Nick Baker is a well known naturalist and author and has graced the television screens and radio since the mid-1990’s. Due to the nature (quite literally) of his work, he requires the very best in outdoor clothing and has been a long-time wearer and advocate for Páramo Clothing. Here he shares his advice on how to tackle unpredictable, transitional weather as we are edging further into Autumn...
As Ambassador for the UN Convention on Migratory Species, Sacha Dench campaigns to raise awareness of the problems facing many species and habitats around the world. Her latest expedition, Flight of the Osprey, is an innovative conservation project undertaken in collaboration with UN agencies, scientists, media and governments – and Páramo is honoured to have been chosen as its official clothing sponsor.
We were delighted to bump into writer and wildlife guide, David Chandler, at this year’s Global BirdFair event in Rutland, which brings together wildlife conservationists, representatives of nature travel, birders and natural history enthusiasts from all over the world.
David is skilled in introducing non-expert audiences to the natural world and worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International for over 16 years before going freelance. He has a life-long interest in wildlife and communicates the natural world with huge enthusiasm.
David recently reviewed our famous Páramo Poncho for the Gear Finder pages of Bird Watching magazine and we’re very excited to share his findings with you…
By early 2014, I had been monitoring and photographing red squirrels in West Cumbria for about 18 months. It rains in Cumbria (sometimes heavily) and I found that my existing waterproofs did not provide the required level of protection and comfort. April 2014 saw me in Scotland and the weather forecast, unseasonably warm, suggested that my trip, carrying heavy camera equipment, was likely to be a distinctly uncomfortable experience. I bought my first Páramo jacket, a Cascada, for the trip, was delighted with the results, and soon bought my first pair of Cascada directional trousers. My comfort level immediately improved.
Páramo’s long-term carbon-balancing and conservation partner, World Land Trust (WLT), has announced that the Ministry of Environment of Peru has recognised a private conservation area (ACP) that will protect a large Páramo vegetation zone of the South American Andes. The community of San Juan de Sallique has pledged to protect approximately 8,650 acres (3,500 hectares) of Montane Forest and Páramo.
This reflects three years of work by the communities and WLT’s partner Naturaleza y Cultura Peru (NCP), securing the protection of this important habitat in perpetuity – an important step for wildlife such as Spectacled Bears and endangered Mountain Tapirs, but also a triumph for the communities dedicated to preserving their water sources through conservation and sustainable agricultural practices. Continue reading
I’ve been visiting Madagascar for over 20 years: in fact I’ve returned each year since 1991. Back then it captivated me like no place had done before, or since, and my enthusiasm has yet to diminish. Since my first visit in 1998, one place on the island has been my favourite – Marojejy National Park in the far north east. It is one of Madagascar’s wildest places.
I initially visited the park with just one aim – to get photos of the incredibly rare silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus). After considerable effort, I managed to get something, but of course this was in the days of film and by today’s standards the pictures were very poor. In more recent years, I’ve returned to Marojejy several times to try and improve on those images and to document more of the park’s diverse wildlife.
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The snow leopard is the epitome of remote, rugged wilderness and has for so long been regarded as a mythical ghost of the mountains: a creature that lives unseen amongst the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas and Central Asia. Continue reading
Now that we’re into April, this breeding season’s owling is well into its swing. Owling is the name our group gives to the activity of putting up nest boxes and monitoring them for these magnificent birds. In the UK, Barn Owls, Little Owls and Tawny Owls breed inside pre-existing cavities, such as tree hollows and outbuildings, but all will breed in nest boxes. Short-eared Owls are ground nesters and Long-eared Owls prefer to breed in old Magpie and Crow nests.
I started owling in 2006 and have been hooked ever since. I get immense joy seeing owls up close, but am predominantly driven by a desire to provide additional nest sites for them, to ring any chicks, and to contribute to the BTO’s nest record scheme. Whilst ideally we’d like all owls to breed in natural cavities, research has shown that a shortage of suitable nest sites can limit owl numbers. Furthermore, at some sites, especially in modern farm buildings, nest boxes can provide a more secure nest site compared with semi-exposed sites without vegetation.
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