On Sunday my sister Christine and I took part in the Race for Life in Poole in aid of Cancer Research. OK, this isn’t wildlife related but I just thought it was important to publicise such a great event.

Above is a “before” shot - Warming Up!

There were approx 1700 woman taking part in the event on Sunday. Either running, jogging or walking the beautiful 5k course around the Poole shoreline and Poole Park.

Christine & Me waiting for the “Off”. I’m 5999!

It is a brilliant atmosphere, with people walking for friends/family who have cancer, those who have recovered and in memory of those who have died. It always brings a big lump to my throat when I read the signs on everyone’s backs saying who they are running for. There are so many Dads, Mums, Sisters, Brothers, Grandparents and friends names written on their backs. So many people (young and old) have been touched by this awful disease but it’s so great to be doing something positive about it.

Half Way Round. Ok… we aren’t running but we are walking quite fast!

This year the Poole event hopes to raise over £120,000 which will go to Cancer Research projects in the UK.

Any “woman” who would like to take part in one of these events (as it’s women only I’m afraid) should have a look at the Race for Life website www.raceforlife.org and find your nearest event. There are loads of events all over the country.

For those of you who are feeling really enthusiastic they also do 10k events (for men and women) which can be found at www.cancerresearchuk.org/10k/

A big thank you to everyone who sponsored me. If you fancy donating…. just let me know!

Lying in bed yesterday morning half asleep Andrew (husband) suddenly said to me “what’s that bird on the telephone line?”. I have to admit I couldn’t believe my eyes. There on the line sat a small, perky little spotted flycatcher. Then she was gone. But where?

I raced into the office (only two rooms away) turned on the flycatcher nestbox camera and low and behold there it was sitting on the edge of the nestbox! For the rest of the morning I watched as the pair flew backwards and forwards taking nesting material into the box - I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

To say I was excited is probably a massive understatement. I thought they had definately decided NOT to nest in the box this year. They have never nested in it so late. Maybe they tried to nest somewhere else and failed, maybe one of the pair was really late getting back from Africa. Anyway, what ever the reason I’m just really pleased they are trying to nest in their usual box and that I will have the pleasure of watching them and showing you.

The spotted flycatcher webcam will be on during the day (when I am around, and the computer is on) and I will post regular clips of them. Such as the one below, which is the first proper film of them this year.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they have a successful year.

This is obviously the finished article (minus the water plants). I now have a fantastic wildlife pond. However, it didn’t just “happen”. The following shows how it came about.

Pic 1: OK, so you have seen the after shot but here is the before shot. This was taken in my garden at about 8am this morning. The poles roughly mark out where the pond will be going.

Pic 2: Next the Volunteer Crew from Dorset Wildlife Trust turn up and set to work clearing the plot and marking out the pond. They kindly said they would help me with this project to encourage even more wildlife into my Corfe Mullen garden.

Pic 3: Next, the pond goes deeper. In the middle it is roughly 2 1/2 feet, with shelves at different heights for different plants, and to encourage different insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Pic 4: Below shows the shelves taking shape, coming up into a shallow-end (where birds and mammals can drink) and hopefully dragonflies will like it too.

Pic 5: Next, all the stones and roots need to be picked out, so that they don’t tear the liner.

Pic 6: After a fleece under-liner and some old carpet have been put down, the pond liner is carefully placed on top.

Pic 7: Now all we have to do is wait for the water to do it’s stuff!

Pic 8: Once full, the crew add some rocks to the back of the pond (for insects and amphibians to hide).

Pic 9: All done. Posing for the camera! Thanks guys, I really couldn’t have done this without you and it looks fantastic. I keep going outside to make sure it’s still there. I can’t wait to get some water plants in and then just sit back and wait for the wildlife to arrive!

Just a quick post to let people know that Dorset Wildlife Trust have arranged a Moth Trapping/Identification Course (they are only “trapped” for one night and then let go!) for anyone with a keen interest in moths (or like me just wants to know a little bit more about them) starting on the 21 June 2008. I think there are several sessions split over several weeks and you can go along to all or just one or two of them.

I know I get some local “Dorset” visitors to Urban Extension, so I thought I would just let you know. It’s bound to be a great course (I’ve attended a lot of their courses before). For further details (and you don’t need to be a Dorset Wildlife Trust member to attend) contact Steve Davis at Dorset Wildlife Trust at 01202 692033 or email him at sdavis@dorsetwildlife.co.uk

A few weeks ago we thought that the Long-Tailed Tit nest in our garden had been raided by a Magpie. There was a lot of noise, flapping and fuss and then silence. We haven’t really seen the parents since.

Fledgling Long-Tailed Tits

Today four fledglings made an appearance on the bush in front of our sitting-room. I noticed their long tails and funny white “monk” heads first. They hopped around the bush for a while, as the parents flew backwards and forwards feeding them from the fat-feeder, then they settled down for a rest on one of the top branches.

Luckily the Sparrowhawk didn’t make a pass and take the lot but I did manage to rush upstairs and get some footage out of the bedroom window before they flew away. So here it is hot of the press (I only took it at 7pm tonight!)

This week I went on a “bat training” workshop organised by Steve Davis at Dorset Wildlife Trust (thanks Steve!). It was held on the idyllic island of Brownsea (in the middle of Poole Harbour). But it’s not just bats that you can see at Brownsea…

A Natterer’s Bat

Lizards, red squirrels, deer, birds, bats and wild flowers all share this island with about thirty human residents. It’s now owned by the National Trust (NT) and is just a short passenger-ferry ride away from the hustle and bustle of Poole and Sandbanks in Dorset, but to be honest it feels like you could be a hundred miles away from civilisation.

Common Lizard at Brownsea

Our group stayed overnight at The Villa, an old house that has recently been renovated by Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) as a Visitor and Wildlife Centre. DWT lease a wildlife reserve on the island from the NT, and have two full time members of staff living on Brownsea year round.

Steve checking the first of the boxes

Back to the bats! The morning was spent on theory-stuff but after lunch we set off to check boxes. There are about 50 bat boxes on the island, the first few we checked were empty but we soon found some with occupants.

He’s so furry you can’t see his eyes! A Common Pipistrelle

The first couple that we found were from the Pipistrelle family, a Soprano Pipistrelle and a Common Pipistrelle (above).

As you can see they are very small. Much, much smaller than I had imagined - no more than the size of a very small mouse. Their wings are like rice-paper and you can literally see right through them if you hold them up to the light.

A Pipistrelle’s Wing

The Law on disturbing and handling bats is very tight in the UK. In order to check bat boxes (that you know have been used by bats in the past) you must have a licence from Natural England. I’m hoping that after a few of these training sessions I will get my own licence and be able to put up and check bat boxes around Corfe Mullen.

The next bat was a Natterer’s Bat. A bit larger, with longer ears and grey brown fur.

A Natterer’s Bat

This one looks like he’s having a “Natter” but I can assure you he has very sharp teeth, and as he’s about the size of a hamster he can give you a nip if you aren’t careful (hence the gloves).

In the evening, after a BBQ and plenty of liquid refreshment, we went out armed with the bat detectors to listen to the bats. The island has a colony of Pipistrelle bats in one of it’s old farm buildings, so this was a good place to stand and watch a couple of hundred bats emerging into the dusk, as the detectors picked up their hypnotic clicks, squeaks and whirrs.

Marsh Orchid

In the morning I just had time to photograph the Marsh Orchids in the field opposite The Villa before we boarded the ferry home.

I don’t often write about wildflowers but as I’d never seen these two before I thought I would stick them in.

White Helleborine

I attended a workshop last week arranged by Dorset Environmental Records Office to learn the basics of biological recording. My trainers were two very experienced naturalists, John Newbould and Peter Hatherley and they decided to base the workshop in Corfe Mullen.

It was Peter who remembered seeing White Helleborine growing at the beech tree avenue next to Badbury Rings outside Wimborne, Dorset. He hadn’t been back to the site for many years, so, as it was only a 10 minute drive away from Corfe Mullen, we went to have a look.

Amazingly they were still there and we counted at least 50 stems in quite a small area. This beautiful white orchid is VERY fussy about where it grows. It loves to have it’s roots in the shade of beech trees growing on chalky soils, and that’s exactly what it’s got at the beech avenue.

The flowers don’t really open much more than the picture above. They are a gorgeous milky-white which contrasts against the vivid green stems and leaves. I apologise now for the bad photo but it was pretty dark under the trees and this was the best I could do (excuses, excuses!).

Second is another wild flower this time of dry grassy meadows and downland, this one was growing in the wild flower fields surrounding the ancient Badbury Rings themselves.

Wild Mignonette

It’s called Wild Mignonette, which I personally think is a great name for a flower. It was standing about a foot high (but can get a lot bigger) with these large yellow spikes of flowers on single stems. The acidic yellow/green of the flowers stood out against the grasses in the meadow and as I photographed it skylarks were singing their little hearts out all around me (I must have counted at least 10).

Why oh why can’t May last for more than one month? There’s too much to see in just 31 days!

Do you like suspense? Personally I hate it. So the last few weeks have been excruciating as I wait and hope that the rare spotted flycatchers will fly back from Africa and nest in the nestbox on the side of my house.

The first tantalising glimpse of one (above) was on the 12th of May at 9am in the morning. It only stayed for a matter of a few seconds and then it was gone. At least one had made it back to Corfe Mullen.

Days and days passed and then on Saturday the 17th at about 6pm in the evening another one (or the same one) appeared again. This time it stayed for over a minute and I managed to get some film. It seems to be checking out the box, jumping in and out and even churping at times (unfortunately the camera doesn’t have sound but you can see it’s beak move!).

Although I’m relieved to see one I’m really worried that there is only “one”. Every year for the last 4 years they have nested in this box. Some years have been good with as many as five chicks fledging, others have been bad. Last year was very bad with no chicks due to the awful weather and lack of food.

So I will continue my “birdie” vigil. Sometimes I think it would be better if I turned the camera off and just turned it on again if I heard or saw them catching flys in the garden.

Just to confuse me a greenfinch (or as Pete says below…. this is probably a female house sparrow) decided to have a look yesterday.

Get out you imposter!

Today I went back to the place I saw the smooth snake in the hope of maybe seeing an adder. Believe it or not I’ve never seen one!

Another beautiful Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca

What I wasn’t expecting to see was another smooth snake. What I really wasn’t expecting were THREE more smooth snakes. I really couldn’t believe my luck seeing these incredibly rare reptiles. Dozing under the corrugated sheets at the side of a very busy road they were happy as Larry (or should that be Sid?).

I was amazed at the difference in colouring as well. I only managed to get photographs of two of the snakes, but did manage some video of each which I will post on here in the coming weeks.

Here is the third snake that I found. Much lighter in colour but still with the distinct dark line going through it’s eye, round pupil and smooth shiny scales.

Just thought you might like to see some photos!

Sometimes things just happen out of the blue.

Smooth Snake : Photo by Andy Fale, Dorset Wildlife Trust

Yesterday I decided to drive to Ringwood to buy a bag for my new camcorder. I’d got fed up of carting it around in a cardboard box and thought it deserved a proper home.

Don’t laugh but I’d actually spotted a fishing tackle bag at one of the fishing shops in Ringwood the week before, and as it was exactly the right size and shape I decided to bite the bullet and buy it.

Ringwood, on the edge of the New Forest, isn’t that far from where I live, 13 miles to be exact. To get to it you have to travel down the A31, a partly single-lane and dual-carriageway road that was built some years ago through mostly heathland habitat (pretty controversial).

Coming to a roundabout at a place near to Ferndown Forest I noticed several one-metre squares of corrugated iron sheeting at the side of the road, spread across the gorse and bracken. I’m incredibly nosey by nature so I pulled the car over and went to have a closer look.

A company called Mott MacDonald were undertaking an environmental survey and were obviously using the corrugated iron to encourage reptiles. The sheets get incredibly warm when it’s sunny, and snakes and slow-worms love to hide under them to soak up the heat.

Maybe I shouldn’t have but I tentatively looked under a couple of sheets. Nothing. I looked under another and staring up at me was a rather bewildered wood-mouse who I apologised to and left in peace. Just two more sheets left. Under one a slow-worm. Glowing, bronzed and beautiful. Under the other a small brown and black snake coiled and lying perfected still.

Now I wasn’t absolutely sure what it was and typically I DIDN’T have my camera. So I memorized it’s important identification features, carefully laid the sheet back down, and dashed home to look in my ID book.

Fifteen minutes later, staring at the picture in the book there was no doubt about it… it was a smooth snake. The countries rarest reptile and my first ever UK snake.