Hello, having only recently joined the challenge a couple of days ago, I just wanted to introduce myself and my chosen 1km square. My name is Rob, and I am 43 years old. I have to admit to being a professional ecologist; however, this does not necessarily mean that my natural history skills are good in all the many taxa that I will no doubt be looking at during the course of the year. Birds - yes. Mammals - yes. Vascular plants - yes. Amphibians and reptiles - yes. Moths and butterflies - not bad. Bryophytes - rusty. Odonata - OK. The rest, well, therein lies the challenge.
My chosen square (SW corner TG020241) is a (fairly) typical slice of Norfolk countryside, ravaged by intensive agriculture, but nevertheless clinging on to some of its biodiversity. It includes my house and garden, and land to the south, some of which is arable and some improved grassland. There are some obvious foci for biodiversity, including four ponds, a flowing watercourse, and some seasonal wet ditches. There are also hedges in various condition, lone trees, small areas of woodland and gardens. Importantly, there is a public footpath running through the area in a loop. I am guessing this will be much used.
I haven't done the sums yet, but I think I may already have recorded around 80 species. 1000 seems a far distant figure, and I have some serious catching up to do. My garden bird list is on 99, and I certainly won't see all of those again in one year. I plan to be assisted on my naturalising forays by my two children, Rowan (12) and Zena (7). Sharp eyes and small hands will come in useful. You can follow me on Twitter: @robert_yaxley as I hope to post a lot of photos of various species. Tally ho!
My chosen square (SW corner TG020241) is a (fairly) typical slice of Norfolk countryside, ravaged by intensive agriculture, but nevertheless clinging on to some of its biodiversity. It includes my house and garden, and land to the south, some of which is arable and some improved grassland. There are some obvious foci for biodiversity, including four ponds, a flowing watercourse, and some seasonal wet ditches. There are also hedges in various condition, lone trees, small areas of woodland and gardens. Importantly, there is a public footpath running through the area in a loop. I am guessing this will be much used.
I haven't done the sums yet, but I think I may already have recorded around 80 species. 1000 seems a far distant figure, and I have some serious catching up to do. My garden bird list is on 99, and I certainly won't see all of those again in one year. I plan to be assisted on my naturalising forays by my two children, Rowan (12) and Zena (7). Sharp eyes and small hands will come in useful. You can follow me on Twitter: @robert_yaxley as I hope to post a lot of photos of various species. Tally ho!
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