eventually we went for a general walk in the forest. I enjoyed photographing the leaves and fungi - which looked lovely in the clear light after the rain - and a spider's web 'decorated' with dew.

Takin tracking

This morning, with our guides feeling rather confident about panda sightings, we headed off in another direction in search of golden takins. We saw lots of signs, but no animals. Early clouds burned off and it was warm and sunny - with hindsight, perfect weather for panda-tracking:-/

Panda tracking day 2 - pandas but no photos:-(

Today it was another crisp sunny morning, and I decided to head out on my own before breakfast. I didn't spot any mammals but the autumnal scenery looked fantastic in the early sunlight.
At breakfast we got fresh home-made flatbreads which were scrummy. At mealtimes we are always joined by a variety of dogs including our favourite who we have named 'Stumpy'. She was evidently at the back of the queue when they were giving out legs, and there were only half-size ones left. We walked 5km into the forest and then got word from the trackers that they had found a mother panda and her youngster. We climbed up an impossibly steep mountainside (or I would have said it was if there wasn't a panda somewhere at the top of it), with the aim of getting ahead of where the trackers anticipated the pandas would emerge. It was extremely warm climbing, and the local guide offered to carry my camera-containing rucksack. Our group had got strung out negotiating the steep slope when the mother panda (who evidently was not familiar with the trackers' tactics for delighting tourists) suddenly appeared not far below me and cut across the path of our group - a clear view for me if only for about 10 seconds, but the local guide had disappeared with my camera - no photos even if I had been quick enough! We all regrouped and waited quietly, and eventually the cub (about 12 months old) came bumbling along looking for its mother. It was slightly obscured by the vegetation but close enough to see how cute it was.

Panda tracking day 1

I joined the birders for an early morning walk in the hope of spotting some mammals but no luck. Here we are in the 'restaurant' having our first breakfast at the Research Centre. (Note the little dog in the bottom left-hand corner - more of her soon.)Breakfast was interesting - a grey rice 'porridge' which appeared to be just rice boiled in far too much water, and rice dumplings/dough balls which were freshly-baked but possibly slightly undercooked and didn't taste of much. As the week progresses I shall learn that (a) a dollop of jam makes them more edible and (b) they appear to continue cooking for some time, so a dough ball or two stashed in one's rucksack becomes positively edible at lunchtime especially after an energetic walk!
The skies were blue today and the temperatures climbed as we walked - it was hot for late October. We went about 5km through the forest in several stages, waiting in between for news over the radio from the trackers, but they had nothing to report so we settled down by the beautiful river to eat our lunch.

After lunch, we got word that the trackers were on to a panda so we bushwacked up steep hills and through tall, thick bamboo, but the panda evaded us. All we saw was some panda poo, which is enormous! (Fellow guest Alf's hand included for scale - he wasn't touching it, honest.)

Foping NR and Sanguanmia​o research station

After lunch, we continued to Foping Nature Reserve. No vehicles are permitted inside, so our bags were loaded onto some hard-working little ponies and we started the 8km walk to the Sanguanmiao Research Station which was to be our base in the Reserve. Most of the path was concreted but parts of it and some bridges had washed away earlier this year in the worst floods in around 50 years, so we had to divert onto unmade paths. The forest was beautiful in its autumn colours - a mixed woodland still rich in many of the plant species that failed to survive the last ice age in Britain and never managed to recolonise as they had done in Foping.
We arrived at the Research Station as it was getting dark, but this is our 'hotel', photographed later in the week (when the mists had descended). Hmmm - not quite so 4-star:-)Inside is better, with an LPG heater to warm the room and a big flask of boiling water each day for washing, although the mattresses appear to have been stored at a pressure of several atmospheres and are quite 'firm'. I shall resort to sleeping on top of one duvet and under another - the joys of having a spare bed!

Weird monkeys

Today we set out from Xi'an for Foping Nature Reserve. It was good to escape the smog that unfortunately characterised much of Xi'an and its environs, and after passing through an area of farmland we started to cut through the mountains and the road ran alongside a beautiful turquoise river.

We stopped en route to Foping to visit a group of golden snub-nosed monkeys in another part of the Qinling Mountains. The group is regularly fed by the local people and has become habituated to humans so we got some good photos. This species is endangered and found only in China, so it was quite a bizarre privilege to get so close to them. As well as looking weird, they have a strange call a bit like a plaintive human baby.

Arrival in China

Today I landed in Xi'an city (from Manchester via Amsterdam and Beijing) at the start of an 'expedition' to look for giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains. I say expedition because it wouldn't be most people's idea of a holiday! (See later posts).

I was transferred from the airport to a 4-star hotel at which I had 1 night to stock up on as much luxury and comfort as possible to last me over the next 9 days. En route from the airport, I was surprised at the sheer amount of construction taking place - mostly roads and high-rise buildings to accommodate the huge numbers of people moving into China's cities from the rural areas.

The rest of the group arrived at the hotel from Heathrow via Beijing a little later, and we were taken to the Muslim quarter of Xi'an's old town for our evening meal. Not the best place for a veggie to forage!, but we enjoyed the atmosphere of the market stalls and shops, and saw the Drum Tower - part of the old city wall.

Hauled out on the Brigg

Spotted this young harbour seal today, hauled out at the end of Filey Brigg in North Yorkshire.

My tree bumblebee neighbours

Tree bumblebees first arrived in the south of the UK in 2001 and have been expanding their range northwards.  Now I have tree bees nesting in my garden in East Yorkshire!

 

Springtime flowers & butterflies

Out doing a survey of wildflowers in Nut Wood, East Yorkshire for my Open University course today, and spotted this peacock butterfly on the bluebells.

Festive robin

Snapped this festive robin today in a snow-covered shrub in my back garden.