WonderfulWildlifeUK

I been sitting on some pretty exciting news for a few months now. I am delighted to ‘don the orange’ (makes a change from green!) as one of the new 2020 Ordnance Survey Champions ! I feel very  proud honoured and privileged to be one of just 100 champions, ambassadors for the outdoors, chosen from all across the UK  to help Ordnance Survey to promote the benefits of being in the great British Countryside. Ordinarily, this would be a fantastic opportunity and I was SO looking forward to the big launch and to meet all the other amazing outdoorsy folk who are part of this new team. Of course, the current situation soon put that on hold, so we have had to get to know each other via social media groups, over the last month, instead. We are all SO passionate about the outdoors and we are going to have to be very creative over the coming months, as our outside time becomes more and more restricted. I am blessed to have my garden of course and lots of walks that I do on a daily b...

All new cat pens are now occupied, and we have three new cats... or at least new on view... to introduce to you. Later last year we collected a couple of sisters who were born at Edinburgh zoo. "Hilda" above and "Agnes" below. They are both to become part of the breeding programme, and to take over from Kendra and Iona who have done so well for us in the past in rearing kittens.  You can see that Agnes is still rather shy. She was the last cat to be put on display, while we were waiting for her new enclosure to dry out after the works and slight flooding, but while there are no visitors coming in it is the perfect chance for her to settle in well. I tried to get a nice photo of her over the last few days, but alas... she decided she didn't want to pose. Another new cat who came to us earlier this year from the West Country Wildlife Centre, was "Atticus" above. Handsome face! He is still rather young, and still settling in, but will also be ...

A few photos from Alan in the past few days of a Moorhen foraging the bottom of a pond and often completely submerging itself. And a Treecreeper giving a tree a thorough workover. from Cholsey Wildlife https://cholseywildlife.blogspot.com/2020/03/moorhen-treecreeper.html

Well, it’s been a rather surreal few weeks, since I wrote my last blog. Ironically, I have been busier than I have ever been… but that is because what I do and love has suddenly become even more relevant to everyone; appreciating what is right on our doorsteps. The way that we all interact with the world has changed. For some, this  will have completely turned their world upside down in so many ways. It is a frightening time, when everything around us seems to be changing and our lives feel like they will never be the quite the same again. Many now feel like they are not in control and, as restrictions bite harder, people are forced into smaller and smaller spaces, often with very limited access to the outside world. Suddenly, that freedom to be outside and to interact directly is fast disappearing. I am lucky. I live in a rural location. I have a lovely garden and my house is surrounded by fields. Perhaps, most significantly for me, I am used to spending quite a lot of my time ...

Isles of Scilly October 1994, most of us had been going to Scilly every October since the early 80’s and had become the annual birding holiday to see UK rarities and an excellent social occasion and this year was no exception. However this one had a different twist to it. As usual one night we were down the Mermaid pub partaking in a few beers when a dare was put to us by a Mrs Deborah Lewington and was “who fancies a skinny dip” as the night was well under way and quite a few drinks had been consumed we agreed, just for a laugh and not expecting what would follow. At chucking out time we all made our way down to Porthcressa beach, fortunately is was a fairly mild night and the sea was quiet. If I recall correctly there was quite few of us there, Ian & Debbie Lewington, Martin Hallam, Kim Talbot, Geoff, Roger and Brian Wyatt, Pete Pool, myself and several others. As is usual after consuming a few alcoholic beverages your inhibitions go out the window and four of us stripped o...

The Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) has launched a new citizen science scheme aiming to map the distribution of five distinctive yet under-recorded bee species across North East England. The five species at the heart of the North East Bee Hunt are common and widespread in other parts of Britain, yet there are noticeable […] from James Common https://commonbynature.co.uk/2020/03/28/could-you-contribute-to-the-north-east-bee-hunt/

Sunny, 13°, light NE. Have been watching the garden for the last couple of days and not venturing out and not doing too bad. Fortunately we overlook Whitehead Meadow and so have a good vista to look out on. Birdwise, there have been 39 species in, over or near the garden, including Chiffchaff , Grey Wagtail , Sparrowhawk , Buzzard , Coal Tit , Nuthatch , Jay , Green Woodpecker , Tawny Owl and Canada Goose to name a few. A few butterflies present with many Brimstone , 2 Small Tortoiseshell , an Orange Tip and a Comma but none staying too long. Plenty of Hoverflies around but none staying still, so no id’s yet. A single Spotted Bee-fly seen briefly. Female Blackbird One of the four Stock Dove that regularly visit. from Cholsey Wildlife https://cholseywildlife.blogspot.com/2020/03/garden-birding.html

A few of the butterflies photographed by Alan over the last few days. Holly Blue, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock. from Cholsey Wildlife https://cholseywildlife.blogspot.com/2020/03/butterflies.html

Each night a sleepy corner of the country witnesses an amphibian march as hundreds of toads and newts make a perilous journey across a busy road to breed. This mass migration to the Woodland Trust owned Haddon Wood, near Castle Carey, Somerset, is being charted for the first time by a team of hardy volunteers. […] from James Common https://commonbynature.co.uk/2020/03/26/croaky-thousands-of-toads-make-perilous-mass-migration-to-breed/

My walk through the woods has become significantly more important for me since the announcement came that the country was going into lockdown. The song of the blackbird, the sight of a butterfly; these and many more moments have become more precious as the freedom to move whenever and wherever is reduced. After a number […] from James Common https://commonbynature.co.uk/2020/03/26/signs-of-spring-by-frances-jones/

Saturday October 13th 1984 was my first visit to the fabled Isles of Scilly, Brian Wyatt and I spent a week the previous October (83) in Norfolk seeing a Roller and a couple of other rarities but also heard about all the rarities turning up on Scilly and we then decided to go there for a week next autumn (84) to see what all the fuss was about. We left Oxfordshire early morning for an uneventful drive to Penzance and then took the 2½ hour boat trip over to Scilly on the Scillonian III and were rewarded with several Great Skua and Sooty Shearwater and other sea birds on the way across. Back in the 80’s there were a lot of birders, maybe a thousand or so on the islands in October so a lot of birds got found and little escaped attention. Arriving on Scilly around 12:30 we made for the camp site on the Garrison on St Marys to put the tent up and then back down to some birding. As the technology was not around at that time we would ask anyone with a CB “what’s about” or look on the n...

Sunshine, 12°, moderate SE. A Grey Wagtail flying around the garden this morning prior to my walk out to Lollingdon. The Hill was relatively quiet, 2 Kestrel hunting, 10 Fieldfare and 4 Song Thrush feeding and a singing Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting . More singing Chiffchaff around with numbers just getting into double figures now and Treecreeper singing in the Millennium Wood. A Mistle Thrush in song and a Great-spotted Woodpecker drumming. The warmer weather has brought out the insects with several Brimstone butterflies on the wing and 3 Peacock , 2 Small Tortoiseshell and a Comma . A couple of Spotted Bee-fly also noted. Tony Rayner recorded the first Small White of the year and a reptile count of 7 Grass Snake and 36 Slow Worm . And 3 Redwing in a neighbours Beech tree. Alan was also out today on the other side of the village. Chiffchaff , Corn Bunting , Yellowhammer , pair of Treecreeper , a Peregrine , a female Sparrowhawk with prey and Black-heade...

Well, what a strange weekend... the first weekend for over six years that we have not been open to the public! This is what our otters think about all of this, above... But seriously, we do have to take all this seriously. It seems that news about the corona virus has been around for a long time, but at the same time the potential impact and seriousness of it all has been rapidly becoming clearer in recent days. We have to do what we can not just to protect ourselves, but those more vulnerable that we may come in to contact with and to do our best to help, even if only a small way, to relieve any pressure on the NHS and the amazing work they are doing. So, to update those who don't follow our social media, the Centre is now in lockdown as of last Friday evening. We feel this is the best thing to do morally and ethically to protect our visitors, members of staff and the wider community. Don't worry about the animals, they are fine, I am here 24/7 and will keep them he...