For those of you who like exploring nature - My Tiny Dick Forum

hoverfly · 06-20-2013, 09:51 AM

I've been a member and volunteer with the Essex Wildlife Trust for years now, I love being outdoors be it only to enjoy nature or explore even the tiniest of nature reserves and there are a large number of those in the UK.

Some 10 years ago I watched a nature documentary with Alan Titchmarsh, 'The Nature of Britain' and with every episode came a 15 minute addition called 'The Nature of Britain: A Users Guide'. A brilliant idea as it turned out.

Last weekend two friends and I went to Canvey Island, in the river Thames, where there has been an industrial brownsite (disused industrial complex if you are not familiar with the term), this had been featured in Titchmarsh's series.

The site was meant to become a huge underground storage area for liquid gas, but the owners, Occidental Ltd., went bust in 1976, before even the first tank could be filled. Nothing was ever done to the installations there ever since, until one day when a friend of mine from the local museum went there and discovered that nature had pretty much taken over and how.

These days it is a nature reserve, including all the abandoned industrial equipment and fixtures and it is run by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and Buglife, a charity working in the preservation of insects across the UK.

What is really remarkable about the site is the abundance of orchids, snakes, lizards and of course waterfowl.

Below should appear a few pictures a friend took on Sunday, he is an entomologist and has a fantastic eye for any creepy-crawly's.

Common Marsh Orchid

Closeup of the same plant

The last blooms of this years Bluebells

The Seawall on Canvey Wick

The Gas Pipeline, intended for pumping the gas into the underground storage

All the industrial fixtures have been taken over by nature, a truly beautiful sight, though better weather that day might have added to our enjoyment, still, we spent nearly all day there but we were too late to catch any lizards or snakes out. Well, maybe next time.

As for some more pictures, I'll be over at his place later this week to go over them. If I find any more nice shots, I'll post them here (if anybody is interested, that is).

TheShadowNYC · 06-20-2013, 12:41 PM

the pictures are very beautiful.

06-20-2013, 03:37 PM

wow, after seeing what photos u took, i am glad i didnt share mine. good ones bro.

hoverfly · 06-20-2013, 07:00 PM

@TheShadowNYC:
He's got the eye and the equipment to go with it, befitting for one of the UK's best known entomologists.

@theteach:
Call me stupid but I don't quite get your comment. Were you referring to picture quality? No matter, you haven't seen my photographic results yet. LOL.

Your Smallness · 06-21-2013, 01:30 AM

Thanks for sharing the pics Hoverfly. Great! I share your enjoyment of nature....but you can keep the snakes and reptiles!

bmet · 06-21-2013, 06:23 AM

Thank you for taking the time to post these pictures. It is appreciated: more!

hoverfly · 06-21-2013, 06:58 AM

Thanks for the comments folks. I wasn't sure if anybody would read this at all anyway, so I did keep images and lyrics to a minimum, at least for me. LOL

Seeing that I also volunteer with the Essex Wildlife Trust on Two Tree Island, I'll get some pictures sorted out and post them here as well. This reserve is even smaller, yet the abundance of wildlife is staggering. Short eared owls, barn owls, badges, foxes, all manner of water fowl and seals and that isn't even thinking about the rodents, I love water voles, insects and so on.

The three of us also decided to start joint walks this summer since all three of us are keen walkers, me being a great fan of coastal walks and living on an island, perfect conditions you might say.

This is a good year, not weather-wise, that is a bad one but the BBC is airing a large number of programs this year in their 'Summer of Wildlife' season, which was hugely advertised during this years Springwatch.

Did anybody get a chance to watch that? For those of you that don't live in the UK, Springwatch is an annual series presenting the arrival of Spring in the UK, which due to our countries orientation on the map does take a fair while making its way from South to North.

The same presenters also do 'Autumnwatch' and 'Winterwatch'. Fantastic programs, especially that up to 40 nest or burrow cams they install and make available as live streams on the BBC website or on the TV's red button channel.

Can't keep from advertising the BBC as you can see. LOL

I'll update this as soon as I have the pictures selected.

hoverfly · 06-24-2013, 06:02 AM

Hi TD, that sounds really nice, sadly not an option for us really, towns and cities aren't suitable for this kind of lifestyle and I don't want to get back to driving, which is a must then.

Both parents and grandparents had lands they farmed, though my dad's was more of a huge allotment than a proper farm, yet with just over an acre, it was rather substantial.

Still, one learns to make do. LOL

Just one question... Can you legally just put up a cabin in the woods somewhere? No need to buy the property first or apply for planning permission? That would be the way to go in the UK anyway.

06-20-2013, 09:51 AM	#1
hoverfly Tiny Dick Extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East of England Posts: 1,567	For those of you who like exploring nature I've been a member and volunteer with the Essex Wildlife Trust for years now, I love being outdoors be it only to enjoy nature or explore even the tiniest of nature reserves and there are a large number of those in the UK. Some 10 years ago I watched a nature documentary with Alan Titchmarsh, 'The Nature of Britain' and with every episode came a 15 minute addition called 'The Nature of Britain: A Users Guide'. A brilliant idea as it turned out. Last weekend two friends and I went to Canvey Island, in the river Thames, where there has been an industrial brownsite (disused industrial complex if you are not familiar with the term), this had been featured in Titchmarsh's series. The site was meant to become a huge underground storage area for liquid gas, but the owners, Occidental Ltd., went bust in 1976, before even the first tank could be filled. Nothing was ever done to the installations there ever since, until one day when a friend of mine from the local museum went there and discovered that nature had pretty much taken over and how. These days it is a nature reserve, including all the abandoned industrial equipment and fixtures and it is run by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and Buglife, a charity working in the preservation of insects across the UK. What is really remarkable about the site is the abundance of orchids, snakes, lizards and of course waterfowl. Below should appear a few pictures a friend took on Sunday, he is an entomologist and has a fantastic eye for any creepy-crawly's. Common Marsh Orchid Closeup of the same plant The last blooms of this years Bluebells The Seawall on Canvey Wick The Gas Pipeline, intended for pumping the gas into the underground storage All the industrial fixtures have been taken over by nature, a truly beautiful sight, though better weather that day might have added to our enjoyment, still, we spent nearly all day there but we were too late to catch any lizards or snakes out. Well, maybe next time. As for some more pictures, I'll be over at his place later this week to go over them. If I find any more nice shots, I'll post them here (if anybody is interested, that is). __________________ Feeling a little peckish? Visit The Official Food Porn Thread Click here if you need help uploading pictures. Guide to Uploading and Managing your Attachments Click here if you need to contact the forum staff. List of Forum Staff

06-20-2013, 07:00 PM	#4
hoverfly Tiny Dick Extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East of England Posts: 1,567	@TheShadowNYC: He's got the eye and the equipment to go with it, befitting for one of the UK's best known entomologists. @theteach: Call me stupid but I don't quite get your comment. Were you referring to picture quality? No matter, you haven't seen my photographic results yet. LOL. __________________ Feeling a little peckish? Visit The Official Food Porn Thread Click here if you need help uploading pictures. Guide to Uploading and Managing your Attachments Click here if you need to contact the forum staff. List of Forum Staff

06-21-2013, 06:58 AM	#7
hoverfly Tiny Dick Extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East of England Posts: 1,567	Thanks for the comments folks. I wasn't sure if anybody would read this at all anyway, so I did keep images and lyrics to a minimum, at least for me. LOL Seeing that I also volunteer with the Essex Wildlife Trust on Two Tree Island, I'll get some pictures sorted out and post them here as well. This reserve is even smaller, yet the abundance of wildlife is staggering. Short eared owls, barn owls, badges, foxes, all manner of water fowl and seals and that isn't even thinking about the rodents, I love water voles, insects and so on. The three of us also decided to start joint walks this summer since all three of us are keen walkers, me being a great fan of coastal walks and living on an island, perfect conditions you might say. This is a good year, not weather-wise, that is a bad one but the BBC is airing a large number of programs this year in their 'Summer of Wildlife' season, which was hugely advertised during this years Springwatch. Did anybody get a chance to watch that? For those of you that don't live in the UK, Springwatch is an annual series presenting the arrival of Spring in the UK, which due to our countries orientation on the map does take a fair while making its way from South to North. The same presenters also do 'Autumnwatch' and 'Winterwatch'. Fantastic programs, especially that up to 40 nest or burrow cams they install and make available as live streams on the BBC website or on the TV's red button channel. Can't keep from advertising the BBC as you can see. LOL I'll update this as soon as I have the pictures selected. __________________ Feeling a little peckish? Visit The Official Food Porn Thread Click here if you need help uploading pictures. Guide to Uploading and Managing your Attachments Click here if you need to contact the forum staff. List of Forum Staff

06-24-2013, 06:02 AM	#8
hoverfly Tiny Dick Extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East of England Posts: 1,567	Hi TD, that sounds really nice, sadly not an option for us really, towns and cities aren't suitable for this kind of lifestyle and I don't want to get back to driving, which is a must then. Both parents and grandparents had lands they farmed, though my dad's was more of a huge allotment than a proper farm, yet with just over an acre, it was rather substantial. Still, one learns to make do. LOL Just one question... Can you legally just put up a cabin in the woods somewhere? No need to buy the property first or apply for planning permission? That would be the way to go in the UK anyway. __________________ Feeling a little peckish? Visit The Official Food Porn Thread Click here if you need help uploading pictures. Guide to Uploading and Managing your Attachments Click here if you need to contact the forum staff. List of Forum Staff

06-20-2013, 12:41 PM	#2
TheShadowNYC Tiny Dick Advanced Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: USA Posts: 129	the pictures are very beautiful.

06-20-2013, 03:37 PM	#3
theteach Guest Posts: n/a	wow, after seeing what photos u took, i am glad i didnt share mine. good ones bro.

06-21-2013, 01:30 AM	#5
Your Smallness Tiny Dick Advanced Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 112	Thanks for sharing the pics Hoverfly. Great! I share your enjoyment of nature....but you can keep the snakes and reptiles!

06-21-2013, 06:23 AM	#6
bmet Tiny Dick Intermediate Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: High desert of So. Cal. Posts: 80	Thank you for taking the time to post these pictures. It is appreciated: more!