All The Young Dudes

After a cracking Christmas spent in Manchester, I returned to Uni in mid-Jan.

It’s been a few weeks of work hard, play hard; here’s what I’ve been up to….

Read more: All The Young Dudes

Semester 2

This semester I’m studying 3 new modules.…

• Landscape Evolution is how weathering and erosion can affect and change a landscape, which I find really interesting, ‘cos I love learning about glaciation and so on.
• Global Environmental Issues is exactly what it says on the tin; how humans impact the world around us. I learnt something really interesting about how crushed igneous (volcanic) rock can help to absorb CO2, which is potentially a solution for absorbing greenhouse gases.
• Practical Science Field Skills, we had a chilly walk around the Loch surveying trees using compass bearings and maps, which was right up my street. 

Hoping the field skills are off campus, preferably in the Cairngorms or on Mull 😉

Society Groups

I’ve signed myself up to 6 society groups; from film appreciation to wild water swimming, though given the recent temperatures it will be a while before I do that! Weds afternoon is Uni’s community gardening group. The first few sessions have been spent doing a bit of winter maintenance, weeding, mulching and making plans for spring, including clearing an area to create a potato patch. I also did a little bit of willow work to create a lovely, living hedge and was victorious in pulling out some reed grass, which I replanted elsewhere. The weather’s been a bit mixed and had to be cancelled at times due to strong winds. It’s deffo been the highlight of this semester, there’s honestly nothing better than spending time with like-minded people chatting away, whilst pottering around and it gave me a much needed dose of vitamin G!

It was pretty cool doing the Big Garden BirdWatch from Uni’s community garden too. Amongst the common garden birds, we were treated to views of a wee flock of bullfinch and even a siskin. Again, it was dead nice to meet like-minded people; made me feel right at home.

Walks from Campus

We’ve had some grim weather up in Scotland, at times the wind has been so bad that lots of society activities have been cancelled. I’ve managed some great walks when the weather’s been ok, including a magical walk in Hermitage Woods. The woods are accessed literally straight out of my communal door; they are a dense, mixed woodland rich with plants, wildflowers and wildlife, honestly, they are stunning. Me and my mate Kai spent some time uncovering old ruins, part of the hermitage ruins, which have inspired me to try and write a script as part of my Air TV society.

On another walk I poked some puffballs, watched roe deer strutting through the fields, stumbled across newly emerging foxgloves and a fairytale carpet of snowdrops was the icing on the cake. One of my regular walks from Campus is Dumyat (pronounced duh·mai·uht), the smallest of the Ochils. It’s not a particularly steep or difficult climb, but once you reach the summit, you’re rewarded with fab views. In the wee walks around the campus Loch, I’ve been treated to regular views of goldeneye, goosander and teal and some very aggressive swans, got a fair few bite marks off ’em, when I was giving ’em some grub. 

Wildlife watching

Back at home, over the Christmas and New Year break I visited a fair few nature reserves. Great to catch up with my mate, Indy and I finally saw a BRAMBLING !!! (not just one either, a decent flock of em). Also saw/heard Hawfinch, Crossbill, Goshawk, Raven, Great White Egret and Cattle Egret. It was worth every inch of an epic 45km bike ride.

Me and my mate Ben, had a fab walk round St Aidan’s, where we heard the twinkling call of bearded tits, but sadly didn’t see ‘em.

Had my Derbyshire fix too, on the search for some winter fauna. Me and Dad had a hike round the Longshaw Estate for bramblings and later a great grey shrike, we were unsuccessful. We then went on the hunt for hawfinch, we were also unsuccessful. That’s wildlife for you! But we were treated to a small flock of waxwings that flew relatively close to us to drink from a small puddle over at Hassop.

Over at St Aidan’s again, Dad and I got extremely wet, but it was well worth it, as we were treated to unbelievable views of a glossy ibis as well as golden eye, marsh harrier, red kite and possibly a bittern?? It was cracking to be back birding with my Dad.

Projects for ‘24

Had my first interview of the year with young naturalist, Rufus for RSPB’s Wingbeat Magazine, out in Spring.

I’ve got a few things in the pipeline for late spring into summer, but otherwise if it’s pretty much a repeat of the above, that’ll do me!

‘Chuffed’ to have been part of the first ever series of ‘8 Out of 10 Bats’

Working on ‘8 Out of 10 Bats’ has to have been the biggest and best production I’ve ever been involved in!

We had everything, the animals, the people, the laughs, (maybe not the weather); it was truly an unforgettable experience.

Read more: ‘Chuffed’ to have been part of the first ever series of ‘8 Out of 10 Bats’

After the axing of a certain autumn-based wildlife programme, us nature lovers needed our fix, and here it was….. 8 Out Of 10 Bats! Two weeks of free, live broadcasts, celebrating UK wildlife. No license fee needed, just your device and WiFi !

We had important campaigns and controversy, nerdy nature & geeky science facts, a dash of comedy, music and a few cheeky dances. One of the best things about the show is that it gave young people a platform to share our passions for the natural world.

Introducing the Dream Team

Presenting week 1 Episodes 1-4 from Dundreggan Rewilding Centre was wildlife presenter and photographer Christina Sinclair and conservationist, naturalist, campaigner and my best mate, ‘our kid’, Indy Kiemel-Greene.

Presenting week 2 Episodes 5-8 from the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, was wildlife advocate & explorer, City Girl in Nature, Kwesia X and me! Wildlife TV presenter & author Megan McCubbin and (needs no introductions) Chris Packham presented both weeks.

There was a diverse bunch of guest presenters too; including my mate Kabir Kaul, highlighting some of London’s urban wildlife, talking dinosaurs, nature enthusiast, Aneeshwar Kunchala, nature narration from Jasmine Isa Qureshi and talking all things taxidermy, Elle Kaye.

And those grafting in front & behind the scenes – Lucy Lapwing, James Stevens, Leif Bersweden, Henry Tamblin, Geraint Evans, Peter Elliot and the one and only big cheese, tech wizard and live director, Fabian Harrison

Here’s links to all 8 episodes:

• Episode 1 – First Wild Beavers Are Back In London & Kleptoparasitic Flies 
• Episode 2 – Slimy Tree Snot & Goshawk DECIMATES Osprey
• Episode 3 – Gigantic Honey Fungus & Otter vs. Eagle SHOWDOWN
• Episode 4 – Marine Treasures & PARASITIC Monster In A Barrell
• Episode 5 – Sputnik Galls & LIVE Harvest Mice
• Episode 6 – Halloween Special 🎃👻
• Episode 7 – Scottish Wildcats LIVE & Fire Salamanders
• Episode 8 – Meeting The Badgers & LIVE Little Owl

I loved every minute of working with this amazing team, we all worked so hard, but I tell you what, we had a proper laugh! It’s one of those periods in my life that I’ll never forget and who knows, maybe, just maybe we’ll see ‘8 Out of 10 Bats’ back again soon……

Get your autumn nature fix with ‘8 Out Of 10 Bats’

The biggest and best thing that is happening this autumn, ‘8 Out Of 10 Bats‘, the newest, nature show, bringing you the wild, the weird and the wonderful.

And I’m proper chuffed to say I’ll be presenting week 2, make sure you tune in, you’ll not be disappointed.

Read more: Get your autumn nature fix with ‘8 Out Of 10 Bats’

What to expect

After the axing of a certain autumn-based wildlife programme, us nature lovers needed our fix, and here it is….. 8 Out Of 10 Bats! Two weeks of free, live broadcasts, celebrating UK wildlife. No license fee needed, just your device and WiFi !

Expect important campaigns and controversy, nerdy nature & geeky science facts, with a dash of comedy & music. One of the best things about the show is that it is giving young people a platform to share their passions for the natural world.

Meet the presenters

Presenting week 1 from Dundreggan Rewilding Centre from top left to right there’s wildlife presenter and photographer Christina Sinclair and conservationist, naturalist, campaigner and my best mate, ‘our kid’, Indy Kiemel-Greene.

Presenting week 2 from the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, will be wildlife advocate & explorer, City Girl in Nature, Kwesia X and well, my good self! With wildlife TV presenter & author Megan McCubbin and (needs no introductions) Chris Packham presenting both weeks.

And the team creating this magic:

• Wildlife Camera Grafter, James Stevens
• Nature nerd Queen, Lucy Lapwing
• All-round wizarding genius, Fabian Harrison

Other contributors

There’s a diverse bunch of guest presenters too; including my mate Kabir Kaul, who is highlighting some of London’s urban wildlife, talking dinosaurs, nature enthusiast, Aneeshwar Kunchala, and bringing some nature magic, Jasmine Isa Qureshi.

Where to watch 8 Out of 10 Bats and get regular updates

• 8 Out of 10 Bats on YouTube – the show will be live to watch on YouTube from 23rd October at 7.30pm
• Plenty of ‘8 Out of 10 Bats’ content & updates on Instagram & X (we all still prefer Twitter)
• You can also subscribe for updates

Keep checking back on here and all my socials, I’m posting updates on a daily basis.

Move on up!

Things have moved so quickly – I turned 18, went to Mull and then Uni all in the space of 4 weeks.

I missed out on my first choice of Uni, (by one grade in Biology), but fate dealt me the best of hands and I ended up at my insurance choice, Stirling and well, I’ve landed on my feet let me tell you.

Read more: Move on up!

University – the next chapter

After surviving freshers week, the actual learning began and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in to my chosen course, Environmental Science! What does the course involve? Well, it’s all about finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems from climate change, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity to the sustainable provision of energy, food, and clean water. Studying an environmental course in Scotland, links everything I’m passionate about, so I’ve chosen well.

not an inch to spare on the journey up to Stirling

Saying goodbye to my grandmas

my daily view

snack of dreams – standard uni grub

sunset over the loch

In our practical for the module Blue Planet, we had a walk round the loch on campus and followed various QR codes that told us information about the biology and history of the loch. I was surprised to hear that it was man-made for an estate and it was really interesting to learn about the various threats the loch faces from Azolla ferns and blue-green algae, which is toxic (a shame ‘cos I fancied a swim!). In our module looking at geology we studied the various rock faces around Bridge of Allan to discover their formation, from silt on ancient river beds to volcanic eruption 400 million years ago.

And apart from the learning, Uni life is fantastic! From the sun setting over the bridge in the evening, views of the distant mountains and staggering up the tree covered roads after at night at Fubar!

Saying goodbye to my local shop for local people

Leaving for Uni, meant leaving my first (and best) part-time job at Heyrod Food & Floral . I was really sad to leave; had the best boss in Lesley and made great friends with Lauren and the rest of the crew. I’ll miss the customer banter, scoffing the pies & samosas and the end of shift treats. Secretly hope to return to the potwash & peeling 3 million sprouts at Christmas 😉

Hung up my Rocketgro trowel

I’ve also finished working with RocketGro; which was my first dabble as an ‘influencer’. They were a fantastic company to work with, fair and ethical in both their business and professional approach, it’s been a delight to be part of the journey. I’ll never forget the start they gave me in my professional career and for that I’ll always be grateful. Cheers to the RG team and good luck conquering the peat-free world!

Youth Ambassador

My job as RHS Young Ambassador continues albeit a bit differently. Am hoping to carve a role focused on my studies, as not being able to access my garden means it’ll be tricky to report back from there. Similarly, my job as Youth Ambassador for the British Dragonfly Society continues. I’ll just be raising awareness a little differently from now on.

Being in Scotland, doesn’t mean I’ll forget my roots! I’ll still be checking in with my home-town organisations too, Operation Farm, In Our Nature MCR and South Pennines Park.

Enrich The Earth

Just before leaving for Uni, I filmed a couple of videos from my garden for a new organisation, Enrich The Earth, which exists to promote and transform unavoidable green and food waste into nutrient rich compost. In the first video I talk about the decision to go peat-free, you can watch it here. The second video is all about the benefits of home composting; you can watch it here.

Harvest Time

The harvest at home has been phenomenal this year, definitely the result of using a combination of home compost & peat-free products in the growing season. Dad made a comment before I left for Uni, about the soil health in the veg beds, being the best it’s ever been and that’s a combination of things really. Before putting the veg beds ‘to bed’ for the winter, we spread soil improver and our own organic home-made compost over them. That marriage has created really good quality soil and provided the right nutrients for healthy plant growth. Before I left home, we were literally picking & eating on a daily basis.

New adventures await

And now, it’s time to focus on my studies; I’ve got a few exciting things in the pipeline which I’ll share on my socials. So keep checking in and stay in touch, it’s always great to speak to my virtual mates. Nice one!

My summer internship on the Isle of Mull

One of my biggest dreams was to be a wildlife tour guide on the Isle of Mull and that dream became reality when I got the opportunity to do a voluntary internship with Nature Scotland.

Above a scribbled plan, Mum, Dad and I wrote when I was 13 and planning what GCSE’s to study. My ‘North Star’ – what I wanted to do when I was 18 – included Mull Wildlife Tour. Well, that’s one big, successful, mind-blowing tick!

Read more: My summer internship on the Isle of Mull

Didn’t quite have the best of journeys as I had a bit of a hangover, after celebrating my 18th birthday literally the day before I left, but my spirits were certainly lifted on the ferry over, with views of golden eagle over the distant mountains. We then had a whistle stop tour of the island with Jack, Indy and Katie, where we saw slowworms, white-tailed eagles and an osprey being mobbed by a hen harrier! The highlight was yet to come; an evening on the boat, where I saw my first basking shark, which swam directly underneath the boat. It was so close you could even see the blue of its gills and its monumental size, not bad for the first day eh?

Manchester 1am

Day 1

New kids on the block

Slowworms

Scanning

Me and our kid

Basking shark

Indy, Katie, Me, Jack & Theo

What can I say, the rest of my time on the island went something like that! Let me introduce you to the rest of the team, Ewan is an incredible boss, who is honestly one of the nicest, most generous, most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met. Theo, who has got to be one of the most skilled birders I know. Then there’s Jack, who’s a total crackpot (back-handed compliment), but seriously, I spent most of my time working with Jack, and most of that was spent laughing!

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The usual tour we did was around the South side of Loch na Keal and then through the mountains, the other tour we did was over to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, which contained the crater of an extinct super-volcano. We saw otters and white-tailed eagles on a daily basis and it was an absolute honour to watch a WT eagle chick grow over the course of my time there. Nicknamed ‘big baby’, due to being late to fledge the nest, I watched it branch and was later happy to hear it had finally fledged.

Whilst on Mull, I got 4 new species with a basking shark, minke whale, storm petrel and an Arctic skua! We had some wonderful experiences out to sea on Ewan’s boat, with super pods of common dolphin with the setting sun behind the Isle of Coll.

Indy’s pic of Otter

Dor beetle

I stayed at Tobermory Campsite in a proper luxurious shepherd hut. A lovely site, with a river flowing through the middle, I felt proper at home in my cosy little hut.

Went on a couple of hikes, including climbing Ben More, the highest peak (at 968 metres) and only Munro on Mull. I’ll tell you what, it was pretty bad conditions up there; I got completely battered by wind and rain from every direction. Visibility was terrible, barely 10 metres, but I got to the cairn, finishing the day with a wee whisky in the pub to warm me up! A few days earlier Indy, Katie and I ascended Creach-Beinn; really low cloud at the summit, but a pretty challenging scramble down a ravine was great fun on the scree.

It was great to meet and chat with a wide variety of guests, who all shared my Mull obsession! Great to spend plenty of time with 10yr old nature blogger, Henry and his family, the next gen of nature nerds! Over 2 days of touring/boat trips we spotted otters, hen harriers, red deer, osprey, ringed plovers and of course, WT eagles.

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My favourite sightings on the boat had to be the thousands of Manx shearwater so close to the boat you could almost touch ’em. There’s nothing like seeing a manxie flying on long straight wings and the noise they make, it’s absolutely hilarious! But I think my favourite experience was listening to the pops and squeaks of common dolphin under the boat, weirdly, the highlight was when one surfaced and sneezed on my face! 

I went back to my gardening roots, with a quick visit to Lip na Cloiche Garden. The landscaping and use of boaty antiquities was proper inspiring. I loved the way the winding path led you through and opened out to incredibly breathtaking view. It was deffo Chelsea worthy.

Wildlife aside, the best thing was the people I met – I’ll get in trouble for forgetting someone, so hopefully they’re on the pics below – pretty much every evening ended in the pub, where I played pool with a heck of a lot of folk and lost every game, except when I played Indy!

It amazes me how different life on an island is, where everyone knows everyone and there’s this feeling of community, togetherness and safety. I also observed the amount of environmental problems facing Mull, such as the over population of deer and sheep and the invasion of rhododendron. Eco-tourism plays a massive part in the conservation of this wonderful island and you couldn’t get a more passionate and knowledgeable team than that of Nature Scotland and its sustainability aims to protect this spectacular place.

Mull had such a positive effect on me, I had myself some kind of epiphany, it was just magic!

I felt really unsettled when I returned home, but thankfully Scotland called 4 days later and I headed back up north for my next adventure…..

What’s going on this spring?

Blink, we’re already 3 months in to 2023 and I planned to write a post about all the stuff I’ve got on this year, but here we are in March and I’ve totally neglected my blog!

I’ve got plenty of excuses though, namely exams, lots of exams! Anyway, better late than never, from college work to paid work, campaigns to community stuff, here’s what I’m up to in 2023.

Community stuff

I’m kind of involved in quite a bit of local, community stuff, but with college exams ramping up I can’t get as stuck in as I’d like to. However, I’ve been:

• Rocking up with the Young Op Farmers at their social events. We’re 6 years in with that project and we have a right laugh making soup & soda bread and more recently, seed planting. I’ll be volunteering at a couple of their community events too.
• I dropped off a load of compost for the guys at People First Tameside; I’ve watched their Secret Alley Garden develop over the years and look forward to watching their garden grow at a new site at Waterloo Community Gardens. We’ll be swapping seeds and seedlings over the growing season. Thanks to RocketGro for the donated compost.
• And a newbie to me is Tameside People 4 Wildlife. I was introduced to the volunteers via a hedgehog food donation I’d received, and I ended up sharing my afternoon with the most delightful barn owlet called, Blizzard. Since then, I’ve visited the volunteer team at their new site and given them some ‘pond advice’ to increase the biodiversity of the habitats there. BTW, Blizzard is now so famous, she has her own Facebook page! 

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  Blizzard the barn owlet

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  Baking with the young op farmers

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  Scoffing with the young op farmers

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  Pond advice with Tameside People 4 Wildlife

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  People First Tameside Gardening Gang

Campaigns

I’ve had a really busy time with my campaign work, having been interviewed by a few organisations this year, mainly about gardening for biodiversity, have a nosey at my socials for the links.

In addition:

• I was really chuffed to be asked by my hero and wildlife legend, Chris Packham to be a judge for his Hedgerow of the Year Competition. The competition celebrates ‘what’s good about hedgerows’ – a fantastic haven for wildlife. Entwined shrubs and buffers of scrub. Birds galore. Dense banks tangled with arable wildflowers. Living walls; full of buzzing, humming and scuttling beings. And it also highlights the ‘hedgewrecks’ – Over 118,000 miles of hedgerows have been lost from the countryside since the 1950’s. The remaining ones are still at risk – not being managed means they’re becoming relics of the refuges for wildlife they once were. The competition will be judged in 2023.
• I’m absolutely delighted to go from ‘winner to judge’ in the RHS School Gardener of the Year competition. Joining me on the judging panel in May will be Gardeners’ World presenter, Frances Tophill and Matt Willer, founder of The Papillion Project.
• Dragonflies have become a little obsession in our family and as The British Dragonfly Society Youth Ambassador, I’ll be looking forward to seeing their jewel like wings hovering over our pond this spring and summer. Hoping to see lots emerge from the pond too. I’ll also be helping support National Dragonfly Week 1^st – 9^th July.
• I’ve continued helping the RSPB with their national campaigns from the wonderful stuff like Big Garden Birdwatch to the not so wonderful stuff, raising awareness of birdcrime and there’s a new campaign to be launched in April that I’ll be involved in; keep an eye on my socials for that.
• I recorded a ‘Voices from the park’ podcast for South Pennines park; you can listen to the 5 minute recording here. It’s all about my ‘Passion for the Pennines’, which I’ve wrote about in a previous blog.
• A while ago I took part in the UK Youth for Nature Silent Spring at 60 campaign, all about farming and gardening for biodiversity; you can watch it here
• One of my next campaigns is working with In Our Nature MCR, right on my doorstep! Keep a check on my socials for updates.
• I’ve also just been interviewed for the Natural History Museum’s Wild World magazine, I think that’s due out in June??

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  Hedgerow of the year

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  Frances Tophill presenting me with the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year 2014

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  Female common darter visits our pond

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  Broad bodied chaser emerges from our pond

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  Me and Dad out looking for hawfinch

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  Spotting bee-eaters in Norfolk

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  Big Garden Birdwatch from my bedroom

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  Voices from the park

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  My bit of the Pennines

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  Videocall with UK Youth for Nature

Paid work

I’ve worked for my local shop, Heyrod Food & Floral over a year now, and I already know that when I’m older, I’ll look back and think ‘that was the best job I ever had’!! I’m the chief potwash and brussels sprout prepper, it’s an important role 😉

I’ve just started my second year as a RocketGro brand ambassador; their peat-free products are top notch and we had really productive growing season with them last year. All dosh I earn through them is going in my Uni pot, so if you need some quality compost, please consider buying yours through them and see me on my way to Glasgow! Click on the link for 25% discount, using my code GEORGE25.

With Lesley & Lauren, Heyrod Food & Floral

RocketGro Brand Ambassador

Peeling a ton of sprouts at Christmas

The future

I’m now in my second year of sixth form college and I’ve been accepted at my number one, Glasgow Uni for a degree in Environmental Geo Science. I’d visited the Uni back in Oct and was blown away with everything about the course and the Uni itself, so I need to get my head down and achieve good grades!!!

Meanwhile in our garden, over a few sessions, we’ve levelled off and prepared an area at the top of the garden ready to sow wildflower seeds. The mix is aimed at attracting bees & butterflies and contains a mix of perennial & annual wildflower seeds and native grass. It will look cracking if we pull it off! Over in the raised beds, we’ve got some crops on the ‘grow’, including leeks, swede & celeriac, some (completely battered by the wind) purple sprouting broccoli and garlic. Then we’ll need to start working on our other veg beds in preparation for sowing.

What’s your plans for the growing season? Are you trialing something different, learning a new skill or helping out at a community garden? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Until then, laterz, taterz!

Seasonal summary from my garden

It’s wet, miserable and cold here in Manchester today (not as cold as it should be though), so I thought I’d write a summary blog of how our garden’s flourished this year.

Considering the extreme weather at times, the gardens’ fought back boldly, with some plants doing better than others.

Creating a garden for birds

I’ve wrote a lot about our wildlife garden, in relation to attracting moths, butterflies, bats, bees and dragonflies for example. Recently, I was asked to speak about what we’ve done to help garden birds, from food sources, shelter, places to drink & bathe and great nest building sites.

Notes from Grandma’s Gardening Diary – Part 3

This third blog from my Grandma brings us up to date on how her garden grows; starting with landscaping in April to a celebratory tea party in August ’21. Funny enough, I’ve been at Grandma’s this afternoon and despite making good progress last year, there’s still an awful lot of work to do!

Notes from Grandma’s Gardening Diary Part 2

Following on from last week’s post, this second blog, picks up mine and Grandma’s ‘gardening graft’ from Autumn ’20 through to late Winter ’21, with a quiet Christmas and another lockdown thrown into the mix.