Welcome to Springwatch viewers
If you saw the Windowbox on BBC TV Springwatch tonight, first in Sussex, then in Islay off the western coast of Scotland, welcome.
There is plenty of detail about the project if you follow the links to the right and I hope it shows that even people who don't have a garden can create tiny wildlife reserves that deliver fascinating results.
Something of this type does, of course, have to be managed to optimise biodiversity, but every plant and animal has arrived under its own steam, some being with the project only for a short time, while others are more persistant.
Every day when I walk down our garden I look at the space where the windowbox was and remember, with a real sense of separation, that it is in Islay. I am sure the BBC will take good care of it though and I look forward to its return so that reunited we can continue our dialogue.
With all these minireserve endeavours I get the strong feeling after a while that I am not just an outside observer, but part of the project itself. We are somehow enfolded into one another.
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2 comments:
Patrick,
Thank you for an excellent idea and for your comments on my blog.
I'm interested to read that, like many nature reserves, you manage your wildlife box. I'm undecided yet on what approach to take with mine, but do you have any advice on what do and how to identify the species?
I will be returning to your blog frequently to see how it develops.
Many Thanks
Richard.
I think managing any small nature reserve is simply a matter of judgement. If things seem to be getting out of hand, introduce control measures. In the wild there are many controls like grazing and browsing.
So far as identification is concerned, that is part of the challenge and part of the fun. Over the years I have bought or borrowed many books to try and name something, and there are now many Internet forums where pictures of this or that can be posted for identification.
Patrick Roper
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