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Listed below are comments made by NatureWatchCM between Monday, 13th October 2008 and Thursday, 8th October 2009.

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Portland Bill: An old stomping ground 3:38pm on 08 Oct 2009 Talking of "migration" but insects not birds. I saw a Hummingbird Hawk Moth today in my garden (Corfe Mullen nr Poole, Dorset). Would this be migrating? I've never seen one in October before. Thanks all....
Have you heard a chiffchaff this week? 9:58pm on 02 Oct 2009 Yes, I heard (and saw) a chiffchaff in our garden this week in Corfe Mullen, Dorset
Gordon Buchanan seeks out more stories and meets more wildlife people for Autumnwatch 2009 7:12pm on 01 Oct 2009 I'd love to meet Gordon and tell him about the Nature Watch project I've set up in Corfe Mullen, Dorset (where I live) called www.naturewatched.org

Three years ago our village was threatened with the building of 700 new houses on beautiful greenbelt land. I tried to find out what wildlife we had in our village that might disappear if the houses were built, but no one had recorded it - so I decided to set up the project and find out.

Lots of local people help me by sending in records and photographs of the wildlife they see, and other experts help me to do surveys, then I send the records to our local environmental records centre.

I also set up a nature blog at http://urbanextension.wordpress.com and I've run events for local people so that everyone can see what wildlife we have (with the help of Dorset Wildlife Trust). We've had a bat detecting night, moth traps, humane small mammal traps, riverside walk looking for otters/water voles and listened to nightjars and hunted for glowworms.

Blowing my own trumpet now (no one else will!) I was awarded the Green & Glorious Award by East Dorset District Council for my contributions to the environment this year, and have just been awarded the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Helen Brotherton Award for Volunteering.

I'm passionate about wildlife and getting local people involved in finding out about the wildlife that lives in their own gardens and neighbourhoods.

I'd love to inspire some other "nutters" to do the same!

Cheers. Jane
Two days to go 7:19pm on 30 Sep 2009 Studio is looking good!

I've got a question about insect behaviour. About a week ago I saw a wasp "stealing" a wrapped-up honeybee (that had already fallen victim to a spiders web). The wasp clung onto the honeybee and cut off it's head, before flying up into our apple tree with the head and it (all very gory and the spider was pretty miffed as well!) I've got pictures and a bit of film. I've added the photo to the Autumnwatch flickr group here http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturewatched/3968951593/ and the film is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturewatched/3969711358/

Is this normal wasp behaviour??? I've never witnessed or heard of it before.

Thanks. Jane @jvadams
Welcome to Autumnwatch Unsprung 6:32pm on 29 Sep 2009 Hi Martin. Here's a question for you.

We've all seen the huge starling roosts in the Somerset levels on TV, but my question is about Jackdaws. I found a very large Jackdaw roost near to where I live in Corfe Mullen, Dorset last December. Literally thousands of Jackdaws coming in to roost (see the film on my blog here http://urbanextension.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/the-jackdaw-roost-at-sunset-in-sound-motion/ hope it's ok to post a link).

I've been back to see them recently and although there are still hundreds coming in at dusk, there aren't as many. Will their numbers increase during the Autumn/Winter? Do Jackdaws flock up in the winter and roost together (in the same way that Starlings do?), do we get "foreign" Jackdaws coming over from Europe in the Winter?.

I suddenly realise that I don't know much at all about the habits or life-cycle of these intriguing birds.

Thanks! Jane
Thanks - and now it's over to you! 3:17pm on 09 Nov 2008 Thanks for all your great posts. I'm in the USA at the moment and it has allowed me to keep up with Autumnwatch while I've been away. Look forward to reading it again next year? Jane
And the answers are... 10:43pm on 29 Oct 2008 Loved the Ivy flower bit of film but what about the poor old Ivy Bee (Colletes Hederae) it didn't even get a mention! I know they are only in the South of England at the moment... but they are spreading north. They are a fascinating solitary, mining bee that congregates in hugh numbers on the South Coast (surprised you haven't filmed them as they are so impressive when they mate with the females in the big mating balls). I've taken quite a few pics of them this October, see my nature blog at http://urbanextension.wordpress.com in Corfe Mullen. Probably one of the biggest lovers of ivy flowers that I've ever witnessed!
We're finally here 8:15pm on 22 Oct 2008 Brownsea is a great place. I stayed there on a Dorset Wildlife Trust Bat Training session during the summer, it was stunning early in the morning. The squirrels came to eat their breakfast at "the Villa" where I stayed. I'm sure they will become the stars of the show. I've just "adopted" (not a real adoption you understand!) one over at the Dorset Wildlife Trust website for my neice...

The most interesting thing I've seen lately is a Colletes Hederae (or Ivy Bee). These beautiful bees haven't been in the country for long (since 2001), but I went in search of them in my village Corfe Mullen (just down the road from Brownsea) and managed to find them on Saturday (with the help of my friend Stuart Roberts from BWARS (the bees, wasps and ants recording society). I also went to look at an amazing nesting colony in someone's front garden nearby. Loads of nest holes and hundreds of bees! (see photos on my blog http://urbanextension.wordpress.com ) I'm told that at Lulworth (Dorset) you can see hundreds of frenzied males trying to mate with females as soon as they come out of their nests. Haven't seen this yet... but live in hope as they should be around until the beginning of November!

Really looking forward to the start of the programme and your blog posts!

Jane Adams
Autumn is here and Autumnwatch is just round the corner 11:14pm on 14 Oct 2008 Brownsea has managed to get extended opening dates this year (due to Autumnwatch) and will be open until the 9th November... Just thought I'd let you know. Jane
Autumn is here and Autumnwatch is just round the corner 8:32pm on 13 Oct 2008 Hi Stephen. Great to see an Autumnwatch blog!

I can't wait for the program to begin. Living in Corfe Mullen just a few miles from beautiful Brownsea, and spending a big chunk of my life watching, filming, photographing and recording my local wildlife, I can't wait to see what you find in Dorset.... It's so exciting!

I will be back to check your blog regularly (and the one I've set up for Dorset Wildlife Trust on their Autumnwatch website).

Jane Adams @
Blog: Urban Extension Dorset
Web: Nature Watch Corfe Mullen

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