Diary of a Wandering Zoologist: Restoration: Beach Clean-ups, Bullfrogs and Bird Walks

It's me again! Blogging and eating dinner at the same time is a little risky I know, but I might actually be sat in one place for long enough with enough energy to write something worth reading! So here goes.

I've been out in Canada for a month now and the time is flying by in a haze of fun and extreme busyness. I'm starting to feel like I'm finding my feet and that I'm a valued part of the conservation science team. Not everything we do here as conservation scientists is part of a new ground-breaking flower hunting project ( I mean research!). We also try to take on board current and relevant research and use it to actively protect, restore and conserve wildlife. After all what would be the good of gaining knowledge through research and then not doing anything with it?! A simple example is seen in marine littering and beach clean-ups:

Part of Semiahmoo Bay, BC

We've all seen the photos of cute turtles with plastic six-pack rings digging into their flippers, bedraggled sea-birds that have choked to death after attempting to eat plastic bags, or wide-eyed seal pups tangled in fishing nets or lines. You don't need to be an expert to see, even from such a small snapshot, that leaving litter on beaches can have very negative consequences for the plant and animal lives dependent upon them. In fact, ever-increasing amounts of research are concluding that marine and coastal litter is a serious environmental hazard causing damage to these ecosystems. Perhaps it is time to act upon that gained knowledge then? Fortunately many individuals and organisations are doing just that. For example the A Rocha conservation team often join forces with the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society for regular beach cleanups and the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. It's really good fun and a great way for the local community and conservation groups to get involved with a very worthwhile, hands-on, restorative conservation project.

Happy seagull footprints on the nice clean sand!

A happy beach cleaner!

Happy litter-free plants!

Similarly a lot of research concerning invasive plant or animals species (species that have become established in areas they aren't native to) has shown that these species often have very negative effects on the ecosystems they invade. Again, acting upon this knowledge, A Rocha tries to manage, and where necessary remove, a range of invasive species in the local area.

Pulling out invasive Lamium plants

Himalayan Balsam, another naughty invasive plant!

A juvenile bullfrog, an invasive amphibian.

On top of this short-term research and often ensuing hands on restoration projects, A Rocha also takes part in long-term monitoring studies. These studies are particularly valuable for building up a deep understanding of the ongoing health of a group of monitored plant or animal species and how this health can be affected. This ultimately helps a huge amount when it comes to deciding upon the best ways to protect a species or manage a particular ecosystem:

As part of this, early every Thursday morning the conservation team loses some sleep, instead taking time to walk around one of a number of designated sites on a glorified bird-watching trip. This is an entertaining experience: it's a lovely chance for me to get to grips with the names and calls of a lot of birds I'd never encounter in the UK and a wonderful way to enjoy the Canadian autumnal weather (so long as you're wrapped up warmly enough!). But it's also a useful way to work out which bird species are present where and in what numbers and track changes in this over time.

All in all there are lots of exciting projects going on here seeking to better understand and thus better conserve and restore wildlife. So I'll leave you with a selection of photos from the early morning bird walks: