Atrazine - Amphibian Killer

Atrazine is a common pesticide, which is commonly used on corn crops among others around the world. It has been revealed that this chemical is having a devastating affect on the world’s frog population, turning male frogs into females!

Sounds bizarre? It gets worse. Once the male frogs have been turned into females, they can breed successfully with other males. The problem is, because the converted frogs are genetically male and they are breeding with another male, all their offspring will be male!

The true male frogs will have no idea, so they will think they have successfully mated, when in fact they have contributed towards their species demise!

The most common Trade Name for this chemical is AAtrex, but other trade names include...

00045 (CA DPR Chem Code) , 080803 (US EPA PC Code) , 1,3,5-Triazine-2,4-diamine, 6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)- , 1-Chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine , 1912-24-9 (CAS Number) , 1912249 , 1912249 (CAS Number) , 2-Chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine , 2-Chloro-4-(propylamino)-6-ethylamino-s-triazine , 3-(N-Butyl-N-acetyl)aminopropionic acid , 305 (PDP Code) , 45 (CA DPR Chem Code) , 6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine , A 361 , AAtram, component of (with 019101) , AAtrex , Aktikon , Aktikon PK , Aktinit A , Aktinit PK , Argezin , Atazinax , Atranex , Atrataf , Atratol , Atrazin , Atrazina , Atrazine , Atrazine , Atrazine (ANSI) , Atrazine plus related active triazines , Azinotox 500 , Candex , Cekuzina-T , Crisazina , Cyazine , Farmco Atrazine , Fenamin , Fenatrol , G 30027 , Gesaprim , Griffex , Guardsman herbicide (080803+129051) , Hungazin , Hungazin PK , Inakor , Oleogesaprim , Primatol A , Primaze , Radazine , s-Triazine, 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)- , Shell Atrazine Herbicide , Strazine , Sutazine +, component of (with 041405) , Triazine A 1294 , Vectal SC , Weedex , Weedex A , Wonuk , Zeazin , Zeazine

If you use pesticides, please check the brand on-line to make sure it has no devastating affects on our wildlife!

Look at the "W" listings above. Recognise the name Weedex? You should do as it is a very common brand in the UK!

I am sure that by now you are all aware that it wouldn't take long for the frogs to breed the true females out and then when the males die, the species will die with them!








This sight may one day be lost forever from our ponds if we don't act now!

PS: This is not scaremongering, it is fact!

Thanks

Rob

The Snake and the Egret

Had a wander before the light levels dipped today. So much for the weather forecast saying it was going to rain! Blue sky and sunshine all day.

And you know what likes sunshine?

He was out basking and as it takes a long time to warm up at this time of year, he was very obliging and let me snap him with my macro lens.

Canon 100mm - f/2.8

(Male Adder)

Then I photographed this Little Egret at Lydney

Rob

Some Deer and a Chaffinch

I allowed myself an hour for lunch today and decided to take a short walk with a friend. Its surprising what you can see if you are quiet!


Fallow Deer

Chaffinch (male)

Rob

Forestry Commission Rangers at New Fancy Today

I met and had a good chat with two great guys at New Fancy this morning. They were Forestry Commission rangers and one of our topics was about highlighting adder sightings to the FC so that they can help protect the locations in the future.

If either of the two rangers read this, please comment or email me with the details of the gentleman for me to contact. As neither of us had a pen I was unable to note his name and I have forgotten it.
I already survey for NARRS, but if the FC were also aware of my adder hot spots, it would be extremely beneficial for the snakes.



Thanks

Rob

First Adder of 2010

And some birds of course!

Well the sun was blazing and there was only one thought in my head. Adders!

The temperature was still pretty low, around 6 - 7 degrees, but the sun was strong and there was little wind, so I knew I stood a chance.

There is a young male that I watch every year. I have been watching him for the last 4 years and sure enough he was out, basking in his favourite spot. His eye looked very sharp, but he needs to slough to show off his true magnificence.

He was on the other side of a fence, but I still managed to get a couple of pics of him. I try not to disturb them, especially at this time of year as they have just emerged from hibernation and need all their energy to hunt and survive. The last thing they need is to have to keep moving around because of people ramming cameras in their faces.

The time for pics will come later.

Here he is...

I then left him in peace to catch some more rays.

Moving on, I put some food out for the birds and hung around for a while, hoping for a hawfinch sighting, but it was the usual story I'm afraid, so you will have to settle for these three.

Cole tit soaking up the sun

Lucky little Nuthatch

A male Chaffinch trying to work out what the bright orange this is in the sky!

Rob

Wild Boar Control

Below is an article featured in a local newspaper this week. Mr. Goulding carried out the filming for Countryfile, which I was originally lined up for.

As I have said many times before, wild boar young are not weaned until they are 3 months old. So if the findings are correct, Martin has confirmed my fears.
Young boar are being orphaned and left to endure a slow, painful death.
This is not scaremongering as I have been accused of in the past, it is a fact and a very harsh one.

Rob

The Bird and a River

Well the clouds broke for a bit today, long enough for me to get out with the camera and feed the birds at New Fancy.

Just the usual stuff around. chaffinch, robin, nuthatch, greenfinch, cole tit and so on, but the chaffinch's were hovering well, so I decided to try and catch some in flight shots. The light levels were still quite low, so don't expect any great shots!

Then I decided to take a walk down by the River Severn at Awre. Couldn't stay long, but this is definitely a place I will be going back to.

Rob

The Good and the Bad

Two bits of news, good and bad.....

Firstly... As some of you will know I was supposed to be filming for Countryfile this coming Tuesday. The focus was to be concentrated on the wild boar. They are still filming, but unfortunately they will not be using me!

I received a nice email from the producer explaining that they will now be interviewing a member of the Forestry Commission. She did however, make it clear that the Forestry Commission had not bullied them into this decision?!?!?!?!?!?!? Oops got carried away there with the question marks and exclamation marks!

On a more positive note, they will also be interviewing Dr. Martin Goulding. If you have not heard of him, Mr. Goulding specialises in wild boar and his contribution will be factual based.

Secondly... I did manage to get a slot on the radio this morning, talking about the Forest of Dean, my photography and what it takes to get a decent photograph. I have added some pics to spice it up a bit.

Rob

BBC Radio Glos Feature - Wild Boar

Wild Boar.

Below is a link to my radio interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire, which went out earlier today.

Firstly, there are a few points I would like to make as there is always a lot of editing involved if you are not live and not everything comes over as said, or as it is meant to be perceived...

1. In my interview, I mentioned that the Forestry Commission has a hard job and that I respect them as they do a fantastic job managing our forest and our deer. I also said that I would support the same policy for wild boar management. This was not aired!
2. The road verges do not repair themselves overnight, nor do they repair themselves when the ground is frozen. The majority of road verges have been clean for quite some time, this means that there has been a decrease in boar activity.
3. Click this link to a "This is Gloucestershire" story from the 3rd January 2010, where a Forestry Ranger confirmed a wild boar cull. Something, which is now being denied. This is why we mentioned the "legal" Forestry cull. http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/gloucestershireheadlines/Wild-boar-culled/article-1667370-detail/article.html
4. My "ONLY" reason for helping to form "Friends of the Wild Boar" is to help this species get the protection in needs and deserves in the UK. I am not looking for recognition and I am certainly not looking for financial gain. The Llama Trekking is Mr Fraser's business and has nothing to do with me or "Friends of the Wild Boar" and it should not have been mentioned.

I have no interest in any business venture whatsoever where the wild boar, or captive animals are concerned and I will never highlight a wild boar location to the public, unless I am 100% sure that it has moved on from the area. This animal needs to be left alone!

I think about our wildlife 100%, not myself and not anyone else. This creature needs a voice and I am going to give it one.

Mr Guest said that our comments were just scaremongering. Well Mr Guest I can assure you that the only scaremongering going on is all the lies and false gossip, which is and has been doing the rounds since the boar arrived in the Dean. Perhaps a statement from you in the local press giving the public the "FACTS" would help. Or would you like me to do it?

The vast majority of people in the UK watch wildlife documentaries on the TV and comment on how people in foreign countries should work harder to learn to live with their wildlife, which are viewed as dangerous by most. Then along comes a wild boar in the UK and they are too scared to walk out of their front door! Practice what you preach!

I am not doing this to make friends or enemies, I am doing this to help a controversial creature survive.

1st part (skip to - 1h 15min 27sec) 2nd part (skip to - 2h 36min 04sec)http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0065c3g/Mark_Cummings_03_02_2010/

Rob

Fallow Doe

Tried my hardest to find some wild boar for you today folks, but the weather was against me and I failed.

Looking at it positively, a failure is one step closer to success, so it won't be long.

I did manage to spot a fallow doe before the skies turned grey and the sleet started to fall! I could see her grazing through some trees, she had the sun on her back.

Carefully and quietly I crept up as close as I could, until I was no more than 7 or 8 metres away.

There was a lot of bracken in the way and I was finding it hard to get a clear view. Then she spotted me!

As long as you are quiet and calm, fallow deer will stand and look at you for a while before running away, this is when you can get your shot.

Rob

An hour in the Forest of Dean

Popped out while there was still enough light to get some pics and was surprised at what I saw in just an hour!

Captured everything except the one, which I really wanted. A sparrow hawk!

It was pretty cold out, close to freezing so I made sure I had some food for the birds, as I always do.

Robin

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dunnock

Tree Creeper

The light levels were poor and I was struggling for shutter speed, so I decided to try and find some deer.
It wasn't long before I found some. I settled down and got the camera out. No good for images, but there was enough light to do some filming.
It was freezing and I couldn't feel my bum and feet from sitting in freezing, damp and cramped conditions. Just as I put the camera away, a sparrow hawk flew past and settled in a tree no more than 20 metres away.
I was like a fumbling idiot, trying to get the camera back out of the bag. Too late, I watched him glide away!
Next time, I'll av him!

Rob

Forest of Dean Wild Boar

Wild boar were on the menu for me today, so I decided to go out and shoot a few. With my camera of course!
Before I ventured out I watched a programme on CH5 called Rogue Raiders. It was about the wild boar in Britain.
I won't go into detail, but the final conclusion was that we have more to fear from illegal poachers discharging firearms in our forest than we have from wild boar.

I didn't have to go far before I picked up on some tell tale signs that boar were or had been in the vicinity recently.
This looks messy, but given time it will settle back down and will actually help with the regeneration of the soil.
What happens when you dig your garden? You are turning the top soil. I am no gardener, but I do know that billions of gardeners worldwide don't do this to make the soil look pretty!
Think about it.



They have had a good root around this tree stump. Probably looking for acorns and worms etc.

How did I know the wild boar had been here recently? This is fresh, that's how.

This is a feeding station. Set up to monitor the wild boar. Property of DEFRA.

Didn't find one, not one. They were too elusive today! However, I did have another trip on the agenda!

Recently a wild boar piglet was rejected by her mum. Sad, but these things happen. Wild boar piglets are weaned at 3 months old and this girl is only a couple of weeks old, so she was very lucky to be found wandering around on her own.

Thankfully Alastair Fraser voluntarily offered to help by taking her in. Alastair already looks after a blind adult boar called Stevie Wonder at his farm near Alvington, so taking in a piglet was no bother to him.

Her name is Ella, she is very mischievous and very, very cute.

Having a sniff around.

I think she likes tomatoes!

Having a scratch.

Time for a nap!

Rob

Feeding Wild Boar is Wrong

There were a few photographs and a write up in this weeks Forest of Dean Review newspaper showing wild boar, which had roamed into a residential area and were being fed by some locals.
It is bad enough feeding them mince pies, but this is just enticing them to come back and if this happens, in the end there will only be one loser.
I am as passionate about the wild boar as I am any animal in our forest and I am concerned that actions like these will just jeopardise the advice given and work being done to protect them. It will add more fuel to the already smouldering fire on whether the boars have a right to an existence in out forest today.

A few facts and guidelines below. These are common sense and have been given to protect us as well as the boar.

1. Do not feed the boar
2. Do not attempt to touch them
3. If you hear or see them and you don't feel comfortable, walk in the opposite direction
4. Stick to the Forestry Commission footpaths
5. Keep your dog on a lead while in the forest

Here are the reasons why the above should be obeyed.

1. If you feed the boar, they will identify humans and more importantly residential areas as a food source. This will have a devastating impact, as the Forestry Commission will have no option but to shoot them, as they will be seen as nuisance boar, when all they really want is food.
2. Wild boar have self-sharpening tusks and it doesn't matter how friendly they look, one jerk of the head could result in "serious" injury. Then the boar will be labeled man-killers!
3. I have had more encounters with boar in the Dean than I can remember and not once have I been in any danger whatsoever.
4. If you are nervous about seeing them, stick to the forestry footpaths, the majority of my sightings have been deep in the forest.
5. The law states that all dog owners must be in control of their dog at all times (http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/enjoying/countrysidecode/keepdogs.aspx). If your dog worries a wild boar and gets injured, then this is down to the owner, not the dog and not the wild boar.

I understand that it must be tempting to feed a wild animal in hard conditions like we have had recently, but this animal is a large mammal, not a bird.

Rob

Help The Birds This Winter

You are probably aware that our wild birds are struggling for food in this hard, severe winter weather.
The ground is so hard that they are finding it difficult to locate their normal food, like insects etc. It is times like these that we can make a massive difference to the lives of our feathered friends.
There are lots of ways you can help, but I find the following the best as it gives the birds lots of nutrients and the correct fats to help them through the cold days.
Its cold out there in the daytime, but imagine what it must be like at night!
I have photographed the process of mixing the correct food for the birds. See below.



Around 2 slices of bread in a little water. Bread bloats the birds and does not have many nutritional values for them, but it helps with the binding.


Next, a good helping of seed. You can use any type of bird seed, but I have used sunflower hearts here as the birds can just peck them up and swallow them straight down.

Then some nuts. They are high in oil and fat, but it is the fat the birds need to produce energy and they need as much of that as they can get.

The last of the ingredients is grated cheese. This is again high in energy and also helps with the binding process.

Get your hands in there and mix it all together until you have a big lump. It can be placed on the ground, in the bow of a tree branch or pushed into holes.

Don't forget to clean the sink afterwards and before you go out, or else you will end up with a sore eye and ear ache!!!

If you know a place where people feed the birds often, take the food to that site, it will be found immediately as the birds in that area will be used to food being taken out and will therefor be waiting.

Hang around and watch how many birds come down to feast on your free food. It will feel good, I promise you that.

Rob

Forest of Dean Birds

Took a trip out to Speech House earlier today to see how things are, after the snow.
Had a quick look for some deer and wild boar before heading out to check on the birds. No deer or wild boar today, but plenty of birds.

Click on birds for larger view.

Jay


Nuthatch


Dunnock

Great Spotted Woodpecker (female)

Nuthatch

Cole Tit

Robin

Watch this video for some more birds, including a buzzard and also a insect, which I think is an inch worm?

Rob

Forest of Dean Snow and Wild Boar

Wasn't going to venture out today, but my friend popped by with his 4x4 and this was all the encouragement I required to get my butt out the door.
We started off taking a look at some of our local lakes and ponds. All were virtually frozen solid, except for some clear areas near the shallows.

What shocked us, was the amount of "human" activity we could see on the ice. I am amazed that there are people still willing to risk their lives, especially after all the warnings!

Click images for lager size...


Lightmoor pond.



The following 4 are from Steam Mills Lake.

Two coots and a gull.

The water must be too cold!

We then moved on into the forest where we came across this print. Do you know what made it?

The print is facing forward, but look to the rear and you will see to indentations in the snow, at either side.

These were formed by dew claws, which can be found on various animals, including wild boar.

We decided to try out our tracking skills in the snow.

It wasn't long before we found our first one. Can you see her?

How about now?

Here they are. I only had my wide angle lens with me and this was taken at 55mm. Won't be making that mistake again!

However, I did take my video camera. Enjoy.

Rob

Hard Time For All Animals

On Tuesday 12th, I decided to pop out to feed and hopefully get some half decent pics of the birds at Speech House. Lucky I did as the snow came in that night and made it impossible for me to get out.
When I got out, there was a slight problem! The free grazing sheep in the area have wised up to people taking food out for the birds and they hide in the forest, waiting until you put the food out, then they emerge like ravenous vultures!


One steps out and does a bit of posing, just to distract you while the others pile into the bird food!


I was a bit annoyed at first, until I realised that there was no way of stopping them and that they must be extremely hungry to eat bird seed.

Especially as there were around 15 of them.

So I decided to find another spot, where they could not reach the food. I found one, just around the corner and luckily I still had enough food to see the birds alright.

Rob