Planet Earth 2 – Deserts

Guest Blog by Aiobhe McCarron

In Madagascar, locusts which are normally solitary creatures come together in extreme numbers when the smell the smell of newly sprouting grass. They devour everything and devastate the land causing soils to turn to dust with no plants to bind them, producing vast new stretches of desert every year. This causes struggles for human communities who have lost their livelihoods due to the mass destruction. To me, this is reflective of what we as a species have done to the natural world, devastating animal habitats and food sources for our own benefit.

The Earth’s deserts are getting hotter and expanding at a faster rate than ever before due to global warming caused by humans, this leaves desert creatures short on time to adapt to their ever changing environments and their fate is uncertain. This is not dissimilar to the devastation COVID-19 is causing the human race currently, due to our own actions; we have cause our demise and we cannot catch up with this rapidly growing disease.

Planet Earth 2 – Deserts
Guest Blog by: Sophie Gregson

No escape from sun, wind or dust, almost no food or water. These are the conditions in one-third of the lands of our planet. In order to survive here you must have the most extraordinary survival strategies.

The Namib in southwest Africa is the oldest desert in the world, it has been dry for fifty-five million years. Life for a hunter here is as hard as it gets, with no cover for a1n ambush the lions must chase their prey in hopes they may catch them. Each failed hunt brings the lions closer and closer to starvation, in order to prevent this the pride continually search an area the size of Switzerland. Just like the lions, humans will gather food from across large distances of areas even importing them from over seas to gather a certain product. If you walk into any supermarket you cannot look anywhere without seeing fruit or meat imported from France or even Thailand. Big fast food chains are extremely guilty of this with McDonald’s getting the majority of its chicken from Thailand in order to save on expenses.

It does sometimes rain in the desert, in the American West storms can strike with devastating force. After ten months of no rain millions of tons of water and dumped on the land in under an hour. Salt canyons fifty metres deep carved out by sand and gravel carried by the gushing water, have formed some of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet. The Harris hawk has developed a special technique for hunting amongst cacti, they are the only birds of prey that hunt in packs and they use this to flush their prey out of hiding. Humans use this same technique when hunting foxes or badgers with dogs, they train the dogs to surround the animal cut off all escape routes then slowly close in to flush the animal out of hiding or out of their den.

The butcher bird uses the spines of the cacti to hold its prey while it tears it into pieces for its young. He also uses the spines as a stock pile, hanging his prey out of the reach of other animals means he will always have food for his young. This can be seen as a way of preserving food something humans do a lot of, we store our food correctly in order to stop insects and bacteria contaminating our supply always thinking ahead to ensure we will have our next meal.

Humans and animals have similar ways in which we hunt and in a way we know that we both know that preserving food is important for survival. Especially in the harshest conditions there is no room for mistakes or slip-ups, every stolen meal, every missed opportunity could result in death.

Planet Earth 2- Deserts
Guest Blog by: Michael McCoy

Deserts cover around one third of the land on planet Earth. In order to survive these ecosystems, you must be able to adapt to the dry and warm conditions which are extremely harsh. The two main challenges of the desert is being able to cope with a lack of water and endure very hot conditions.

Some Lions survive in the scorching sun in the Namib desert by having a very light-coloured, thin coat of fur to reduce the amount of heat stored. When hunting, Lions work together in what is known as a pride to capture any prey it comes across. The whole pride must work together in order to succeed as each have their own role. Some individuals chase the targeted prey while others move ahead to cut off any escape routes. Lions would travel long distances in search of food and can go many, many days without eating. Similarly, years ago, Humans hunted in groups and built traps of their own to capture prey. In today’s age however many animals that are consumed will be domestically raised on farms. This takes away the need to waste energy and time on hunting.

Cactus plants are the most successful vegetation in the desert. Many plants require a large amount of water and so cannot live during long periods of drought. However, the Cacti have found a way by storing large amounts of water in the stems of the plant. They also have no visible leaves as they want to greatly reduce the amount of water lost through rapid evaporation. To prevent animals from stealing the water stored and herbivores from consuming them, the Cacti developed spines to block any attempt of feeding. Spines also have a secondary use as they provide shade and so lower the surface temperature of the cactus, preventing loss of water. Although humans must excrete a lot of water as waste and thus cannot retain high amounts, we have been able to contain large quantities of water externally for drinking. We have been able to create large tanks of water to store with pipes which transfer water to people’s homes. Many people even collect rain water and utilise this for domestic purposes.

While it is rare for rain to occur in the desert, there are times when watering holes are created, drawing in many animals. Sandgrouse are one of these species that benefit from the watering holes. When the Sandgrouse chicks are born, they rely on the father to obtain water for them. The father flies miles to reach a watering hole along with an entire flock of males who share the same purpose. The Sandgrouse use their feathers which have been specialised for soaking up water and storing it like a sponge. The only problem is that it takes time to store the water and so many predators use this as an ideal opportunity to strike. Goshawks are the main birds that prey on the Sandgrouse, however, as the Sandgrouse travel in large flocks it is difficult for the Goshawk to select a target. By staying in large numbers the Sandgrouse are less likely to be attacked by their predators. Although Humans nowadays who live in wealthy countries usually have easy access to water, this was not always the case as years ago, tribes had to collect water in large containers from nearby rivers. These containers were heavy and had to be carried on their back for miles. In economically poor countries, this is still the case as children would have this vital duty to help their families survive in warm climates.

The island of Madagascar is very unique with many different habitat types, one of these is a dry desert. However, heavy showers lasting short spells can help create a greening of the land, resulting in a large diversity of plants and animals. One species which takes advantage of this greening is Locust. These insects swarm together in large numbers and destroy almost all vegetation in their path. The Locust become even more efficient and travel further when they grow wings and take to the sky. Once in every decade a super swarm can come about which covers two square miles and have over several billion individuals. These super swarms can leave lands barren and they can also destroy crops that local farmers are growing. This can cause many countries like Madagascar to have food shortages which could create a National emergency. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) helps to try and stop these Locust plagues before the land can be destroyed. Humans must adapt fast to plagues and act quickly if they are to minimise the impact. Experts are able to track locust movements and predict where the swarm will move next. The use of helicopters help with transportation and identify the swarm size. Many crops now have been sprayed with chemicals known as pesticides to get rid of unwanted insects feeding on their crops.

Many civilisations have adapted to the conditions of the desert. For example the use of light clothing to produce less heat as well as the need to find shade. Humans would also build houses and roofs to create shade and stay cool. This idea was based on animals behaviour. The Shovel-snout lizards would spend little time out in the open and would bury themselves below the surface of the sand where it is cooler.

Due to Climate change the world deserts are heating up and so are expanding across many continents, especially Africa. This will be interesting to see how humans and animals who are not familiar with the changing landscape, adapt in order to survive to an ever increasingly hostile environment.

Episode five-Grasslands – Aine Mallon

Introduction

Throughout this report I will be discussing the range of species that thrive within grasslands and how their survival skills have enabled them to adapt these habitats, as grasslands are prone to fires, flood and frost and still flourish. Within this, I will be relating these adaptation skills from the diversity of species to the human world and how we can look to the animal kingdom for hope and new ways to help us through this difficult time. I will be concluding my report with the issue of climate change in relation to the grasslands and how the impact of human activities which increase the rate of climate change are destroying the grassland areas.

Northern India

Grasslands create a unique world, within them there is a continuous cycle of abundance, destruction, and rebirth. Within Northern India, the Saiga antelope is a common herd found here during springtime mainly for the new grassland, but also for giving birth to their young. The tall grassland is a perfect place to hide their young as they remain hidden from the surrounding predators. The Saiga antelope is well adapted for the continuous changes in the grassland due to the different seasons as they have ‘lanky legs’ built for life on the move. As well, they have noses which can detect the smell of grass from hundreds of kilometres away. Other species have also adapted to grassland life such as the harvest mouse. They can climb to the top of grass for food source as their prehensile tail acts as a fifth limb.

We are witnessing how this species have adapted to its surrounding habitat. Due to COVID-19, we are facing some restrictions, however from this species, we should consider how important our surrounding landscape is for our survival during this time too. One must not neglect the outdoor world and remember how to make the most of the natural world for our emotional, physical, and mental health.

How the weather impacts species within the grassland

All the rain that grasslands need for survival will arrive all at once, it was recorded that thirty centimetres of rain landed in the space of a day, which causes the grassland to undergo radical change. Within Southern Africa, when rainwater arrives it transforms the Okavango grassland, where almost 8,000 square kilometres are flooded. This causes problems for the predators (lion pride) as big cats are not very fond of water, and their usual prey such as antelopes and zebras are much quicker in the water than they are. However, to overcome this the lion pride came together to attack a larger species, which the growth of grassland attracts, a buffalo. This is a much bigger prey but when the lions come together, they have strength in numbers.

Today, farmers can relate to this issue as weather will affect their work and food source availability. The projected increases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, and reductions in water availability may all result in reduced agricultural productivity. Farmers face challenges as they supply food to the supermarkets for society. Therefore, they work together continuously and come up with new ideas to mitigate the loss of their crop yields.

It is important to remember that when we are faced with challenges in life, there is no need to panic as there will always be another option to overcome the issue. During this COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen countless efforts from all the key workers, as well as volunteers working together to deliver goods and services to those who need. Just like the animal kingdom, success can be achieved from working together.

Grass cutter ants

These ants can be found anywhere that grass grows on the planet, some grassland blades are so tough that no large grass eaters will eat them. However, the ants ‘harvest’ these blades underground where the blades are placed into a garden of fungus, the rotten grass feeds fungus and the fungus feeds the ants. It is a continuous cycle of life here. In Northern Australia, termites memorialise their industry in sculpture and they are built on the north-south axis to protect them from extreme heat and flood. However, the ant eater can destroy these sculptures with their claws and their 60-centimetre length tongue with hook like features to scoop up ants from under the ground.

The impact of human activities and climate change on the grasslands

Bigger animals are not the only reason for the destruction of these sculptures for the ants. Natural fires are generally started by lightning, with a very small percentage started by spontaneous combustion of dry fuel such as sawdust and leaves. Fire destroys their homes and the exposed grassland, however the stems remained unharmed and the grass can grow again and regenerate.

Although grasslands can grow again after fires, frost, and flood, as climate conditions shift geographically so will the distributions of many plants and animals. The relatively flat terrain of grasslands increases vulnerability to climate change impacts because habitats and species must migrate long distances to compensate for temperature shifts.

Land practices are converting grasslands to cropland which increases soil erosion and surface runoff, and therefore attributing to habitat loss for many species depending on it for survival. It is important to protect and restore wetlands, for species as well as being an important part of grassland ecology. We can protect these grasslands by promoting more activities such as rotating agricultural crops to prevent the sapping of nutrients. As well as planting trees as windbreaks to reduce erosion on farm fields.

Planet Earth 2 – Grasslands

Guest Blog by Aoibhe McCarron

This week’s episode focused on grasslands. Grass covers around a quarter of all land on earth and can grow half a metre a day in the right conditions, creating a unique habitat which hosts a vast range of creatures. Rain in the grasslands is sporadic, meaning grasses are extremely hardy; they thrive in floods and can grow very quickly to get out of the water and have more access to sunlight, an adaptation to life in an environment which can be dry or drenched. Many grassland animals follow a nomadic lifestyle, following the scent of the rains to avoid starvation.

The Eurasian steppe is the largest grassland on earth taking up about a third of land on our planet. These grasslands can go for many months without rain, and when rain finally arrives it brings new growth and with it new life. Saiga antelope give birth to their babies on these grasslands; a mother antelope leaves her twin babies hidden in the grass while she grazes, where they are safe within the cover of the grass. These babies must learn to walk quickly as the herd is constantly moving on to find fresh grass. They have long lanky legs which are an adaptation to life on the move, and a uniquely shaped nose specialised to detect new growth from up to 100km away, an adaptation to their diet and nomadic lifestyle. This is not dissimilar to how people have grown and adapted quickly to thrive even in quarantine.

In Europe, the little harvest mouse makes her nest on grass fronds. The tall meadowland grasses are like a mini jungle habitat for her. She is specially adapted to life here and can climb grass fronds with ease, she has a prehensile tail which can grip like a hand and act as an extra limb in emergencies. She climbs to the very tops of the grass to find food in flowers, but there is danger here.  An owl approaches and she escapes by falling to the ground. The mouse seems lost here but she can read the stem pattern above to find her way home, an adaptation to life in the grass which can all look the same. This is reflected in us humans essentially hiding in quarantine, like the mouse amongst the fronds, to keep ourselves safe from the virus and navigating our lives from home using technology.

In the African Savannah, Carmine bee-eaters are aerial hunters excellent at catching insects in flight. Their problem is that they have no means of flushing insects out of the grass. To combat this they ride on backs of larger animals like ostriches and elephants which are bulky enough to kick up insects from the grass as they walk. This way they can catch the insects flushed out by the larger animal. This is a learned adaptation to their habitat, similar to how humans have adapted to our current situation, people who are vulnerable or in need receiving help from family and friends to get essentials like food.

In the dry season, predators that hold year round territories must be specially adapted to find prey as it is scarce, since many nomadic animals will have left to follow the rains. The Serval cat has long legs providing it with a high vantage point to spot prey , and hunts with radar ears so that it can pinpoint prey hiding in the grass. However, her rodent prey is just as well adapted, it knows that she can detect sustained movement and moves in short bursts to escape.

Perhaps like our cousins in nature, we could learn to move and adapt to changes, like those nomadic animals. Or to help each other out and tolerate one another’s needs, like the ostrich and the little carmine bee-eaters, rather than acting selfishly during this crisis.

Planet Earth 2 – Grasslands
Guest Blog by Sophie Gregson

One quarter of all the land on earth is covered by a single type of plant: grass. It is almost indestructible and can grow half a metre a day. The grass in northern India is the tallest grass on the planet, home to some of the most impressive creatures on the earth. The cycle of abundance, destruction and rebirth affects every creature on the grassland; once the grass is gone they must move on.

The largest grassland on the Earth is the vast Eurasian Steppe, stretches one third of the way around the planet. Spring rain brings fresh grass and with that an abundance of new life. Baby Saigon antelopes are left hidden in the grass until they are able to walk, the grass is their home and gives them security from predators. As along as they remain quiet they will be safe, however they will soon have to move on in search of the freshest grass if they wish to survive. The antelopes are similar to humans in the sense that they wish to provide security for their young, many see animals as pointless beings but it is clear to see they have a strong paternal instinct when it comes to their young.

In Southern Africa water transforms one of the most remarkable grasslands on Earth, the Okavango. Every year eight thousand square kilometres of grassland are flooded, for lions this poses a major problem. There may be plenty of prey but the water makes it difficult for the lions to hunt them down, however with the attraction of floods new possible prey arrives. Buffalo arrive in herds of two thousand, the biggest bulls don’t run, they don’t fear the lions. The lions hunt in a group, one goes out front to distract the bull while the rest attack from behind. Distraction is used by humans for many things usually in day to day life, the fact that the lions are smart enough to adapt this and use it to their advantage demonstrates at their hunting technique is a lot more complex than first suspected.

On the African Savannah, seasonal grasslands are filled with life. Carmine bee eaters are amazing aerial hunters, experts at catching insects in mid air however they have no way of flushing their prey out of the grass. Once insects are alarmed they tend to stay put therefore the bee eaters rely on someone else coming along and stirring things up a bit for them. A kori bustard is the worlds heaviest flying bird, therefore it should easily stir up some insects. As the kori walk through the grass, the bee eater will sit on its back waiting for the insects to try and escape, once they fly up the bee eater quickly snatches them before they can escape. Working together in order to survive is also a key feature in the human world, without teamwork and the dedication of others humans would not survive. We rely so heavily on each other to provide food, heat and security that without each other we would be lost.

The main theme demonstrated in the animal world and human world is that we both work together in order to survive, from lions hunting together to humans collecting fruit together, it’s all the same. Without one another, we would have nothing.

Improving Your Garden for Wildlife – Making Bird Feeders

Blog by: Lisa Critchley

There are plenty of birds in the garden at this time of year: courting, nesting and raising their young. I have watched starlings from courtship to nesting, and over the last week or so, have seen house sparrows bringing their fledglings into the garden to forage for food. Most people tend only to feed the birds during the winter months when food is in low supply but it is still helpful to feed the birds during this time of year, even when food seems plentiful. The RSPB website has a lot of information on summer bird feeding, including what mixes to use and keeping the feeding area hygienic.

No matter how small your garden is, or even if you do not have a garden, you can still improve your outdoor space for wildlife. Even if you only have a window that looks onto a street, you can still get inventive with bird feeders – you can attach them to guttering or use suction pads to stick them to your windows. If you have a tree outside your house, you can hang a feeder off that (check with your council first), you can even scatter birdseed on your windowsills. You really do not need a garden to make your outdoor space more bird friendly.

If you want to improve your garden or outdoor space for wildlife by making a bird feeder, watch the video to see how or read this article!

The bird feeder I will teach you how to make is a dry feeder, so it has no fat binding it together like in winter. This is because the fat may melt in the warmer weather, make a mess and go rank. You will probably find most of what you need to make these bird feeders around your house:

• Clean, dry, plastic bottle with cap – a clear bottle is best so you can keep an eye on the feed levels.
• Drawing pin to make holes in the bottle
• Scissors to make the holes larger
• Sticks/old pencils/doweling rods to make the perches for the birds to stand on
• String to hang the feeder up
• Bird feed – garage shops and supermarkets have bird feed at this time of year. Please note, if you or a member of your household is allergic to peanuts, check the ingredients list as a lot of bird feed contain peanuts

1. First, make two holes opposite each other near the base of the bottle for the first perch. Use the drawing pin to make the initial hole and scissors to make it bigger; do not make it so big that the perch easily slides out. Be careful using scissors and if you are a child, ask an adult to help you. Turn the bottle 90 degrees and make two more holes above the first for the second perch. Push your perches through the holes.
2. Turn the bottle upside down and put some drainage holes in the base, do not make these too big or the bird feed will fall out. The holes are to allow water built up from condensation to drain out.
3. Make two holes near the neck of the bottle; these are for the string to go through so you can hang the bottle up. Take your string and thread it through the holes, it may be easier to take the bottle cap off for this.
4. Cut a hole above each perch, about four centimetres up. This hole has to be big enough for the birds to get to the feed but small enough that the feed does not all fall out.
5. Now fill your feeder up and screw the lid back on.
6. Find a suitable place to for the feeder to be and hang it up. Make sure that the place where you hang your feeder is safe from cats. Hang it high enough off the ground and do not place it too close to a roof or top of a wall where a cat may be able to get to the birds from.
7. The last thing to remember is bird hygiene. You will need to clean your feeder and ground underneath it every so often to prevent the spread of diseases amongst birds.

It will take the birds in your area a bit of time to find and get used to your new feeder so be patient. Once they find it and trust that it is safe to use, they will come flying in (‘scuse the pun…) to feed, especially as their young will be demanding more and more food as they grow.

The day after I hung my bird feeder up, starlings visited it. They are beautiful birds with their freckles and iridescent feathers and they certainly make a racket! Did you know that they also imitate other sounds around them? I remember thinking it odd to hear a curlew call whilst sitting in my brother’s garden in Northumberland, but then I saw the starling sitting in the tree! As the starlings use my feeder, they end up dropping seeds on the ground and house sparrows have flocked in with their fledglings to eat the fallen seeds. A shy wood pigeon has also visited. These birds were always in and around the garden, I hear them throughout the day in the tree and hedge, but it is nice to see them clearly when they come to eat the bird feed.

Remember to tag us in your bird feeder making adventures and let us know what birds visit your garden! If you need help identifying the birds, the RSPB website is a very useful resource for this.

I want to say a huge thank you to our funders, Heritage Lottery Fund, for making this video and all our continued work possible during the lockdown. We at Lough Neagh Landscape Partnership are very fortunate to still be able to reach out to the public to continue to educate, inform and upskill them in natural and built heritage around Lough Neagh.