Freshwater fish project funded!

Well I'm delighted to announce my kickstarter campaign has worked and my freshwater fish project will be going ahead!

Link to Kickstarter

The aim of the project is to put fish in the limelight and show them off as a valuable and interesting part of are natural fauna rather then just a meal for other wildlife. We have 54 species swimming in are freshwater (give or take a few migrant sea fish and alien species) the main focus will be filming our native species underwater showing behaviour we rarely get to see.

The money donated will go towards me travelling to venues all over the UK including Norfolk for Brook lamprey and Crucians, Welsh Boarders for Shad and the lake district for some rare glacial species. Themes for the film will include showing children mini species, helping a well known nature reserve uncover its fish species, catching a alien fish and sharing the plight of eels.

The film will be shown at a private cinema in Nottingham when completed and already having a few possible TV opportunities.

A short film highlighting threats and showing whats being done to combat them as well as experts talking about the state of our freshwater habitats. The main aim to film as many species as possible as species like Salmon and Pike are often shown but lots of other species rarely get a mention like spined loach or gudgeon?

Here's 28 species I've already filmed

If you'd like to get involved theres a number of ways

• Donate/Sponsor - if you have a company that would like to sponsor us you can still give and have the option to have your company appear in the end credits of the film. If you'd still like to give money just to support the project then you can still give directly to me

• Locations - If you know of a good clear water venue to film fish (particularly the rarer species) then chances are I'd be interested in knowing!

• Media - I'll be doing allot of filming but would be good to have a second camera so if you want the experience to work on this project then get in touch. Editors, Researchers and other roles welcome!

• Spread the word! - This ones free and little effort, just tweet, facebook, email ,blog or good old fashioned chat to people about the project and see if others can help! 

Pond Dipping

Pond Dipping is something i used to love as a child (not living anywhere near the sea it was the closet i got to rockpooling) and the sheer wealth of wildlife you can find is quite amazing all these species are from the same pond over two days.

This was the first Great Diving Beetle I've ever caught and is about the size of a 50p quite large for a British beetle, they are top predators in the ponds.

The Spined Loach is only found in five eastern rivers in England one of which the Trent floods into the pond i net so i would assume that's how this one got into there. the little fish often get over looked but without a doubt have the best markings.

This sinister looking creature is a Water Stick Insect which similar to a praying mantis grabs its prey and sucks the life out of it literally.

This is a male Smooth Newt not to be confused with a Great Crested Newt (see video below) they grow the crest in spring then loose it later in the year.

Great Crested Newts

Hints -

- Look for vegetation and over hanging plants as critters will often hide in there

- Be gentle when scooping as you can damage some species 

-  Using a tank to view the species without handling them is a good idea and provides good opportunities for photography.

www.jackperksphotography.com