Metal Menaces... or Wildlife Watching on Crutches
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful festive season. As I write this it's very cold outside and snow is forecast. October and November saw me only really watching the birds in my garden because I was on crutches after having an operation. I am amazed at how hard it is to do things and how scary being out and about is when you are on these metal menaces. No one sees them, in fact no one sees you, they just bowl past you, almost sending you flying. This was a really frightening thought for me because once down, I certainly would struggle to get back up (although then I would be providing my own Wildlife Spectacle - the giant dying fly!). Everyday things became so difficult and it started me thinking, how exactly do people who are disabled or even temporarily incapacitated get to watch wildlife? Now I am starting to walk without the crutches and in a couple of months things will be much better for me but in the meantime I needed to know where I could go and what I could do.
First, I checked out the websites of some local nature reserves as well as some of the larger organisations like the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the RSPB. With most of the local reserves it was as easy to make a phone call to find out their facilities as sometimes their websites were limited, but there are plenty that accommodate disabled visitors in sections of their reserves. I was really pleased to see that the RSPB website gave specific information for disabled visitors to their reserves but also drew attention to the fact that lots of birds can be seen from public roads and that a car makes a really good hide. There are tips on equipment and a link to RADAR, the disability network. On the website you can access details of each reserve and it will tell you if there is suitable access. The WWT are good too, and as far as I can tell most of their reserves are wheelchair friendly and hire out mobility scooters too.
So with all this information I decided to get out and about with the help of hubby and daughters. We had promised ourselves a visit to Slimbridge WWT, so one December day, off we set. Getting to the centre was straightforward, access into the centre was safe with a slope to accommodate wheelchairs and which I found quite easy to negotiate on my crutch. Once in the centre the floors were actually incredibly smooth and I felt as if I was walking on ice, but they seemed perfect for wheelchairs and the mobility scooters that they had for hire. We moved outside and I could see that many of the paths were fairly good for this mode of transport, and managed to walk around without incident. Without incident, that is, until I actually tried to do a bit of birding! I quickly discovered that crutches and binoculars do not make a good mix... trying to lift up bins to your eyes whilst your arm is encased in the cuff of the crutch... well of course the whole crutch came flying up with my arm and thank goodness I didn't take anyone's eye out! The shock of it should have filled me with horror, but it just led to me being in fits of giggles! Let's just say I think I could give the current fencing champion a run for their money - en garde! I only tried out one open hide (where you can open windows rather than having fixed glass ones), which had seating high enough for me to sit on, but a lot of the hides have ramps and low windows for wheelchair users. The highlight of the day for me was sitting in the Peng hide watching the 220-plus Bewicks swans flying in to feed just as dusk fell. Absolutely amazing. There was also a new exhibit of otters which was wonderful to watch, and quite simple for wheelchair users to view. In Toad Hall the Mammal Officer did a wonderful, hands-on, talk about frogs and newts.
So all in all, with a little bit of thought and planning, there are lots of places for disabled wildlife watchers to visit, where they can have good views easily and safely and that have other exhibits to bring wildlife closer. So come what may, waiting to be free of my metal menaces is not going to stop me getting out there to see my wildlife! I hope you are able to do the same and just in case you are itching to get out and about, here are some upcoming events you may be interested in.
Dates for your diary
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity... check it out here:
www.countdown2010.net/year-biodiversity
Big Garden Birdwatch
30th-31st January 2010
Get up really, really early on the Saturday (go on, get the children up before light and get yourself positioned before the birds reach the feeders... you can always lie in on Sunday) and watch who arrives first. There isn't just a hierarchy of who gets to eat first in the bird world but also of who is awake first - and if you are up early you stand a better chance of seeing some other wildlife too. Maybe a mouse scuttling back home, or a fox investigating the bird table. So go on, give it a go!
World Wetland Day (RAMSAR)
Every year, 2nd February is World Wetlands Day and marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Each year government agencies, non-governmental organsations and groups from all levels of the community take the opportunity to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits. There will be events at your local Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centre and some nature reserves which have a wetland area. Details will be in your local press or library.
What to see this winter
If you want to know what wildlife to look for this winter then check out this BBC Autumnwatch page - get out and have some fun!
www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/autumnwatch/2009/12/wildlife_to_enjoy_in_winter.html
Fiona Sharp
Photos (c) Teulu Miniog
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3 Jan 10
