It’s a Zoo Jim, But Not As We Know It
I’m not really struck on zoos, as I much prefer to see animals in the wild. But last night I had a most unusual night out at London Zoo. It was one of their Zoo Lates.
Other than the usual attractions, there was a twisted cabaret, lots of good food, bands and you could talk to the keepers about the animals. There were no children, except for a few baby animals and it wasn’t crowded but for one totally acceptable exception. Even the queues for the toilets were within reason.
Here’s a few general pictures.
It was certainly a good night out. I shall go again.
Pictures of the London Wetland Centre
I took quite a few pictures and some are shown here.
Note the Nene or Hawaiian Goose, which is the state bird of Hawaii. It is the world’s rarest goose and was once down to about twenty individuals. But these were collected by Sir Peter Scott at WWT Slimbridge and now there is a healthy population that has been reintroduced to its original home.
Sir Peter was the son of the famous Antartic explorer, but in my view was the much greater person, as he excelled in so many different fields. Everyone should read more about this remarkable man. Start at Wikipedia.
Remember though that people of my age are biased about Sir Peter and Sir David Attenborough, as they were the people who did more to shape intelligent television about the planet and its wildlife in the 1950s than anybody else. People forget that there was only one channel and when the BBC started a second one to compete with ITV, Sir David was one of its first controllers.
A Visit to the London Wetland Centre
I’d been wanting to go for some time and felt that as this morning was hot, it might be a bit cooler to stand amongst the old reservoirs, that now make up the London Wetland Centre. So I took the North London Line to Gunnersbury, then a few stops back on the District line to Hammersmith and then a 283 bus to the centre.
283 Bus at the London Wetland Centre
It wasn’t a difficult ride and using the Overground to go from North East to South West London is preferable than the Underground, as the views are better and the trains are a lot more comfortable in hot weather.
The Peter Scott Visitor Centre
The centre is impressive and very much worth a visit. I stayed for a couple of hours and walked around the site observing the various birds. Not that I know much about what is what without a book and some binoculars, which I had forgot to take. Although the signage was good and very much in a style that Sir Peter would have approved of. Ponds are laid out by habitat and country or continent, with a large wild area that attracts all of the birds that either live in or visit London.
When it started to rain, I had a coffee in the excellent cafe, which I checked as to whther they knew their gluten-free or not! They did incidentally.
I then left on the bus to Hammersmith, before taking the Metropoitan line to King’s Cross to get the bus home.
Hammersmith Station on the Metropolitan line
The picture shows the Metropolitan line station at Hammersmith, which has been refurbished since the Undergound reorganised the Circle line. It certaining looked better than it did, when I went with my father from Wood Green to Earl’s Court avoiding the deep Tube lines. Anybody in their right mind would have used the Piccadilly line all the way. But my father had a phobia of deep lines, so went by steam train to King’s Cross, Metropolitan line to Hammersmith and then back to Earl’s Court on the District.
Lucky C Didn’t See These on Mykonos
C didn’t like birds, unless they had been properly plucked and cooked.
So she wouldn’t have liked these pelicans on Mykonos.
Pelicans on Mykonos
It’s funny but I couldn’t remember much of our holiday a few years ago on the island. Although we did visit Delos.
Are Cats Taking over the World?
It would seem so on Syros. There were a lot last time and there are more now! Most seem well fed. But are there any bords and rodents left?
A Strange Station
The train to Norwich stopped at Lakenheath station, which is one of the least-used stations in the UK and is unusual in that it has no weekday services and only one each way on Saturday and three on Sundays. However, there has been a large increase in passengers in recent years, due to the stations proximity to the RSPB at Lakenheath Fen.
There is a big lesson here, in that if you have a special interest site, that can generate significant traffic, then it is perhaps worth researching whether a station could be provided. In my travels around the UK, one example that suggests itself would be to have a station close to the retail park, which is near to where Scunthorpe United play. There are also serious plans for a station at the Ricoh Arena, where Coventry City play.
The RSPB get Everywhere!
I was reading The Times this morning and they have a slightly tongue-in-check report on the Erotica exhibition at Olympia.
They were rather surprised that the RSPB were there with a stand. But as their spokesman said, “We’re an inclusive organisation. We’re meeting our new market halfway!”
They’ve probably done the right thing, as it says the average spend is £200 a person!
A Red Kite at Peterborough
As we drove up the A1 to Redcar, we noticed a red kite gliding above the motorway as we approached Peterborough.
It was a very good sight of a large bird in an unexpected place. As they are carrion feeders, perhaps it was looking for a tasty road-kill!
Let’s hope that in future, kites become a much commoner sight.
The Selfish Who Ruin Our Wildlife
With the conviction of Jeffrey Lendrum yesterday, we locked up a dangerous enemy of peregrine falcons. If you think so what, look at this post, where I saw these wonderful birds on the cathedral in Brussels.
But the real criminals weren’t in the dock. These are the middle men and the sheikhs in the Middle East, who feel they need to have our wild falcons for their sport. But it is not all gloom, as breeding programs are starting in places like Qatar.
I am not against falconry by any means, as I have enjoyed demonstrations at country shows and have met men, who use birds of prey to frighten pigeons away from airfields, to increase air safety. Controlling a bird like that is a great skill and it is to be admired.
As a stud owner, you also have to take into account the part that birds of prey play in the control of rats, mice and rabbits. We have a couple of pairs of harriers on the stud and they are fascinating to watch. Sometimes, if you drive the lorry along the narrow lane, you’ll have one flying alongside, waiting for the vibrations to disturb a mouse in the verge. It is a magnificent sight and long may it be admired.
I did not see it, but one of the most amazing stories I heard of, concerned a golden eagle, that had been trained by a falconer. He had been given it, after it had I think been stolen as a chick or something like that. In any case, he had definitely acquired it legally and at the time, he was the only person licenced to fly a golden eagle. Everybody who saw the bird, said they had never seen anything so spectacular.
So the bird after a bad start in life was giving pleasure to many.
You have to add to the selfish in the Middle East, who prey on our falcons, those adherents to Chinese medicine, who feel that rhino horn is a must. It is! But only on the rhino!
I’ve seen rhino in the semi-wild in South Africa, and they are truly wonderful.
But even those in game-parks are now being poached for their horns.
That is disgraceful, as rhino should be here for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. The only solution is to convince the Chinese that some of their traditional medicine is just not acceptable to the rest of the world.
Solving the Roadkill Problem
It is being reported that roadkills cost a Norfolk council about £1,500 a month to send them to a crematorium.
But there is a more elegant and dramatic solution.
Why not release a few more red kites? These birds would love all those roadkills.
The Anonymous Widower 