Henry's Wildlife and Nature

 Earlier this month we visited Burton Mere. Burton Mere is a good place for a variety of species through the different habitats. Burton Mere is in Cheshire so it is close enough to visit now and again. Here is what we saw. Nuthatch Scientific Name: Sitta Europaea Wingspan: 20-25cm Diet: Insects, Nuts and Seeds Habitat: Mature Woods, Parklands Lifespan: 2 Years I like Nuthatches because they have a very bright plumage and easy to identify. Egyptian Geese Scientific Name: Alopochen Aegyptiacus Wingspan: 134-154cm Diet: Plants and Grains Habitats: Freshwater, Marshes, Grasslands, Agricultural Fields Lifespan: 15-25 Years Egyptian Geese are a relatively new species to me as I only saw my first one on our last visit to Burton Mere. There a bit of an odd bird plumage-wise, but still a nice one to see. Moorhen Scientific Name: Gallinula Chloropus Wingspan: 50-55cm Diet : Water Plants, Seeds, Fruits, Grasses, Insects, Snails, Worms and Small Fish Habitats: Urban and Suburban, Farmland,

 Last weekend we went to Spurn to attend Migfest for the 2nd year in a row. I was full of excitement and couldn't wait to see what we could find! It was a long 4 hour drive from school to Welwick but it was worth it. The air bnb was nice and had a hot tub, which was a bonus!  One of the things we did was go on a Unimog trip to The Point at Spurn. That trip held loads of amazing species like Merlins, Reed Bunting and Pied Wagtails. Also we briefly saw a Roe Deer! On the Sunday morning, I attended 2 Young Birder Activities, which were bird ringing and a youth walk. At the bird ringing, we got lucky! We ringed a Pied Flycatcher (my first ever one to see!), Goldcrest, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Meadow Pipit. What a lovely variety! On the walk we were lucky enough to see a lot of nice species, including Water Rail, Golden Plover, Spoonbill, Little Grebe and Marsh Harrier. It was nice to go for a walk with other keen young birders. I also got a Rare Bird Alert account for free as I was

On our trip to America, our first stop was San Francisco. One place we went whilst we were there was Pier 39. My Mum and Dad said when they went there 15 years ago, every pontoon there was full of Sealions. We headed there and what we saw was a shock! But first a rough history about Pier 39: PIER 39 HISTORY, EARTHQUAKE AND SEALIONS. It opened on October 4th 1977 with shops, restaurants and a diving pool and was a busy place. In 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake happened, this is when the sealions moved in because they lost their home due to the earthquake. Ever since, Pier 39 has famously been their home with lots of tourists visiting to see them. Sealion Specialists believe they moved here after the earthquake as they felt safer inside the bay. We arrived at Pier 39 and we were shocked. There were only about 10 sealions there! Maybe we went at the wrong time of day? Maybe they were hunting? I don't know but the ten that were there were quite comical! One was sat up posing for pictu

 On our America Road trip we also visited Pebble Beach at the 17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove, made famous by its golf course. It was a lovely costal drive which spanned for 17 miles (its name has a good meaning!). There was a variety of wildlife like Sea Lions, Heermann's Gulls, Black Oystercatchers (get to them in a bit), Seals and Lizards. There are 17 points in total pointed out on the map, but 2 of them aren't places to get out and have a look. My favourite stop was probably Bird Rock and I think you can figure out why, without me explaining! At Bird Rock, I was filming a Black Oystercatcher, as I finished a lady came over to say hello. She asked me if I was a Birder and of course I said yes. She then mentioned she was the person who looks out for the Black Oystercatchers as they are quite rare. Apparently there were chicks on one of the rocks near by and she was out checking. She also mentioned they fledge between 38-40 days and this was the 39th day! So they were due to lea

Sorry I have not posted a blog for a while, I have been on a 3 week trip to the USA! One of the places we went on that trip was the Grand Canyon. The grand canyon is an incredible place. When your there it looks 2D and like you could touch it. Here are some facts:        It’s one of the longest canyons in the world, measuring over 270 miles long        It formed around 5 to 6 million years ago when the Colorado River started flowing through it.         It contains some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet.         It’s home to around 70 species of mammals, 22 of which are bats, 250 species of bird, and 25 types of reptiles.        It is one of the 7 natural Wonders of the World.       Guano Point got its name because of the bat poo which was found in a cave near the point. At the time bat poo was very expensive but good fertiliser. They put in a cable cart to get down to the cave easily. This was later destroyed when a jet flew through the cable.         It is also an UNESCO Wor

 Recently I attended the 2023 BTO Bird Camp for Wales for the 2nd year in a row. A lot of the friends I met last year like Deri, Tyler, Gabe, Finn and more were there but there were also some new faces. We arrived at the same bunkhouse as last year and waited for everyone to arrive. After that we set up our rooms. I was sharing with Deri, Tyler and Finn. After setting up we headed to the yard and played a game to learn each others names. We had to throw a ball to someone and say their name. I think I was better at throwing than remembering everyone's names! For dinner we had a very nice chilli made by the BTO volunteers with guacamole and nachos. We then set some camp rules that everyone agreed on and signed it. That stayed on the wall for the rest of bird camp. Next up was the evening activity, Bat walk. Bob and Annie, the experts who were there last year did it with us and also another man (I told you I'm hopeless at names!), who was a bat expert, came along just for this act