Monday 28 January 2013

This is Very Scary!!



For all those climate change sceptics

 This is incredible! Watch nature at work...no other words needed, this is really scary when you hear what the man at the end has to say.

This video link was sent to me by a friend. I watched it with mouth open. I hope you enjoy it too.





Monday 21 January 2013

Westbrook Snow Walk


Westbrook Bay



Brent Geese fly in.



Grazing



Undercliffe Nature Park





After Sunday's Snow it was a pleasant ramble across the beach and along the prom. Plenty of wildlife on beach and chalk reef with the geese flying in and feeding along with purple sandpipers, sanderlings and turnstones.


Thursday 17 January 2013

Turnstones: Stand up and be counted.

Thanet Coast Wardens ready for Turnstone Count

 In February this year volunteer wardens are assisting Sandwich Bay Observatory in the count of Turnstones present on the North East Kent Coast. About 1200 of these little birds visit this part of the coast every winter.


At high tide these birds can be spotted on promenades, breakwaters and slipways usually resting/roosting until the tide goes out and they can return to feeding. During the spring many of them go to Arctic Canada to breed and return to us in the Autumn often to the same bays. It is therefore important that they feed up on our coast to allow them to build up body reserves to enable them to make this journey.

Disturbance Monitoring

During January and February wardens will also be monitoring the levels of disturbance these birds encounter which can affect their survival. This is normally due to human activity. Generally they are not affected by  people as they seem to have got used to them. Fishermen often find these cheeky birds will pinch their bait if left unattended. However dogs are a different story as these birds see them as predators similar to the Arctic Fox they encounter in Canada. It is important to monitor this in order raise awareness of this problem.


What you can do to help

If you are a dog walker please do not let your dog chase or disturb these birds causing them to take flight using valuable energy. 

The video below made by local young people explains. Please pass the message on if you want to see these lovely little birds return each year to our coast.



Tuesday 15 January 2013

Euroferries Ramsgate-Boulogne Will it Happen?



New Year New Ferry Service?



I was quite excited to hear the news last October that a fast craft service was to arrive in January 2013 and start a ferry service from Ramsgate to Boulogne in February. Boulogne is a brilliant port right in the town with lots of nice restaurants and shops and in my opinion much better than Calais. So the prospect of going from Ramsgate instead of Dover was the icing on the cake.
I know that Euroferries attempted a start some time ago without success but this time the press releases looked quite promising.
I read as much as I could find and even Thanet Council spokesman said he was cautiously optimistic.
Since this time I have regularly visited the Euroferries' site but no further details have been added. Similarly surfing the web I can find no updates. My original enthusiasm is now changing to disappointment and visiting
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=311037300&header=true shows the vessel is still in port in Australia. Has anyone out there got any news or is this a dead duck?

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Is the Writing on the Wall?


Climate Change is it really Happening?





http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m9wM-p8wTq4

If you have the time take a look at the above youtube video. I am no scientist but I, like many, have children and grandchildren. Prince Charles, due to be a grandfather, is concerned about what legacy we leave for future generations.

This year we have seen many extremes of weather and not just in the UK. You may say that these are one off incidents and weather patterns follow cycles. Can we however afford to hide our heads in the sand when evidence suggests that we are now reaching a tipping point. The above video predicts that in the Summer months by 2020 there will be clear passageway across the Arctic. If this is so then we are literally in the 'Do Do' as the traditional permafrost regions melt and masses of methane are released into the atmosphere. We have also seen large glaciers breaking off changing the saline balance in the seas.

We may take delight in a warmer climate but this is not necessarily so. If the gulf stream shuts off our climate could shift to one similar to Alaska. We could experience more intense storms.

The video discusses solutions for local schemes which if adopted world wide could make a difference. Could Thanet be totally self sufficient in energy? The answer has to be yes. We have sunshine, we have wind and tidal power. Take tidal power we have a massive shift of water around our coast twice a day.
We get most of the UK sunshine on average. I  am not suggesting that we cover every field with solar panels as that is a waste of agricultural land. Much of Thanet has been built on and more is planned. Planning for new housing and other buildings should incorporate solar roof panels. Car parks on the Isle could have solar panels erected above them. Westwood Cross has a massive area and it would provide shade for parked cars.

KCC is planning for 2150 on what seems to be a warming scenario and plans to engage with communities on the expected changes, advantages and disadvantages. I believe we need more practical action on playing our part in attempts to avert the coming changes.

Unfortunately politicians do not appear to have the political will to do what is necessary whilst fighting a global economic meltdown. Well if that's all you got to worry about you have seen nothing yet if predictions are true.

I am unlikely to be around when or if these predictions come true but I fear for the coming generations and their future in the world.