Two down, the letters A to F done, so here are two more letters and things that have meant so much to me over the past few years!
G is for … Grassholm and Gannets
The single most “coolest” thing I have done since becoming a volunteer for RSPB Cymru was visiting the Gannet colony at Grassholm. It almost never happened. The weather meant that the boats from St Justinian’s could not sail for weeks. We were right at the end of the time that the sea bird colonies are at Ramsey and Grassholm so I thought my chance to witness this spectacle for myself in 2012 had gone. I then had one of those can you drop everything and come with us the day after tomorrow phone calls. I thought about it for about 3 Nano-seconds, and said yes!
And so we set out with the then incumbent Environment Minister for Wales so he could see marine conservation for himself. We left the harbour in glorious sunshine, but were soon enveloped in a thick fog when we got out to sea. This only added to the drama as Grassholm, white topped with guano from the thousands of Gannets that nest there, loomed out of the fog bank. We were surrounded by Gannets, undoubtedly curious about our presence here. I discovered taking pictures of moving birds in the fog was actually really quite difficult! Cameras are one thing, but the memories of that amazing day are still as vivid as they were almost two years ago. I want to go and visit Ramsey again, as I would love to see the island when all the Razorbills are there, something I missed last time. It’s on that ever expanding bucket list …
H is for … Hedgehogs
One of the greatest bits of pleasure I got from the old house in Llantwit Fardre was that it was blessed with other wonderful wildlife and not just birds. We had field mice occasionally, and you have already heard that we spotted a fox on a couple of occasions. We were also lucky enough to have hedgehogs regularly turning up to feed.
Hedgehogs are in trouble, with population numbers crashing in the UK. There is so much you can do to help them. Hog boxes are an obvious place to start, they are now widely available, and can provide shelter and warmth for them during the hibernation periods, and even when our spring arrives, they can provide the same creature comforts during times of our now erratic temperature swings. Feeding them doesn’t have to break the bank; mine always liked dried meal worms and cat foot that wasn’t fish based. A dish of water during the hot summer nights really helps when natural puddles have dried up. Remember; never put milk out as hedgehogs are lactose intolerant.
Seeing hedgehogs during daylight hours is never a good thing. I had to rescue more than one hedgehog from my garden during the two years I lived there. One made a full recovery and was released back into the wild, alas the other was not so lucky, and the rescue centre sadly had to put him to sleep.
If you have ever considered buying one of the remote camera traps and you have hedgehogs visiting your garden then I heartily recommend you go out purchase one. I got no end of pleasure from creating films of these nocturnal visitors; it was like having your own personal Springwatch when you download the footage onto your computer. Another great way of connecting with nature without having to leave your home!
All images © Anthony Walton
Great info and photos - keep 'em coming!