Springwatch Feed

An Itch that needed Scratching: A Guest Blog by David Sexton

2014-07-09T11:53:57+00:00

I’ve always wondered what happened to them. Those historic young brothers Itchy and Scratchy, the sea eagle twins from Springwatch Series 1, Programme 1, May 2005. The five week old siblings captured our hearts when they were beamed into the living rooms of an unsuspecting British nation as this new TV wildlife phenomenon burst onto our screens that late spring evening.

As the countdown to the live OB from Mull got ever closer, our pulses quickened. Jenny in the Gallery Truck calmly stated “coming to Mull in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…”. Simon got himself comfortable on the damp tree stump:“…4, 3, 2, 1…and cue Simon…”

Itchy & Scratchy by Iain Erskine

As I looked anxiously at the monitor, there was the glorious adult female Frisa feeding those two mischievous chicks. She’d flown in right on time and was poised mid-feed as if she knew what to do on live telly. What a pro. Itchy still had some down on his head; Scratchy had lost most of his. Apart from that slight difference they looked well matched and of equal size. Their future looked bright.

Itchy as a chick by Iain Erskine

As the director cut to Camera 2 there was the noble Skye, Frisa’s loyal mate, preening in the early evening sun. It couldn’t have gone better. The first live link to Mull and the eagle’s nest was a ratings hit. Over the following week, there was much more to come; viewers saw the chicks grow larger even in that short time but we were always left wondering…what happened next?

Both Itchy and Scratchy fledged successfully in late July. They loitered around Forestry Commission Scotland’s Loch Frisa estate through the late summer and early autumn. Scratchy was first to disperse and Itchy soon followed. I last saw him in October 2005 perched atop a mighty conifer as I dashed for the ferry early one Saturday morning. He was looking out across the Sound of Mull and to the vast wild country beyond. He’d been safe on Mull but what awaited him as he wandered far and wide through the hills and glens of mainland Scotland?

Sea eagles can still have a hard time in parts of Scotland, just as they did in the late 19^th and early 20^th Century just prior to their extinction as a native British breeding bird. They were shot, poisoned and persecuted until only a few survived. Then the egg collectors and taxidermists finished the last ones off. A very sorry track record in Scottish history. We’d like to think things have changed now, for the better. They have in many ways: sea eagles are back after 40 years and three phases of reintroduction attempts on the west and east coasts. They’ll soon be at 100 pairs. It sounds a lot but it’s not. They and other birds of prey remain vulnerable to many of the same antiquated, out-lawed methods of persecution that wiped them out in 1918. A modern, forward-looking Scotland needs to address this stubborn stain on its character. The eyes of the world are watching.

Luckily for sea eagles (and Itchy in particular) they also have many friends. Some landowners, farmers, ‘keepers and local communities actually have no issue (and many quite like) having this long lost native birds back in their midst. Despite the headlines, most work quietly and under the radar to ensure they thrive and we should all be grateful for that. The conservation NGOs and Government agencies like SNH and FCS all embrace the return of the sea eagle and take their responsibilities seriously by protecting the sea eagles which nest on their land, often having to adjust forest plans to accommodate them.

Scratchy was last seen in 2008. A farmer’s dog in the Highlands near Spean Bridge was appearing at the back door with fish bones. The farmer followed the dog one day to the secret cache of fishy delights by the river bank and their above him was Scratchy in a tree eating a salmon. He had done well to survive that long and there’s every chance he’s still out there today. I like to think he is. Maybe we’ll find him one day.

Their amazing parents Skye and Frisa are 20 and 22 years old respectively and this year are feeding the next generation of Scottish sea eagles. We ringed her the other day and she was feisty and strong. The hands of our ringer Justin have the scars to prove it! It’s always a good day when I see Skye and Frisa, perfectly at home, back where they belong. And I’m always reminded of Frisa’s mum, Blondie, who raised that first chick of the reintroduction project, here on Mull, way back in 1985. What a superb pedigree they all have from the Matriach herself…gone but not forgotten.

And so to Itchy – well I’m delighted, relieved, over-joyed and proud to say he is alive and well, now aged nine and paired up with a family of his own. As was seen in the Springwatch film with Iolo Williams and our Mission Impossible to a ‘secret location, somewhere on the wild west coast’.

Itchy's Daughter by Iolo Williams

Again, we’re indebted to the landowner and his farming and stalking staff who keep an eye on his well being. He has chosen well. A perfect nest site, abundant prey and a good mate. He should have many more productive years ahead of him. Maybe we’ll come back to see him on the 20^th anniversary of Springwatch ?

Itchy as an adult by Catherine Fotheringham:RSPB

As we left him to his wild domain, he was soaring way out to sea. His white tail gleaming against the blue Hebridean waters. All the Springwatch crew wished him well. He was probably still watching us go. The eagle with the sunlit eye.

Mull Eagle Watch is a partnership between Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland, Mull & Iona Community Trust, RSPB and Police Scotland. VisitScotland assist the project and the local community and volunteers help protect the eagles. Itchy and Scratchy were named by pupils from Dervaig Primary School in 2005. Now at High School and beyond, some students still ask after Itchy and Scratchy…

Dave Sexton

RSPB Mull Officer

Picture credits - Iain Erskine, Catherine Fotheringham & Iolo Williams

Autumnwatch eye quiz

2012-11-02T18:42:33+00:00

Toget you in the mood for the Unsprung Pub Quiz tonight, we've put together a little warm-up quiz.

9 eyes from 9 UK animals for you to guess.

Eyes quiz

...Spoiler Alert....

And here's the answers. Thanks to everyone for having a go and well done to Richard Evans for being the first to Reply.

A- Kestrel, B- Short eared owl. C- Fox, D-Slow worm, E- Jay, F- Kingfisher, G- Red squirrel, H- Nuthatch, I- Hedgehog

Hedgehogs and gardens

2012-11-02T17:24:33+00:00

It's a pleasure to introduce hedgehog enthusiast Duncan Richardson of The Lilac Grove, to share his tips on hedgehogs and gardens

How to tell if you have hedgehogs

One of the problems with finding hedgehogs is that they are nocturnal. So, how do you know if you have hedgehogs in your garden? The signs are quite subtle, but once you have your ‘eye in’ they are quite easy to see.

Hedgehog footprints

The most obvious are footprints. Although hedgehogs are quite heavy (about 1kg) they don’t leave many footprints unless the ground is really soft. A small mud or wet sand trap is easily set up to see if you get some. The prints are about 2.5cm long and 2.8cm wide. The front toes are quite widely splayed, but the back toes are quite long and slender.

If you see poo around, that is a good indicator! The poo is 1.5-5cm long and 1cm in diameter. They are normally quite dark coloured due to being full of beetles.

Hedgehog signs - tunnel

Hedgehogs tend to leave slight tracks through the grass of a lawn or small tunnels through undergrowth as they go about their foraging. A good time to see these is in the morning through the dew on the lawn.

Go into your garden at night and listen. Hedgehogs are noisier than you think, and you may hear them snuffling and huffing around as they search for food. In the spring they can get very noisy, as they fight over females.

Gardening For Hedgehogs

If you already have hedgehogs, or want to encourage them into your garden, what can you do?

The first and most important thing is access! A lot of gardens are fenced and there is no way a hedgehog can get in. A small hole under or in the fence will do, about 3 inches is usually sufficient. If you have the option, a native hedge is fantastic, hawthorn etc, make a very good hog friendly border. Hedging provides easy access and shelter for them and other wildlife

Leaving a hedgehog-sized gap under a gate

Keep parts of the garden a little untidy. Try leaving an area of long grass and some shrubs for hogs to root around in. Piles of leaves, logs or a compost heap can also provide them with a place to nest and rear their young, or to hibernate.

Water is a very important commodity for hogs. The best way to provide it is a pond, but make sure the pond is either shallow, or has shallow parts, so that if a hog does fall in it can easily get back out again. If that can’t be done, leave out a water bowl!

Put out food for them. Dog/Cat food and shop bought hedgehog foods are great. Dry food is also good, if it is small, such as puppy food, this will last and is good to leave out in the winter in case they wake up from hibernation. They also love mealworms. Don’t feed milk or bread as this will make them ill. Set up some feeding stations for them tucked out of the way or under hedges.

Provide some shelter, hedgehog boxes, compost heaps, piles of twigs, logs or leaves will always be welcome.

Hedgehog shelter

Encourage your neighbours to do the same. Gardens are a vital resource for hedgehogs. Consider joining and become a Hedgehog Champion.

Dangers to Hedgehogs

- Don’t feed milk or bread, this will make them ill.

- Don’t use plastic netting as this can entangle the hedgehogs and cause serious injuries.

- Slug pellets are very dangerous. Hedgehogs enjoy the odd slug, and any poison they ingest can kill.

- Check compost heaps before turning. Hogs may use them to nest and hibernate.

- Check under hedges and bushes before strimming. Strimmers can cause very nasty injuries to hogs.

- Check bonfires carefully for hedgehogs. Better still rebuild them before lighting.

- If you disturb a nest please replace it and leave well alone.

- If shed doors are left open overnight, don’t suddenly shut them, a hog may have made it it’s home and this will trap them. Check first.

- If a hog is seen out in the day it usually means it’s in trouble. Please contact your local hedgehog society for advice. More information can be found here- http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk

Here's Duncan on Autumnwatch 2012

Martin Hughes-Games finds some prickly secrets with hedgehog enthusiast Duncan Richardson

You can follow the Duncan's garden's hedgehog activity on The Lilac Grove.

Quizmasters! We need you

2012-10-17T10:46:14+00:00

Fancy joining us for a wildlife pub quiz? We’ve been putting our heads together to think about “unsprung” on the last day of Autumnwatch… (Friday2nd Nov) and have decided to let our hair down, turn the studio into a pub and settle down – with you – for our very own “Autumnwatch Unsprung pub quiz and lock in”… Complete with cocktails and exotic barmaids (level headed Jo of course…)

Here’s the twist – not only can you join in at home – (either by shouting answers at the telly – or were hoping to have a downloadable question sheet) but – we’d love it if YOU could set the majority of the quiz questions.

Think - who, what, where, when, odd one out, what happened next, mystery objects, photo quizzes, sound quizzes etc etc.

So if you, or perhaps a group of you, fancy becoming our quiz setters for the night and can come up with intriguing questions for our teams (and the entire nation) - drop us your question by email to autumnwatch@bbc.co.uk – we’ll use your them to drive the “Unsprung Pub Quiz”.

Thankyou!

UPDATE: We've had a problem with our email between 11th - 19th October. If you did try to contact us during that period we'd really appreciate it if you re-sent the email.

Unsprung, your autumnal videos...and conkers

2012-10-08T08:32:00+00:00

Well, the leaves are starting to turn - the first signs of autumn are upon us and in just a few weeks we'll be "live" from the wonderful Scottish Highlands at our new base, Aigas.

Back at Bristol HQ we're busy preparing - currently discussing important questions like "do squirrels eat conkers?" - er....we're not actually sure just yet!

As ever we love seeing your superb pictures on the Flickr site. We're also fascinated by videos of British wildlife, particularly because you sometimes show us things we would never normally see - really astonishing behaviour.

This year we'd like to spread the net a little wider - so as well as your own videos we'd also love to know about any other wildlife clips you may have enjoyed recently, think "Youtube", "Vimeo", "Facebook" etc.

So if you have been browsing the web and discovered something fascinating, funny, dramatic or really intriguing to do with wildlife, please send us a link as a reply below or share them on our Facebook group, on Flickr, on Twitter @�鶹Լ��Autumnwatch or just email us a link.
We have big plans for our one "Unsprung" - hoping to make it something of a grand finale to this year's "Autumnwatch" - we're going to need your help on that one so stand by!

So...what does eat conkers?.....