Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson
6 Comments CherryPie on Sep 17th 2023
Monmouth castle is tucked away in a lane off Monmout’s main shopping street.
Strategically located at crossings of the River Wye and River Monnow, only a few fragments – ruins of the 12th-century Great Tower and 13th-century hall – remain of this once-important castle.
It was founded in the 11th century by Norman lord William fitz Osbern, and by the mid-14th century was in the hands of Henry of Grosmont, who modified the tower with large decorated windows whose outline can still be seen in the east wall.
The most notable event in the tower’s history occurred on 16 September 1386, when King Henry V of Battle of Agincourt fame was born here, an occasion commemorated at Monmouth’s Agincourt Square.
Hidden behind the castle is a secret Garden of Remembrance to all Reservists in Wales who have served Queen (and now King) and Country for the past 100 years.
10 Comments CherryPie on Sep 14th 2023
On our recent visit to Slimbridge we failed to find the advertised Pelicans but were happy to see all six species of Flamingo (not all captured on camera) residing in their separate watery locations.
18 Comments CherryPie on Sep 11th 2023
There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul: we search for its outlines all our lives.
Josephine Hart
4 Comments CherryPie on Sep 10th 2023
The Nene goose, native of Hawaii was on the brink of extinction with only 30 birds left when their plight came to the attention of Peter Scott.
Our story starts back in the 1950s on Hawaii, with a little goose that was on the verge of extinction. Many years ago, living on a Hawaiian island didn’t involve having to deal with land predators, so the nene evolved as a friendly and inquisitive bird and it’s estimated that 25,000 used to inhabit the islands. But with the arrival of Europeans in 1778 and the introduction of predators like dogs, pigs and mongoose, life changed forever for the curious and trusting nene. Its numbers plummeted and by 1952 there were only 30 left.
Its plight captured the attention of WWT founder, Sir Peter Scott. He was determined not to let the species die out and brought a pair back to Slimbridge.
After a few teething problems (both birds turned out to be female) and the arrival of a gander, one of the greatest conservation success stories began.
In 1962, 35 birds born and raised at Slimbridge arrived in Hawaii to be released back into the wild. They were released across four sites on the main island and one site on Maui. Now, over fifty years since the birds were re-introduced, their numbers are above 2,000. In 2014 the first pair were spotted on a third island, having made their own way there.
It was Sir Peter Scott’s passion, determination and innovative thinking that enabled him to bring a bird back from the brink of extinction in the face of all odds.
8 Comments CherryPie on Sep 7th 2023
Sir Peter Scott was the son of Antarctic explorer Captain Scott who, in his dying letter, urged Peter’s mother to “make the boy interested in natural history”.
Peter particularly loved the wild open marshes of Britain and the mysterious geese that visited from unknown shores. He learned to protect first the birds, and then their wetland habitats.
In 1946 he set up the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge as a centre for science and conservation. Uniquely at the time, he opened it to the public so that anyone could enjoy getting close to nature.
Peter and his family presented the BBC’s first live television wildlife programmes from his artist’s studio overlooking the lakes at Slimbridge, from where he brought a love for the British countryside into millions of homes.
As well as setting up WWT, he became an Olympic sailing medallist and a well-known painter and broadcaster. He created the IUCN red list which measures whether species are threatened or endangered. He was the founding chair of WWF – he even drew their famous panda logo.
WWT flourished during Peter’s life and has continued his life’s work since his death in 1989.
12 Comments CherryPie on Sep 6th 2023
