A productive day...

I was pretty happy when I saw the Goldcrest this morning but I can add two more species to my productive day; while walking to invigilate an exam in the gym I saw a Green Woodpecker on the lawn surrounding the duck pond. I think it was a male as its 'moustache' had a red centre.

Then on the walk home I took the top path through the trees as you enter Crystal Palace Park. I'd seen a great tit feeding some juveniles here last week and it is often a good spot to hear a Song Thrush. I was stopped by a melodic warble and took a few steps off the path. Peering into the foliage I saw something new to me, a quick look on my RSPB app confirmed it was a Blackcap. Again this was a male, with a black, rather than terracotta cap. The Blackcap is a Summer visitor although more and more are wintering in the UK as well. I find it hard to differentiate the songs of warblers so I was pleased to actually sight him and get a confirmed identification.

Having listened to both the Robin and Blackcap at home I'd say that the Blackcap is deeper in its song, somewhere between a Robin and a Blackbird but with less trilling than the latter.

What a day then! Britain's smallest bird, our largest (and I think prettiest) woodpecker and a new warbler.

Britain's smallest bird

I had a notable sighting on my walk in to work this morning. Whilst coming up Crystal Palace Park Road a tiny shape flew in front of me and stopped on a branch perhaps 3 feet away. I tried to get a photo but it flew off before I could focus on it. It was not a bird I had seen in the flesh before but one that I instantly recognised.

The Goldcrest is Britain's smallest bird species, the one I saw couldn't have been much bigger than 7cm. They have a very distinctive yellow cap on their heads which shows more orange when the male is displaying. Their little beaks are perfect for picking insects, their main food, out of pine needles. Found predominantly in coniferous woodland they also inhabit mature gardens and mixed woods. They are relatively common (650-700 thousand pairs) and numbers have increased. Milder winters help their population a lot.

Since seeing it I have listened to it's song in the hope that I will be able to pick it out on my walk in. It is a thin rising 'tee-lee-dee, tee-lee-dee, tee-lee-dee' which I reckon I could identify if I heard in the wild now. Its call is a very delicate 'seeeee'. A really special moment that has put me in a good mood all day.

The Goldcrest - Britain's smallest bird :-)

Dulwich Wood - 8th May

Ask my family to describe my personality in 5 words and one they might come up with is obsessive. When I get something into my head it is often all I can think about. At the moment that's birdsong! I am hoping for a career in ecology once I have completed my Master's degree and species identification is an important field skill to have, combine that with my obsessive nature and you get the current state of play, annoying Inna with recordings of bird song and stopping to I.D. every call I hear.

I'm lucky enough to have free Friday afternoons on my current timetable and spent some time this afternoon in Dulwich Wood. The woodland is privately owned by the Dulwich estate and is what remains of a once large mixed woodland covering much of what is now South London. It is an amazing place, you can completely forget you are in the city once you step inside.

Dulwich Wood - prettier that the entrance suggests

I found myself a quiet corner and spent 30 minutes listening and looking. This is a breakdown of what I was able to I.D. (click on the links to hear their calls)

Chiffchaff - once you have learned this little fella's call it is instantly recognisable. It is a series of little 'zips' and 'zaps' in almost perfect 1-2-3 time. You could waltz to it! They look VERY similar to Willow Warblers and you can only really differentiate them by their call.

Blue tit - one of my favourites, a loud 'meep' followed by rapid little couplets for about 3 seconds. Today's was a bit shy and was cutting his song short, not sure what that means in terms of behaviour. Their cackling call is also very distinct.

Great tit - imagine a squeeky bicycle pump and you are not far off. They add happy little backing vocals to the noisier Robins and Blackbirds.

Chaffinch - another beauty, rapidly descending trills finishing with a flourish.

Blackbird - a melodic warble, again with a flourish at the end. One of the most common songs you will hear.

Ring necked parakeet - not pretty, in fact a bloody racket. Nice to look at though...

Robin - if the Chiffchaff is a stickler for keeping in time the Robin is more free-form jazz. Melodic and lyrical, once you've got it pegged it is one you'll hear a lot of. Their little 'tic-tic-tic' call is very reptilian.

Song Thrush - masters of improvisation. Individuals have up to '100' different phrases and will repeat them in little groups of 3-5. The song carries a long way. Another favourite.

Wood pigeon - the baritone section!

Jay - you'll hear him more than you see him. A favourite of mine, just not to listen to.

Add to this various other subtle calls and songs which I am not yet talented enough to identify and you have got a diverse little spot. The Greater London National Park is a movement aiming to make one of the most bio diverse Urban environments in the UK a recognised national park, not a bad idea if you ask me.

Dulwich Wood Panorama - one of my favourite spots in London

Coots and Geese in Crystal Palace Park

While my wife and I miss living in Balham, one of the best things about living in Penge (apart from the Pawleyne Arms) is the proximity to Crystal Palace Park. It forms the core of most of my running routes and is a haven of green space and wildlife.

Regular sights that make me smile are:

• Mallards
• Moorhens
• Tufted ducks
• Great Crested Grebe
• Ring necked parakeets (noisy buggers)
• Jays - my favourite
• Sparrows
• Starlings
• Canada geese
• Great Tits and Blue Tits
• Robins
• Grey Squirrels
• Rats (don't make me smile so much but I don't begrudge them their place!)

With the arrival of Spring I have seen a couple of things that I thought worthy of a special mention. First off is Mr and Mrs Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus). When I first saw this pair I incorrectly identified them as Shelducks.

Egyptian Goose (beautiful until he opens his mouth)

According to the RSPB there are approximately 1000 of these in the UK. They are very striking and stand out from the Canada Geese that are more abundant in Crystal Palace. They are native to Africa and are thought to have been introduced as ornamental species in the 1700s. The most established population is in Norfolk but their range is spreading. They are a resident species. I don't know where these two have come from or if there are any more in London. As I have said they are very beautiful birds but have one of the least appealing calls of any goose I have heard!

About a month ago Inna and I were walking through the park and came across a gaggle of people staring at something in the pond. We took a look and saw a pair of Coots (Fulica atra) feeding their chicks. This pair had built their nest in the open water, as coots will do, and the female was sat on the nest with the chicks. They were only very tiny and lacked mobility. Dad was busy patrolling the pond gathering food and returning to feed the chicks, this only happens for the first 4-5 days of their lives. I checked in on them for the next couple of days and Dad was still tirelessly working the pond.

Coots lay 5-7 eggs in a go and incubation takes about 21 days. Pairs can have several clutches in a Summer so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more. I was running home last night and thought I would see how they are getting on. Both chicks were still alive and had grown considerably. They were both swimming around with the parents and feeding themselves. They hadn't quite got the hang of dipping yet and couldn't stay under for very long at all. London is crammed with wildlife, you just have to keep your eyes peeled and appreciate what is there.

Coot chick with Dad

Update on my options!

Having had another look at the course handbook I am having to rethink my initial ideas for the modules that I want to take. Also I am beginning to seriously consider a career in ecological consultancy. This new list of choices therefore reflects this in terms of the knowledge and skills I will be acquiring.

Semester 1

• Core modules - The changing water cycle
• Optional modules - Introduction to GIS and Sustainable management of biological resources: Ecosystem and Biodiversity conservation

Semester 2

• Core modules - GIS research methods field trip and Global climate and environmental change
• Optional modules - Ecological and environmental assessment

Details of the modules found here.

Thinking about my options...

I am very excited about going back to full time study next year. Consequently I find myself visiting the course website when I have 10 minutes downtime! I've been thinking about the modules on offer and where I'd like to go in terms of research interests. I'm settling on the following:

Core Modules

Global Climate and Environmental Change
This module analyses the climate change debate and its scientific basis, with regional case studies of environmental change and its feedbacks to climate change. Students learn about palaeoenvironmental and contemporary climate and environmental change and how physical geography techniques can help quantify and understand these changes. Students learn how to work with climate data and simple models, to analyse the potential impacts of environmental change on a range of sectors including agriculture, forestry, water resources and human health, and discuss potential mitigation and adaptation options.


The Changing Water Cycle
This new module draws on the innovative work ongoing in the Department’s new flagship Centre for Landscape and Climate Research to examine critical
issues pertaining to ecohydrological processes in the landscape and the impacts of human land use and global climate change therein. Methodological (including modelling) and policy issues are also explored with reference to spatial ecohydrology.


Research Design and Methods in Geography
Focuses on the acquisition of skills for formulating research proposals, literature reviews, data collection and the communication of research ideas. Prepares for a successful dissertation.

Optional Modules

Water Quality Processes and Management

This module examines the principal natural and anthropogenic factors controlling the quality of surface and groundwater systems. A core objective is to facilitate an understanding of process as a key to establishing effective and sustainable water quality management strategies.

Ecological and Environmental Assessment

This module introduces students to practical ecological (e.g. phase one habitat) survey skills, environmental risk and impact assessment techniques, in the context of UK legislative/planning requirements.

Biodiversity Conservation and Global Change: Tropical East Africa (field trip)

You will learn about East African geology, landscapes and ecosystems, and the extent and nature of human interactions within them over the past 50,000 years up to the 21st century. You will learn to understand the ecological principles which underpin the ecology of tropical savannahs, forests, freshwaters and alkaline waters. This knowledge will be integrated into sustainable management plans, which incorporate indigenous livelihoods. The module will take place for ten field days in late April/ early May, at locations in the Rift Valley Kenya. It will be largely under canvas, in a safari camp that is already maintained by the Department of Biology for its Rift Valley Lakes research.

Sustainable Management of Biological Resources: Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation

This module examines biological resources and the various approaches to biodiversity evaluation. The principal factors involved in decline and loss of biological diversity are analysed and the biological and ecological principles underlying conservation and management explored. The module also emphasises the essential role of ecosystem services in supporting human livelihoods and the ways in which our societies must adjust lifestyles to ensure the sustainable maintenance of these services.

I will probably change my mind though!

Rewilding - An approach to ecosystem management

'Rewilding' is an ecological concept that is relatively new to me and something that I am increasingly interested in. 'Rewilding' is the large scale restoration of ecosystems and natural processes driven in part by the reintroduction of missing species. Between now and beginning my Master's in September I hope to explore this concept further.

Moorhouse and Sandom (2015) present the example of the water vole, Arvicola amphibius, to outline various approaches to conservation. The water vole thrived in Britain since the start of the Holocene but

"since the 1930s the national population has been reduced to (much) less than 2% of its original size" - (Moorhouse and Sandom, 2015, p.45).

Arvicola amphibius - The Water Vole (take from http://www.arkive.org/water-vole/arvicola-terrestris/)

This rapid reduction in population size has mainly been a result of habitat loss due to agriculture and predation by the American mink, an introduced species.

3 approaches to managing the water vole present themselves. Option 1 would be to do nothing, allowing populations to become restricted to the few wetlands remaining that can protect them from predation. Option 2 would be to control mink populations coupled with reintroduction (the approach that Britain has taken). Finally option 3 would be to completely eradicate the American mink, restoration of all lost habitats and targeted water vole reintroductions.

Moorhouse and Sandom (2015) go on to say that approaches such as option 3 will always mean that the natural state has been irrevocably lost and that the best we can do is create a new state that is more functionally natural. They raise an interesting question on where the line can be drawn with regard to Britain's 'natural species'.

Rather than such a species orientated approach 'rewilding' asks what natural processes (migration, predation, flood prevention etc.) have been lost and whether this has been the result of human intervention. Moorhouse and Sandom (2015) outline the reintroduction of a top predator, the wolf, as an example of how this concept may work. 

Step 1 - Reintroduce top predator

Step 2 - Herbivory reduced

Step 3 - Increased woodland regeneration

Step 4 - Improved beaver habitat

Step 5 - Increased wetland availability

Step 6 - Improved water vole habitat

Of course there will be risks and objections to such schemes and natural feedback mechanisms will never allow such a smooth transition between steps but as a holistic approach to ecosystem conservation rewilding is one that intrigues me. I have ordered 'Feral' by George Monbiot and will continue to explore rewilding as an approach to conservation.

Some links to get me started:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/19/-sp-rewilding-large-species-britain-wolves-bears
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/rewilding
http://www.monbiot.com/2013/05/27/a-manifesto-for-rewilding-the-world/
http://www.rewildingeurope.com/

References

Moorhouse, T.P. and Sandom, C.J. (2015) Conservation and the problem with 'natural' - does rewilding hold the answer? Geography. 100 (1), p.45-50.