Shared Earth is a new series from the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Natural History Unit which celebrates the natural world and explores what we can all do to help conserve wildlife and habitats and reduce our footprint on the planet
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FridayÌý26 JanuaryÌý2007
Shared EarthÌý presenter Dylan Winter is feeling the cold snap
Bats at Ickworth House
When the decided to redevelop the west wing of a stately home in Suffolk they hit an immediate problem. Bats had taken over the abandoned corridors. To lure them out local expert Chris Vine came up with the idea of turning the cellars beneath the house into a bat paradise.Ìý Dylan joined Chris and the National Trust’s Stuart Warrington for a crawl through the cramped and muddy vaults to find out how many bats have been attracted to their new home.
Long-Distant Bat
A greater horseshoe bat has flown further and faster than anyone thought possible. Bat researcher Jon Flanders discovered a single female that had flown 100 miles from Gloucestershire to the Dorset coast in just a few months.Ìý As these bats can only navigate twenty metres ahead this seems to be an astonishing journey. ÌýAs Jon points out we’re learning more and more about these mysterious creatures every year.
Find out more about bats from the
Development of Brownfield Sites
In our determination to preserve national parks and other green spaces are we forgetting about the rich variety of wildlife to be found on the abandoned industrial land in our towns and cities?Ìý As more and more brownfield land is marked for development the insect groupÌý is determined to save the most important sites.Ìý It is currently fighting to save a site by the Thames in West Thurrock which is due to become a Royal Mail distribution centre.Ìý Buglife points to the presence of rare species like the Distinguished Jumper, a spider with a passing resemblance to a teddy bear. The developers say that nearby sites will be preserved as nature reserves.Ìý Ìý
Winter Weather
Nature is deeply confused by our winter weather. An exceptionally warm December and early January has been followed by storms and a sudden cold snap. There’s a danger that some species such as hedgehogs and butterflies will have come out of hibernation in expectation of Spring only to find food thin on the ground and freezing weather on the way. Dylan heard the observations of the in Orkney and of the in Northern Ireland but he’s keen to hear how nature is coping in your part of the country. Please e-mail us if you spot anything weird or wonderful.
