Alas, this is now sold out but why not go to the full programme here to find out what's coming up and register your interest in advance, to be sure you won't miss out next time.

Saturday, 28 August, 1pm - 3pm

Come and learn about the little creatures and plants that inhabit the waters of the River Nadder in Tisbury.  You'll be surprised what's there!

​Open to all - but contact young tnhs@gmail.com to register and for full information.


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​Our activity in June was a free bushcraft skills workshop for 12-18 years old in Fontmell Down, a nature reserve in North Dorset owned by the National Trust.

This was in collaboration with the local charity Seeds 4 Success, as part of their Leisure Credits programme (for more information, visit https://www.seeds4success.org.uk/leisure-credits). We were  the first organisation to make use of the site (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fontmell-and-melbury-downs/features/fontmell-down-forest-school).

On a sunny day at the beginning of May, two excited groups of children accompanied by parents were given the rare permission by the Teffont Fishing Club to walk along the river bank to look for signs of the protected Water Vole (Ratty in Wind in the Willows).

We are lucky too have a good population here as the species has declined by 90% countrywide.

My group started at Stubbles and walked downstream and under the railway bridge where they found Otter footprints in the mud. There were many burrows along the bank we were on, some with  ‘lawns’ of nibbled grass round them. We could see many large burrows on the opposite banks.

After much searching we found some footprints down by the water and a few pieces of reeds eaten in a typical way at a 45 degree angle at each end. We also found a few distinctive cigar shaped droppings.

We did not see any voles but they are most definitely there and they are shy and we were not very quiet!

​Inés took her group along the river from Catherine’s Ford and counted approximately a burrow per every meter along a 170 metre stretch.

The children had a wonderful time and Inés sent the records off to the Mammal Society.  (Debbie Carter)

Izzy Fry has also written a lovely account with some great photos, on her blog here.  It looks like having been a lot of fun and fascinating as well.

I wish I'd been able to be there!

 Some of you may have already seen the announcement on Facebook, that at the invitation of Gareth Harris, Ines wrote a piece for the Wiltshire Mammal Group newsletter, which can be read here

​You'll find the article on page 9 - if you get there, because there are lots of lovely articles in the newsletter on your way there. Ines writes about the YNW Harvest Mouse Nest Survey and the Owl Pellet day.

You can view and download this year's programme of activities here.

 - and don't we need those!  

YNH celebrates the first day of Spring on Sunday, 21 March by getting down to earth with a Toad Patrol on Swallowcliffe Down.

I love my toads!  Very much welcome in my garden, seeing off slugs both great and small as in this photo.  I realised why that excellent dish Toad in the Hole was so named, when I found one hunkered down in his hole at the base of a rose.

For details of that event and all the rest up to February 2022! the full programme is here.  Don't forget that adults are also very welcome, although numbers can be limited and Young Nature Watchers will therefore have priority.  But contact Ines on youngtnhs@gmail.com - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Have a great year!