"I think it's the most magical time of the day!" - What happens at sunrise and sunset?

00:00:00: Hello and welcome to the children and books podcast

00:00:08: today we are talking to Frankie she's an ecologist and welcome to the podcast I'm happy that you here.

00:00:17: Thank you lovely to be here

00:00:19: hello from me to hello from now I'm very happy that you are a guest this time and we will talk about a very very critical and special which weekend

00:00:33: which weekend see and to develop everyday if we like.

00:00:41: Yes that sounds good nice to meet you both hello frankly lovely to have you here.

00:00:49: So we were wanting to talk to you about what lubina WhatsApp was just hinting out with that special time of day.

00:01:00: Dusk and also Dawn so why is it that that these times of day or important.

00:01:08: In the in the Natural World but also why do you think.

00:01:15: It's important for children to be able to experience these things.

00:01:22: I think I'm saying in my job as an ecologist that spend many many many hours a year sitting in a chair outside

00:01:32: from about just just before sunset until a couple of hours after sunset watching to see if any bats come out of a particular Building or tree

00:01:43: other structure that time of day I feel like it's a real privilege to witness

00:01:52: what happened to the time and mostly busy getting dinner ready at home or doing

00:02:04: the evening Chorus of the birds getting towards sunset and then moving wherever you are.

00:02:16: Because they're all going home to roost for the night,

00:02:22: quiet spell just after sunset and then with in about half an hour that's come out of pond.

00:02:32: Start the hedgehogs venture out in the foxes.

00:02:41: Little interactions and I think because you're sitting so quietly they don't have.

00:02:49: Quite right up to you if you're just sitting and anywhere you become part of the.

00:02:59: Environment and then that's really special things to see.

00:03:04: The children it's the same in the summer here.

00:03:11: Well and truly asleep by the time the sun goes down especially in Scotland.

00:03:18: Yeah yeah the sun doesn't go down till about 11 p.m. at the moment.

00:03:26: And then things right back up again if you have about 3.

00:03:32: Children don't get to see these things and Times of year when it works with bedtime,

00:03:45: dining experience that just in their gardens is such a privilege to see.

00:03:55: There's a chemical response in our bodies as well to the light levels the natural light levels dropping which,

00:04:03: releases melatonin in our sleep.

00:04:09: Children that's a really important thing I think is all day.

00:04:16: I don't have that natural rhythm of things.

00:04:27: Yeah that does sound important because you know if children are experiencing sort of artificial light indoors a lot of the time.

00:04:37: And then there's kind of United natural hormones and chemicals that are released.

00:04:44: With the with the natural rhythms of the day then will will make a big difference when I've never really thought about it in that way before.

00:04:55: I guess as a mother of young boys yo you get them experience the sun going down as often as you can

00:05:12: it's really.

00:05:19: You're not taking me notice if you just outside of the evenings nice wine down to the day,

00:05:29: research hearing to hear actually called learning through landscapes which is all about.

00:05:38: Children.

00:05:42: Important to children learning and also.

00:05:51: Hozier and fulfills their occupies and they're happier and there.

00:06:01: Get less of this.

00:06:03: And difficult behaviours of them special young children and babies crying baby outside.

00:06:17: I I experience into an eye in the evening go to the garden and then the people are going it's not the time of dusk,

00:06:27: not not so late but I always have some feeling that the world is cooling down and there is a piece.

00:06:37: Not too much to hear and inside I'm come to a rest and much more better rest too,

00:06:46: then when I go on in the flat to do something it's a lovely feeling.

00:06:56: And I think you feel like you are part of the world not just part of modern life then,

00:07:04: yeah one of my most memorable memories from from childhood is a holiday that we had and we were down in Cornwall.

00:07:17: I think by the Devon or Cornwall but for some reason and we were camping.

00:07:24: My parents decided not to not use the tent that we would just sleep under the stars.

00:07:31: And and so we just made up made up our beds and it was it was on the sand dunes and then I remember kind of being snuggled up between between my mum

00:07:45: and my brother on one side of my mum and dad on the other side and then because

00:07:51: you are my brother said he texted me from from the bears I remember

00:08:02: feeling excited about going to sleep thinking wow are they really going to be bears.

00:08:10: Because.

00:08:17: But yeah I'm just thinking about what you were saying Frankie about how kind of children experience nature.

00:08:25: And these things are so important aren't they I mean that's a massive.

00:08:29: That's made a massive impression on me.

00:08:36: Precious yeah,

00:08:43: if you can it depends on the age and the interest level of the children probably if they can sit quietly and watch all sorts of things that happen those times of days.

00:08:58: Moment in time little interaction between hearts between you and a wild animal.

00:09:06: Sometimes between two different species

00:09:12: fascinating remember watching the Woodlands Edge shopping Norfolk and see.

00:09:21: Which species emerged from the Woodlands to indicate he was researching and that and then.

00:09:31: Play part of that for the day to night shift handover that you see with the,

00:09:41: daytime Birds winding down really loud and then winding down and then that's coming out and I've been watching this bar now,

00:09:51: poultry over the sales next Woodlands and the Woodlands Edge and

00:09:59: barbastelle bat which is that in this country

00:10:08: and probably are ugly

00:10:15: my little barn owls,

00:10:25: I don't know why not really witness that territorial.

00:10:31: In front of me with scared and left and it was incredible

00:10:43: which banks usually be pray to 2 hours.

00:10:48: Play I don't think it's there.

00:10:56: Maybe Falls,

00:11:05: freezer mice and a quarter.

00:11:09: Systemically back and forth.

00:11:17: I just don't know if they've got the.

00:11:21: The anatomy and aerodynamics to allow them to catch about the answer to that.

00:11:37: And in which way is the special you told us you were sitting day centre he sent evening sent evening outside Looking watching in twitch where is what's the special moments you.

00:11:51: Experience.

00:11:54: Very quiet when you just sit quietly into the background for the animals that are coming out at night-time.

00:12:06: Photos.

00:12:13: Just walking right up to you and foraging for worms and beetles right around your feet and just not really.

00:12:27: And also sometimes with babies with them.

00:12:32: South Wales on the River Ogmore for Dawn survey.

00:12:43: Huge fan of butters as my biggest thing as you know Rachel Rachel you have many otters living around sister mother.

00:12:57: And coats,

00:12:58: silently guided by in the water at 5 in the morning and in the right place right time.

00:13:13: That is just a huge privilege.

00:13:16: Well when you're looking for things and you really do find what you're looking for I can remember tracking.

00:13:26: A badger following a badger part to see.

00:13:30: To badger setts connected.

00:13:43: My hands are best snuffle and The Shuffle.

00:13:50: Add dirty rustling through the nettles coming nearer and nearer,

00:13:55: what's all the way up to my legs on the past

00:14:02: turned around and walked away back left again to the Earth

00:14:12: so much I think badgers hilarious.

00:14:21: Yeah actually.

00:14:30: To sit quietly somewhere downwind.

00:14:39: Binoculars,

00:14:42: yeah and of course you know because these kind of animals feature so heavily in children's books all the time don't they you know that you know the friends left in the Valley by the river.

00:14:56: And all of them you told they are there.

00:15:04: Better Dorian and O Luna and two mice and the rabbits Hardy.

00:15:15: I remember is coming coming back from one of the islands I think we're on Tiree for a holiday.

00:15:23: And then.

00:15:27: As we as we left that morning to get the ferry back we will it was quite early in the morning but then there's always hairs lots of hairs on Tiree and hairs

00:15:38: big big rabbits travel sometimes the size of

00:15:43: a small child I would say is the biggest hair I've seen you know such a break a maybe

00:15:51: a 1 or 2 year old child that big and Tall,

00:15:59: is hares and the huge hair that looks so so large and then on the ferry we there was there was,

00:16:08: a pod of dolphins following the ferry with the word jumping in and out of the water and dust performing for us and they just seem very happy that they had an audience

00:16:23: and then we got back and as we were driving into the village there was a deer cross the road,

00:16:31: which we didn't hit in the car and as we slowed down we were just coming to the slip where the Slipway going into the water and they're on the water's edge was.

00:16:44: And say that within the spaces you know a day of his coming back from Tyrese and week and it's like we are in a Disney movie,

00:16:54: today because all these animals appeared just think how kind of ironic that is really but we thought of ourselves

00:17:07: this was this is real life

00:17:10: you know and and Disney have taken that of the Natural World and made it into colourful cartoon.

00:17:19: The kids to relate to and now we're trying to get to relate to the real natural world again.

00:17:28: Yeah I kind of know.

00:17:34: I think it is a kind of authority to to go away from the colourful cartoon words which are moving all the time when saying and to go to this

00:17:49: the nature which is not the chestnut too much fun.

00:17:54: Direct but I think we never forget this are very special moments when we have got Justice contact with wild animals

00:18:02: I can see you on this day I had this and there I made a fox scent there was another any millions of forest and I really remember all this

00:18:14: this meeting.

00:18:16: Such a lovely feeling isn't it when you get those exchanges for the 7 unexpected the last time we.

00:18:28: Went up to see Rachel and Tom we have just got an electric car and we were driving,

00:18:36: south coast of England to West Scotland and it usually takes about 1 hours,

00:18:49: we have all sorts of problems with charging the electric car technical issues or we spent 2 hours having lunch what we do and it was working.

00:19:04: Anyway 18/2 hours later with two little boys in the back of the car we arrived at.

00:19:15: And they drive past your house Rachel to go round to everything,

00:19:22: across the road and we all just stopped and because the car is such a quiet car I think it has been too scared

00:19:36: the report website that gave us.

00:19:41: Terrible journey Longest Journey just got there.

00:19:55: Thailand

00:19:56: yeah yeah I think it yeah that sounds very nice it's a nice picture for the ending of our port cost today the auto you met after such a long journey and we can only recommend everybody I think it's maybe the best in family,

00:20:14: the group is not too weak to go to the nature to see what you were experience which right anymore is he worth.

00:20:24: And thank you Frankie that you are so open to talk with us and to discuss this around around this meeting around the desk

00:20:37: thank you for having me

00:20:40: yeah thank you Rachel and thank you to all all listeners Bohemia arrivederci.

00:20:48: Music.