Home Sweet Home

Well now it’s officially over – back to the grind tomorrow at work, and back to the real world.

My flights all went fine, no Ash related problems which was pleasant, however I was unlucky enough to be sat in front of someone who coughed incessantly all the way from Montreal to Paris!! Which was unlucky, but I’m back and slightly exhausted. I’ve sorted my washing and found only one Tick in amongst my clothes which wasn’t so much of a surprise and his head got chopped right off. If I missed any others they now are in the drain system as they went through a 40 degree wash and then a tumble drier and although they may have survived they are now trapped in the piping and floating off to wherever the water gets filtered etc…

I will get round to uploading the rest of my videos this week, and the last few pictures. As you probably noticed I added Angela Blemker’s flickr site so you can see even more of the wonderful sites we saw on her pictures as well.

On a bonus note, I now also have to pay out for a new car windscreen as i have a mahussive crack in mine now so that’s to be sorted on Thursday which as you can probably tell was a lovely thing to come home to!!

Anyway, I’m now going to call it a night and wish you all well, sweet dreams and tick free sleep to you all. xoxo

Day 12: Last day in Bonnie New Scotland

And so the adventure ends, today is the last day!! That’s right folks, the lastest day, sad-sad times.But anyway so to discuss today… We had a debate this morning about environmentalism and what the ideas and theories actually mean to us and the rest of the earth as a being. Which was pretty deep!! Then we went to kejimkujik seaside adjunct for some final animal spotting and to take in the scenery.

The adjunct was pretty amazing it had beautiful views and delivered bucketloads of photo ops!! And today I saw a seal, sadly it was a bit far off to get a photo, but then came the porcupines!! We saw 2 and I got some great video of one of them which yes I will upload (hopefully tonight). It’s been a pretty relaxing day all in all and now we are ending the fortnight of hardwork, animal watching and tick killing with a few beers, wine and curry.

21:40 – Ok so tea was banging and we’re now listening to some rhythm, blues and soul… It’s a nice way to end the day, washing done, packing sorted, and now to chill…

We leave for the airport at 8:45 and I fly in the afternoon. So I’ll continue to update most likely at least until I’m back at work but who knows I may blog for more of my random adventures. I’m planning a charity bike ride along the north penine way (70 miles) to raise money for Earthwatch and Cancer Research UK so I’ll be training for that and then doing it (it can take 3 days) so I may update again then.

I hope you’ve enjoyed Reading about what I’ve been up to please feel free to comment and watch my videos or look at my pictures! It’s been nice to know people want to read along…. To those who know me I’ll see you soon to those who I don’t thanks for joining the ride!! xoxo

 

Day 10 & 11: Happy Earthday

Ok I know I didn’t blog yesterday but we didn’t really have time so in summary:Day 10: Today we went to Cooks Lake again to continue our rodent trapping and deer surveys. While we didn’t catch anything in our traps we did get to walk through some pretty amazing forest, the views were amazing! We also did some grassland management and got to chop down lots of trees, which was fun. But da-da-daaaaaaa I got bitten by a tick, that’s right folks it was attached, but I freaked out and couldn’t touch it so one of the group turned it Anti-clockwise and got it off for me, which was a relief!

After getting back we popped to the beach at cherry hill for a look around and saw various shrimps and small fish in the water in the lagoon behind the beach cove. Then the highlight of the trip for me happened…. We went beaver watching!! That was amazing, I have some half decent footage, however I can’t upload it as for some reason the PC’s here won’t play it? Which is very confusing. So I will upload that once I get home as I’ve now given up on the technology.

There were 3-4 Beavers all having a good swim around the lodge and we were that close we could even hear one of them gnawing on some branches. Prior to the Beavers emerging we also observed (and got footage of) a Muskrat going about it’s duties. I should warn you though once I get the video’s uploaded that the Spring Peepers (small frogs) are incredibly deafening and that’s what we sat and listened to for the whole time we were there!!

On the way back we also nearly ran over a Snowshoe Hare, Baby Racoon and a White-tailed Deer. All of which I saw but sadly I didn’t shout fast enough for the Hare and everyone else missed it but me!!

Day 11: Today is EARTHDAY and was our last day at the tick infested area that is Cooks Lake! And yet again we didn’t catch a thing, but we did some more grassland management in the area and got another 3 trees down for the hour and a half we were on (and no we aren’t allowed to use chainsaws, it was all handsawing!!)

This afternoon we did some survival techniques and learnt how to trap mammals and birds, and also learnt how to make fire using the old rubbing of the 2 sticks technique. As today is Earthday we are having a little celebration tonight with cake, which should be fun. But now I think I’m going to continue to figure out my videos and upload the photos from cooks lake and Beaver watching to keep you tanatalised if I can’t get the former sorted (They’re sooooo good to, well I think so anyway)

Right, ok it’s the last day tomorrow and we’re off to the seaside adjunct of Kejimkujik to go see porcupines, racoons and other interesting species xoxo

Day 9: Ticks strike back

After being tick free for a long time today they unleashed a force greater than we could have imagined. Today I had 8 in total though 5 were found on my salapets (ski pants to normal people). The rest were on my hoody or jacket, and it wasn’t just me it was everyone poor Anne had a one attached to her scalp!! But turning them ANTI-clockwise removes them… Remember that folks it could be important one day. Anyway on to less crawly things….

We caught one meadow vole today, they are a much larger strain than the red-backed ones we caught last week. But we only caught one out of the 100 traps we set which wasn’t so good but we did catch her twice, so maybe she’ll tell her friends?! After that we did 10 scat transects for deer and snowshoe hare droppings (by god there are a lot of hare droppings). Then another transect checking for field signs through the woodland. We spotted coyote footings which was exciting and lots of porcupine scat, so hopefully we should bump into another one soon

On the way out of the woodland I saw a racoon print in a puddle, they’re really cute just like tiny hands as they have 4 fingers and a thumb and they wash their food before they eat it-just like people do! We also popped to the local ‘mall’ for a quick stock up before heading back to homestead. So I got all my goodies for everyone at home, so you can all experience the wonder of maple cream cookies (biscuits really but you know what these canadians and Americans are like with cookies!!) xoxo

Day 8: Our luck runs out

The rains have arrived… today while out in the field it was officially minging!

It was cold and damp and not very pleasant, kind of like being in England (ha ha).

Anyway today was our first day at cooks lake-our new trapping site. It’s a lot different from the last one, as there’s no brambles or thick growth to charge through. There’s nice open grassland and some hardwood bush but that’s it. Cooks lake itself is pretty impressive with a massive expanse and there are beavers resident and a pair of loons/lunes which are great northern divers as there official name. I’ve got some photos of the beaver damage, as they’ve been lodge building.

Beavers in Canada don’t tend to build dams, only lodges-as in most cases the expanses of water they choose to live on are already deep enough. We set out 2 trapping grids in different areas in the hopes we catch not just shrews but also meadow jumping mice and possibly some deer mice… But we’ll find that out tomorrow!! Anyway tea is about ready so I’ll say ta-ta for now. And also in case anybody hasn’t noticed I added a blog link section in my column underneath my pictures, so you can read everyone elses blogs who are here and see there pictures aswell. xoxo

Day 7: Kejim-who-jik??

Today we went to kejimkujik, as explained earlier-which is the national park of nova scotia-and had a bit of an explore around. First off we went to go see Mills Falls a "waterfall" which chris described as rapids, and it’s much smaller than low force in teesdale, England so I think rapids covers it! Although it was quite impressive.

After that we went for a trek around the hemlock forests and around the big dam lake (that’s it’s name not me being sarcastic!) where we saw all the humongous trees and various features like nurse logs, fungi and lichen growth. I wasn’t so hot with my camera today though so you should check out everyone elses blogs for pictures. Then we conducted more poop surveys. This time for White-tailed deer who are now prevalent in the area and, as I may have said before are responsible for the loss off the moose in the south of nova scotia-due to the brain worm. Me and kim drew 1st place after picking quadrats with 11 sightings each, which was probably fluke but we’d like to think it’s because we think like the deer.

Tomorrow we set up our second batch of longworth trap transects at Cooks lake farm, so I should get more pictures from another area of nova scotia. And hopefully see more new species as today we saw 2 white tailed deers andan osprey nesting. Ok shower time I think, but while I remember we did spend this evening watching various entertainment online, so go to badgerbadgerbadger.com or look for the blackfly song on YouTube to share in our evenings joy! xoxo

Day 5 & 6: Tragedy strikes Halifax

Day 5: We collected in the traps today and I finally caught a little guy, my transect was nearest the road so it was slightly unexpected! So I was pleased. But Anne took a nasty fall on the rocks and was taken to hospital for 11 stitches it was a very deep hole in her leg!!

After collecting the traps and Anne from the hospital we went on a hayride around the local organic farm, where we learnt about organic wood production where they still use the old methods of horses driving the trees out and not using pesticides etc on the ground or food enhancers on there animals. After that we went to the "pub" in Liverpool which wasn’t a pub but more a hotel where we listened to some "banging tunes" by a little known pair called Naming the Twins and I signed some of you up to the mailing list (don’t worry you can unsubscribe!!) so you too can experience a bit of the local culture of Nova Scotia.

 

Day 6: Today was our research free day so we all got bundled into the van to go to Halifax for a look around the shops and exhibitions. The maritime museum was particularly fascinating as I never knew the involvement that Halifax had in the titanic rescue or that 5 years later in 1917 the poor buggers then suffered a huge tragedy of a massive explosion which wiped out the whole area practically with a few surviving and the buildings being completely destroyed. It happened due to a missions ship hitting a smaller boat on it’s way into the harbour and as the missions ship was armed with various explosives it went Boom! It looked like a nuclear explosion it was horrific!! It was the largest man made explosion until the Hiroshima bomb, which is pretty damn impressive in a bad way.

After the exploring we all met up for dinner and I tried a bit of lobster, I wasn’t incredibly impressed as it was sooooo sweet so I don’t think I’ll be having it again. Today we’re off to Kejimkujik national park for a look around and some more transect work, so I’ll probably have another update tonight but I figured I’d catch you up on the past 2 days.

I uploaded the photos yesterday but am still to label them all so I’ll sort that out aswell… And remember you can comment on them and this we all get excited when we get comments!! Also i had 250+ views last week so thanks for Reading that’s an impressive amount ok best get dressed and ready. Oh and we finally had rain and sleet yesterday, but I have caught the sun on my face on the first few days but I won’t be quite as brown as I was after Cyprus etc. xoxo

Day 4: Alvin, Simon, Theodore, doop-do doopety-do

Ok today’s blog shall be short and yes photos are still in progress. I’m tired you know!!

Anyway trap checking again today and still my transect caught none, but no captures are just as important as captures! We caught 8 in total but all were recaptures from yesterday, and the female I handled is now visibly pregnant so that’s nice to know. On the afternoon check we caught a chipmunk which was exciting as I’ve never seen a wild one and boy are they quick, it got away on christina and was off like lightning . Luckily even Lycos wasn’t fast enough or else the poor guy would be a goner!

The middle of the day was taken up with more porcupine damage surveys and snowshoe hare quadrats. We found (as a team) 5,000 snowshoe hare droppings, but as yet chris and christina still need to figure out how many an individual produces over a day so they will have to catch or keep some and then do counts and calculations from there. The 5,000 was over 5 quadrats but as we got further into the wood/forest the numbers increased which makes sense as they can hide better in the immensly dense woodland (believe me I know!!) and therefore the population is much larger.

This evening we had a climate change talk with chris who explained the ins and outs of the matter, which is a bit much to go over but if you want to know more – read a journal!! Also as a note if you go to www.wildspirits.ca you can access the project website and learn more about what I’m doing out here.

It’s 10pm now and we’ve got a busy busy day tomorrow again with a lovely end of the week at the pub so probably no blog tomorrow but while the teachers skype I’ll upload my photos of the last 2 days and also pop up the longworth trap videos! Goodnight y’all! xoxo

Day 3: Lights, Camera, Action!

Ok today was trap checking day and would you believe it we had 7 captures today, although 3 in the afternoon were recaptures from the morning.

We caught all red backed vole one of which I handled I will include images and a video soon! After capture we had to set them in a timidity tray for the time it took to run through or 10 minutes depending on which came first. The hypothesis so far is undecided as Christina is unsure on if the faster to escape means the more likely to survive longer or by staying put they are more likely to survive. But from our observations today (as 2 Voles had fur clip marks from September and wouldn’t leave the tray) I would say timidity must work but clearly that’s just a tiny sample!!

Between all the fun of the animal capture we also did a porcupine damage survey across a transect we monitored. As porcupines are viewed as a pest for forestries as they chew at tree bark so here in nova scotia they shoot them, which isn’t ideal as they’re becoming less and less. So by studying there behaviour and tree selection it should be possible to cone up with a soloution. I was also wondering if sounds would help keep them away but the soloution has to be cheaper than a bullet, so maybe not?

We also then set up camera traps (hence the title), we’re hoping to get sightings of porcupine, snowshoe hare and others in the spot me and diana were set so fingers crossed-however the first few images will be us standing and waving to double check it worked!! We did a field tracking survey in the woodland surrounding our trapping transects following the paths and found signs of beaver, coyote, skunk and porcupine and found the chrysalis of the biggest moth in north America the name escapes me right now but it did begin with ‘S’. And tonight we had a fun conversation about the differences between British and American English, which was pretty entertaining ha ha ha

Anyway I think i’m going to shower now and then set away with photo and video uploads but I may be soooo incredibly tired it’ll have to wait till tomorrow, so obviously we’ll see about that one?! Oh and I’m still tick free people rock on!! xoxo

Day 2: Trapping begins

Up and out at 9:00 and then off to the study site for our first trapping session. The traps we use are Longworth traps which are most commonly used for rodent trapping and were designed in longworth near Oxford, UK. I will add a picture to my albums of them. We walked a line transect each in pairs and singles depending on where we were walking and set out 20 traps in a line with about 5 foot between each trap. We’re hoping to catch mice and voles which we will identify using hair snips on the bodies and then return to the area they were caught. The traps will be reset and then put back in the locations in the hope if recapture or new capture over the next 3 days so that Christina and Chris can monitor the ecology of the area. So tomorrow I should have some good pictures of mice and voles that we’ve caught, and fingers crossed don’t get bitten by!!

We also had a DIY task of helping to build the Walls for the on site unit that is in progress. Angela and Amanda got there 2 together first with me and Melissa coming a close second (images are also to come).

I saw more red squirrels today while walking the transect, and Dad would be proud I kept up and kept in line for once Ha ha ha Anyway I think that shall do for today i’m off to check for ticks and have a shower, that’s right there are loads of ticks so we have to check for them after being in the field. I might go out to see if the racoons are out later on but for now I think I need a wash! xoxo

Day 1: Poop Watch

Today we have been mostly learning about poop, or scat for the American’s amongst us. The morning began with breakfast and a presentation by Christina about her current project in Wytham Woods, Oxford on Badger population and her and Chris’ Identification methods and basic protocols. And then we got on to Nova Scotia, and what we as a team would be involved in and how what we do would effect the project and in turn the species Native to Nova Scotia.

 

After Lunch, we then went on a 6 mile hike of Broad Cove (a coastal region) where we identified field signs such as tracks, faeces and bark gnawing. We also came accross various bones, one of which being identified as most probably a seal pup which is quite sad. Although we didn’t see any live seals we did see an Eastern Red Squirrel which was much smaller than I thought it would be and isn’t like the English ones we know and love. And we saw, a da-da-daaaaaa Porcupine which was pretty amazing, I was like-in awe-as I’ve never seen one before and barring the quills it was pretty cute and had such a sweet face. I do have a photo of it, however it may look more like tree branches than anything as the ability to get a camera in at it wasn’t so easy but hopefully one of the other guys got a good shot I can add once we sort through them.

 

Nova Scotia is beautiful, it’s kind of got everything – coast, forests and open spaces it’s amazing. I’ve taken some half decent photos in my Day 1 Album so hopefully you can see exactly how amazing it looks. It’s relatively desolate during the more winter months as it gets soooo cold here so most people use it as a vacation spot, so not so many people around but it means there’s more for us to see!

 

Righty-ho going to figure out how to upload my photos now and then put them on here. I will be putting them on facebook aswell, but I’ll wait till I come home to fo that one.

 

Oh and bonus-so far the weather has been brilliant (However I may have just cursed us all by saying that?) xoxo

Meet and greet

Well after last nights moderate disaster and now feeling relatively caught up with all my timezones it’s time to meet the rest of the gang. I met Sue, one of the many who is on a teaching award-and so not only has to do the project research but also has to teach her school kids-last night at the airport and she sat through the debarcle that was the room error. But hays travel will be getting a proper earfull and I expect a refund after that, but on to other things.

So Sue and Anne-who arrived yesterday but understandably was tucked up in bed by the time we made it in-are already here, and the rest we’ll meet as they come in to the airport. We’re going to head over there once we’re all suitably refreshed and then do lunch as it’s just as handy as going to downtown Halifax which has a pricey taxi or bus involved!!

***

Well we all made it in one piece, so including Sue, Anne and Me there are: Amanda, Angela, Kim, Melissa and Diana. So those are all the members of the crack team!! And only poor melissa lost her bag, but that should turn up soon. We’ve done the ice-breaker and met Chris, Christina and Lycos (the dog, yes he is named after the search engine, they found him on google!) the earthwatch scientists who have been lovely enough to accept us on the mission.

We had pizza, salad and ice cream for tea and had the health and safety to digest-all of it using both English and American terminology, so as examples we have Flashlight (torch) and Band Aid (plaster). Pretty easy really but there are teeny tiny differences accross the board, imagine if I used the word Chav or Charver they’d be lost with that one. But as I’m yet to see a one in Canada I think they’re safe from the scurge that is the Chav’s!! Right anyway I’m exhausted jet lag is catching up with me a bit so I’m going to crash.

Tomorrows the first day in the field so I’m sure to have an immense update then but for now this will do goodnight all!! xoxo

Planes, trains and automobiles!!

*Home-Newcastle* (1hour)

Well check in has been a success, self-service check in is quite a new fangled technology for little old me even my poor Mam seemed confused!! Anyway just waiting for my departure to pop up and then I’m off on leg one of the journey to Charles de Gaulle, Paris. And I’ve already had one disaster in that my mobile was disconnected so I am officially uncontactable for 24 hours, which isn’t exactly ideal if anything goes wrong? But we live and learn and I made it to flight one at least which is a bonus. This flying solo thing is a whole new concept to me but I’m sure it’ll all go swimmingly… Right something to eat!!

*Newcastle-Paris* (1hour & 4 hour wait in airport)

Bonjour!! Ok well that’s that one section over. Only an hour on a plane seems mild compared to the next leg! A seven hour flight may be more of a killer than I planned. But at least I’ll get fed, although I did get a drink and nibbles on my first flight it wasn’t really long enough to justify a meal. The plane was only 4 chairs wide and I did get a seat to myself but I was on the wrong side to see the Eiffel tower but fingers crossed on the way back How do you describe Charles de Gaulle airport in one word…? IMMENSE – It is absolutely Humongous!! The ceilings are somewhat similar (although much cleaner and more modern) to those at York train station, well minus the pigeons ha ha. The temperature is 15 degrees which for what is essentially a massive greenhouse doesn’t bode well for the heat challenged so for the first time since leaving home the hoody may get removed? Although I fear by the time I reach Montreal it may be going back on again. But for now I’ll sit and read my new book and wait to board flight number 2 or deux if we want to be country appropriate! Oh and on a positive note, the prior said 24 hour wait was cut short by a few hours as it appears I am now mobile! That’s got to be a good sign, right?

*Paris-Montreal* (7hours)

Oh my life, 7 hours never seemed so long plus some French bird kept squishing me with her chair ignorant cow, and her mother had a go when I put my knees up to stop her!! Some people!! Anyway plane huge, food middling-too much cheese involved, and sleep lacking!!

*Montreal-Halifax* (1hour 30minutes)

I made it, but have just had a major set back which due to exhaustion caused me to weep, my room booking at the holiday inn was misplaced. And to top it off they weren’t very helpful at advising me what to do, I don’t think they cared!! So after all that I’m now at the Hilton garden inn, for cheaper (guy on reception felt sorry for me seen as I’ve already paid for a room once) Booyah, glad someone did!

Anyway long story short I made it and now am going to have a long deserved rest xoxo

T-minus 16 hours till first flight!!

Ok now the nerves are setting in! Bags weighed and measured, boots polished, wellies cleaned and sadly my favourite hat shrunken! But I’ve got a spare so here it goes 1 more sleep till I arrive in Halifax, NS and then 1 more sleep till the expedition begins. It’s been a relatively short wait seen as I was such a late comer to the sign up which is probably a good thing – less time to panic and chicken out ha ha ha.

 

Anyway, I thought I’d say a bit more about what it is I’m going to be doing. The objectives of my time out there are to look at how ecosystems, biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife are affected by human activities. The sample sites we will be taking in are Cook’s Lake Farm Reserve – 330 acres of mixed coniferous and deciduous woodland, which is owned by one of the Scientists (Dr. Buesching) and Eastport Medway - which is a more coastal region of Nova Scotia and as it is close to human population shows how that interacts and affects the mammal populations.

 

The animals which are to be studied (as the title of the project being "Mammals of Nova Scotia" suggests) are Mammals such as Snowshoe Hares, Porcupines, Moose, Beaver, Vole and Various Bat species such as Pipistrell and Hoary.

 

Data collection will include censusing of the species, CMR (capture, mark, and retrieve), behaviour observations, transect observations (from droppings, footprints, burrows to animal sightings)…. I think you get the point now, and although some may be a bit teaching grandma to suck eggs with me, I am thoroughly looking forward to it. I’m just dubious of missing my flights. But we’ll find that out in a few hours!!

 

Oh and I’m taking a hot water bottle (Just in Case!!)

 

xoxo

 

For more info on the expedition click the following link for the briefing:

http://www.earthwatch.org/exped/buesching.html

Not long now… Arghhhh Packing!!

So my packing has commenced big style now!! You know when you have a moment where you realise the number of clothes you have makes absoloutly no sense…. I’ve just had one fo those now – I’ve got more t-shirts than years I’ve been alive and less than half the amount in trousers, which seems to put it mildly odd? Why wouldn’t the amounts be similar at all but hey ho.

 

I’ve packed the camera and camcorder so I should get some good shots and videos of the amazing wildlife and landscapes in Nova Scotia (hoping we have a few days nice weather). I’m going to look like a little eskimo by the way I’ve been packing, even though I decided upon half and half cold to warm clothes I’ve got my ski jacket, ski pants and then multiple scarves and hats. But I have sneaked in a few pairs of long shorts and vests :)

 

Well as I write this it will probably be my last entry till I travel on saturday next week, then I’m hoping to put an update on every day or 2 and update photos when I return. I’m NOT taking my laptop, but my iPod will be my travelling companion and keep me accessed to the world!!

 

Who knows I may not want to come back…. But biting the bullet may be actually more difficult than the dream. So travelling and volunteering will suffice for now, I’m already planning on doing another one next year and this one hasn’t even started yet!

 

Ok – I think that shall do for now – Shan’t be long till I return, and leave

 

xoxo

The Countdown Begins…

Well, not long now – roughly 14 days(?) till i commence my first solo adventure.

 

For those of you who don’t know I am off on an expedition, through a company called Earthwatch (I’ve provided their link below). I’m off on their "Mammals of Nova Scotia" tour in group 2 which is exciting. I intend to provide updates while I’m away on here and then a mass of photos will be popped on Facebook and probably on here aswell.

 

I sorted out my currency today, and luckily managed to avoid the hell that is the BA (British Airways) strikes which is a blessing. However I do ont he other hand have to go via france and montreal just to get to where I’m going – 3 flights later I should arrive ha ha, barrang a crash or terrorist attack anyway (always the optimist me).

 

OK so for a first Blog post for a while I think that about covers it… But I’m sure as my adventure continues there’ll be much mroe to write.

 

Ta ta for now!

 

xoxo

 

http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/ - Founded in 1971, Earthwatch is an international environmental charity which engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.