View Full Version : Good stuff from the Beeb
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/field_guides/
Hi Adi
off topic reply sorry... receives slapped wrists
found the cramp balls at Treborth just like you said they would be. Thanks, good source.
Was walking in the Carneddau the other day and also heard a cuckoo (Aber Falls area), thought you might be interested as I seem to remember you not having heard one recently.
Flying south for the summer tomorrow, so have a good one
Paul
Hi Adi
off topic reply sorry... receives slapped wrists
found the cramp balls at Treborth just like you said they would be. Thanks, good source.
Was walking in the Carneddau the other day and also heard a cuckoo (Aber Falls area), thought you might be interested as I seem to remember you not having heard one recently.
Flying south for the summer tomorrow, so have a good one
Paul
Glad to hear you found the cramp balls ... it's a good spot for them!
We heard cuckoos last night in the Aber Falls area ... actually, since posting to say we hadn't heard any, we've heard them on about 6 or 7 separate occasions!
Good site adi :biggthump ... nice to know my license fee is going on something I'll actually use ;-)
Ed
Nice link, I just wish it was larger. Have you any other links on tracking of animals?
It is something I have been interested in for years, but have only recently started to try and practice. :-)
Just remember folks it's the last week of the good stuff from the beeb on BBC 2, come on you know it makes more sense than 22 pillocks on a football field! :lol:
I hear you scott..... hopefully the beeb will have more soon....
Ed
:biggthump Yea, was glued to my telly every night it was on, fab! hope we get some more!
Have you any other links on tracking of animals?
I can't seem to find many decent sites on tracking british animals which is a shame. The Mammal Society publish a good laminated guide to UK animal tracks and sign which you can easily take out with you when you go tracking. The best thing to do is just get out there and look for things. I spend a lot of time sitting until something comes along and then looking at where its been to find out what the tracks are like. Admitedly its often dogs and humans but its all worthwhile looking at to see what happens to a track when someone turns around or changes direction.
If you're really not sure where to begin go on a beginners tracking course.
Hope this is a help, let me know if you do come across a good site.
gurushaun
30-06-2004, 15:40
Rhoda
Do you have a link or address for a source for those laminaded sheets you mentioned?
Cheers
Shaun
Rhoda
Do you have a link or address for a source for those laminaded sheets you mentioned?
Cheers
Shaun
I'm not Rhoda, but here you go:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/publics.shtml
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/publics.shtml I think thats the place Rhoda is on about.... the laminated keys are down the bottom of the page. There is some good stuff there... I suggest you check out the whole website ;-)
:-)
Ed
Thanks guys, thats the one. Its the guide to British mammals tracks etc you want.
A couple of useful books are Animal Tracks and Signs by Preben Bang and Preben Dahlstrom ( I think this one has been mentioned before) and Collins Field Guide Mammals ISBN 0 00 219779 0. The Tom Brown series is worth getting. Love him or loathe him at the end of the day the guy knows his stuff about tracking and the books are very clear and I think make interesting reading.
If you want to get an insight into man tracking get Tactical Tracking Operations by David Scott Donelan. Be aware that the book is mainly aimed at the military and police so lots of weapons stuff as well as tracking.
:AR15firin
Happy tracking!! :-D
Thanks Rhoda, I was more interested in the animals side of life. I have done basic tracking of humans with the military, although it was quite interesting I find being able to indentify an animal print and follow it and to try and ascertain what it was doing from its tracks a lot more interesting. :-)
Cheers for the book titles Rhoda. Amazon is going to love me.
Tracking animals is certainly more challenging in my opinion. It is easier to track people because we can often imagine what they are thinking when we track them. Obviously behaviours of each species would need to be learned before you could attempt to second guess exactly what purpose is present behind an animals tracks. (looking for food or a mate are good starting points though!!)
Apparently the UK is the most difficult country in the world to learn tracking in due to the large amounts of vegetation, small amounts of snow/sand and the small size of most of our native mammals. This is really good news I think because it means we'll all look like real experts if we go tracking abroad! :wink:
Put in a search for 'animal tracking' on amazon, there are loads more books than the ones I've mentioned. :-D
Thanks for the info Rhoda, all tips and tricks are appreciated :-D