A huge thank-you to Tipton St John Primary School and in particular, the Nature Day team who organised and ran a special day last month. The team decided that they wanted to take over some of the teaching on the day and focus on endangered species and how important wildlife is. They also encouraged students to bake cakes to sell so that they could raise money for some conservation charities, one of which was Devon Wildlife Trust. Today I went back to the school to be presented with a cheque and to say thanks for all the effort that went into the day. Thanks to everyone at the school for all their support you are true wildlife champions!! Paul
Archive for June, 2012
A big thanks for special nature day
Monday, June 25th, 2012Creative Competition gives gardens a wildlife makeover
Monday, June 25th, 2012
Today I called in to drop off some things at Pinhoe Primary School and was shown the incredible results of a brilliant competition they have been running in the school. Each class has a small piece of garden outside the classroom which had slowly overgrown and become a bit messy but look at them now!!!! With the challenge set down by Headteacher Mrs Lane, the staff and students have responded in an amazing variety of ways. I could tell that Mrs Lane was going to have real problems deciding who the winners would be. It only shows what you can do if you put your mind to it. You guys are an inspiration! Let me know who won won’t you! Paul
Special offer for Wildlife Champions schools…
Monday, June 25th, 2012
If you are at a Wildlife Champions School then we have some GREAT NEWS for you! For a short period you and your family can become members of Devon Wildlife Trust for half the normal price for the first year. This means that everybody in your family will receive some brilliant magazines, information about events and so much more for just £18…Brilliant!! That way you can know loads more about what we do and help us achieve even more at the same time.
To find out more contact Devon Wildlife Trust and ask for more details about the Wildlife Champions membership offer. Thanks. Paul
Wildlife Discovery Days this summer
Monday, June 25th, 2012
For the first time this summer, Devon Wildlife Trust is going to run three Wildlife Discovery days at our farm in Doddiscombsleigh. This is a special offer to all our wildlife champions in Exeter who want to learn more about wildlife and have lots of fun discovering nature in the area. We are providing the transport to and from the farm from Monday 23rd July to Weds 25th July. We will be looking at pond wildlife, going bug hunting, learning to use our senses and creating great craft to take home. If you are aged between 8-11, these days are for you. As this is the first year we are offering it at a special discounted rate of £30 for all three days – a bargain!! There are only 25 places available so get in touch to find out more and book your place. Paul
Creatures of the night
Monday, June 25th, 2012When most of us are tucked up in our beds, a different world takes over outside and many creatures, including most UK mammals, become more active.
Compared to the creatures that have evolved to thrive in this dark arena, our limited vision fails us and other senses rush in to try to comprehend our surroundings. This makes wildlife-spotting at night such a thrilling experience. So why not join us at one of our many evening events this summer?
Glow-worms – if we’re lucky!
Tuesday 26th June, 9.45pm until late, Tarka Trail, Yelland
A walk along a stretch of this old railway line looking for the lights of glow-worms in the grassy verges.
Glow-worms, bats and nightjars
Thursday 28th June, 8.30 – 11pm, Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bystock Nature Reserve, near Exmouth
Join DWT’s Ian Chadwick for an evening searching for glow-worms, bats and nightjars.
Glow-worms alight
Saturday 7th July, 9pm – midnight, Cookworthy Forest Centre, near Halwill Junction
Search for glow-worms and moths with DWT’s Working Wetlands staff.
Bats at Bystock
Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd August, 8.30 – 10.30pm, Bystock Nature Reserve
Join Ian Chadwick, DWT Nature Reserves Officer, for a walk around Bystock nature reserve to discover which bats can be found there.
Dartmoor after dark
Saturday 11th August, 9pm – midnight, Trendlebere Down, near Bovey Tracey
Walk over Trendlebere Down as night falls. Watch and hear the evening animals such as nightjars and bats. Visit the ‘new Grimpen Mire’.
Bats in the house
Tuesday 14th August, 8pm, Poltimore, near Exeter
Who lives in a house like this? Batty walk at historic Poltimore house and grounds.
Bats & moths evening – part 1
Tuesday 14th August, 8.30pm – late, Broadeford Farm, Near Braunton
An evening with bat detectors and moth light-traps.
Bats & moths evening – part 2
Tuesday 21st August, 8pm – late, Higher Bumsley, near Parracombe, Exmoor
A second evening with bat detectors and moth light-traps.
South Brent Bats
Thursday 23rd August, 8 – 9.30pm, South Brent
Explore Brent Island, the river and nearby houses for sounds and signs of bats with a licensed bat expert.
For further details of any of these events please follow the links above, call 01392 279244 or email contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org
Safety tips for wildlife spotting at night
Go carefully – take a torch and a fully-charged mobile phone and wear warm, waterproof clothing and suitable boots that can withstand uneven and wet ground. With limited vision you are less likely to spot any potential hazards so it is worth visiting an area that you are already familiar with in daylight.
Stick to public rights of way or get the landowner’s permission to use the land. Take a friend along with you. If that isn’t possible, make sure that you tell someone exactly where you are going before you set out.
Finally, if you are driving and parking, don’t leave any valuables in your car.
Year 1 take a dip!
Monday, June 25th, 2012
Year 1 students at Willowbrook primary school had a brilliant time investigating wildlife in and around ponds finishing with a very exciting dip in the pond at St James’ School next door. We were amazed at how many different creatures were found including some newts, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, lots of tadpoles and snails as well as plenty of pond skaters and water boatmen. What a brilliant pond and fantastic students who worked so hard to learn how to identify what they had found and then put their skillls into practice. Thanks for a great time…keep learning and exploring!! Paul
Green Team gardeners brave the weather
Thursday, June 21st, 2012
It may have been pouring with rain today, but that did not dampen the spirits of these very enthuhsiastic Green Teamers from St Peter’s. They gave up their lunch time to show us around their ongoing garden project which started last year. They are clearly doing something right as they showed us developing tomato plants and sunflowers in the greenhouse alongside crops of radishes and potatoes in their raised beds. They are already talking about how to develop the ideas further for next year and asking really good questions about the types of crop to grow at different times of year. Good luck with it! Let’s hope the weather improves so you can get out to do some more!! Paul
Getting stuck in to celebrations!
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Whipton Barton Infants Wildlife Champions surprised us all this afternoon by turning one of their gardens into a celebration of the Jubilee. There was plenty of red, white and blue paint alongside recycled bottle planters and other creative ideas for displaying plants and attracting wildlife – we were even visited by a Magpie moth in the process! Brilliant. Well done Wildlife Champions, I loved the creativity. Thanks again to the guys at EDF who helped get the garden clear and painted. A thoroughly brilliant day all round. Paul
New hotel opens in Whipton (for bugs)
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
The Wildlife Champions at Whipton Barton Junior School have been working really hard on their school grounds this year and huge changes have already taken place. Today a small group of them decided to finish their brilliant bug hotel by scavenging all the material they needed from on the school site. There was a flurry of activity to collect the sticks, leaves and other materials they needed and before long they were sawing and creating all sorts of habitats for the bugs to discover. Now all they have to do is wait to see who their first guests will be!!
Well done guys, it was great working with you today – make sure you let me know what you have found living there…Paul
Garden gets an Energy boost!
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
The schools at Whipton Barton have had a significant boost today as volunteers from EDF Energy have been working to bring changes to their school grounds. I was really impressed to see the amount of work already done by the Wildlife Champions at the Junior school and with the excellent efforts of the team further strides have been taken and the garden is really taking shape. Well done to the students at the school for getting so much done and a huge thank you to Gemma and her team for doing such a great job today. The infants school have also been developing their grounds and with an afternoon of effort from the volunteers even more has been achieved – two schools in one day!! Awesome…thanks again. Paul