A double focus for today’s 30 Days Wild
Last night we had a report of an injured herring gull. The wing appeared to be broken at the joint – but also a puncture wound on the chest which could suggest a mobbing by other herring gulls.
We traced it to a neighbour’s garden – but apart from the damaged wing, it was in a pretty energetic and feisty mood. RSPCA had closed 10 minutes earlier. The local wild bird sanctuary was closed. The local vet was closed. As I couldn’t catch it, nature would have to take its course and then we could see if the gull was still around this morning.
Unfortunately, no sign of the gull this morning.
This afternoon, I had a call from Geinor Styles alerting me to a story of survival that seemed the perfect launchpad for the week-end.
A bumble bee not seen in 50 years had ‘re-emerged’ in Brechfa. The Ruderal bumblebee (Bombus ruderatus) has been happily and quietly living in Carmarthenshire during all that time. It took a ‘chance’ walk by some experts who happened to be with another expert (Lawrence Harris – Wales Project Development Officer), having moved to the area at the end of last year.
It’s a lovely story from the bumblebee conservation trust.
That’s a good start to the week-end.
Ioan Hefin 