On Saturday the 11th of March we will do a dung beetle (or beetles in dung) survey with the ecologist and Wiltshire county recorder for bats and mammals Gareth Harris. Why is this mammal specialist interested in beetles and dung? Come and find out! We will do this survey at 10 o'clock at Wallmead Farm; specific meeting point to be confirmed closer to the time and for those who book their space.

On Saturday the 25th of February at 10 am we will be making bat boxes from ready made kits that you will be able to take home to install (we will give you advice on how to improve habitats for bats and put the boxes). The boxes will be partly financed by the Tisbury and District Natural History Society, please make a £10 contribution for each box you will take with you. Please register your interest in this activity by Sunday the 12th of February so we can buy the right number of boxes for the event.

Our last event of the year was an eco-friendly wreath making workshop. In spite of the freezing weather, we gathered some materials from the environment to make a set of wreaths to take home and gift to our friends and families. 

See our pics on Instagram: here and here.

Don't they look great?

We will go on a very early morning walk to (hopefully) listen to deer rutting, shhhhh!

Please make your bookings for this event by the 4th of September.

On Saturday the 13th of August, join us for a safari in search of insects and learn fascinating facts about them!

NOTE: Start time has been changed to 9am to avoid the extreme heat in the afternoon.

On Tuesday the 31st of May at 8.45 pm we will have a bat walk in Rushmore Park, part of the Cranborne Chase AONB, with Jon Hayter, Estate Operations Manager and Roland Hughes, Chase & Chalke Ranger and Volunteer Coordinator. Sunset on that day will be at 9.10 pm so bring a torch! We will finish at about 10.45, it's a bit late for young people but most will be on half term so we hope you can make it!

We will slowly walk in and around Larmer Tree gardens and the woodland that surrounds them, stopping and listening. Jon will throw in a bit of history about the gardens, Pitt Rivers and the management of the estate as well as lots of bat facts.

As usual, we will have limited numbers to guarantee that everybody can listen to the guides. Young people <21 years old or small groups comprising young people <21 years old will be given priority but we will fill in the spaces with young-at-heart of any age if there are gaps.

Also as usual, all people under 21 years old and our members come free to our normal events; if you are above 21 years old and not a member, you can become one by paying £10 per year. If you would like to attend but are unsure about becoming a member, please pay £2 per event per person above 21 years old. 

This month, on the Saturday the 16th of April, starting at 10 am, we will have a guided visit to Underhill Wood Nature Reserve.

This is a private reserve in East Knoyle, owned by a very enthusiastic nature lover, Jonathan Thomson. He takes part in a fantastic programme of nature education, the John Muir Conservation Award, but also has a group of home education students coming to learn about nature at his reserve.

The reserve is worth a visit for its lake, barn owl boxes, woodlands, bird of prey feeding stations, beehives and a lovely education building full of animal tracks and signs. But also, you will perhaps find an opportunity to get (or your young people) involved. Also, you will get a discounted copy of Jonathan's book, "How to rewild" with lots of useful tips! Don't miss this rare opportunity!

We are already fully booked but we have a reserve list; if you are not already on our mailing list, get in touch to subscribe and find out about our events before they are published on our website. If you cannot make to this event, worry not as there are other interesting things nearby also happening this month (some of us will be there too!), such as the Wiltshire Bird Open Day on the 24th at Langford Lakes.