Badger Digging At Puddington

 

On the evening of Sunday 21st October two residents were walking their dogs when they heard an animal screaming. They discovered two youths (one of whom was videoing the activity on his mobile phone!) and three dogs attacking a badger. The two youths ran off. One of the residents gave chase but with failing light they managed to escape. Meanwhile the other resident managed to get the dogs off the badger - a very brave thing to do! The badger escaped back into the sett. The resident managed to keep hold of one of the dogs but the others disappeared. The police were called but “the incident was not resourced” (Police terminology not mine!)

 

This is an issue I am pursuing with Cheshire Police. The RSPCA later came to collect the dog (a Staffy-Patterdale cross)  which   was treated for facial injuries. The dog is now in the care of the RSPCA.

 

Following press releases no one has come forward to claim the dog.  It is not known whether the men were on foot (2 youths had been seen at 10.00am walking along A41 with 2/3 dogs and spade) or had a vehicle nearby. There is no way of knowing how badly hurt the badger was and we can only hope that it was not seriously injured.  I have since checked the sett.  Spade marks were clearly visible at the entrance to each hole.  I have been in touch with members in the Puddington area who are increasing their patrols of setts in the area.

 

Incidents like this just show that we cannot afford to be complacent.  Badger digging is still happening.  We must all be vigilant.

 

 

Keep Your Eyes Open!

 

That’s the message from the Merseyside Police Wildlife Crime Officer. There has been a recent upsurge in badger offences. If you see anything suspicious in your country ramblings e.g. a sett that has been disturbed, it should be reported to the relevant police force.

Merseyside PC Steve Harris - 07702 776126 or 0151 777 2112

Cheshire PC Martin Findlow - 01244 350000.

 

If you see anything threatening e.g. men with dogs and spades, bright lights at night, get yourself away to a safe distance and ring the police, on 999 if need be. Do not investigate yourself - it could destroy valuable evidence and at worst prove dangerous. Evidence can also be reported on Crimestoppers 0800-555111.

 

For more information on wildlife crime and how you can help prevent it, visit Merseyside Police’s website

 

 

Badgers - To Cull Or Not To Cull

 

As we start 2008 the Government is still to decide what action it is going to take in its attempts to eradicate or control bovine tuberculosis in cattle.

 

Members may be aware of recent media coverage following the recommendation of the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor David King, for a badger cull to control bTB in cattle.  

 

The recommendation contradicts advice given by the ISG (Independent Scientific Group), advice which the Government itself had sought.  In its final report published in June 2007 the ISG said that ”badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain”. The ISG advises that bTB can be reversed, and geographical spread contained, by the rigid application of cattle-based measures alone. The report was the culmination of ten years of scientific research, costing £50 million.  Almost 11,000 badgers were killed in the trial (known as the Krebs Trial, after Professor Sir John Krebs who proposed it). Professor King’s advice contradicts that of Professor Sir John Krebs.

 

It is vitally important that we keep pressure on the Government (via our MPs) to ensure that badger culling disappears off the agenda once and for all!  Please write to your MP at the House of Commons and ask that they do not support any further culling of badgers and to pass this message on to the relevant minister.  Please also encourage him/her to support Early Day Motion 240 put forward by Paul Flynn MP

 

Please include the following points in your letter:

 

• For over 30 years the culling of badgers has led to no reduction in bTB in cattle.

 

• The Government has said that its bTB strategy will be based on scientific evidence. The Krebs Trial produced that evidence.

 

• The Government should accept the ISG’s report which it commissioned.

 

• The ISG has reported that cattle-to-cattle transmission is the major route of infection.

 

• bTB can be controlled by improving the cattle testing regime.

 

• The ISG has said that “badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain”.

 

 

Further information can be found at www.badgertrust.org.uk and www.rspca.org.uk/badgers

 

There are also two petitions to sign:

10 Downing Street petition petitions.pm.gov.uk/stop-badger-cull

and RSPCA petition www.backoffbadgers.org.uk

 

It is time the Government stopped using the badger as a scapegoat.  Please do all you can before the Government makes the decision to proceed with a mass slaughter of badgers.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Mersey Basin Campaign Conference 2007

 

Taking place at the same time as the Bali Climate Change talks, the Mersey Basin Campaign’s annual conference also took the theme of climate change for its first session.  Held at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in December, the conference gathered together representatives from the public and private sectors and many voluntary organisations.

 

The first three presentations were based around climate change and the water environment.  John Handley (Director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology at Manchester University) set the scene by unequivocally stating the scientific case behind increasing carbon emissions being responsible for climate change. The water environment will be particularly susceptible with increasing summer drought and periodic flash floods. An increasingly built environment only exacerbates the problem because less land will be available to act as a sump.  This potentially gloomy scenario was enlightened by Professor Handley’s demonstration of the steps being taken in both mitigation and adaptation to the impacts.

 

Chris Matthews (Carbon Manager of United Utilities) continued this theme and predicted a 10% gap between water supply and demand by 2035.  The gap would be even greater if UU did not have a planned programme to stop leaks, build new pipelines and persuade the public to reduce demand. They have produced a booklet “Where we are Heading” and they welcome comments by 29th February 2008.

 

Water was also the focus of the contribution by Peel Environmental, a subsidiary of Peel Holdings, which has been charged with exploring the Mersey Estuary’s renewable energy.  Their Strategic Planning Director, Peter Nears, gave a presentation about the power study including the recently published Executive Summary. Various options are under consideration including a tidal lagoon, tidal fence and giant water wheel, as well as the long discussed tidal barrage.  All of these have environmental impacts to a greater or lesser degree and as the public consultation gets under way, it is hoped that due consideration is given to this impact, whilst endeavouring to harness the second most powerful tidal range in Britain.

 

 

Eating against climate change

 

Most of you will have noticed that Wirral Farmers' Market won "Best Farmers' Market in the UK" at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in December 2007. A special feather in their cap as this is the first year this category has had an award. Two of the Farmers' Market committee also help run New Ferry Butterfly Park - well done John & Linda.

 

Obtaining our food as locally as possible, and eating seasonally, reduces the energy needed to get food to our plate. And often it is better quality as well - "food too good to let travel far". So do make the effort to use local producers. If you can, grow some of your own - it's likely to be the most local food of all! If you grow with care, food growing is certainly compatible with a wildlife-friendly garden.

 

Wirral Farmers' Market

2nd Saturday of each month,  9am-1pm

Village Hall, Grove Street, New Ferry.

 

Birkenhead Farmers' Market

Last Friday of each month, outside the covered market.

 

Neston Market regularly includes a number of local suppliers.

 

Farm Shops

Various farms on Wirral also have their own shops e.g. Claremont (Clatterbridge), Vineyard (Poulton Lancelyn), Church Farm (Thurstaston), Mr. Jones (Ledsham).

 

 

The New Ferry Butterfly Park

 

We have benefited greatly from team-building exercises of our neighbour, Unilever.

 

The Hair Category Damage Repair team gave their attention to the challenge provided by the fencing needs of our sanctuary area. They repaired old fencing, built a gate, and painted the fences – kindly paying for the fencing materials. Working like this gave the employees a chance to appreciated different aspects of their colleagues. They finished off with an evening BBQ, reflecting happily on the day’s achievements.

 

The Deodorant Group appropriately gave their attention to the clearing of reedmace from the brickpit pond, to turf removal, and to the sanding-off and oiling of Charlie’s memorial bench. We did make them perspire a little.

 

The Environmental Group fittingly mowed the calcareous meadow with scythes. For some it was the first time they had used some of the tools – but by the end of the day they were performing with ease – some proudly showing the calluses on their hands. One volunteer had spent a few days making cakes, so that refreshed with tea and cakes the Environmental Group, having exerted itself all day, was able to relax and enjoy the cameraderie.

 

These corporate days are a great boost to the reserve in terms of moving projects forward, raising awareness of nature conservation, and drawing attention to the valuable wildlife of the Park.

 

 

2007 - The Good, The Bad and The Sopping Wet

 

It may not have felt like it in July, but we and the wildlife of Wirral came off better than other parts of the country in the wettest year since records began. However, it was still a very poor year for many forms of wildlife, especially flying invertebrates.  

 

At New Ferry Butterfly Park, the wardens make a count of the butterflies seen on a standard walk round the Park on each Sunday through the season (roughly April to September). This data then goes to Butterfly Conservation and rECOrd to help build a regional and national picture of how butterflies are faring.

 

The spring-flying butterflies had a good start. Remember that warm April? There were plenty of Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells, Orange Tips, Commas and Speckled Woods.

 

Then things went downhill fast, with very poor numbers for the summer flyers. Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown were well below their usual abundance, as were Large and Small Skippers. The second flight of Peacocks, Tortoiseshells and Commas was poor. Somehow through it all the multi-brooded Speckled Woods kept appearing. We do not have such good local figures for moths, but Ed Samuels, who regularly light-traps in his garden, reports catches in single figures in July, when usually there would be well over a 100, and hardly a moth to be caught by September.

 

However, the GOOD news is that Wirral's Barn Owls, after a very poor year last year when owls all over the country suffered from a drop in vole numbers, have bounced back to even higher success this year. The latest numbers received from Wirral Barn Owl Trust were 143 hatched chicks from 33 pairs, including a number of second broods and several very large broods of 7 chicks. From which we can conclude that the voles have been breeding fast as well!  

 

The majority of the nests are in nest boxes provided by the Barn Owl Trust, so our congratulations go to them for the success of their hard work in helping this species.

 

 

BAP Co-ordination

 

Charlotte Harris, the Co-ordinator of the  Biodiversity Action Plans in the Cheshire area, set out before us the demanding scheme by which the valuable funding for the encouragement of conservation of endangered species has to be obtained. This was no relaxed leisurely amateurish charitable matter. Quite the reverse! Being public money, it had to be fought for and its targets had to be met. Annually each project had to justify itself, and if three-year targets were not met the funding stopped. This led to a whole superstructure of work for the co-ordinator on top of the projects themselves. Charlotte spelled out for us the problems and indicated some of the successes.

 

One of the respects in which Cheshire had set an excellent example was that in Cheshire each of the projects had from the outset a named individual – as distinct from an organisation – as its project leader. Among these the staff of the CWT were well represented, Jacki Hulse being the designated leader of three projects.

 

For more information on Biodiversity Action Plans and to view plans for individual species and habitats, visit Cheshire Biodiversity’s website.

 

 

Update on Gowy Meadows

 

In October Jacki Hulse provided a delightful and humorous talk about Gowy Meadows, which, at 161 Hectares (411 acres) is the CWT’s largest reserve. It is managed as a haven for wildlife, but its strategic purpose is to provide a flood defence for Stanlow Refinery by absorbing the flood waters from the River Gowy - which  statisticians reckon likely to flood once in a century.

 

When the CWT took over responsibilty the area was found to have been heavily overgrazed, dried out, with hedges and ditches in a poor state; cattle, having had a free range, had turned the soil around the gates and access points into a mud bath. Rushes and other marsh plants were  invading, and the potential for wildlife was being reduced. The voles were living in isolated pockets, and were in-breeding. However, on the site were some rare species to be found.

 

Jacki and her team – with some help from the longhorn cattle and sheep – have put an enormous effort into the reserve.  31 kms of fencing and new gates ahave been erected, and 8000 metres of hedges and trees have been planted. Banks have been restored. Contractors were employed to cut the rushes, and the sheep and cattle have engaged with the remainder. These ancient breeds are particularly attracted to the task, whereas their black-and-white cousins will eat only the finest grasses. Gowy is now showing marked improvement and attracting a wider range of species.

 

Jacki also told us about the Conservation Grazing Project and the use made of the livestock throughout the area. The sheep hate heather, and will remove all the unwanted flora from heathland, leaving the heather intact. The cattle are large and will break down heavy invasive rush as well as eating it. Jacki sees their horns as a deterrent to potential vandals, and they appear to have been left in peace wherever they have been placed. Their winter fodder is produced at Bickley Hall Farm, where they also over-winter.

 

 

Animals in Crisis

 

We were very fortunate to receive a return visit from Dr Ian Robinson, whose dedication to the rescue of wild animals has greatly widened its range since his last visit. He now works for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and his lecture proved enormously illuminating.

 

It was the wish to help seals in 1988 - 30,000 had died of viral infection in the North Sea in that year - that led him to give up his veterinary practice in Sedbergh & go to work for the RSPCA in rescue centre in Norfolk.

 

Ian began his talk observations on familiar territory. Hedgehogs are "the most rescued animals in Britain" - they are "walking biohazards". If they weigh less than 500 grams before hibernation they are doomed not to survive the winter. Deer, often victims of road accidents or gunshot wounds, are particularly difficult to deal with because they are so easily stressed.

 

The main danger to swans comes from the lead weights of fishermen. Ian gave a vivid account of how the lead can be removed from swans - by hanging them upside down and flushing it out. Though the use of lead in fishing is now banned, much still lies on the bottom of ponds and streams, and gets ingested along with the necessary grit.

 

Then Ian turned to IFAW - which was set up in the 1960s to campaign against the annual Canadian seal hunts. These still go on, though nowadays the killing of the seal cubs is delayed till they are at least three months old. IFAW now exists in 17 countries - including India and China - and it is invariably run by local people.

 

Tigers first

One of Ian's first activities in joining IFAW was to be involved in the removal of 24 tigers from a back yard in New Jersey - where a  trapeze artist on her retirement had been given a pair of tigers that had somehow multiplied. Apparently  in the U.S. federal laws allow bewildering local diversity - so there are more tigers in Texas than there are in the wild.

 

People before animals?

Ian was emphatic about the impact of his work not only on the animals but also on people. In a disaster there was no question of  local people resenting of his organisation's concern for animals rather than people. In Sri Lanka, for instance, after the tsunami in on Boxing Day 2004 he had been stuck by the way the local people in the midst of the devastation  had looked after their animals and cared for them as something stable to cling on to. People were anxious to co-operate with vets offering vaccinations. In Indonesia the government had been effective in rescuing the local inhabitants from erupting volcano but had made no attempt to deal with their livestock. IFAW had been able to come to the rescue, supplying food and huge plastic containers of water - so relieving the strain on the people as well as the animals.

 

Oiled birds

Ian was emphatic about the need to learn - about the need to follow up & study results.  The conservation of oiled birds was a case in point. Healthy birds preen. Birds that have been oiled cannot feed and cannot preen. When they are brought in for treatment they are probably undernourished, dehydrated and in a state of shock. Their natural insulation has gone, and so they are chilled.

 

Nowadays treatment focuses at first on getting them warmed up, getting food and vitamins into them, and only when that has been done does the cleaning process begin. They are washed at length with mild detergent - over an over again until (magnificent paradox) they are washed dry - until the cleaned feathers can re-knit and they regain their natural waterproofing and  insulation. And a vital part of the process, Ian insisted, was the follow up to check on the degree of success of the undertaking. Without the follow-up, he felt, the business of rescuing the animals was a form of self-indulgence. Only when the degree of success was known was it truly a matter of animal welfare. Otherwise "we've treated ourselves, not the animals."

When the cleaning of oiled birds was done correctly there was a good chance of survival - even in the -15C of an Estonian winter. But  cold causes the oil to sink, so for instance in the Black Sea there is a recurrence each Spring as the oil resurfaces. Off the coast of South Africa near Cape Town in recent time 20,000 penguins had been oiled - one sixth of the world population; thanks to the right treatment some 90% had survived.

 

Watch a video showing how IFAW clean oiled birds

 

Modern technology offers much by way of help in the following-up process. Satellite transmitters can log how far, how deep, how warm, how often - and transmit the information back to a computer in a way that was unthinkable until recently. And of course when an animal is no longer alive modern animal pathology can reveal a great deal, so is an equally important aspect of follow-up.

 

Penguins off the coast of South America suffer greatly from the unscrupulous dumping of bunker oil from ships keen to avoid paying the charges for the correct treatment of oil. Canada, on the other hand, has invested much effort into catching and fining heavily those who pollute its off-shore waters.

 

India has its own peculiar wildlife problems. In the monsoon season much low-lying land is flooded and so the people live on the raised roadways. Deer, buffalos, rhinos all want move to higher ground, and have to run the gauntlet among the people. The mothers can swim, but the young animals cannot swim fast enough, and become separated. So there are many orphans, needing to be translocated.

 

Returning animals to the wild can be difficult. In India elephants can never be returned to the wild - local feeling is too strong against it. But in Bhutan rhinos have successfully been re-established in an area where they were wiped out 20 years ago.

 

Bears

The winter digging-out of hibernating bears leaves many motherless cubs. Such hunting used to go on in the U.S. & Canada - and still does in Russia, despite the huge efforts in their defence by campaigners such as Professor Pazhenov.

 

In India bears are still taken for food or kept for their bile (a Chinese medicine). In Russsia bears are the top predator, but in India they are themselves prey for tigers and leopards This means that releasing young bears in India can be done only after they have been trained by their keepers to be wary of the scents of their predators. In Canada & the U.S. black bears are not generally seen as a threat; grizzlies, though, remain unpredictable even after hand-rearing.

 

The Great Apes

About the great apes Ian was emphatic - the aim must be to return them to the wild, not to have them languishing in a tidy cage. He told of the illegal transportation of orphaned gorillas into Nigeria by unscrupulous traders determined to break the CITES legislation meant to protect the apes.

 

Cuddliness is not all

The ability of different animals to win public sympathy varies enormously. Bears, whales, elephants have a great public appeal, while other equally needy creatures have less fund-raising potential. To rescue three penguins is admirable, and a great thing for the individuals concerned. But to rescue three monk seals - which have a low profile, living as they do in caves at the bottom of cliffs - is to rescue one per cent of the world population, a rather different proposition!

 

Dr Robinson's delight in his calling & his command of his subject could not but make his talk inspirational.

 

 

Watch Group

 

The Watch group (for children aged 8 to 12) was formed in March 2000 and it is hard to believe that we have our eighth birthday this year. Last year we had regular meetings at Eastham Country Park as well as Thurstaston. Here is some news of our recent activities.

 

Sept 1st was a perfect evening for looking for bats – warm, clear and without a wind. Our walk to The Dungeons saw us spotting hares and curlews and the climb up to the waterfall gave us our first bat sighting as an early Pipistrelle hunted for its supper. Back in the glade we lay down to watch a patch of open sky framed by the canopy. We had clear sightings of more Pipistrelles as they swooped out from under the leaves. On the way back we heard a little owl and a tawny owl calling and it was really dark when we returned to the Thurstaston carpark.

 

In October, Watch members came to Eastham Country Park to join in with Apple Day activities. As well as having a go at the ‘Longest Apple Peel’ competition using our peeling machine, there were apples to taste, juice to extract and badges to make.

 

A bright autumn afternoon in November saw us out and about at Thurstaston collecting leaves in leaf bags we had made and then identifying them using our leaf identification dial.

 

Our December meeting at Eastham found us collecting holly, cones and berries to make Christmas decorations. We didn’t forget it was winter for the birds too and we had a messy time making bird food from lard and seeds.

 

Details of the programme and photographs of our activities can be found on the Watch page. If you want to book a place send an e-mail or telephone Linda on 342 1395.

 

 

In Brief

 

Our annual celebration of Apple Day at the usual two venues was enjoyed as always with the traditional rites and game – plus, of course the mechanical apple-peeler. This event is not just about enjoying the fun, and reminding people of what genuine, uncommercial apples taste like – it’s also intended to face up to the need to maintain what remains of out ancient orchards from neglect. This year saw the appearance of Laura Higginbottom’s most attractive Apple Day mugs for sale – handsomely decorated with digital reproductions of the apples on display.

 

Our new venture into the production of a pictorial Calendar illustrated entirely with photographs of wildlife in Wirral proved a complete sell-out. When the dust has settled and the VATman has received what must be rendered unto Caesar, our Treasurer should be able to report at the AGM a comfortable return on outlay.  

 

Don’t be too shy to post a message to the Wirral Wildlife Messageboard.  Better than that, send us a picture. It’s time we updated the home page on the website, and if you have a digital photograph you think would do well there, do e-mail it to us. If we get a number we will use them in turn. Get involved – it’s your website, and it travels the world!

 

Two exciting events are in the pipe-line for the end of the year. In November Jeff Clarke, formerly Senior Ranger at Thurstaston Visitor Centre, and now Wildspace Officer for Halton Borough Council, is going to present his photographs under the heading either Biscay and Picos or the Naturalist’s Year. The topic is yet to be finalised – you might care to express an opinion? Then in December Rob Smith, the Ranger at Pickering’s Pasture, the Green Flag reserve on the Mersey, will share his extensive knowledge of the area’s natural history.

 

No Rewards are offered for the first sighting in Wirral of the Harlequin Ladybird. Alas, it seems certainly to be on its way!  Larger than our native species (8mm) and much rounder, in its colour and pattern it can vary greatly – from a basic black with orange spots to yellowy-orange with few darker spots. Distinctive, though, is the black M just behind the head. They can overwhelm the native species, so emphatically we can do without them! If you spot one you can record your finding on the Harlequin Ladybird Survey website.