'Wild Place'

This week the Graphics team have been at Wild Place putting up all the signage.

Monday 15th
I was late in due to me not setting my alarm the night before and the cat not waking me (as is her usual trick) from about 6am. Of all the mornings!

This week Phil asked me to bring the car in so that we had our own transport up to Wild Place (formerly known as Hollywood Towers Estate), so that we had freedom of when we went and how long we were there for. For the last few months both Phil and Louise have been working on the signage for the new visitor attraction, and now it was all coming back from the printers and being delivered straight to the site. All that was needed now was for us to put it all up. This includes not only animal ID and interpretation signs but all the signs for directional posts, car park, entrance, no entry's, staff only's, information panels, push and pull's for the lemur walk through, woodland pathway etc etc. Quite a stash of boards and panels some small and easily handled, others were large and needed several people to carry and put up.

We got up to Wild Place (WP) about mid morning and checked out the shed where all the signs were stored, wrapped in bubble wrap and stacked ominously high. 

Some of the signs to go up

Unfortunately it was discovered that a printing error had occurred; the printers had left off a white layer which made the graphics and photo images stand out. As the boards onto which it was all printed was a light wood, it rendered the photo images much more dull than both Louise and Phil had designed them to be. There were a few other issues and so without getting anything done we headed back to the zoo so that Phil could contact the printers and try and sort something out. WP is opening next Monday, so that leaves no time for a major reprint of all the signs. 

Once the printers had been contacted and a few things sorted we headed back to WP again (6 miles car travel from the zoo) and got there around 12.30pm. Phil set Anna and I on the directional signs and he and Louise sorted other signs.

The first 'directionals' go up

The weather was toasty hot and we had to wear Hi-viz jackets, which are not at all helpful for trying to keep cool as they trapped and held the heat! Sturdy boots or shoes had to be worn also. Hats, cool light tops and shorts were a must.. as was carrying plenty of water about with you.

Anna and I had a dilly loaded with lots of square 'directionals' which were to be screwed to a total of 7 wood posts. Each post had a different array of squares sometimes on three or four sides. We had to work out which side of the post was coded a,b,c or d and then find the correct directionals to go on in the right order. They had to be lined up pretty accurately as if the top one was out, that just got progressively more out of line the further down the post you got. Which was a little frustrating to get right at times especially when dealing with a flat surface that was bowed in the middle so the squares wobbled as the screws went in. More frustrations were with the cordless screwdriver we had which is an old cheap one that has seen better days and quickly lost its power, so didn't have the umph at times to drive the screws in past a harder section of wood, like a knot. Oh how Anna and I cussed and swore at the stupid thing! It was consequently a much slower progress than we would have liked. By 4.30 we were only on our second post! We couldn't believe how long it was taking.

We all left the site and headed back to the zoo a short while after, hot and tired from the afternoon's work.

Back in the studio before I went home I did a little more work on creating layers in some of the new Bug World ID's.


Tuesday 16th

Before we headed back up to WP this morning I had time to amend a scientific name, on a invertebrate ID sign, and print it ready to laminate tomorrow.

Back up to WP and carrying on as we did yesterday with Anna And I on the directionals. There is a lot of work going on up there and many workmen, trucks, tractors, diggers etc moving around. It looks a long way off being ready in time, but somehow these things always seem to get pulled out of a hat at the last minute. 

The 'Model Village' - the visitor centre with shop, cafe etc still with much work to be done on it

Anna and I caught up with the two guys, Mike and Martin, who were cementing in the wood posts ahead of us. So Phil gave us some ID signs to put up for the zebra, eland and pygmy goats. 

A completed post showing two of the three sides.

The photo for Blackhorse Wood is one of mine.

Again the day was spent in the scorching sun, walking back and forth over the site between the shed where the signage was stored and where the signs were going up. We were in the swing of it more now and Louise joined Anna and myself as we put up various signs around the Secret Congo section. Louise doing some precarious climbing up high fences to get a banner cable-tied in place. 

For the most part I felt unhappy that I was not able to do as much as I wished... I had a frozen shoulder last year and although I am now in the pain free recovery phase.... my wearing of a rucksack and carrying bags getting the train to and from work for a couple of month had aggravated my shoulder which is now pretty much sore all the time and obviously very troublesome to use for anything requiring height, pressure, strength etc. So Anna insisted on doing the bulk of the work and I acted as her assistant handing her signs, screws etc, which didn't make me feel very good and pretty useless!

We had a short lunch break by the sensory foot trail... Anna and Louise tried it out quickly. The glass seemed the most scary! 

Anna and Louise trying out the Sensory Foot Trail

We finished about 4.30 and headed back to the zoo.


Wednesday 17th

After laminating the invertebrate sign and taking it up to Bug World first thing this morning I was dismayed to be told that the scientific name was still wrong. I had changed one part but not another! So I had to go back to the computer change the spelling again, reprint and laminate! Got that done before Phil, Anna and myself headed up to WP. No Louise today as she doesn't work Wednesdays but she will be there Thursday and Friday to help Phil with the last of the signage.

Another long hot tiring day at WP. We seemed to have got a good proportion of the signs up. First one this morning was the main entrance sign... This was not as tricky as we had thought and we managed between the three of us to get the two panels in place for this sign... and then we covered it, so that people didn't see it and think it was already open.

The main entrance sign before it was screwed into its final position

Anna was not fairing well in the heat, she had had enough, really, by mid afternoon. But she gritted her teeth and pressed on. AT last we were able to finish off the directional posts.. Mike and Martin having cemented in the last two as we waited. All around there is a hive of frantic activity as zoo staff and contract workers hurry to get the last of the jobs done. I can't wait to see it all done and finished and accepting visitors.

The ceremonial photo of the last 'directional' being screwed into place.

The highlights for me of this week was seeing the two yearling eland males. They were in the holding paddock on Monday but out in the main grass paddock on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Eland

They look magnificent, yet they still have a lot of growth and bulking up to do, as they mature in to the largest antelope species. The Chapman's zebra arrived Tuesday and Wednesday... they weren't yet out in the grass paddock but looked eager to be so. The pygmy goats were very cute but we didn't see the lemurs (they were shut in after arriving on Wednesday), the helmeted guinea fowl have yet to arrive, but the okapi looked great in the dappled shade of their paddock. 

Female okapi

Phil and Louise still had quite a bit to get done for the Thursday and Friday. I won't find out how it has all gone until I get back to the zoo in a week's time. I have next week booked off as holiday as I am teaching a 5 day batik workshop in Gloucester.

I'm eager to know how it all went and to go and see Wild Place up and running.    

Catch up!

Hmmm... two weeks since my last post! Tut tut! So here's a quick recap of those two weeks... 

Monday 1st July

The morning started off with me continuing with the blue spiny lizard - Sceloporus serrifer cyanogenys. But then I had to stop as some ID work needed to be done. Anna has been busy revising the size and font for the Bug World ID's, making the ID sign bigger and replacing the text font to something more clearer to read, but still with the handwritten feel about it. In the process some of the ID's that previously had a lot of text had to have the wording thinned down and one of these was the imperial scorpion. I realised that I would now need to change the text on the Twilight World version for this species, so that the text was the same on both ID's. As yet the lighting for the backlit sign has not yet been sorted so the ID sign is not yet in use, so that made it easier as I didn't have to fiddle with taking down and putting up the sign on display.
Also Mark sent me the revised species list for the rockpool display; the number of species has dropped, due almost entirely to the unstoppable eating machine called 'Satan'.... the velvet swimming crab that is dominating all others in the rockpool domain. Shorter species list meant I could thin down the ID panels for the display from three to two, and increase the spacing on the signs themselves so that it didn't look so cramped.  I was pleased with the result, especially as now all the remaining species have an ID photo to go with it so it looks complete. Once finished I printed and laminated both panels and took them up to Bug World to replace the others.


Tuesday 2nd
Today I spent all day painting the lizard. I am struggling a bit with this one too...but working on the larger size is definitely an improvement for my eyes. I finished the female in the background and started on the male.
This is some of the reference photo's I am using...

I have used two photo's for the female one for the head and one for the body. For the male it gets more complicated as our male is still not fully coloured up in maturity and the majority of ref pictures I took of him were last year when he had no colour at all as he was still immature. So I have photo's taken from the internet showing the colour of fully mature males. they have blue on their undersides that creep up round between the front and back legs. The back on each side has a rose tint and the throat is blue also. I'm having to guess a bit with the blue as photo's notoriously do not necessarily depict acurate colour, so I'm going for a mid ground on the references that I have and can tweek this once the keepers have seen the illustration and can guide me better on the tone of the blue from their experience with this species. So for the male I have used (so far) 5 photo's... 2 used for throat shape, 2 used for throat colour I used for the fore foot, 3 will be used for body colour and at least three for the tail. The main positional photo can be seen but I have slightly changed the head position and front foot.

Wednesday 3rd

Three of the new format Bug World ID's needed redoing as Mark (Assistant Curator - Invertebrates) pointed out several errors - two scientific names needed changing  and some text altered. When I had been up in Bug World yesterday I had noticed a display with Fregate beetles. This is a species we have had before and had not been shown on display for quite some time. It had an old style ID sign, so today I compiled a new sign for it in the new format. I ended up having to do it twice as on the first the scientific name was mis-spelt and I hadn't put the correct map on. This doesn't seem much for a days work but some of it was a bit involved and took time to do. One thing was that Anna had done the ID signs in Illustrator and she works without layers in that application. But I do work with layers and so I needed to set up layers on a new template and change some of the ID's she has already done. I felt bad changing it to layers (Anna has worked very hard on the signs) but as I shall be the one working with these signs the most, it makes sense to have it set up in a way I can work with.


Monday 8th

Back to painting the lizard. Did that for the whole day except to remove the black hornbill ID's from the three Forest of Birds 'book' displays as the birds have now been moved into the refurbished Round Aviary.
More blanks were printed and laminated, as several species are being moved around as the Round Aviary is done and birds are taken off show or moved, some spaces have appeared in the ID holders.

Tuesday 9th

Today I wasn't at work. I have swapped my days this week as I have a meeting with Dr Kate Evans of  Elephants For Africa  and so I shall be in on Thursday instead.

Wednesday 10th

The blanks I printed on Monday were put on the appropriate aviaries this morning and as I was doing that I saw Nigel (Curator of Birds) who let me know that they have just put in some Roulroul partridge in with the wrinkled hornbills who are also now in the Round Aviary. For the former I just printed off two copies of their ID from the computer and the latter's ID sign was not yet complete. So I finished off that, but had to double check some of the text with Nigel first. This called into question some text on the black hornbill's ID so that had to go back to Education to check.
I had two more species ID's to remove from the Forest of Birds, which meant I had to do some more reprinting as the ID's are back to back in a page format presented like a book. So for one species to be removed, the whole page has to come out, which means taking out a species that doesn't need to be taken out. I reprinted the ID's of two species that are to remain so that they can go back in the 'books' on display.

Finally at around 4.30pm I could get back to painting the lizard!

Thursday 11th

In the morning I was painting the lizard, progress is slow but steady. I am making sure I get frequent eye breaks as I don't want my eyes going fuzzy like they did last time I did a lizard that was a strain.

In the afternoon I had some laminating to do for Phil for the Splash area and Wild Place, which I then delivered to the main office. On the way back as I entered the small yard at the side of the education building I saw that Dave had two of the ferrets out for a bit of enrichment. Standing close by to keep them out of mischief and from going where they shouldn't he lets them run loose, investigating all the nooks and crannies, flower pots, stacks of equipment and the bits and bobs that have accumalated. My favourite of the ferrets was one of the ones that was out, Elf - she has the polecat markings. She's a bit of a character. Dave was barefooted and I question the sense of this with two ferrets on the loose. He laughed it off and said, 'Oh they won't bite'. I walked to the door stopping to say hi to Elf. She ran up to me (aw, how sweet was that) and stretched up my bare leg looking up at me with her sparkly eyes. 'Don't you go up my trousers.' I laughed with a little trepidation as I had crop trousers on that were cut wide. Elf promptly turned her head and sank her teeth into the skin on my shin! And then ran away all bouncy and excited. Bless her! I looked down, just a scratch, no problem  - it wasn't a vicious bite, as Dave said she was just a little too excited.

Back in the studio... as the hornbills (wrinkled and black) were now on show, having spent a day or two indoors to get used to their new surroundings, I needed to get the ID for the wrinkled up on the aviary. The black's had already been done and were already put up. I checked with education... the text for the wrinkled was fine, but the black's needed checking still. So I could now finish and print the wrinkled's ID and get that laminated and up on show along with the roulroul partridge ID.

As is usual of late, here are some photo's taken over the last two weeks at the zoo...

A new beetle sculpture was installed near the entrance to Bug World

I think this is the stegoaurus... looking great in amongst the planting.

I saw the fish being fed by a visitor one day and they were coming out of the water and onto the stony lake edge to get at the food. A mallard was literally stepping on fish to get its share too.

Our two North American river otters enjoying the sunshine and a spot of mutual grooming.

I have been told on a few occasions over the years what this extraordinary plant is called, but I keep forgetting!! It smells quite rancid.... the flies love it!

Male Palawan peacock pheasant

The gorgeous plumage of the back of a male Palawan peacock pheasant.

The twin ring-tailed lemur babies cling to Mum

Yellow mongoose waiting near the door of their enclosure, very alert. It must be near feeding time!

Spiny blue lizard start

Monday 24th
It was my birthday at the weekend and so as somewhat expected I came in to find my desk decorated. This happens to most staff in the Learning Department for their birthday... 

This week I get properly started on the blue spiny lizard; I went up for another look at them and took a few more pictures which I then uploaded to the computer sorted, resized, cropped, adjusted and placed another group on an A4 document to print as reference. We had problems with our printer this morning... it refused to take up any of the double sided paper that Anna needed to be printed for a job she was doing and then it refused to take up any paper. So a lot of fiddling, resetting, gentle man-handling and frustration was spent on the darned thing. Still it wouldn't play ball... so it was switched off and 'put in the naughty corner'. We have a photocopier that we can print to but the quality is not as good as the Epson. However beggar's can't be choosers and so the photocopier stepped up to the mark and took over the few bits of printing today.

In the afternoon I started the drawing of the blue spiny lizard. I am doing the male and female but putting the female mostly behind the male so just her front legs and head are showing. Basically I just need to show a bit of the body and throat so that the comparision can be made between her and the male. The male has a blue throat and patches of blue on his sides as well as a rose sheen to his back... the female is a much duller colour with no blue. So they look different colour wise (sexual dimorphism) which is why I need to do them both.

Tuesday 25th

Finished off drawing the lizards this morning and now need to think on background setting. 

They like to  bask on rocky/wall surfaces or fence posts... to fit the shape of the picture format for this ID it needs to be oblong in composition... so I opted for a rocky surface.

Next I had a short discussion with Phil about the size of the painting. I was going to be facing the same issues I had with the great plated lizard.. small complex details on a small sized illustration. So we discussed the options... taking a photo of the finished work was out as that didn't give the quality we needed for the digital image. Painting to fit an A4 scanner was what I had done before but this was now giving me problems with some illustrations (eye strain working on small illustrations. So we discussed painting larger and then scanning in sections and photomerging them in Photoshop. This last option was opted for as a trial... if this works out better for my eyes and can be successfully joined without the shadowing that sometimes occurs, then this would be the way to go. Phil did also mention that as this was going to be a problem that continues maybe we would need to invest in an A3 scanner now.

So I start the painting at an A3 size.. which after all these years of working to A4, or less, is strange.


Wednesday 26th

Apart from changing the text on the blue spiny lizard ID sign to incorporate the fact that they are also called fence lizards... I was pretty much tied to my desk painting the rocky background. So nothing else to report...

Week 17th - 19th June

Monday 17th

Having cleared the job of replacing signs last week it was time for another illustration, the blue spiny lizard... this one I am not really looking forward to, as I foresee the same problems I had with the great plated lizard. But it still needs to be done and now it was next on the list. I looked over the reference images I had taken of the animals previously... checking that I could get the details I shall need from a combination of the various photo's noting where they are lacking and then went over to the reptile house to try and get more photo's and get a real good look at the animal before I start drawing. Unfortunately the lizards are a smallish species so the animal I could see towards the back was not helpful to me as itwas too far away for close observation. There was an animal close to the front... but just as I was starting to look him over it decided to move on and clambered down to hide under a rock. Darn! I waited but it jever resurfaced.. so my mission had failed. I will come back another time to see if I can get a better view. In the meantime there was always the internet. 

Back in the studio I did a search and was surprised that there were relatively few images of this species. I wanted in particular to get a better idea of the blue colour the males have. I shall have to chat to Tim to see if the colour is enhanced in breeding condition and dull the rest of the time.

The few photo' I had I uploaded and cropped, deleted, adjusted as necessary and then printed a seletion from those that I have now accumalated.

I did a few other little jobs around the studio and also went to check on the progress of the Round Aviary alterations. Nigel (Curator of Birds) ad said that there was a possiblity the aviary may be completed and the birds in over the weekend or on Monday (today). But a check revealed that there is still some work to be done before the birds go in. 

At 5pm there was a small gathering in the Maintenance workshops for a member of staff from that department who is retiring. Richard has been at the zoo about 15 years and is a very well liked man. He is always cheerful and ready to help however he can. A real ray of sunshine. So there were drinks and cakes on offer and a little gathering with speeches and a display of photo's of Rich past and present. It is very sad to see him go; I, along with many others will miss him greatly.

Tuesday 18th

An email from Jonny from the Aquarium has added a few more fish species to my 'to do list'. One being the pot bellied seahorse. This is a species we have had before at the zoo only back then, in 2002, it was referred to as big bellied seahorse. Many species have different common names, depending on the area they are found or who is referring to them. There is only one scientific name and that changes rarely - only when changes are made to its taxonomic classification. So a quick check of the old ID sign showed the smae scientific name but no image on file. It was some years ago and very likely done as a copy trans before we started producing images digitally. However a look through my illustrations of fish brought the worrying fact to light that the illustration is missing. I spent some time looking in all possible places but could not find it or indeed another species of seahorse. They were possibly used and have not been put back where they should be. I did find the copy trans (positive colour film) and so scanned the illustration from that. It took some tweeking to get the settings to scan it well but eventually got there.

The background was black of course but not 'pure black' so I needed to change that. This time instead of using the mouse to guide the pen tool in photoshop, I got to play with the new tablet and pen. Unfortunately as my operating system on my computer is older than the specs need, I could not get all the functions to play with and learn, but I could do a straight trace around the illustration and change the background. It took longer than normal as it was all new and different to handle, but great fun and I should think once I get used to handling the tablet and pen it wil be quicker. I followed a tutorial on YouTube to et to basics which was very handy and helpful to do.

I compuled a new ID sign document for the seahorse, putting in the info Jonny had given me and placing teh illustration on to it as well and then printed it and laminated it. Although it is made in the format for backlit signs (as all the fish signs are) there is no light box for the display tank that these fish will be in. They are in a tank in the undreground area of Seal and Penguins Coast.

Last week I had suggested to Phil that maybe we could do something a little more interesting with the 'blanks' we use to fill spaces in ID holders where there is no ID sign to go. These have up to now been plain pieces of paper, either white or a salmon colour (for birds), but I thought it might be more asthetically pleasing to have a subtle pattern on them. The zoo logo has a lovely design of the letters being made up of a jumble of interlocking animal and plant images. So Phil put a copy of the logo image file onto my computer and I took a portion of it and placed it onto a new template for blank signs.... I then played with some colourings and degrees of tone until I got two versions (one on white and one on salmon) and then printed a small supply. I had a few new blanks to go up as part of the sign replacement I have been doing., so I put up the first of the new style blaanks today.

I finished the day continuing with my backup of files to the zoo's server. I managed to get all the fish and herps(reptiles and amphibians) done.

Wednesday 19th

I have a half day today. This evening I am off up to Gloucester to do a painting demonstration to an art group in my capacity as a wildlife artist. So I took the afternoon as holiday.

As Phil was out at the Hollywood Tower Estate this morning I went to the Ops Meeting in his place. Anna,the other designer, usually goes in his place but she is on holiday this week so that leaves me. It's been some years since I have gone to an Ops Meeting. I had nothing to report from the Graphics Section but wrote a few notes on what other sections had to report so Phil was aware.

I had seen Nigel and after a brief chat about the status of the Round Aviary alterations and bird moves I had two more ID signs to print ready for the white winged wood duck. These will be going in with the black hornbills (their signs are ready and waiting to go up) The birds should be in very soon.

Whilst I was out I cleaned off some graffitti from an ID sign, luckily it came off easily with some lighter fluid.

I finished the morning by continuing and finishing my back up to the server.

Finishing the Sweep

The days of this week are all pretty much the same so little point doing each day separately.

Last week I had printed a new black and white ID sign for the imperial scorpions which are going in the underground area of Twilight World. I needed to double check that the size and shape of the sign fitted the position it was to go in, so I took it over to . This is in a themed area and the underground area is made to look like you are in a hole in the ground... hence the walls look like soil with roots coming down through. The ID Signs are positioned in cut-away holes in the walls and backlit with light, so the ID's just show the white text and silhouette of the creature. All was well with the size and shape, so I printed the full version (I had only done a 'rough' copy on economy setting) trimmed and lined it up (two separate A3 sheets needed to make it) and then stuck it together ready for when the display needs it.
Then over the next three days it was a case of printing, trimming, laminating, trimming again, taping or hole punching 45 individual ID signs. Some had to be converted on the computer from old Quark and Freehand documents to Illustrator ones so that slowed the process up a bit.

The signs were all put up too, over the course of the week. Now it is done and I don't have to do this mammoth ID replacement again untilk the beginning of August when my next 'ID Sweep' is due.

Apart from that I also uploaded and sorted out the photo's I took of the wrinkled hornbills - Aceros corrugatus last week  - adjusting, cropping and deleting until I have a selection of reference photo's ready for when I come to do the illustration. In my research on the species... as both the birds we have are a year old or less so have not yet got their full adult colouration. I did a google search of images for this species and soon noticed a number of variations. I contacted Nigel (Curator of Birds) to ask his advice. My problem was that I had noticed on the lower mandible of the male the brown area that the wrinkles form in varies in the amount of the mandible it covers.. some only a third of the way along from the base , some it almost reaches the tip at the other end. was this age related or just an individual variation? Next .... they have an inflatable pouch on their throat... was this always inflated or only to display etc? Also the colouration varied from white through to deep yellow. Again was this an individual thing or related to age or breeding condition? And lastly... the casque shape on the top mandible... it varied in size, shape, colour and number of notches - ranging from none and being smooth to having four or five deep notches or from being short or long in length, being pale or deep red in colour and being anything from very 'oblong' in shape to being very curved. Again.. individual, age, breeding condition etc? This might seem over the top in my research but as these birds have yet to mature and colour up and form these features fully... I can't just guess when I know nothing about what I'm trying to guess on. So Nigel was able to give me my answers that will enable me to be able to paint the illustration as close as I can to what is typical for the species.

This is our young male and below is a mature male (photo taken off of google search) which he may or may not mature to look like!

Here's a few photo's from this week at the zoo...

This is I think a Lady's slipper orchid. I found it by chance in one of the flower beds by the new aviaries round behind the Herbaceous Border lawn. I have never noticed them before.. and they are quietly sat down in the shade of one of the bird houses. Beautiful blooms.

The baby Southern pudu was out in the sun... this species is the world's smallest true deer and is very cute with its smartly spotted back.

One of the lion cubs taking a breather in their play fighting session.. he stayed in this position for several minutes... think he was practising his yoga!

The handkerchief tree is in bloom and starting to drop its large papery white petals...standing under the tree gives you the best view of the blooms as they hang from the underside of the leaf laden twigs and branches.

Recently hatched greater flamingo chick following one of its parents to the water. incredibly silly legs... huge feet and joints on the legs... but very cute with it.

Roulroul partridges - Rollulus rouloul are inquisitive birds 

and whenever I am in the Forest of Birds exhibit, putting in new ID signs, they come over to see what I am up to.. no doubt hoping I may have some tasty morsels like mealworms to feed them like their keepers put out for them. Most people walk quite quickly through this exhibit so they are not used to people hanging around, especially when they get down close to their level (as I do when I am undoing or doing up the nuts and bolts on the ID holders)

Sketching in Blackhorse Wood

As I have mentioned before... as part of my in-house training at the zoo, I have a half day sketch session about once a fortnight. In this time I can sketch whatever I want to sketch on zoo property. As I now work just three days a week at the zoo for nine months of the year... I have to get each illustration done as quickly as possible... I rarely allow myself luxuries like spending time sketching an animal unless I deem it absolutely necessary. I wish I could spend time to sketch each animal but it makes each job too long and it's a struggle to keep on top of my 'to do' list as it is. But  sketching is important as it is easy to loose one's 'hand and eye', so regular sketching sessions help me with observation and my art skills. 

It's three weeks since my last sketch half day  and this time I thought I would head up to the Hollywood Towers Estate that the zoo owns and is currently developing into a new visitor attraction. They have owned the land, some 120 acres, since the 60's and it has had planning permission to build another zoo attraction there. For a few years I have gone up before any big changes are made as new buildings are added and old ones renovated as new facilities and enclosures get put in. Pathways and access roads built and the land 'tidied up' ready for visitors. 

Having had the privilege of wandering the fields and woods over a couple of years on occasional visits I am sad that things must change there... it is a beautiful wood and I loved the feeling of discovery and exploration, no other people around (except for the gardeners and a few animal keepers - but they kept to certain areas) So the freedom of wandering the woods spotting roe deer, foxes, many birds and insects... and seeing the naturalised seasonal plants.. like crocuses, snowdrops, bluebells, daffodils, ramsons, cyclamen were a delight.

The new attraction is called 'Wild Place' and it has the first phase opening in July... so this is the last month that I could visit and experience it as I know it.. quiet, peaceful, without the hub bub of visitors and staff. I haven't been for a year myself as I had a frozen shoulder problem last year and it would be silly to tackle the steep slippery rough animal track pathways whilst in pain or unable to use both arms for steadying myself or picking myself up when I slip.

Hence I was really looking forward to my visit...

The changes are already happening and the sound of workmen can be heard around the central area where the 'model farm'  and big barns are.

I signed in with the site manager and picked up my Hi Viz jacket that I was to wear. I asked if I had to wear it in the wood as I wanted the chance to see wildlife and wearing a flourescent yellow jacket was not conducive to that aim. Today luckily there was no work going on in the wood, so I was told there was no need to wear the jacket whilst in the wood, but I had to put it on at other times. 

After signing in I drove back alone the track to the Greenhouses. I parked there and went to see the bird keeper who was looking after the hornbills I had come to photograph and view. These birds are in quarantine so I needed to don wellies, quarantine disposable overalls and disposable gloves before going in with them.

Some of the greenhouses

After spending about an hour with them I had a quick snack lunch and then walked across the fields and from there down into the woods.

From the greenhouses to one of the entrances to the wood

Track down into Blackhorse Wood

I was saddened to see 'no entry' signs on posts stuck in the tracks on a few of the routes through the woods and the track way that led to the Wild Place forest learning camp was wider, cleared and well used... my sense of 'escape' was extinguished.  

I walked down to the camp and beyond it to the high fence that follows the bottom edge of the wood. When I last used this track along the fence line it was so thick with plants that to follow the deer track you had to push your way through nettles and other vegetation... now there was a clear pathway - it was a trail now for the Forest Learning groups. Now and again along the trail laminated signs were hanging from the trees or fence asking questions about British wildlife. A great idea, but again... totally ruining my sense of exploration and discovery of the place I once knew. I have to get used to the fact that this is now a different place... and it is great for those who visit.

Track along the fence line

 I took a lot of photo's again, recording what I see; some of the changes, beautiful scenery that inspires me....

I sat in my foldaway chair where the view beyond the fence looked out across the bottom fields on out to the estuary. Here I did my first sketch of the day...

I was there about an hour... I saw no deer but heard lots of birds, including a few buzzards overhead. Once I was up and moving on I disturbed one buzzard as it sat on the top of the fence... it flew off quickly on hearing my approach. I tried to walk softly and quietly but with so many dried twigs and leaves on the track it was difficult not to be noisy.

Not a great photo of the buzzard, but I was pleased to get that. 

I followed the fence line right along the base of the wood and followed the adjoining fence as it went back up the escarpment cutting through the line of trees. At this point I am now right round the other side of the curved expanse of woodland covering the escarpment. I scrambled up across the undergrowth off the track to emerge behind the clock tower.

I wanted to get back to the fields about halfway along the woodland's line. So I skirted the field trying to find the deer track that I had used many times before to get back down into the trees. I couldn't find it! I pushed through the undergrowth where I thought it should have been and came out vaguely near, I thought, to where I wanted to be in the trees.. But on trying to negotiate my way down the steep bank covered with the slippery yellowed dead leaves of a swathe of long gone bluebells I realised the track was now gone, overgrown and I couldn't find it. So I carefully and slowly made my way back up to where I had been as I knew there was a track skimming the edge of the trees there somewhere. 

On my way I found this gully, where I sat down for a snack of a twix biscuit and some orange juice and then sketched the base of the tree just in front of me. It had bare ivy stems twisting up round its trunk, like a strangler fig.. and I thought this would be interesting to sketch.

Whilst I sat there I heard small steps approach slowly through the dried leaf litter. I stopped to listen and look to the right of me in the direction of the sound. I couldn't see anything as the land dipped behind the bank, but I guessed there was a deer there. It stopped, maybe it could see me or maybe it just heard or smelt me.... there was a few seconds of silence and then the sound of something running, betrayed by the dry leaves on the ground.

I finished my sketch... it was now about 4.15 and I had to be back at my car to get out of the gardeners yard before 4.45 as they would be locking up. Then I had to be signed out and off site by 5pm today.  So I slowly made my way along the track, heading towards the top fields. I had wanted to sketch there but time was running out fast. Other times I have been here I have been able to leave my car somewhere else and so not have to be so quick to leave. 

Me and a large fungus on the tree trunk

I had by now put my hi viz jacket on and was seeing the signs of development as I crossed the top fields... tracks cut wider and scoured out ready for permanent covering to make access roads, old animal buildings renovated and paddocks lined out with new fencing. To me it was all very sad... this secret haven was already vanishing. But that isn't to say that I don't like what will be here. I think it will be an amazing place to visit and learn in and I do look forward to seeing it grow into the eco park that will challenge and encourage visitors to change something in their life to benefit the planet.

The smell of freshly cut grass drying in the sun was  thick on the air, a farmer was cutting in the field I wanted to cross so I had to skirt round and go through Webb's Brake where the ponds are.

The  joining series of ponds have been cleared of excess plant growth, making them clearer to see, which was lovely. Yellow flag iris skirt a few of them ponds and duckweed covers the surface. I walked through the small woody glade they are in and emerged back out on the opposite edge of the field where I first entered the wood at the beginning of the afternoon. On my way back to the greenhouses and car I saw Jackie from the Wild Place Forest School putting up a teepee with a friend. I wandered over for a quick chat and tried to help as they were attempting to tie the canvas together at the top, a bit of a stretch up. But it was now nearing 4.45pm, so I left them to it.

I hope I can get up here again before it opens towards the end of July... it is a special place.