If you are alone, then nature becomes Nature, a person, someone to whom you can almost talk. You do not only walk through measured miles; you sit, dreaming, contemplating, absorbing it all, through unmeasured minutes.
C.R.Milne
In a recent 'Note',
mentioned some nervousness on the part of Mrs Fables in sharing the latest news on her horticultural activities in France. Writing this, I recognise similar feelings as I change from my usual urban wanderings to a meander about nature prompted by a walk I joined last week alongside the banks of the Tyne. Leading the tour were a member of the Natural History Society of Northumbria and a member of the Baltic Art Gallery, which is currently showing ‘The Waiting Gardens of the North’ by Michael Rakowitz, the Iraqi-American artist.The walk did not involve striding Wainwright-like over the hills and dales of Northumberland (yes, I know his territory was primarily the Lake District, but he did venture to Northumberland on occasion) but more a gentle stroll and exploration along the urban Newcastle-Gateshead Quaysides from the Baltic Art Gallery to the High-Level Bridge. Overall, a leisurely couple of hours or so.
My nervousness in writing this comes from the fact that I suspect most of my audience knows far more about the science of flowers, plants and wildlife than I ever will, even though I started my working life as a scientist - a Forensic Chemist. And from those early days, I recognise the feeling of nervousness when presenting a subject on which you know your audience is more learned.
I recall part of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist training to help overcome presentation nerves when giving evidence in court or presentations at conferences was to make us 'youngsters' present to a small audience a topic on which that audience was more expert.
The subject chosen for me to present was the 'Method of Detection of Nicotine Levels within Tobacco'. Catchy title, eh? My audience of six each had a chemistry career longer than I'd been alive (I’d just turned eighteen). As I stood in front of that small group, knowing they could slice and dice what I said within moments, I suffered that Sahara-like mouth that such nervousness brings while feeling a slowly descending bead of sweat down my back. But as Indiana Jones took that first step into the void, I scattered some introductory verbal sand, saw my way across, and began.
Of course, the audience was kind, and once my presentation was over, I realised I had enjoyed the experience. In fact, presenting to audiences large and small is something I miss from my working life. After retirement, I had a further opportunity at 'public speaking' as a history guide. And also while offering artefact handling demonstrations in the local museum where I volunteered. As I used to say - give me an audience, and I will give you a show.
Anyway, I can't put it off any longer, so let's delve into some things I learned from the nature walk that offered an opportunity to discover more about a few of the plants, flowers, fish and fowl that live within the Tyne riverside space.
The first of the plant life was that which goes unnoticed mainly—the likes of lichen and moss. I hadn't realised that lichen is a good indicator of an area's environmental 'cleanliness'. It does not grow in ‘unclean’ areas. It’s usually green or grey, but if one sees a pink lichen, it's a sure sign that an animal (including humans) may have paid a call of nature nearby.
Of course, given where we walked, we wouldn't see exotic flora or fauna—just simple flowers like the daisy. Most people know that the name comes from a corruption of 'Day's Eye' that reflects the flowers opening and closing as the day progresses. But I certainly didn't know that a daisy (much like a sunflower) is not one flower but many flowers. Even what I thought were petals are, in fact, flowers. No wonder it spreads so well. We also saw many a dandelion as we progressed; another flower whose name you probably all know comes from a corruption of the French for lion's teeth (dent-de-lion). What you may not know (I certainly didn't) is that there are two hundred fifty varieties of dandelions. And yes, someone has written a book on them all. With all respect to the author, I guess it did not make the best-selling list.
A medical fact I discovered was that if stung by a nettle, the best 'cure' for the irritation is toothpaste, not a dock leaf. That's good advice, as I can recognise a tube of toothpaste but not a dock leaf. I may have been a chemist once upon a time, but I can't explain why toothpaste does the trick, although I'm sure someone out there will be able to enlighten us. Anyway, I would recommend if you were off on a ramble, to take some Colgate or Sensodyne (other kinds of toothpaste are also available) with you.
Moving from plants and flowers, our little tour group turned to some wildlife living in or near the river. A river that was once the most polluted in the UK, but now that heavy industry has vanished from the Tyne and the river re-oxygenated over an extended period, it's seen as one of the cleanest. Apparently, it now even rivals some Scottish rivers for the quality of its salmon and trout. Of course, as they and other fish have returned, so has larger aquatic life to seek them out as sustenance. One often sees seals as far up as the Tyne Bridge in the heart of Newcastle. The same is true of an occasional dolphin. Our Baltic Gallery guide was a retired police diver and he shared how often the police receive calls from worried people who, on seeing a seal, would mistake it for a dog that had fallen in the river.
As Newcastle is so close to the coast, it will be no surprise that one can see several types of gulls in and around the city. However, the kittiwakes, which have nested in and around Gateshead and Newcastle since 1949, have captured everyone's hearts as that nesting is farther inland than anywhere else in the world. I want to think that, as with many people who visit the northeast, the kittiwakes have fallen in love with the warm Geordie welcome and the people's generally good humour. Yet it's probably more that the birds have a ready supply of food from the Tyne and nearby coast, and the riversides’ tall structures offer a safe environment. One link to Newcastle United is the striking plumage of the kittiwake juveniles that are white overall, with a black M pattern across their upper wings. Oh, and I should point out it's a myth that the Tyne kittiwakes call to each other in a Geordie accent.
Although typically cliff dwelling, the Tyne kittiwakes nest on several buildings along the river. However, the most extensive colonies are under the Tyne Bridge and along the river-facing edges of the Baltic Gallery. Interestingly, the birds must need the sight of water as they don't nest on the land-facing side of the gallery. They've become an attraction in the city, not just for ornithologists and naturalists but tourists too. Indeed, the Baltic Gallery has a viewing platform to watch the birds without disturbing them. However, if you plan to seek out the colony nesting under the Tyne Bridge, it's advisable to either use an umbrella or not dwell under the bridge for too long!
The kittiwakes arrive in the spring and disappear again in the late summer. And while the birds are welcomed in Newcastle, they pose a challenge to those responsible for the upkeep of the city. For example, the Tyne Bridge needs some TLC, but work can only occur while the birds aren’t nesting, limiting such work to the autumn and winter months. Months in which the northeast is not known for its clement weather! I always thought the birds were migratory, but our natural scientist guide told us they spend the wintertime on the seas and oceans. And not the warm climes of the Mediterranean, either. Those birds that nest in the northeast usually stay in the wild and windy North Sea.
Another bird species often seen on the Tyne is the cormorant. Indeed, just as our guide was telling us a little about them, right on cue, one landed on the water and dived down in search of some lunch. For the rest of the walk, that large, black bird with its short wings, long thin neck and hooked beak would occasionally appear, either swooping over the water, diving in for food or bobbing along on the surface. I guess it was checking that the guide was getting his facts right.
Of course, where you have birds that might offer a tasty meal, you also have birds of prey. In Newcastle's case, a pair of peregrine falcons that nest on the 'Queen Elizabeth the Second' bridge. It may be a suitable perch for mam and dad to nest and seek food, but it is not so good for their fledgling; many are lost before they even take wing. The bridge not being quite high enough for them to gain enough height on that first flight before they sadly hit the water. And yet, the parents don't move to taller structures.
Overall, I enjoyed my short nature walk as it opened my eyes to things I would typically not notice as flâneur-like I stroll amongst the city's urban landscape. I've written in other pieces that I am not a gardener, although I did try to grow flowers in my little garden this year. A few of what I planted bloomed, but my real success was creating a fertile environment for a proliferation of weeds (I’m sorry, but I refuse to call them ‘hero flowers’) despite my continued attempts to keep them at bay. To be honest, if they had lovely flowers, I just left them (and I accept that in reading that statement, most gardeners will be holding their heads in their hands). However, there was one that just spread like a low-lying fern. I discovered on the walk that it is a variety of 'horsetail’ and one of the oldest plants on the planet, predating the dinosaur, that once grew to treelike size. It’s now described in some circles as a ‘living fossil’ (some might say the same of me!)
Anyway, I appreciate that the walk has not made me an expert naturalist, but if nothing else, I now know to carry my toothpaste if venturing into the countryside.
The Urban Naturalist ... I sense a new chapter of the 'Meanderings Memoir' emerging. Really nicely done, Harry. Most enjoyable. With the dandelions - which proliferated on our meadow - we learned that they are vital for the Queen bee who gathers before establishing her colony. Also, the deer love them and confidently wandered into our 'all you can eat buffet', sometimes just few feet from the farmhouse.
Well Harry, you know more about flora and fauna than I do. I didn't know about 'Day's Eye' or the toothpaste remedy. As always, after reading your weekly meander, I know a little bit more than I did before.