News Story: Dippy is being moved!

Well, it was announced this week that the Natural History Museum in London are moving Dippy the Diplodocus out of the main entrance and replacing it with a skeleton of a Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).

For those of you who have never visited the museum, you are probably wondering who the hell is Dippy? Well, Dippy is a cast of a skeleton of a Diplodocus. Dippy first went on display in 1979 although it was given to the museum on 1905. So it has been greeting visitors for over 30 years.

The museum has been open to the public since 1881, so was there anything else before Dippy?

The first big attraction in the main hall was a skeleton of a Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) this stayed in the hall form the 1890's till 1907 when it was replaced by Geogre the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) who remained there for 70 years until it was finally replaced by Dippy. 

The display change is big news, as the specimen of the blue whale  won't be a cast but it a real specimen which currently on display in the mammal hall, above a replica of the actual animal. So the plan is to remove the skeleton and scan all the bones in so that it will be in a digital skeleton, which could be used to print 3D bones in the future for research. It will then be hung from the ceiling in the main hall in a diving position to greet visitors to the building. 

What does this mean for Dippy? 

Well there are plans to put Dippy into another exhibition or maybe put her on display on the outside of the building. There could also be a possibility of Dippy going on tour to other musuems around the country. 

Changing the display to the skeleton of the Blue Whale should attract many visitors plus it put emphasize on the real skeletons that the museum have and the research that they undertake using specimens that are within those walls. I think this is a great step for the msuem to take and I can't wait to see in unveiled. But don't worry, if you want to see Dippy, she will still be there till 2017. If you want to plan a visit then go to the Natural History Musuem site (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/). 

Thanks for reading =) 

Keeping yourself busy in the summer

So I have finished university for the summer and now I have lots of spare time on my hands. Despite attempting to get work experience in many places, those plans have fallen through and as August approaches (my busiest month), I see no point further perusing the chance for experience in my field. So, along with my craft stuff (more on the other blog) I am using my summer to do surveys of the wildlife in my area.

There are many surveys that anyone can take part of, as it is citizen science, which means anyone can contribute to the results. Most surveys do not take up a large proportion of time and some you can do on the go, whether your in a walk in the local park or out and about in the car and you manage to spot a bird.

So far I have taken part in the Big Butterfly Count and a bee survey. The Big Butterfly Count is done every year and is run by the Butterfly Conservation, it is to monitor the population and distribution of butterflies throughout the UK.

All of these surveys are vital as it is important to record the populations and distribution so that we can observe the impacts of the many potential detrimental factors to our wildlife, such as urbanization and climate change. So if you have the time to get involve even if it is just for one occassion then please do check out the links below and see if you could contribute to any of them, you never know you may find a new hobby!

Hope you are all enjoying your summers and coping with the warm weather we have at the moment. If you have any nice photos from surveying then please don't hesitate to post them in the comments.

Scottish Wildcat Project

Holt Blackbird Project

Parakeets

Hedgehogs

Gannets - you can do this one from home

Bioblitz

Ladybirds

Barn Owls

BeeWatch

Delph, Castleshaw & Harrop Edge Walk

This walk takes place in the South Pennines, near Manchester.

This walk goes through the town of Delph, which contains a lot of mills, I didn't think a town could hold that many mills! But it was nice to see them, despite them being run down and abandoned. Some may think that they should be knocked down, I think that they add character to the town. It would be nice to see something happen to them, maybe one should be turned into a museum about the history of mills in Delph and through the North West and maybe the effect of them throughout not just the UK but if they had a wider impact throughout the world, considering that we used to have a large trading empire.

A part of the walk went along the Dobcross Malt which was an old track along which donkeys would drag carts along to some of the mills. It was a nice flat walk. Through some of the walk there was a nice river, which at one point we saw a group of ducks standing at the top of a small artificial waterfall. I was able to get some good photos of a Mallard grooming.

The next part of the walk led us into the hills, we walked past Georgian churches and refurbished farm houses. On the way back down we walked over a reservoir which had beautiful surroundings.

We set of relatively late for this 7 mile walk so when we reached the reservoir the sun was starting to set, the light of which lit up the hills. Another thing that was nice to see was geese grazing on the grass by the water.

Overall this was a nice walk that wasn't challenging, I found myself not taking that many photos as I just took in the scenery. Remember, when on walks, out in the country or generally through life, to look up from you feet and take in what is around you. Yes, you will make trips and slips but you will always find your feet and move on.

Hope you all have had a good holiday season.

Butterfly count!

Well over the past couple of days it has been perfect for the big butterfly count that is being promoted by the Butterfly Conservation charity. This is a brilliant way to fill up a spare 15 minutes. Me and my mum are going around the parks in Preston and finding a nice spot in the sun to sit and count the butterflies. This is a good way to make a difference, the past 2 springs have been detrimental to insects but this warm summer may give them a boost they need.

Hope you get out and enjoy, for more information look at the Butterfly Conservation site. Have fun getting out in the sun!