Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Feb 16

As part of the ‘Making Wildlife Watching Easy’ series, here’s a nice simple wildbird guide: How to tell the difference between Blue Tits and Great Tits.

These 2 garden birds are both small, both love feeders, both look blue and yellow and both sing pretty songs – so how can you tell them apart?

Well the answer is ‘easily, if you know what to look for’.

So, what is the difference between a Blue tit and a Great tit?
Well, there are many differences, but the easiest thing to spot at the feeders is that the Great tit has an almost entirely black head and neck apart from a giant white cheek pouch – see below:

Once you can spot this – all the other differences aren’t so important. However saying that, I still haven’t got it spot on yet. I have to watch them for a while until I am sure.

And although pictures of them side by side can clearly show you the differences, when they are upside on a feeder with 10 other Blue or Great tits – it’s not so easy, so you can also look at their behaviour too to tell them apart.

photo credit: Mostly Dans

Blue tit on the left and Great tit on the right. Did you get it?

So, based on your observations outside – I have written down the main differences below as they are ‘clear’ differences – things that you can see in a second – rather than saying Species A has ‘a slightly bigger patch of white’, etc. These things should be obvious to you, with or without binoculars:

Great Tit – Totally black head and neck with giant white cheek patches.
Great Tit – Wide black solid line from chin to underbelly in adults splitting the yellow breast in half.

photo credit: ahisgett

Blue Tit – Light blue ‘cap’ on top of head – seperated by a white band around the head.
Blue Tit – Dark line running through the eye, with white feathers above and below it.

photo credit: chapmankj75

Obviously there are natural variations on this like juvenile Great tits don’t have the solid black chest line or bold white cheek patches, but still don’t have the dark eye stripe of the Blue tits.

What If It Looks Like A Great Tit But Isn’t Blue Or Yellow?
Coal tits are another common garden bird and can look a bit like both the Great and Blue tits, but for a few observable differences.

They have the same black head and large white cheek patches of the Great tit but have a seemingly longer flatter head giving them the appearance of having ‘no neck’. They do have a grey/blue back, but do not have a yellow chest at all, it is normally buff to brown.

posted by Catherine on Oct 22

.
Spring is in the air – and you might not ever have to be again!

One of the largest and most comprehensive adventure travel shows is back on the schedule – and gives you plenty of time to start your own research into your next eco adventure!

If you are thinking about a volunteer Gap Year, a few months independent green travel, starting a career in travel writing or just trying something totally different – then the Outdoor Adventure Travel Show 2011 in London is the place you should really be planning for.

Not only are there travel companies galore to visit, but there are also writing and photography seminars, travel clinics and discount clothing and equipment all waiting in 1 place for you.

Who Can You Ask?
If you are thinking about trying something a little bit ‘new’ or stepping out into the wide world for the first time, then you should really get several opinions on locations, projects and transport from experts.

Not just a travel agent – as they tend to sell package deals and flights only – if you want a real eco adventure or to try out some green travel packages, then you need to speak to the people who specialise in that.

In the same way that a car salesman can’t give you the best advice to drive around the world and an estate agent can only give you a few general tips on how to spot an eco home - a high street travel agent can’t really offer green advice based on experience.

You need to weed out the ‘generalists’ and look for the specialists.

The Plan:
Needless to say – if you just turn up to this event on a whim you will still have a great time and gets lots of great information – but you won’t really be gleaming the best of the best.

As the show isn’t until January 2011 – you have 3 months to get researching yourself.  Find out what possible dates are for travel; which countries or regions you are hoping to travel to – and how you plan to get there.

That way you have a rough plan in mind before you come face to face with the experts!  What if there is a great deal on a trip to Asia – but you hadn’t looked into opportunities in that area before – you might go away feeling like you have to start all over again.

What if you had been thinking about travelling from A to B to C – but then find out that you had the seasons all wrong and it will be the rainy season in the tropics - or the dry season when you arrive at fjords or great waterfalls!

If you have your plan already set out in your head, then you can bend and twist that plan once you have discussed a few things.  If you have no plan at all when you arrive then you could be quite overwhelmed – maybe even coming away from the show with 15 years worth of travel ideas rather than the 6-month trip you were hoping for!

The Dates:
Well, the show isn’t until the end of January, so you have plenty of time to get some of your basics together.

Whether it’s toying with a new language, thinking about a route across the globe or worrying about your carbon footprint – start putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and get some sort of structure to your plan.

Check on the Adventure Show website and see what’s on offer and which lectures or workshops might be of use to you in advance and start to give your eco holiday a backbone.  Maybe even set out a budget in advance and plan to buy the things you need at bargain show prices!

posted by Catherine on Oct 12

Would you rather donate a few pounds now – or be left at sea?

Did you know that UK lifeguards are not paid staff? Did you also know that they receive no Government funding at all?

And, did you know that they offer their services to people in need absolutely voluntarily? 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!

As a result, they can only buy, run and maintain their lifesaving equipment with funds raised from public and private donation.

Your Eco Adventures:
Now it’s not just people on boats who might need the services of the coastguard – they help rescue all sorts of people from all sorts of places.  I mean you don’t even need to be in the water!

Day trippers on the beach might get caught out by a fast incoming tide, pets and people can sometimes slip over the top of a low cliff and get caught on a ledge, rock pool dippers might slip and twist their ankle or people might just happen to get ill while out on a pier.

If the land-based emergency services can’t get their transport to you – then the coastguard gets called in!

Now – we all take our ambulances for granted.  If we get ill when we are out and about, we just assume that a paramedic will get to us in just a few short minutes.  But when you are in a place with no roads near by – they just can’t come.

So if your eco adventures could take you off the beaten track and anywhere near the coast, harbours, large rivers or out to sea – then you need to think about your health and safety.

photo credit: Reiner Schubert

Make It Safe:
Obviously, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure that you avoid having problems in the first place by planning ahead and learning how to maintain your boat or other equipment – but there is more:

1) Make sure that you have had training in using all the equipment you are going to need for your adventure that day.

2) Make sure that all your equipment is correctly fitted for you.  If you are borrowing someone else life belt/boat/ropes etc – make sure that you have checked them before you leave to fit you personally.  You move the mirrors and seat when you borrow someone else car – so check that everything else you borrow fits before you start out.

3) Make sure that someone on land knows where you are going that day.  Not only when you are leaving, who with, where from and with what – but also how long you will be, where you will end up and how they can contact you if they need to.

4) Plan to be back on dry land or away from the water/coast before the tide comes in or it gets dark.  If you don’t know exactly what time it gets dark, or exactly what time the tide changes – then don’t go!

5) Make sure you take all precautions necessary – don’t forget that something you might think is ‘fun’ could end up dragging over 30 rescue workers out to sea to come help you – when you could have just planned to do that next time when you had more planning.  Spontaneity at sea or on cliffs is plain stupid!

See Into The Future:
Know how to guess things in advance!  Now I know that all accidents that the coast guards attend are not always through direct human error – but there are signs when something is about to go wrong.

If someone on your boat starts to become ill, feels unwell (other than sea sick), the weather changes, you notice a small problem with the boat, a friend isn’t quite as good at navigation or boatmanship as they told you – head for home.

Regardless of whether you think you will be fine – think of the worse case scenario.  Could that person become really ill soon and you are even further from safety?  Is that small problem your emergency back-up?  So what happens if the main part fails now?  Your friend took you too far to the right or left, or too close to that shingle bank or cliff edge.

You have all seen programs on TV and in the movies where you can see whats about to happen, but everyone just wants to have fun – no body wants to be the person who turns home early on – but no doubt, they have never had to call out the coastguard!

Your Eco Friendly Insurance Policy:
When you go abroad, you take out an insurance policy to make sure that paramedics will come a help you if you get injured.

When you drive a car – you take out insurance and get a recovery policy to make sure that someone can come a fix your car if you get in an accident.

So why not pay out for a coastguard policy if you like to have fun around water or the coast?  If you donate a few pounds (or more) a year – then you are helping to guarantee that there are always men and women around the country who will drop everything – even in pitch black and bad storms – to come and help you out.

And all for free!

It’s all well and good thanking them after they save you, and raising money as a ‘Thank You’ – but if we don’t support them BEFORE we need them – they might not be there anymore!

If they don’t raise more in donations than the cost of keeping their boats on the water and helicopters in the air – then the boats will have to go, and it will take them longer to respond to your 999 call – and longer to get you to safety.

So how long do you want to be floating in the cold sea – Or clinging to that steep ledge?

posted by Catherine on Sep 25

Rather than plan to drive to a cute English village, or rural retreat - hop on a train!

You might have read my previous article about getting by without a car – it wasn’t a happy ending!  However, I have found a great reason to leave the car at home:

Rail Travel.

Instead of just using the train to get to work along with a few hundred other commuters early in the morning – I used the train to go to Paris for the weekend!

When you take into account the environmental cost of driving myself for miles across the countryside on windy stop-start lanes to an out of the way cottage – it was better to hop on a train which was already going the way I wanted!

To Paris We Went!
Well, lets be honest – the train was leaving the main Ebbsfleet International Station with or without me – so I wasn’t really costing the Earth any more carbon than it was already going to create on its short journey under the Channel!

photo credit: Whiternoise<

I know that a full train uses more electricity than an empty train – but still not as much energy as with everyone driving on their own.  And anyway; if you could ever find those 4 more people to share your car journey to that little secluded hotel for your break to save emissions – then it won’t be a secluded little hotel anymore!  It would be virtually full!

And, this little trip was so fast, that I arrived in France in no longer than it would have taken me to get from home down to the West Country to that hidden village – and it was more comfortable – and there was no traffic to sit in!

I still got to see all the rolling countryside of both the UK and abroad without having to worry about which side of the road I was on or whether there were any speed bumps in the road!  I just enjoyed the ride!

Be Eco Civilised:
So, maybe public transport for my shorter journeys was a complete disaster – but for longer trips it really gets the thumbs up!  I mean, you can hop on a train close to home and get just about anywhere!

Whether you arrive at the Caledonian Sleeper platform at Kings Cross to stay in a highland castle, or depart from the St Pancras Europe platform for a vineyard chateau – you won’t be disappointed.

On the long distance trains you get to buy your tickets in advance and choose your seating – and there is plenty of legroom!  There is no need to stand in the doorways either holding onto a post for dear life – it is like stepping into a hotel to some extent.

You are greeted at the desk or on boarding; your seats are clean, buffet cart is as standard – and sometimes meals are even included.  There are power points onboard, toilets are clean and the windows are huge!

There is no 2 hour check-in and security checks at every turn – and there is no need to stop for petrol or oil checks – and there is no chance at all of getting lost!

All that time and effort saved or reduced compared to other forms of transport only highlights train travel as the most eco friendly long-distance overland travel option.

What Else?
Well, due to the demands of many – there can be a certain commercial aspect surrounding the whole experience – but this doesn’t have to count against it.

For example, taking Ashford International Station as an example, these large commuter areas have started to cater for your every need – including huge shopping centres. Ashford has a huge shopping complex attached to the rail link with food, clothes and all sorts of consumables that shoppers demand in such places.  And you just need to glance at the St Pancras website (stpancras-international.co.uk) to see the terminal facilities you can use while waiting for your train!

And without these large commercial buildings – some eco friendly projects just wouldn’t get the money for their developments.  Without the financial input of large companies paying rent to these places – they just wouldn’t get built!  So go easy on the fast food chain next time you are passing, or buy your book for the journey from inside the station – as it is these companies that are funding your exciting journey!

Bon Voyage!

posted by Catherine on Sep 12

My Eco Adventures Review:  A Visit To Pulborough Brooks – West Sussex – Late Spring

I decided to visit this reserve after reading a lot about the RSPB and having known the lower parts of the River Arun for some time – but having never explored the higher water.

It was also summer and there were enticing stories about adders mating and butterflies galore on the website. And a new area of heathland being developed on site too.  So we packed a nice lunch and headed off.

My Walk:
Arriving in the ample carpark, we settled into the shade and gathered our bits together before heading into the main building.

There was a spacious shop inside as well as loads of information about the site and a delightful looking restaurant – however, we headed straight out into the reserve – heathland first.

So heading back out across the carpark, we followed a short footpath to a viewpoint overlooking the pine plantation and some barren looking land.  It was a sunny day, so we were hoping for plenty of reptiles and butterflies – but instead found young roe deer, messy squirrels and nesting wrens!

Circling a large area of fenced in plantation we found many plants – but it was all very same-same and very close to the road – so we headed up over the hill-fort remains and back into the main reserve.

Through the main building again and off towards an open area with a small church and houses to the side.  Inside the tiny churchyard we found orange-tips all over the place as well as meadow flowers knee-deep.  A great spot for lunch!

The short walk with full tums toward the flood plains was filled with butterflies – dozens of them everywhere, from painted ladies to large whites – and the sun was really shining now!  We sat next to the Highland cattle field with their ‘white’ calf for a while listening to bird song and practising butterfly identification ‘on the wing’.

Down into the dingly dangly dell was filled with passerines and cheeky jays as we headed towards the first hide.  We were virtually there all by ourselves as we scanned the horizon filled with shelducks, Canada geese and a few young herons!

Then came some people (!) so that was that for the waterfowl!  We headed back up onto drier land still with birds and butterflies all around – we really were making very slow progress here with so much to see!

By the time we got around to the ‘adder alley’ to see the sparring males – it was way past 3pm and the sun wasn’t so warm.  Maybe we should have come here first – or faster!

So after scouring the ground and the low gorse very closely we found none – but did view plenty of evidence of the large herd of deer that live around here!  And at the next hide we found the footprint makers!  About 50 of them all relaxing on the other side of the marsh!  What a site – apparently they were a domestic herd that escaped and found living here quite to their liking!

We headed back to the centre totally exhausted and thrilled with our sD card filled to the brim with great shots!

Site Name: Pulborough Brooks – SSSI – RSPB
This reserve is located in West Sussex just to the west of Pulborough village on the A283 and is on the River Arun (and tidal).

It costs £3 (or larger donation) per adult to visit the centre although there are plenty of free footpaths and bridlepaths leading from the carpark – and you can visit the restaurant without having to pay the entrance fee.  It has plenty of toilets, the store and membership desk.

The carpark is huge and the reserve is well signed from the road and there is a bus stop outside and Pulborough train station is a longish road walk or cycle away!

posted by Catherine on Aug 12

.
My Eco Adventures Review:  A Visit To Woods Mill – West Sussex – Summer 2010

Woods Mill is the Head Quarters of the Sussex Wildlife Trust and is based at the foot of the South Downs.  I went for a visit here as I love the Downs and chalkland wildlife – and I am on a mission to learn to identify more local plants and animals. 

And Woods Mill in summer has plenty to offer!

My Walk:
Arriving at the reserve was easy and there was ample parking when I arrived – and clean toilets after a long drive are always a bonus!

The reserve is free to all visitors and entry to the site is over a lovely old bridge with views of the historic water mill that gives the reserve its name.  There are already enough insects here to keep me busy with the ID guide!

There were damselflies and dragonflies everywhere – although I still can’t really tell them apart unless they come close!

A Male Ruddy Darter?

The reserve is criss-crossed with man-made waterways – both wet and dry – where in the past the mill was working and the landowner wanted to make a feature of the land.  There are large concrete areas cutting up the coppiced woodland as well as some delightful ‘ruins’ from a long forgotten folly meant to adorn the site!

There is however, a very well stocked large lake close to the entrance as well as a smaller dipping pond – which is currently filled to the brim with newts!  Both are surrounded by lush vegetation humming with insect life.

Needless to say there were school groups making the most of this varied nature reserve.  The SWT run educational groups from reception through to Adult Education on site.  Whether it’s pond dipping, woodland walks, wildlife surveying courses or photography – it’s all here! 

There aren’t many flowers in the shaded areas on site (apart from the bluebell woods), but the many woodland paths and willow structures certainly add something at every turn.  Rows of tree-trunk seating for story telling, and bug houses and composting too.

Live Willow Building

Coming out the other side there is a large meadow with plant life to suggest a wet past!  There is currently a very small but very deep river gully cutting through it’s centre and a whole host of swallows and swifts feeding high up above.

There is a small secluded bluebell woods to the side – but it is currently ‘out of bounds’ to visitors – however the owl box to the front shows that there is no shortage of wildlife in it!

Across the top is the man-made feeder stream directly to the mill – although it is virtually dried up here due to lack of incoming water from the Downs.  On the other side is a grass meadow, with wildflowers reaching up to knee-height and hedgerows filled with calling birds – including the locally common nightingales!

As we had brought a packed lunch, we found a bench by the lake and enjoyed being in the middle of such a peaceful habitat and surrounded by insects and birds!

I certainly wore out the insect and plant guide books during our 4 hour stay – and the camera didn’t have a quiet day either!

Definitely worth another visit!

Site Name: Woods Mill Nature Reserve – Sussex Wildlife Trust
This reserve is located in West Sussex just to the south of Henfield in Small Dole on the A2037.  It is located at the foot of the South Downs and inside the South Downs National Park boundary and is in the Adur Valley.

It is free entry for everyone, the car park is easy to find and access – and the site has nice clean toilets!

posted by Catherine on Aug 4

You and you kids could help spread the word about green travel by entering these 3 competitions!

The best way to pass on information about something you are passionate about is to put pen to paper, talk to them about them or capture the image - and this is just what these competitions could help you to do.

The first is for under 18 year olds still in education and revolves around the future of forests, the second is for those over 18 about your most memorable travel moment, and the final competition is for you both to show what you see in the environment!

Young Geographer Of The Year 2010:
Have you got something to say about he way we are treating our forests?  About what your local woodland does for your community, your family or the local wildlife? Or just something to say in praise of trees!

Whatever your motivation for entering – it doesn’t matter – it’s what you have to say that counts.

And how you say it is up to you: written, taped, a short documentary or video, photographs – or a combination of whatever media you think will best pass on your meaning to others!

Monkey Running From A Storm

There are 3 different categories depending on your age, and the closing date is October 2010.

PureTravel Writing Competition 2010:
Is there something you want to share with the world that you can tell them in under 500 words?  Something amazing that silenced you?  Something disastrous that made you speak up?

Something with some serious meaning that you think could impress the readers and judges and make a difference to your local area, some distant landscape, an endangered species or a threatened community – or just a funny story that you just can’t forget?

All articles will appear on the PureTravel website and the judges will pick 10 for the public to vote on before choosing a winner!  And your prize could be the inspiration for another great adventure!

WWT Photographic Competition 2010:
Take a moment to visit a wetland centre and try to capture what wildlife means to you today.

Whether it is a close up or a rare animal, a new way of looking at something we think we know so well – or to capture that strange moment in your life that might never be found again!

There are plenty of categories this year – including one that doesn’t have to have been taken in a WWT centre – so there is hope for everyone!  All ages, all themes, all places!

Whichever one you enter – I’m sure you will feel that yours is good enough to be a winner, and why not?  Every experience is real and can make a difference at different levels – whether it’s just in the way we think about things – or whether we manage to change other peoples way of thinking too!

Good Luck!

posted by Catherine on Jul 11

Just because you can go faster down hills – doesn’t mean you have right of way!

When you are riding your bicycle, you don’t want to keep stopping all the time to wait for a family to move over, or to get through a gate – but do you know you right of way ‘rules’ and when and where you can’t cycle?

There are different rules for different paths and routes – so make sure you plan your route and know your rights!

General:
Obviously, wherever you cycle, make sure that you are courteous at all times.  Don’t barge your way through crowds ringing your bell or shouting.  Sometimes other traffic has the right of way and if some cyclists are always grumpy towards others then it gives a bad name to everyone else on a bike!

You may come up against walkers, other cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users – so you need to think ahead as to what is suitable behaviour.  And there may be many path users that are hard or hearing or partially sighted – so never assume that people will move out of your way at the last minute, and don’t rely on your bell alone to warn people of your approach.

And – unless it is legally adapted for doing so – you cannot ride with a passenger on your bike!  No ‘backies’ or other seating arrangements are allowed on the UK roads (or pavements).

Footpaths:
You cannot cycle on a Footpath.  Only foot travellers have a ‘right of way’ over the land that makes up most Footpaths – and so cycling on one is against the law.

Footpath Sign

Therefore if you use a Footpath on your bike (or are even pushing your bike – which is still technically illegal) make sure that you are uber courteous to any walkers you meet and make their journey past you as easy as possible by either stopping or waiting to one side!

Bridleways:
These paths are usually wider than Footpaths and allow walkers, cyclist and horse riders to pass along them.  However, a cyclist must give way to the other 2 in all cases.

Pavements:
You cannot cycle on a normal pavement – and you can legally get an on-the-spot fine from an enthusiastic (or particularly picky) police officer.  You can however push your bike along by your side on the pavements and of course can cycle in a specific and well marked cycle lane on a pavement surface – but you must stay within the lines.

Roads:
You are allowed to cycle on all roads except motorways (or any other road that is signed as such) - and you must follow the highway code in terms of road signs, junctions and traffic lights!

At night there are rules about how you light your bicycle and specific colour reflectors on the pedals and the bike itself.  And it is recommended that you should always be wearing a safety helmet for your own safety.

It is also recommended that you make yourself as visible as possible on the roads, whether that is by wearing bright clothes, bright accessories, adding further reflectors to your wheels and accessories.  It’s obvious really, but the easier you are to see, the less likely you are to be hit by a car.

Public Transport:
Don’t always assume that you can get your bike onto a train or a bus either! 

Some trains have ‘bike specific’ times – or only allow those city fold-up bike on board as a space saving initiative.  And many country buses just don’t have the space for a mountain bike as they are fully seated inside.

And even attaching your bicycle to your own car needs to be thought out in advance and you need a specific bike rack to be correctly fitted to a suitable vehicle for driving on the road yourself.  Flailing cables and spinning wheels could draw the attention of a traffic officer!

So take care out there!

posted by Catherine on Jul 3

It can be eco friendly to take less medicines on vacation, so pick your destination well!

If you are hoping to go to a far flung travel destination, it’s not all vaccinations and tablets – and in fact these can add to your eco footprint along the way.

Now I am not saying don’t take medication if it is available and recommended by your doctor or travel clinic – but maybe by choosing your destination with some care – you can avoid the potential for disease and so reduce your chemical uses!

All medications – even the contraceptive pill and paracetamol can leave chemical residues in the environment so lets not be silly here – but if you choose from malaria-free countries, you could have a less stressful holiday too!

So here is just a simple list or the main malaria free holiday destinations by continent that you could consider:

Continental Europe:
Every country in Europe (2010) does not have any malarial risk, including the whole of Russia.

Africa:
The only countries currently listed as malarial-free destinations are Tunisia, Lesotho and Libya as well as the Seychelles.  However seasonal variations mean that many other destinations will be declared ‘malaria free’ for months at a time – as will certain cities which are above a certain height.

The Middle East:
Due to the harsh dry climate, countries like Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon and Qatar are all declared as malaria-free countries – so no worries here!

Central & South East Asia:
The islands of Japan, North Korea and South Korea are free as well as the expanse of Mongolia, but all other tropical areas and islands are at risk virtually all the time.

However, there are 2 cities in south-east Asia that do remain malaria free amid the jungles and swamps – Brunei and Singapore.

North America:
The whole of North America (including Hawaii) Canada and Greenland are not in any way at risk of malaria – so any vacations here will not require malarial medication.  The area though does still have other illness in the more remote areas – so don’t think any destination is completely safe!

The Caribbean:
The islands making up the Caribbean are as good as free of the disease, apart from the island that makes up Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  But do check for local reports if travelling to swampy areas.

Central & South America:
Unfortunately these areas are dotted with various patches of malaria in all the forested and wetland areas – so you need to be specific about where you travel to.  The only countries in Central or South America that are completely free of malarial risk are Chile and Uruguay.

Other Destinations:
The delightful Maldives in the Indian Ocean are always a popular destination not only due to their dazzling beauty, sandy islands and azure dolphin filled waters – but also because of their malaria-free situation – unlike neighbouring Sri Lanka!

Needless to say; Australia, New Zealand and all affiliated islands are completely risk-free for this disease – but of course have plenty of other things to worry the tourist!

However, bite avoidance is an obvious first step in any holiday destination – as insect bites can pass on many such debilitating diseases! 

Just make sure that you are aware of all the risks in all the destinationsyou are considering before you use this guide to choose your next eco holiday!

posted by Catherine on Jun 13

That just means taking part in a butterfly counting survey to assess the surrounding environment!

A few months ago there was a nighttime lepidoptera survey taking account of local moths – but now the daytime equivalent is approaching – and a lot more people can join in!

All you have to do is go sit in your garden, a local park, national park or nearby woodland and watch the butterflies passing by!  You can even do this on a walk in the countryside or along a riverbank and count the butterflies that you pass by!  Sir David Attenborough will be taking part too – as will Alan Titchmarsh!

It takes place in the height of summer (24th July – 1st August) as most of the native butterflies are in their adult form at that time – and the bright sunshine is what makes them active!  This gives you plenty of time to learn to id British butterflies before the survey…..

Step 1:
So to get prepared – go to their website and download yourself a butterfly identification sheet to show the most common butterflies that you will encounter on the count.

By learning these few, it will help you to better participate in the count as many butterflies look very similar to others unless they land closeby to you and hold their wings open until you have a good look!

By looking out for these species in advance of the count you will have learnt to identify some of the more common types in advance, so you can focus on learning many more species.  If you just turn up on the day with the id sheet, you won’t be able to give as good results as if you had put in a bit of advance research!

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Step 2:
Read the Butterfly Conservation website for great advice about butterflies, moths and our environment.  They believe that these creatures react very quickly to environmental changes and so can be seen as a great indicator or environmental change – hence the survey.

Butterflies are plant specific in that the adults feed (mainly) on one plant species, and their young will feed (mainly) on another single species – and this is where they lay their eggs.  Therefore if certain plants are becoming rarer or more abundant in response to changing habitats, industrial pollution or the effects of changing climate - these species will have to move from one region to another.

By mapping these movements and general trends over time, they will be able to monitor such national changes and try to see if there are any changes we could make to reverse or encourage such trends.

Step 3:
The count itself takes place between the given dates and you can do as many counts you want in that time and in as many different locations as well. 

This means that you can not only help out with the research by submitting more than 1 set of results, but that you can take your new found identification skills out to new habitats to see – and identify – as many different butterfly species as possible.

For example; sitting in my mum’s garden I mainly see speckled woods, in my sisters garden it is large whites and on the South Downs it is peacocks and small tortoiseshells!  It all depends on the proximity of their food and egg plants in the main – and by finding an established sallow plantation (and a lot of luck I am told) I saw my first purple emperor!

Anyway – record your sightings during just a 15 minute period at any time throughout the survey week following the guidelines on the website, and then you have up until the end of August 2010 to submit your results on the website form online.

Step 4:
Now you know how to identify some common butterfly species – why not take part in other surveys in your area for the Butterfly Conservation Trust or other local or national groups?

Any by finding their associated plants you could then learn more about their habitats and start to become involved at a local nature reserve surveying plants as well.  It take time to get to learn identification skills – so you need to get lots of practice.

And once you have the skills – why not put them to good use?