Snow Watch: Your ponds in the Big Thaw
During the Big Freeze this year we recommended that you take the advice of not to worry too much if your pond froze over. Now Pond Conservation want to know what happened in your ponds!
Archives for January 2010
Snow Watch: Your questions answered
We've had our most amazing response from you yet for Snow Watch with over 800 members and 2,000 items in the , and over 700 comments and questions, all in just six days!
With such a rapid turnaround for the programme we had our work cut out to fit as much of your contributions as we'd have liked to. So we wanted to answer some of your questions and discuss some of your fascinating stories right here.
A big thank you for helping us make Snow Watch
Well, it's over!! We have just finished recording the programme for tonight, Chris has rushed off to catch a plane to Africa, Kate has gone back to 'Humble Towers' not knowing if she can get up the snowy track to her house and I am still with the team in the office - in a daze!
Why I love tracking animals in the snow
For me, one of the most exciting things about the snow is the sudden ability to see exactly what wildlife is up to.
Tracks in the snow
The big freeze is making it easier than ever for us to see where animals have passed through our gardens, but have you been able to tell who's been visiting?
How to help birds in the snow
At a time when nature is under so much stress in this snowy weather, there is a lot we can do to help, especially in our own gardens. For more information, check out . The RSPB also has .
What effects will the Big Freeze of 2010 have on our wildlife?
So what effects - in the short and long term - will the Big Freeze of 2010 have on our birds and other wildlife? That partly depends on how long it lasts - a rapid thaw now and the majority of birds and other creatures will survive; but if the freezing weather continues into February or even March then it spells disaster for many.
Just how big is the current Big Freeze?
So just how big is the current Big Freeze - and how bad is it for Britain's wildlife? I'm just too young to recall the worst winter of the 20th century - 1962-63, but I can recall spells of freezing weather in 1979, 1982, and again in the mid-1980s, all of which had a major effect on our wild creatures. Since then we've had a pretty unbroken run of very mild winters, at least until last year.
How our wildlife copes with the Big Freeze
As the Big Freeze takes hold - the worst winter I can remember since 1979 - . This is NOT, as you might think, simply from the cold, but because of the snow and ice, which covers up their food supplies.
My Snow Watch experiences
I've been out and about over the past few days marveling at what's going on - the sudden opportunity to see what wildlife is up to by the tracks and signs they leave behind in the snow. I've followed in the footsteps of the fox, tracked an otter and even found the wing imprints of a sparrowhawk strike in the snow... amazing. I've watched the kingfisher hunting in the stream in our village and now find myself wondering what will happen to her if and when the stream freezes up completely.
Snow Watch - we need your help!
Snow Watch has just been commissioned. It's a special brought to you by the Springwatch and Autumnwatch team where we'll be finding out what the big freeze really means for our wild animals. And, as usual, to make it a success we need your help.
