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Please Consider Supporting To Ongoing Research

 

Contributions -no matter how small- are welcome as it will allow the ongoing study into UK foxes and wildcats No official funding is available for this type of work. 

Thank you.

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Get Off Your Ass

 I have to say that I really do wonder why the City of Bristol has so many wildlife groups? Pretty bird and butterfly photos. Practical work? Well....

When I tried to get groups in the City interested in monitoring mange I was met with apathy and found myself being attacked and there came the "why bothers?" -all of which moderator.group owners thought was okay.

How about an organised and supervised project to treat foxes in the City for mange and see how far we can reduce outbreaks? Same responses but more personal insults. Again, moderators/owners think that is okay and ignore their own laid down rules.

Report fox deaths? Took two years and it is still a case of only a fraction of dead foxes being reported to us. Maggot infested ones that have been at a spot for a week...no good.

Now we have people in fox groups actively trying to interfere with the fox deaths work to the point of hoaxing.

Badger deaths. "I've never seen a dead badger!" Well...bully for you. That comment was left after three dead badgers were found and photographed. 

We ought to do a tick survey....outcries that it will result in grass being cut back. Ticks affect both humans and wildlife -and people are worried about grass being cut back? I have the post mortem reports on foxes that died due to ticks.

We need to organise more tree planting. "Why bother?"  

Seriously, what the hell are these wildlife and nature groups in existence for? Promoting ignorance and not helping wildlife and nature and only there for social media likes for pretty butterflies and tweet-tweets?

I have things to finish but I swear here and now that unless things change in 2023 if I am still here I am going to set up a Bristol wildlife group and wipe the floor with the social media clubs. Seriously. I have had enough of it. I will use all the press and TV contacts I have and once I have become determined nothing changes my mind.

Yes, this is a rant but I never forget the few people who have helped, mainly off groups but still their help in reporting dead things etc is appreciated. No wonder it is such a struggle to stop Bristol City Council and its plans to build on green spaces -and most of the work to tackle this has been done by determined people/individuals.

It is YOUR City/country so think about your children and grand children and make them proud that you got off your ass to do something for the environment and THEM.

The Difference A Day Makes -One Day Later And More Discoveries

The one thing about research when you find that 90% of what you learnt is incorrect is that you have to correct that learning.  You have to correct things and provide anecdotal or actual physical evidence so that your peers can check and confirm.

(c)2022 BW&FS

The wildcat, specifically the Scottish wildcat, was described as "the tiger of the Highlands" with its yellow coat which, of course, set any number of cryptozoologists and Forteans running around like headless chickens claiming that this must have been an exotic escapee -a tiger! Or, perhaps, one of the last remaining British lynx. What other type of cat can be described as yellowish with stripes (I am not even going to delve into the lack of logic here)?

In the 17th and 18th century the Scottish wildcat was clearly described as having a yellowish fur with stripes, etc. Of course, pale and darker fur is likely from cat-to-cat but it got me thinking that what the "experts" call a Scottish pure bred wildcat might in fact just be the end product of hundreds of years of wildcat-feral interbreeding.

The photo above is 19th century so pre 1900 when all the Museum Specimen types were acquired.  Does it look like this....?

(c)2022 Woodland Trust

The above obviously has a much darker ground coat than the top photo. Therefore the top photo is a fluke. It may well have been examined and clearly identified as a Scottish wildcat but iyt is not. It is likely a wildcat-feral hybrid.  Right? Well, what if I told you that I have a folder full of 19th century taxidermy in which only a few resemble the Museum Specimen type? The colour and even patterns vary as you might expect because -something that the experts appear to have forgotten- most individual animals whose species are striped or spotted have slight varioations in colour or pattern. None are exact clones of one another.

And after having tried (as with Old fox types) both large and small as well as national museums which body do you think owns the oldest true wildcat specimens -yes, I wrote "specimens" because there are two- in the UK? Well, odd though it may seem the British Canid Historical Society does!

Yes, the acquisitions manager is a true genius at getting old specimens and with one particular lot -which will be detailed in The Red Paper 1: Canids (2022)- she also got a pair of the oldest Scottish wildcat specimens I have seen in 40 years. These do not conform to the Museum Type and were shot, examined and clearly identified by one of the most famous British naturalist-'sportsman' of the day (1830s) and identification also confirmed by others.

Sadly, the lack of funds prevents a lot of the work we want to carry out such as examing specimens held around the country.  What I am learning is actually almost making my head swim. Each week there seems to be something new and not just with wildcats.

Looking at a lot of the evidence we have gathered the Old fox types story needs to be up-dated from where it was a week ago. The BCHS has a fox dating back to the 1700s but also one of historical importance with its connection to Canada and France. But there are other historically significant specimens we have and would like to get a hold of. You think everything makes sense and is sorted and, typical fox, they present us with something new.

One might hope that The Red Paper 1: Canids (2022) and The Red Paper 2: Felids (2022) would bring in some revenue to support further research however the first Red Paper hardly sold more than 12 copies since 2010. It seems that wildcats and foxes are really a specialist interest.  We've crashed into one "No Grants for That" stonewall after another so we keep going but with hands and feet shackled.

University of Reading Volunteers needed to solve pollination mystery

 

Nature lovers can help scientists answer the question of whether flowering dates of fruit trees and pollinator flight times are remaining in sync as the climate warms, in a new project.

The Fruitwatch project aims to gather much-needed data on the timing of fruit tree flowering all over the UK by mobilising citizen scientists to snap photos and submit notes online at fruitwatch.org this spring.

Recent evidence has suggested climate change might be causing trees to flower earlier than when insect pollinators are most active. If true, this could have serious implications for common tree species like apple, pear, cherry and plum, which all rely on insect pollination to produce their fruit.

The project is led by the University of Reading, supported by computer software company Oracle, with whom the University has also partnered on innovative research into honeybee decline.

Chris Wyver, the PhD researcher at the University of Reading who is leading the Fruitwatch project, said: “We need members of the public to go out into gardens, allotments, orchards or parks and tell us what they see.

“We want as many eyes on as many trees as possible to tell us if climate change really is having an impact on fruit tree pollination. If it is, then action will be required to prevent a potentially significant impact on fruit production.

“Pollinators and fruit trees falling out of sync could mean supply issues, and more expensive and lower-quality fruit. Pollinators do an incredible job for the planet, and if insects are unable to pollinate fruit trees then something else will have to – potentially humans.”

While records of pollinator activity are readily available, data on fruit tree flowering is relatively scarce.

Information submitted on the Fruitwatch website will be uploaded onto an interactive map, providing a clearer picture of how climate change is affecting flowering times compared to pollinator activity across the UK, as well as how it varies between different regions.

Users will be asked to record the type of tree, its location, and the stage of flowering, along with photos. These will be shared on the map to allow others to compare their own observations.

Volunteers will also have access to the study findings showing how their data has contributed to a better understanding of this problem.

The resulting data could be used to inform conservation action in the most affected areas, or reveal a need for alternative solutions to protect insect pollination in orchards, which is estimated to contribute more than £36 million per year to the UK’s apple production alone.

Both flowering dates of fruit trees and pollinator activity are triggered by warmer temperatures. Warmer conditions earlier in the year being seen under climate change is therefore likely to affect both.

A recent UN Environment Programme report highlighted the earliest ever full cherry blossom bloom in Japan on record on 26 March 2021, among unprecedented advances in flowering dates that pollinators might struggle to keep up with.

The Fruitwatch project is run in partnership with Oracle for Research, through which Oracle provides technological solutions for researchers. The research is also funded by the Waitrose Collaborative Training Partnership.

Follow the project and discuss your contributions with other volunteers on Twitter at @Fruit_Watch

Forestry (We Need More) and Wildlife and Environmental Virtue Signalling

 

There is a DEFRA scheme to pay farmers for planting trees but if I recall that did not work that well last time. 

And some claim we are currently back to medieval levels of woodland and forestry. The Domesday Book, which was compiled for England's new Norman overlords recorded wood-pasture and woodland covering about 15 per cent of the country. 

These days about 13% of Britain's land surface is wooded. 

The country's supply of timber was severely depleted during the First and Second World Wars, when imports were obviously extremely difficult and the forested area bottomed out at just under 5% of Britain's land surface in 1919.

I have discussed how new forests were then planted in the late 1940s though it needs to be remembered that some ancient Welsh forestry survived.

It is important to remember that trees are important to the eco system and woodland/forestry encourages back wildlife -mammals, birds, insects etc. and to be honest I think that any fields or waste areas in cities and towns then local authorties should make it a priority to plant trees. 

Of course, certain authorities such as Brsitol City Council are constantly scheming and trying backdoors to build housing (much of it private) on Green Spaces vital to the City. As for housing the Council ought to be reminded that in the last ten years old buildings in the Central area as well as other parts of the City have had accommodation built -student accommodation run by private landlords.  Perhaps rather than catering for the rent hiking private landlords who have temporary tenants the Council ought to consider making the use of old buildings and waste areas within the City a priority to build housing on for Bristol residents? Just a thought.

The fakery of "virtue signalling" that the City Council are champions of the environment is not working. Using rodenticides that kill wildlife then clamping down on information or refusing flatly to respond to a simple question after five months -allotment tenants concerned asked whether the rodenticides used by some other tenants was illegal or not. Total clamp down and flat refusal to respond and that includes when I asked them as well as a member of the Council Chamber with specific environmental responsibilities.

Where ever you live if you can plant trees or try to get your authority to plant trees -do it and not just for the wildlife but the future of you chldren or grandchildren.

The UK is a small place.

We MUST Stop Killing Wildlife. NOW

 

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From The Reminiscences Of A First Whipper-in(1904)

(note: a "brace" =a pair)

"On October 27th, 1882, when the meet was at Thorpe we had another clinking good day after a stormy blustering

"The largest number of cubs killed in one morning at Bradbury Wood is ten, viz : — four and a half brace accounted for at the time, and one picked up next morning, making five brace. It may be added that at the same time six brace went away before a kill was recorded ! Possibly the North Durham hounds have eclipsed this, as I hear on the authority of their Master, that they once killed in one day the following mixed bag, viz. : — a brace of foxes, two cats, one hare, one cock pheasant, one weasel, and one hedgehog ! "

You will note that there was then, as there is now, no control of the hounds which were raised to chase and kill a small animal and pets as well as tenants fowls etc were killed regularly.

You discover a good few horses were "wasted"/fell (died when pushed to extremes) and everything is joyfully recorded yet when you read the pages it is disturbing on a scale I had not thought about before. Yes, we know the extent of fox killing (vulpicide –killing any and every fox whether newborn, cub or adult- was a good money earner for most people and bounties continued on into the early 20thcentury in some areas. It was “a job well done”) but this book is typical of its kind at that time: these were the landed gents or people with money and they took great pleasure at what they were killing and the numbers killed whether hares (causing a bit of an argument because hares were the preserve of the hare hunters!), dogs, cats -jolly fun.

I had never actually considered the psychological make-up of these people -other than the fact that they were most definitely "disturbed" because of the enjoyment they got from killing vixens "in cub", cubs and really, just about anything else that got in the way. Re-reading Russell's book I wondered what a psychologist might make of it all? Certainly I would not want to live next door to these people.

The modern myth is that "all" country folk supported the fox hunts and this is actually a proven lie -especially if you research the periodicals of the 18th and 19th centuries it is only when some small holders pets or live stock are killed and the impudent wretch takes legal action that we hear the "but this is pest control!" excuse. The hunts had wiped out the British Old foxes by the 1880s and had been importing thousands of European foxes each year (since the 1600s)…for hunting. Why? Had they not wiped out their “vermin”?

Looking at the numbers killed by just a few hunts you can see why the true British fox became near extinct, in fact there may not be many with any of the Old fox DNA in them from hybridisation now because many thousands of foxes were imported yearly "for the sport of fox-hunting" and every manual on fox-hunting, every magazine article as well as interviews with, ahem, as the press called them, "great hunters" made that very clear: it was a rousing sport for gentlemen and ladies. But these hunts, and those who supplied them, brought the UK a ‘gift’ still causing suffering and death to this day –mange. Pre-importation mange was unknown but as one “good fellow” sent some gift foxes to another “good fellow” so they spread the mange around the country until it reached even isolated Scotland.

Then we have the "damn sad" state where earths are opened and searches made but no foxes to kill -"Where are they all -we killed at least thirty last season!" It is almost like the sociopath killer who looks around a body strewn bar because he can't find anyone else to kill. He shrugs and asks "Where have they all gone -none left?"

It took between 1977-2010 to compile the data in Red Paper: Canids and until it was all put together I never really truly realised what had gone on. This is how the British fox was on the very brink and then fell over into the abyss of extinction. Today it is just a memory to those who even know about them -like the lynx, the wolf, the bear and other British mammals hunted to extinction.

The British Canid Historical Society wants to educate and discover more about our lost canids and continue the work I started in 1976 so that it can continue when I am no longer here.

The Fox Deaths Project is helping us learn more about fox health and how foxes are dying. It was a long hard struggle but I got it rolling with the help of my colleague Zoe Webber.

I warn and shout regularly about the threat –even in cities- of people using snares to trap and kill foxes –with other wildlife and pets victims. I warn about the use of rodenticide by untrained members of the public and local authorities. I warn about the use of slug pellets that kill hedgehogs and other wildlife; if it eats slugs then it is being poisoned by slug pellets.

Badgers also suffer from all of the above and badger baiting is still taking place in England.

If you know of someone killing wildlife deliberately then you HAVE to report them or you are complicit in every animal’s death. Your neighbour wants to put out slug pellets or rodenticides then talk to them and explain what they are doing.

Hammer away at local authorities to stop rodenticide use and let cats, owls, foxes and badgers deal with rats and mice the natural way.

Everyone has to play a part in protecting our wildlife and not rely on false promises by local authorities. It is Our wildlife. We are killing it.