It is very exciting news this week! I am featured in a new article for Prima magazine! http://hotfile.com/dl/57888096/f9b0a92/prima-uk-2010-july.pdf.html It is wonderful to have something so public!!!
I have been meaning to spread the word about this brilliant project. I have taken part in several of the Open Air Pojects. The surveys don't take long but give you an insight into what is going on in the area which you find yourself. I take the little packs they send out with me in the car, and if I get a spare 30 minutes then away I go! The results are popped on to the Natrual History Museum/OPAL website and will be used for all sort of useful things.
Currently I am helping take part in a living Conservation Diary project which runs alongside this. I am recording my thoughts, ideas, anything useful and fun into a diary and it will be used as part of the next generation of diaries to be keot at the Museum. Darwin was a prolific writer and since his time not many records have been kept of this nature. The really fun projects for all ages can be found on http://www.opalexplorenature.org/ OPAL is a partnership initiative celebrating biodiversity, environmental quality and people’s engagement with nature Bumblebee Conservation
Recording bumblebees Instructions Bumblebees are quite robust insects and their fury coat means that they can still fly and forage at cool temperatures. Therefore, you can observe the nest on any day, during the daytime, as long as it is not raining. I have made another survey on the same website as the main nest survey (Survey Monkey) to collect your weekly observations. If you did not like using the online survey, you can email me your data each week. Alternatively, if you have infrequent access to the internet, (or hate computers!) I would be delighted to receive your data by post. If you prefer, you can send me an email each week with your data. [email protected] Ideally your observations would take place on the same day each week, but this is not essential, and your data will be just as useful if you begin you observation on a weekend, and then the second the following Thursday. Providing there is one, 15 minute observation for each calendar week. Hopefully most of us will have at least a week or two on holiday this year and there may be some other times when you cannot collect any observations. This is not a problem, as I’ll still get a really good overview of what is happening to the bumblebees over the coming months. If you could try to collect an observation as soon as you are able, in order to keep the ‘gaps’ as short as possible, that would be fantastic. I would like you to record the following information each time you carry out an observation. (The weather information doesn’t have to be precise as again, I will be looking for general trends.) Date: Time at Start: What is the weather like? Windy/Breezy/Still Sunny/Some cloud/Cloudy Hot/Warm/Mild/Cool – Or give an approximate temperature. Anything else – Hazy/Foggy/etc. When you record your bumblebees, please record the number coming out (and if they were queen (big) bees or workers (normal sized) bees. And the number going into the nest (again if they are queens or workers) Any thing else? If you see anything else that is interesting, eg. other species of bees, mice/birds, wasps, moths, etc, going into the nest, do let me know! This is the link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8BG6NMN Thank you very much for your help. www.bumblebeeconservation.org |
AuthorI re-trained in Horticulture and have thrown myself into design/re-design/maintenance and the massive world of Conservation. Fruit and Veg growing have lead me to be on the Landshare Scheme as an Advisor. Lady G also has a passion for sewing and creating at home. ArchivesCategories |