Hi, I'm Rudi, i'm 8 years old and my favourite book is 'Tarka the Otter' by Henry Williamson. Its about the life of an otter named Tarka and British Wildlife. One night i was reading the book with my dad and i said that i wanted to see all the animals in the book, he said i should do it and call it the Tarka Challenge. My Tarka Challenge started on 1st January 2012. The book contains 89 birds, 54 land based animals, 120 plants and 56 aquatic organisms.

The rules are simple, i must either see each thing myself or photograph it using my trail camera. I will try and see each thing on my local patch (Ogmore River Catchment) but may need to look somewhere else in Britain.

RSPB Birdwatch

I did the RSPS big garden birdawtch yesterday -

16 House Sparrows
1 Blackbird
1 Blue tit
6 Starling
1 Robin
1 Dunnock
1 Goldfinch
2 Chaffinch
2 Collard Dove

My GS Woodpecker didnt show up.

Me and dad went for a walk to Parc Slip in Tondu. We saw these

 A Dunnock


 A Long Tailed Tit


 A Nuthatch



A Reed Bunting

Crossbills



We went looking for Goldcrests at Aber woods, we didnt see any but i did see my first Crossbills

RSPB Walk

15/01/12

We went on a RSPB walk today at Ogmore-By-Sea. We met some nice people who showed me a Purple Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and Stonechat. We saw some Oystercatchers wandering around the beach car park.

We stopped at Portobello Island and saw Redshank, Goldeneye, Mute Swan, Shellduck, Goosanders and Turnstone

Redshank at Ogmore River

Shellduck

Gooseander
Goldeneye

Turnstone at Portobello Island

We stopped to check the pond by the Watermill and saw a Greylag Goose, Little Eggret and a Heron flying off down river.

Grey Lag Goose at the Watermill

I crossed these off my list

Redshank
Ringed Plover
Oystercatcher
Goldeneye
Mute Swan
Heron

Slimbridge Trip

14/01/12

Mum and Dad took me and Finn to Slimbridge today for our first trip. We were really excited. When we walked out and saw all the birds it was amazing. We walked around and listened to a talk about the North American River Otters, they were really cool.


We went out into the hides and watched the wild birds. We saw a White Fronted Goose, Black Headed Gull, Wigeon and Reed Bunting which were all on the list. The Reed Bunting just sat there while my Dad took some pictures


Black Headed Gull

There were loads of Wood Pigeons, Coot and Moorhens walking around.


There were some other birds there that i saw for the first time, they were not on the Tarka List but i was glad to see them

Bewick Swan

Eider

Pintail

While we were watching the birds we saw some wild Rabbits




On the way home we stopped off at the Forest of Dean and i saw my first Nuthatch and Marsh Tit, we even saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the tree next to our car


It was dark and cold when we got home and we sat in front of the fire talking about what we had seen. I crossed these off my list

Reed Bunting
Pigeon
Wigeon
White Fronted Goose
Rabbit

Lapwings at St Brides Major

Lapwings after school

11/01/12

My dad picked us up from school and said he had seen Lapwings in the field on the edge of the village. I ran home and put my wellies on and we drove upto the field. I had my fingers crossed that they would still be there because i had never seen them before.

When we arrived there was more than 100 in the field.


We watched them for 20 minutes, it was great seeing them fly around.



Then we went to the pond and watched the shovellers and drank a flask of tea and ate custard cream biscuits.

I crossed Lapwings off my list.

The List - Aquatic

Porpoise
Lobster
Sea Lion
Elver
Lampreys
Pike
Seal
Razor Fish
Ragworm
Fluke
Dab
Plaice
Crab
Salmon
Peal
Sea Trout
Roach
Eel
Water Fly
Trout
Loach
Shrimp
Bass
Grey Mullet
Flatfish
Tadpole
Pollack
Nymph
Minnow
Water Flea
Mussel
Sand Eel
Loach
Mullyhead
Conger Eel
Grey Seal
Shrimp
Dace
Bull Frogs
Carp
Green Phospheresance
Oarweed
Sea Devil (rod and line)
Skate
Fry
Leech
Cyclops
Frog
Prawn
Gobie
Blennie
Limpet
Winkle
Purple Laver
Barnacle
Seaweed

The List - Plant Life

Oak
Ash
Alder
Sallow
Bluebell
Primrose
Hawthorn
Willow
Blackberry
Reeds
Reed Mace
Oak Apple
Fern
Bracken
Charlock
Balsam
Water Crowsfoot
Sedge
Buttercups
Cuckoo Flower
Puffballs
Ivy
Thongweed
Lichen
Hemlock 
Sycamore
Grass
Foxglove
Honeysuckle
Yellow Goats Beard
Kingcups
Figwort
Angelica
Nettles
Blackthorn
Rush
Moss
Larch
Fir Tree
Marram Grass
Marsh Orchid
Sinking Iris
Bog Pimpernel
Birch
Whitethorn
Royal Fern
Water Violet
Holly
Apple Tree
Hazel
Green Flags
Elm
Beech
Ragged Robin
Wild Cherry
Spindle Berry
Rape
Poplar
Chestnut Tree
Glasswort
Sea Lavender
Sea Beet
Sea Wormwood
Thistle
Sea Thrift
Elder
Mullien
Great Sea Rush
Clover
Turnip
Vernal Whitlow Grass
Cotton Grass
Gromwell
Heather
Whortleberry
Lent Lillies
Wild Daffodils
Celandines
Dogs Foot Mercury
Dock
Scurvy Grass
Yellow Kingcups
River Sedge
Waterlillies
Stoats Tails
Dodder
Dandelion
Corn
Harts Tongue Fern
Monkey Tree
Algae
Mushroom
Stinking Iris
Ragwort
Teasel
Toad Stool
Sycamore
Great Sea Stock
Privet Bush
Blunt Headed Club Rush
Pine Tree
Linseed
Bamboo
Sorrel
Borage
Comfrey
Dog Rose
Marsh Wort
Burdock
Hog Weed
Star Wort
Spleenwort
Wall Rue
Male Fern
Hawk Weed
St Johns Wort
Wild Garlic
Gorse
Flag Lillies
Wild Rose

The List - Land Based Animals

Sabre Tooth Tiger
Bear
Wolf
Otter
Pine Martin
Weasel
Stoat
Polecat
Moose
Red Deer
Piperstrelle Bat
Grass Snake
Viper
Fox
Mouse
Vole
Tick
Great Blunt Headed Moth
Badger
Gorse Spider
Rat
Cockchafer
Hedgehog
Dragon Fly
Drake Fly
Moth
Mosquito
Ferret
Black Faced Sheep
Blowfly
Flea
Caterpiller
Rabbit
Horse
Centipede
Bullock
Bee
Grass Hopper
Bumblebees
Spider
Cattle
Ant
Woodlice
Cranefly
Slug
Worm
Pig
Beetle
Snail
Lamb
Cat
Kitten
Pony
Dog

The List - The Birds

Arctic Owl
Nightjar
Red Throated Diver
Bittern
Barn Owl
Cuckoo
Short Eared Owl
Tawny Owl
Corncrake
Great Northern Diver
Red Backed Shrike
Snow Bunting
Fire Crest
Kingfisher
Reed Bunting
Curlew
Turtle Dove
Snipe
Raven
Sedge Warbler
Grey Wagtail
Treecreeper
Shag
Black Grouse
Grouse
Partridge
Swift
Sedge Warbler
Sparrowhawk
Willow Warbler
Little Stints
Kestrel
Dipper
Lark
Cockrel
Ring Plover
Golden Plover
Whimbrel
Redshank
Rock Dove
Gulliemot
Lapwing
Pippit
Wheatears
Pied Wagtail
White Fronted Goose
Sanderling
Peregrine Falcon
Oyster Catcher
Dabchick (little grebe)
Shoveller
Pochard
Goldeneye
Wigeon
Teal
Linnet
Peacock
Mute Swan
Swallow
Heron
Woodpecker
Magpie
Duckling
Jay
Landrail
Chiffchaff
Cormorant
Dwarf Owl
Muscovy Duck
Herring Gulls
Wren
Wild Pigeon
Moorhen
Buzzard
Coot
Mallard
Sand Martin
Gull
Cole Tit
Carrion Crow
Finch
Pigeons
Rook
Jackdaw
Pheasant
Blackbird
Robin
Sparrow

Alun Valley

08/01/12
We set off early this morning, my dad gave me a backy on his mountain bike. We went over to the Afon Valley to volunteer with the Butterfly Conservation group. On the way i found a bank voles house with a pile of hazelnut shells outside it.



We helped out the High Brown Fritillary butterfly by copicing the hazel with the other volunteers. I enjoyed talking about wildlife and drinking a hot cup of tea. I crossed hazel and oak off the list.

Curlew & Cormorant

Curlew & Cormorant

07/01/12

When i woke up i saw a blackbird and robin in my garden. We stopped at the Watermill in Ogmore on the way to Nanny's house and saw some Curlew. In the afternoon we went to Kenfig Pool and sat in the Hide for an hour to try to see the Bittern, we saw him just before christmas but didnt see him today. We did see pochard, great crested grebe, tufted duck, wood pigeon, cormorant, teal and moorhen.



I got to cross these birds off my list -

Blackbird
Robin
Curlew
Pochard
Teal
Wood Pigeon
Moorhen
Cormorant

Village Pond - Shoveller



06/01/12 When i got home from school my dad said he saw some new birds on the village pond on his way home from work. We went there and they were shovellers. We saw some coot and mallard too. I crossed shoveller off my list.

New Years Day Walk

01/01/12



The first day of the tarka challenge my Dad woke me up at 09:40 (i stayed up late to watch the New Years Eve fireworks). I looked out of my bedroom window and saw 3 goldfinches and house sparrows in the Ash tree. We were going on the Wildlife Trust New years day walk and had to be at the meeting point at Monk Nash by 10:00, i said good bye to my dog. As we drove past the village pond we saw a coot and a mallard. We arrived just in time and set off on a muddy walk through the grass.

As we walked i was telling everyone about my christmas presents. Hugh called me over and showed me a Grey Wagtail by the stream. When we got down to the cliffs Peter and Richard showed me some Fulmars that were gliding in the wind around the cliffs. I had never seen Fulmars before so i was really happy as the glided really close to me. You have to be careful with Fulmars because if you get too close to them and thier nest they spit fishy goo at you. Luckily they didnt spit at me. Fulmars are not on the Tarka list but they looked very cool.

At the top of the cliff we looked for Chough but did not see any. We saw a ring of Field Blewitt mushrooms and wild cabbage. As we walked along the cliffs we saw a Kestrel hovering and a Pippit. We could hear the bell dinging on the bouy out at sea.

As we walked back we saw Jackdaws, a magpie, Carrion Crows, a Pied Wagtail, another Grey Wagtail, a sheep and a horse. As we drove home we passed a Buzzard resting on a perch in a field and some pigs rolling around in mud on a farm.

After lunch we went down the woods and set up my Trail Camera (motion sensitive with night vision!) we placed some bait (peanuts, an egg and an apple) to try and attract animals. When we went to collect the camera early in the morning no bait had been eating but the camera had taken a picture of some Ivy flapping in the wind.

So the following were ticked off the list -
Grey Wagtail
Kestrel
Pippit
Pied Wagtail
Magpie
Buzzard
Coot
Mallard
Carion Crow
Finch
Jackdaw
Sparrow
Dog
Pig
Horse
Ash
Ivy
Grass

(i was going to tick off Sheep but did'nt because in the book it says Black Faced Sheep and i didnt see one of those)