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The Diaries of Brett Westwood

The Diaries of Brett Westwood: Episode 5: Canal

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Episode 5

Episode 5: Canal

Canal

BBC Radio 4 - The Diaries of Brett Westwood, Canal

Brett Westwood reflects on wildlife changes in his local patch over 40 years.

Brett Westwood reflects on how the wildlife has changed in five different habitats of his local patch over the past 40 years. In this episode he visits the canal.

5. Canal .
When Brett Westwood began a wildlife diary at the age of 15, little did he think that he'd still be writing notes, nearly 40 years later about the same local patch in North Worcestershire.
From those early days, when birding was done by bicycle, Brett's wildlife diaries have developed into a record which is anything but parochial. They mirror the often undreamt of changes which have taken place across the UK over the last 40 years. In this series Brett returns, diaries in hand, to different areas of his local patch and compares notes from the past with the landscape and wildlife of today. There are genuine shocks and revelations.
The River Stour has its source in the industrial Black Country and flows through Brett's local patch on its way to the Severn, about 9 miles away. Today, although it is polluted, the river is far clearer than in years gone by, thanks to rigorous controls on pollutants. With their absence, fish have returned and damselflies such as the white-legged damsel which is sensitive to pollution, skim across the surface. During his visit for the programme, Brett is thrilled to see a Beautiful Demoiselle for the first time here; a species which signifies that the water is less polluted than in the past. Last year Brett heard the what he's convinced was the 'plop' of a water vole and saw footprints in the riverside mud for the first time in fifteen years. With mink now well-established, could these water voles survive? 
The series underlines the importance of keeping a diary like Brett's not just for personal notes but as a valuable document of change which is measurable from decade to decade.
Wildlife sound recordist: Chris Watson, Producer: Sarah Blunt.

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Brett Westwood reflects on how the wildlife has changed in his local patch over 40 years.

Brett Westwood uses his diaries to reflect on how the wildlife has changed in five different habitats of his local patch over the past 40 years.

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