Badger Cull; Poaching and Lots More

Sorry I have not posted for a while; been busy with house renovations and work. 

Lots going on in the Forest of Dean to take up my spare time though and I have listed everything (with photographs) below. It has taken me a few hours to put this post together, so please take the time to read through as there is some very important stuff below.

Please do not forget to click on the links and support whatever you can as our wildlife depends on people like us. Thanks, Rob.

GlosARG

As most of you are aware, along with a friend (Scott Passmore) I recently founded GlosARG and we are delighted to inform you that we have our first patrons.

Patron 1 - Zara Boland (better known as Zara the Vet) http://www.zarathevet.com/.

Zara is known for her media vet work and is a regular feature on Channel 5, the BBC and Sky TV. She is also the founder and Director of Vet Voice.  

Patron 2 - Sean McCormack

Sean is a veterinary surgeon and has worked with domestic and exotic animals after finishing University. During vet school Sean completed Canine Behaviour and Zoo Medicine elective modules. Over the years he has kept and bred a huge variety of reptiles and amphibians. 

We welcome both patrons and thank them for their support.

Talking of reptiles lets look at some adders, which I photographed this year while surveying. 

This female gained me my first ever "explore" on Flickr and in case you are wondering, yes I was really that close.

She was not very old, probably around 2 or 3 years and like many snakes of this age, she was extremely inquisitive. She was basking on a log and I managed to get my camera on the end so I was shooting straight up the log at her. She watched me for a while before deciding to come down and check me out.

When this happens it is truly amazing as they show no aggression at all, they just come down, taste the air and stare straight into the lens. Photographed using the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Juvenile Adder (Vipera berus)

Here is mum in the same area, except basking on a different log. The mature snakes are not easy to get close to as they are more wary, so I never try and get up close with them.

Mature Female Adder (Vipera berus)

GlosARG on Facebook

GlosARG on Twitter

GlosARG Official Website

BADGER CULL

Now onto a very important and distressing situation. The proposed badger cull!

I understand that bTB (Bovine Tuberculosis) is a debilitating disease and that it must be tackled, however, I strongly disagree that by eradicating the badger it will stop this disease. Yes it will reduce the numbers of infected cattle, but as this is not a cure I believe that an alternative must be considered.

Over the years DEFRA has spent millions on a vaccine, yet they have chosen to shelve it and go ahead with the culling of 70% of badgers in the Westcountry.

The startling realisation is that if they go ahead and kill 70% of badgers in the proposed areas, it is fact that this will reduce bTB by just 16%! Hundreds, if not thousands of badgers will be slaughtered and yet we will still be left with this disease, why? because other animals (mammals) can also carry and transmit this disease. Mice, rats, deer, fox and wild boar; they can all carry bTB and they are all capable of entering farmland.

I wrote to MP Jim Paice in 2010 expressing my concerns and I asked him to clarify numerous questions regarding farming practices, testing and the movement of cattle in known bTB hot spots. I received a 6 page reply in 2011 where he answered all of my questions, although indirectly.

Badgers will be targeted illegally and it has already started! - Story Here

If you would like to help, please visit the following links

Brain May's Save Me (Yes, that Brian May)  

Save Me on Facebook

Save Me on Twitter

Save Me Official Website

Brian is due to visit the Forest of Dean very soon to talk and express his concerns.

Please also support GABS (Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting)

GABS on Facebook

GABS on Twitter

GABS Official Website

Playful Badger in the Forest of Dean

                                           

POACHING

If you admit to having a problem, you then have no option but to deal with it and sadly the seriousness of poaching in the Forest of Dean is being played down by the people who are supposed to be managing and caring for our forest "and the wildlife!"

Evidence of poaching can be found all over the forest, yet it is still not being taken seriously. Yes, the Police have asked for information regarding a recent incident, but who is going to grass on a poacher with a shotgun, or high powered rifle?

To see the aftermath, left behind after these butchers have been to work is gut wrenching and it has to stop. The most recent incident involved a 18 month old male wild boar, which had been shot in the jaw and then slowly bled to death in the forest. This is inhumane animal cruelty and the people responsible must be stopped.

The Police are asking for information regarding a 4x4 seen at Forest Hills Golf Club in the Forest of Dean last week. Apparently the occupants were shooting at wild boar from the vehicle. 

Open your eyes people, this is public land, used by dog walkers and golfers. If this carries on someone is going to die!!!

Story Here

Below are some photographs taken deep in the forest where no public access is allowed. The Forestry Commission have said that they do not use this track, so whoever made these tracks were in the forest without permission.

It goes without saying that we obviously reported the location to the FC, yet so far nothing has been done to try and stop them, whoever they are. They are here regularly as the mess is getting worse on a weekly basis.

If you would like to help, please visit Friends of the Boar.

Friends of the Boar on Facebook

Friends of the Boar Official Website

                                              

                                                     

Moving on from the sorry state our country has become under the new so called Government, here are a few photographs from recent months.

Red Fox 

This young fox knew something was there, but as he couldn't see me it made him inquisitive. He walked to within a few metres before he smelt me and legged it. He did come back though, so I obviously don't smell that bad?

Curious Fox

Red Kite
A portrait of a red kite. The key is to position yourself with the sun hitting just one side of the face. Through the naked eye you will still see the entire face, but by dropping the exposure it will highlight just the areas where the sun is hitting.

Thoughts of a Kite!

Three years ago I photographed this chap and ever since I have wondered if I would ever see him again. As the years passed I resigned myself to the thought that he must have been either culled or poached. However, after more than three hours in one location on Tuesday and with a very sore bum he walked out in front of me.
Moments like these are truly magical and will stay with me forever.

Ghost of the Forest

And Finally - Lightning

Nature is all around us, all the time, but on occasions it unleashes something quite spectacular. Lightning is awesome to watch and photograph as you capture details, which can never be seen through the naked eye.
The shots below have been taken over a few years.

It doesn't have to be big, to be impressive!

The lightning in this shot has illuminated to mist forming over the forest

Over in an instance, yet the intensity of the light is overwhelming 

Rob

GlosARG

We are off and running with our new group; GlosARG!

Gloucestershire Amphibian and Reptile Group has been set up for the conservation of all our native reptiles and amphibians throughout Gloucestershire.
We are an affiliated group of ARG UK.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

If you would like to get involved, please contact us through one of the links below. We have a website, Facebook and Twitter pages, so you can easily get hold of us.
The feeling you get from knowing you have done something to conserve wildlife can not be beaten, so please get involved. It is fun, interesting and educational.
Get the kids involved and give them a passion, which will carry them well through life. What a feeling it would be to see your own children pass this gift onto your grandchildren!

We have only been running for a few weeks and in this time we have already discovered a "new" Great Crested Newt colony in the Forest of Dean.
These newts are endangered and protected by European law, so we couldn't have hoped for a better start!

You can reach us through the following links below.

GlosARG Website
Facebook
Twitter

ARG UK

Thank you in advance.

Rob

"New" Gloucestershire ARG

With a friend I have started a new amphibian and reptile conservation group in the Forest of dean, Gloucestershire.
This group is called GlosARG and we are an affiliated group of ARG UK.

Our aim is to.....

Raise awareness
Recruit volunteers
Survey Gloucestershire
Manage existing habitats
Create new habitats
Achieve protection status on existing and new habitats
See Gloucestershire recognised as a special place for Herptile Conservation

This isn't going to happen overnight and it isn't going to be easy, but with our passion, focus and some much needed help, I am sure we can achieve our goals.
Until now Gloucestershire did not have a ARG group, so Scott and I decided to change this and show the world the wonders of this special place.
Please contact me if you would like to help. We will be organising walks, talks as well as teaching volunteers how to survey all the magnificent amphibians and reptiles we have in Gloucestershire.

ARG Website

Follow us on...
Twitter
Facebook


As well as many other species, these are just some of the amphibians and reptiles we will be surveying and looking after throughout Gloucestershire.

Great Crested Newt

Adder

Grass Snake

Common Lizard

Toads

Frogs

Rob

Cinderford Northern Arc Development = Disaster for Wildlife!

This is of great importance to all local people and also to those who care for our habitats and wildlife. I advise you to read carefully and do whatever you can to help.

When you read or hear the name Ark, what do you think of? Maybe a guy called Noah who helped save all living creatures of this planet.
Well there is another Ark on its way, but this time it is not coming to save and protect; instead it is coming to disturb and destroy!

If the Cinderford Northern Arc Project gets the green light its footprint will cause unimaginable, untold damage to the proposed area at Steam Mills, near Cinderford. An area that supports key habitat to many endangered species, including Red List species.
I have personally seen many of the very rare and endangered species at this site and the few, which I haven't seen have been recorded by trusted sources, like the Forest Green Team who recorded an otter as far back as 2007.
Due to (c) laws, I can not show you a photograph I obtained from the FoDDC, detailing the vast area that is to be developed. However, I can tell you that it is massive and will see a road cutting right through the forest and it will also see an area that is rich in undisturbed wildlife destroyed!
I can give you the location on Google Maps - Click Here


The main development site around Steam Mills Lake supports a varied and healthy abundance of rare wildlife and I can't think of another site throughout the Forest of Dean, which is richer in varied wildlife.
Some of the wildlife in this area is on the Red List for protection and the majority of these species "HAVE" been recorded during area surveys; authorised and carried out by professionals for the Regeneration Board.

To name just a few, this site supports....

Lesser Horseshoe Bat
Greater Horseshoe Bat
Great Crested Newt
Adder
Hawfinch
Otter
Doormouse
Water Vole

One species named above, which was not recorded in the surveys is the Hawfinch. This bird is so rare and endangered in the UK that only 5,000 breeding pairs are present throughout the whole country. This bird is on the Red List and its conservation Status is as follows.

• Globally threatened
• Historical population decline in UK during 1800–1995
• Severe (at least 50%) decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years, or longer-term period (the entire period used for assessments since the first BoCC review, starting in 1969).
• Severe (at least 50%) contraction of UK breeding range over last 25 years, or the longer-term period

The Hawfinch has been ringed at this site for many years and the Forestry Commission are aware of this, so I can't see how this has been overlooked.
With rare bats, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and insects present at this site; I am stunned that they are still going ahead with their plans to bulldoze right through the middle of it!
The area is also very popular with fishermen and dog walkers; all of whom will lose the area if these plans go ahead.

To see a full list of identified wildlife species found during the surveys click below.
Click here for the results from the Field Survey

The "Spine Road" will cut through the forest leaving a part of the forest isolated between the Spine Road and Steam Mills/Hawkwell. I have asked the question "what guarantees do we have that this isolated woodland "will not" also be developed in the years to come?"
I didn't get a reply to that one!

Encroachment will see even more habitats and wildlife suffer and where will it stop?

I agree that Cinderford requires regeneration as it is staring to become a ghost town, but I can't see how developing an area so far out of the actual town will help. Maybe they should look at the "actual town" and inject some much needed revenue there before creating another "Mini-Cinderford" on the outskirts.

I sincerely hope that this isn't happening so that certain people can retire and leave their legacy behind. One legacy, which would be appreciated and which would always be recognised, is if this area along with the rest of our most valuable asset was protected and preserved.
I know which one I would want to be remembered for!

Some links below.

Cinderford Area Action Plan - Evidence Base

Take a look at the photograph on the front of THIS REPORT. It may not look like this for very much longer!

A Recent Article - HERE


(Just something personal from me)

It wasn't very long ago that the HooF campaign fought to save OUR forests and yet this seems to be the exact thing they were trying to prevent. I wonder why this seems to have been accepted? Lets face it, if other areas are encroached upon like this, throughout the Forest of Dean area, then the fight to safeguard our forest will have been for nothing!

Why not turn this area into a nature reserve as this will help bring tourists into the area. People do not visit the Forest of Dean just to stay in a hotel, they visit to walk our forest and to hopefully see the wildlife therein. The Forest is our most valuable asset.

Rob

A Trip Down South!

Along with a good friend (who was driving) I endured horrendous traffic, which meant it took four hours to reach our destination in Dorset and with heavy fog most of the way it appeared that we would probably be travelling back without the photographs we were after.
However, optimistic as always and nearing our location the sun broke through the fog and it turned into the perfect day for the rare reptile species we were after; the Sand Lizard!

NOTE: The Sand Lizard is protected under, Schedule 2 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations (1994), and Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

With the help of some very trusting and friendly locals, it was only a few minuets before I was face to face with my first sand lizard. I must admit that I was shocked to have found one so quickly, but without the help of our local friends it would have taken a lot longer as they are so well camouflaged.

First find!


This was great, except it was not the best of shots due to the bush it was basking under, so we moved on.
I had never seen a sand lizard in the wild before, so as far as I was concerned this was about as good as it was going to get. How wrong I was as just around the corner our luck changed!

This fella was out in the open making the most of the blazing sun!


There were at least six lizards in one location and it was hard picking one to photograph.


The one thing that astounded me was the fact that they were all very curious and even came up to the camera!
The sand lizard, as mentioned above, is very rare and also extremely protected so the last thing I wanted to do was to disturb them. This concerned me on the way to Dorset, but I was gobsmacked at how relaxed these lizards were with our presence.


It's always nice to get two different species in one shot, but when I got up on this morning I couldn't of imagined that I would be photographing a sand lizard, with a ladybird walking around next to him!


We left this site and headed out onto some heathland where we saw a nice male adder. I missed this opportunity, but something even more special was just around the corner.
A male sand lizard!


We left the locals and headed to another spot where there was a chance of photographing another species, which I had not captured previously; Sika Deer.

Not knowing what to expect and ready for the stalk I followed my friend to some open grassy areas, surrounded by woodland. Now these deer are wild, they are not on an estate, or privately owned, so I was again wondering if we were going to succeed!
We spotted some on the edge of the woodland in the grassy area and proceeded to crawl towards them.

I photographed this fella at ground level and the blur in the foreground is grass.


At this point we were almost in the middle of the grassy area when a hind walked up to check us out!


Then two young stags started squaring up to one another!


As you can imagine, I took quite a few pics of these deer, but we still had one more place to visit before we left. The coast.

I'm not the best when it come to identifying birds, so if I have some of these wrong please let me know and I will correct.
And please note: Photo's taken from cliff top!

Bar-Tailed Godwit


Black-Headed Gull



Black-Winged Stilt


Little Egret


Not bad for 5 hours work!

Rob

NEW BLOG....!

I have started a new blog, dedicated to one species that is and always will be close to my heart. The snake.
We have two snakes in the Forest of Dean and both are native. They are the grass snake (Natrix natrix) and the adder (Vipera berus).

The adder is Britain's only venomous snake and this, accompanied by all the scare stories that have been around since time began, has given the snake a bad reputation.
Some people fear them, some people even kill them on sight, but this is down to ignorance and a lack of education because no animal deserves to die just because the TV has told us that they can be dangerous!

I love the snake for its shy secret life, its stealth and above all its beauty!



I hope you like my blog and please recommend it to your friends. Thanks.

SNAKES IN THE FOREST OF DEAN

Rob

BBC Radio Glos Interview

Below is a slide show accompanying a BBC Radio Gloucestershire interview I gave recently. I would like to stress that the adder is relatively harmless unless you have an allergic reaction. However, I would suggest that all adder bites are taken seriously and medical advice should be sought asap.



Rob

Newspaper Article - Snakes

BLACK ADDER GOES FORTH

Below is a link to a newspaper article I supplied to the local press, it has been slightly changed and edited.
My main purpose was to try and dismiss the fears that some have regarding our native snakes as just rumours and folklore. I hope it helps to save a few!
I usually find between 2 and 5 dead snakes within my reptile sites throughout the Forest of Dean. This figure may not seem high, but it is when both the adder and grass snake are in decline and are both protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Schedule 5 from Trade, Injury and Killing!


http://www.forest-and-wye-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=10365&headline=Black adder goes forth



Rob

A Year Behind The Lens - 2009

This is my first year filming around the Forest of Dean. I have been photographing it for a long time, but I had never put a lot of time into filming, until this year.

As you can only upload 100MB of video to Blogger at one time, I had to be selective with my material and there is no music to my video as the sounds of the forest are far more superior to any music!

I hope you like what you see?

Hibernation

As the cold weather bites, quite a few of our woodland critters will be nestling down for a long, deep sleep called hibernation.
Please find below, some facts about one of our main hibernating species, the snake. A much feared, yet misunderstood reptile.

Scientific names: Adder (Vipera berus) - Grass Snake (Natrix natrix).
Life span: Adder (up to 15 years) - Grass Snake (up to 25 years).
Mating: April (although never in two consecutive years). Both species.
Birth: August to early September. Both.
Young: Adder (up to 10 live young) - Grass Snake (up to 30 eggs).
Venomous: Adder (yes) - Grass Snake (no)
Active: Between February and October (depending on conditions). Both.


Fatal adder bite statistics on humans for the past 133 years.

Fatalities: Since 1876 there have been 14 fatalities caused by the adders bite in Britain, the last being a 5 year old girl.
The number of adder bites on humans, which requires hospitalisation is 200 per-year. This equates to around 1 in 300,000 people.


People who see adders are sometimes mistaken by their size as this snake is really quite small, when compared to the grass snake. Males usually grow to 60cm and females 75cm in length, the reason they look bigger is because they flatten their bodies to absorb the sun over a larger area, to warm up faster when basking and this gives the impression that they are twice as big as they really are.

The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) is also a native snake to Britain, but it is only found in southern England.


Hope you enjoy the new video.

TURN THE VOLUME UP

What I Think

Every day I feel more and more compelled to do or write something to highlight the Forest of Dean and it's wildlife.

I have a massive passion for photography, but I can't explain my feelings for this place. Every second of every day I am thinking about it. In my own mind, nobody even comes close to the way I feel. One day when the time is right, I will dedicate my whole life to the forest and it's critters.

I have had the pleasure of meeting some very talented, extraordinary people over the last few months and this has helped me immensly.

Especially to Marcus Moore and Ben Cavanna, I say thank you.

Hope you like the poem and video and don't forget to turn the...

VOLUME UP!

Large Grass Snake + More

Firstly, I want to apologise for being inactive lately. Had some issues, which took up a lot of my time, but I'm getting there slowly.


Here are a few pics, the first one is a Scarlet Tiger Moth (Callimorpha dominula), which flew into my home, the second is a Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar or larvae (Deilephila elpenor), which I found in my garden, the third is a Female Adder (Vipera berus), I photographed her near Speech House in the Forest of Dean and the last is a video of a large Grass Snake (Natrix natrix), which I filmed late in the evening at one of my favourite spots in the Forest of Dean.

Hope you like?


Scarlet Tiger Moth

Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar

Female Adder


Grass Snake Video (120cm approx)

The Forest of Dean and its Wildlife in Pictures

This pic vid has sound not music, check it out! Hope you like?

Please comment.

Selective Colour with a Twist!

If you are looking for something different, something to wake you up in the morning, you have found it!

Selective colour with a few surprises along the way.

Enjoy and don't forget to turn the VOLUME UP!

Thanks

Rob

Wild Boar Debate Continued...........

Well as you will probably have read already, I have had a reply to my reply in the Review this week, regarding the wild boar!
Mrs. Partridge has asked the question whether I could hold my nerve and my camera steady with a couple of wild boar charging me.

Firstly, I would just like to say that I am posting this here as I believe a tit for tat battle through the newspaper will not get anyone anywhere, where the boar are concerned, I have had my say and she has had hers.

If the wild boar are seen so often and sooooooooo dangerous, why are they not attacking? It amazes me that people are still willing to condemn a species on the assumption that they MAY attack, when all the boar are doing is trotting or running up to check things out.
I have never hidden from the fact that they will kill a dog if they have young or if the dog becomes aggressive, but if you are reading this then you have access to the net... DO A SEARCH and look up unprovoked wild boar attacks on humans IN THE WORLD! Then condemn them, all they are doing is checking things out as they have very poor eyesight and can only distinguish blue from the three primary colours.
Do people not read or research anything these days?
It's like me saying Umm! There's a dog off a lead in the wood, it may bite me! Better do something to stop this or our children will get hurt.
COME ON, it's a forest with wild animals in it. There are fallow stags, which have the potential to kill a fully grown man during the rut and there are snakes, which can kill children and the elderly, but we don't run around screaming every time we see one, do we.

It's a joke and it anoys me when people make assumptions about our wildlife!

Mrs Partridge, I have been face to face with the biggest boar I have seen in my life and I have a witness who was with me at the time. I have had one run at me and the video is on HERE. I have photographed them in groups (sounders), on their own and with their little ones. I even photograph snakes UP CLOSE, so the answer to your questions is yes, I can hold my nerve, I can take a steady shot and I am never intimidated by the boar. I am wary of them and respect them as they are wild animals, but they are not monsters like they have been portrayed to be.
I only hope that you and many like you see them in a different light before it is too late. I also hope to be as lucky as you and see them on a more regular basis, this way I can get more video footage, which will show their behaviour and help to educate people on their behaviour, so they will see that they are not after our blood!

Until the next time....

Rob

Wild Boar Response Printed

Well the Review printed my response to the wild boar article from paper WE: 26th June 2009.
Hope you all agree with me, that our wildlife needs to be protected not destroyed?
By using a child as an example and by saying that the boar could have broken his legs, all this gentleman did was to incite more hatred towards the boar, as both comments were assumptions and the word assumption should not exist as it is relating to details, which are NOT fact!
The wild boar are always going to be controversial, but we can share our forests with them, without incident if we all remember they are wild animals and treat them with respect.
If a fallow buck in full antler or an adder was spotted by a member of the public, they would stop and stare and remember their memorable moment for years to come.
The fallow buck and the adder have more potential to kill a human than the wild boar, it's just that people are used to them and they are not often seen.
Over time and if managed correctly, this will happen to the boar, it just needs time.

I wonder how many dogs chase the deer around the forest, with the owners looking on and not giving a thought for the deer?

Rob

It's all in Your Imagination

Turn the volume up and enjoy!

New Snake Video

A new and improved snake video. All snakes taken by me in the Forest of Dean.

Don't forget to turn the volume up!

Enjoy!

Insect Invasion

Here is a pic movie I put together showing our insect world, with a few other surprises along the way!

All pics by me except the space, planet and volcanic ones, lol.

Click play below and don't forget to turn the volume up!

Snake and Birds

Sorry for the late posting!

Plenty of brambling, siskins and goldfinches at the feeders at New Fancy on Friday 20.03.2009.

They were squabbling quite a bit though!

Even a dunnock turned up!

On my way up to the viewpoint, I found two male adders, here is one of them.

Thanks,

Rob