momckamey's Journal

It’s interesting how in the middle of a lively city like London, I was able to attend a bird ringing demo, something I hadn’t seem at home, despite living in close proximity to many natural areas. The demonstration I went to was in Holland Park. Their wildlife area is normally closed of to park guests, but was opened for this special event. The ornithologist at the event was incredibly knowledgeable and talked us through the entire process. It is incredible how much research and data has been able to be collected by ringing birds. I am interested in seeing if I can find demos back home.

Yesterday, I attended a Bat Walk at Crystal Palace Park hosted by the London Wildlife Trust. We arrived as the sun was setting, as the bats were starting to come out for the night. Unfortunately, I only saw 4 bats, but regardless, I am still happy I saw any at all. According to the guides, the night may have been a bit too cold for many bats to be out. Although we did not see many bats, they did give us much information on the cool critters. Bats are 25% of all mammals! The most interesting part of the walk was using this special device that is able to detect high frequency noises, or the echolocation utilized by bats. These handheld devices would allow people to hear the bats. I don’t exactly know how the device works, but I’m guessing it converts the high frequency tones, into lower ones that the human ear can hear. The London Wildlife Trust is doing amazing work, and I am excited to possibly attend more events and volunteering opportunities.

Recently, my program embarked on a trip to Scotland. It was a refreshing reminder of nature after having been encased in London for a few weeks now. I am itching to leave London again. Whilst on my trip, the most intriguing thing I saw was the fungal life. Living in California, especially recently, it’s been difficult to find mushrooms due to the extreme lack of rain. Scotland, however, seems to have no shortage of rain, and so mushrooms were easy to find. I found many when we went out and explored natural areas, but I also found many simply walking around the town we were staying in (Inverness). I’ve put the observations on my account. The landscape of the Scottish Highlands reminds me much of the coastal region back home. Although I had never stepped foot in Scotland, I felt a comforting familiarity that was much needed after spending time in the unknowns of a big city like London.

I am staying in London for the next three months. Although I am not a fan of cities at all, I figured this would be a great opportunity for me travel to more remote areas of Europe, take in the incredible nature, while not having to put my education on pause. Because my main goal while in Europe is to see new wildlife, and explore new areas of nature, I think iNaturalist would make a great place for me to journal my adventures. Excited!