30 Days Wild - A Wildlife Trust initiative for June 2015
The month has flown by and now we are at the end, I thought I would remind myself of the best bits and in some cases maybe the nature I would otherwise have missed.
Monday 1st June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 1 - Today I was up early with Dad as we had a nest box with baby blue tits in it (the official term is Pulley) in our garden in Somerset.
There were 5 in the nest, which is quite low for a number for Blue Tit which regularly have 3-4 more than that.
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| Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig ringing Blue Tit Pulley Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
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| Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig checking a Blue Tit Nestbox Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
Thursday 4th June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 4 - A walk into Compton Woods, at the top of our lane, onto the Mendip escarpment. Smelling the garlic...
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Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose walking in Compton Woods
Photograph taken by and copyright Young Birder Mya-Rose Craig AKA Birdgirl
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Saturday 6th June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 6 - Demonstrating the ringing (banding) of a beautiful Blackbird at Chew Valley Ringing Station to 17 young people (but old to me!) from Bristol Nature Network.
It was strange having so many photographs taken of you but great that people were so interested. I had a million questions fired at me about ringing, how long I had been doing it, how I got into it, was it hard etc but felt quite pleased that I could answer them with something useful!
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Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose doing a ringing demonstration to Bristol Nature Network
Photograph taken by and copyright Young Birder Mya-Rose Craig AKA Birdgirl
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Thursday 11 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 11 - The field opposite our house, abuts our garden across the road. It is steep at the top, where it starts heading up the Mendip escarpment. The field is really beautiful at the moment with long grass and wild flowers.
Today I walked to the very top of the field to admire the view. In this tranquility, I impulsively took of my shoes and danced in the field, rehearsing the ballet dance I am going to be performing in a upcoming show.
Dancing in this wild flower meadow
Photograph taken by Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig
Friday 12 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 12 - Today I went to The Avalon Marshes Centre on the Somerset Levels, after school. This is where my Camp Avalon for young birders it taking place next weekend. I had a look around to assess the best places for feeders, which I then filled and put up. Hopefully, the birds will get used to feeding on the feeders so that when we put nets up, we'll catch some birds for ringing.
Young Birder Mya-Rose Craig assessing the habitat
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Young Birder Mya-Rose Craig filling feeders
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Saturday 13 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 13 - 13 June 2015 - Examining Brian up close
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig with a snail at Bristol Festival of Nature
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Today I spent the day at the Festival of Nature in Bristol, Britain's largest free nature festival. I am so lucky to live here.
This photograph is taken with a BBC Natural History Unit long lens, and shows me getting close up to a snail as is used in lots of wildlife programmes. Picture Sir David Attenborough looking at an ant.
We also went to see Bill Oddie speak and as expected he was very funny. He talked about lots of topics that I feel passionately about like Palm Oil Plantations in Borneo that have replaced virtually all of the rain forest out there, ringing as a child (I love it too), the crime of the government wanting to make hunting with dogs legal again and puffins.
I found Bill Oddie to be interested in me (he commented on my Birdgirl t-shirt and asked me which hummingbird it was - Swordbilled), as chatty as you can expect from real live person (in case they didn't realise the person on stage/TV is a persona and in my experience most comedians are not funny in normal conversations (my parents are friends with a few).
Bill Oddie with Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig at Bristol Festival of Nature
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Sunday 21 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 21 - Today I did another ringing demonstration but this time to people between 12 and 17 years old. Most had never watched ringing before or held a bird. The ringing was part of Camp Avalon and took place at the Avalon Marshes Centre on the Somerset Levels. It was particularly great to see the ethnic minority inner city boys interested.
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig giving a ringing demo at Camp Avalon
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig giving a ringing demo at Camp Avalon
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Ringing demo at Camp Avalon
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Friday 26 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 26 - Today I took my Scout group to the Mendips to look for Nightjar. It was amazing to watch the group so excited at just hearing a bird churring.
Most of my Scout group don't know anything about birds and so I think it is really important to try and get them interested.
Scouts looking for Nightjar, Stockhill, Somerset
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Tuesday 30 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 30 - Ringing Canada Geese
The 30 June was the last day of 30 Days Wild and I wanted to go out with something big. Maybe a rarity at Chew Valley Lake?
Then it was fixed as the date arranged for corraling, catching and ringing the Canada Geese at Chew Valley Lake. It was perfect for the last day of the month.
They used a boat to corrale the geese onto onto dry land, where they shut them into a fenced off area.
Then people carried the goose under their arm, avoided letting it bite them, then held it whilst it was ringed. I managed to ring lots of geese, which was brilliant. It was quite hard as the metal ring was big and made out of hard metal.
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig ringing a Canada Goose, Chew Valley Lake
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig ringing a Canada Goose, Chew Valley Lake
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig ringing a Canada Goose, Chew Valley Lake
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig and Chris Craig, Chew Valley Lake
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
Thursday 11 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 11 - The field opposite our house, abuts our garden across the road. It is steep at the top, where it starts heading up the Mendip escarpment. The field is really beautiful at the moment with long grass and wild flowers.
Today I walked to the very top of the field to admire the view. In this tranquility, I impulsively took of my shoes and danced in the field, rehearsing the ballet dance I am going to be performing in a upcoming show.
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| Dancing in this wild flower meadow Photograph taken by Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig |
Friday 12 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 12 - Today I went to The Avalon Marshes Centre on the Somerset Levels, after school. This is where my Camp Avalon for young birders it taking place next weekend. I had a look around to assess the best places for feeders, which I then filled and put up. Hopefully, the birds will get used to feeding on the feeders so that when we put nets up, we'll catch some birds for ringing.
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| Young Birder Mya-Rose Craig assessing the habitat Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
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| Young Birder Mya-Rose Craig filling feeders Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
Saturday 13 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 13 - 13 June 2015 - Examining Brian up close
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| Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig with a snail at Bristol Festival of Nature Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
Today I spent the day at the Festival of Nature in Bristol, Britain's largest free nature festival. I am so lucky to live here.
This photograph is taken with a BBC Natural History Unit long lens, and shows me getting close up to a snail as is used in lots of wildlife programmes. Picture Sir David Attenborough looking at an ant.
We also went to see Bill Oddie speak and as expected he was very funny. He talked about lots of topics that I feel passionately about like Palm Oil Plantations in Borneo that have replaced virtually all of the rain forest out there, ringing as a child (I love it too), the crime of the government wanting to make hunting with dogs legal again and puffins.
I found Bill Oddie to be interested in me (he commented on my Birdgirl t-shirt and asked me which hummingbird it was - Swordbilled), as chatty as you can expect from real live person (in case they didn't realise the person on stage/TV is a persona and in my experience most comedians are not funny in normal conversations (my parents are friends with a few).
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| Bill Oddie with Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig at Bristol Festival of Nature Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
Sunday 21 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 21 - Today I did another ringing demonstration but this time to people between 12 and 17 years old. Most had never watched ringing before or held a bird. The ringing was part of Camp Avalon and took place at the Avalon Marshes Centre on the Somerset Levels. It was particularly great to see the ethnic minority inner city boys interested.
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Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig giving a ringing demo at Camp Avalon
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
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Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig giving a ringing demo at Camp Avalon
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
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Ringing demo at Camp Avalon
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
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Friday 26 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 26 - Today I took my Scout group to the Mendips to look for Nightjar. It was amazing to watch the group so excited at just hearing a bird churring.
Most of my Scout group don't know anything about birds and so I think it is really important to try and get them interested.
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Scouts looking for Nightjar, Stockhill, Somerset
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig
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Tuesday 30 June 2015
30 Days Wild - Doing something wild everyday
Day 30 - Ringing Canada Geese
The 30 June was the last day of 30 Days Wild and I wanted to go out with something big. Maybe a rarity at Chew Valley Lake?
Then it was fixed as the date arranged for corraling, catching and ringing the Canada Geese at Chew Valley Lake. It was perfect for the last day of the month.
They used a boat to corrale the geese onto onto dry land, where they shut them into a fenced off area.
Then people carried the goose under their arm, avoided letting it bite them, then held it whilst it was ringed. I managed to ring lots of geese, which was brilliant. It was quite hard as the metal ring was big and made out of hard metal.
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| Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig ringing a Canada Goose, Chew Valley Lake Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
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| Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig and Chris Craig, Chew Valley Lake Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig |
About the Writer
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Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig
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Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, conservationist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She is looking forward to going Mountain Gorilla Trekking in East Africa in the summer and watching Penguins in Antarctica in December 2015, which will be her 7th continent. She has recently been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter
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