Report of Meeting held on July 1st 2010
WATCHING WILD LIFE: Before introducing the evening’s speaker, Rosemary Gibbs, President of Craster W. I., welcomed to the meeting Jackie Wylie, who has just retired from being our Federation Chairman. She was joined by 8 other visitors from Gosforth Garden Village W.I. We found it interesting to compare notes on how the formats of our meetings differ. We are now looking forward to a return visit to Gosforth Garden Village next year.
There was very little business to discuss this month. Final arrangements were made for our Tea Day in August and possibly another barbeque at the end of that month. We are also hoping to arrange a visit to Beamish Museum in October.
Jackie having seen our W. I. banner, of which we are justly proud, is sending us information on how to send particulars and photos of it to the National Federation Archives, a great honour.
Our speaker, Dr. Young, an ecologist , had us all spellbound. The title of her talk was “Watching Wild Life”, accompanied by slides of animals, birds, insects and flowers – all of which were found in Northumberland. It was certainly a journey of discovery. She encouraged us to see through the eyes of a scientist, artist and engineer - identifying the patterns and adaptations that these creatures have developed to live in a variety of habitats.
She admitted that watching for animals and birds can seem a little tedious at times but can also be very rewarding when they appear at close quarters. As too are netting birds safely, weighing them, finding if and where they have been ringed and how far they have travelled, for example the little blackcap that has flown from Africa. One can appreciate swallows that migrate great distances, build their nests with considerable effort and probably rear two families of fledglings before returning to Africa before the cold weather sets in again.
Dr. Young made the point that moles are much maligned as they are very useful pest and insect eaters, with wonderfully adapted feet and claws for digging. Their skin does not have a nap so they can move in any direction in their tunnels without getting soil in their fur. Moles have a very good sense of smell. Their noses turn red when they smell something interesting.
Hedgehogs are great climbers. They can attack adders and they eat shrews, which most animals dislike. The hedgehog’s prickles are slanted so if it falls they do not penetrate its skin.
Plants adapt well to their surroundings. They can show evidence of earlier human habitation. Stinging nestles and foxgloves are good examples of how seeds often lie dormant in a dark environment for many years until when given light they will germinate. Plants are beautifully shaped and patterned to direct insects to the nectar and pollen necessary for propagation.
We then had a short question and answer discussion before we had refreshments. We shall surely be less ready to take for granted and appreciate much more what we see of the natural world around us as a result of Dr. Young’s talk.
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