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 us to register and for full information. This month there’s a second chance to see glow worms (and to listen out for cuckoos and turtles doves) on an evening walk when Young Nature Watch meet on Saturday the 24th of July at 9.30 pm in the Martin Down Nature Reserve.
On Saturday, 3rd of July, Young Nature Watch held a wildflower survey in the Tisbury parish meadow (accessible from the Nadder Centre, beyond the skateboard rink). We learned to identify grassland flora and help monitor the diversity and prevalence of positive indicators of a pollinator-friendly meadow.
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. We were the first organisation to make use of the site! Something for free, if you’re 16-25, that is. The Field Studies Council, keen to encourage young people to go outside and see what’s around them, is offering free copies of their really useful wildlife guides if you’re in this age range or working with young people in the age range. To apply, follow this link to reach the page of the FSC website.
But do it today: the offer closes on 10 June. 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. Lots of events in the April members' newsletter , including the opportunity at 6pm on April 2nd, this Friday, to hear and learn about he night sky in a “Space Travel online experience” with Steve Tonkin who has the grand title (it could come straight from Star Wars) of Dark Sky Advisor to the Cranborne Chase AONB.
Truth to tell, Steve has a life-long passion for astronomy that alerted him to the effects of light pollution, and works to consolidate and strengthen the standing of Cranborne Chase as an International Dark Sky Reserve. This is a Young Nature Watch event, but all our members are welcome (and non-members, too, if you pay a visitor fee). A review of our recent harvest mouse survey and our owl pellet workshop was published in the Wiltshire Mammal Group newsletter (here, p. 9). |
Young Nature Watch (YNW) is a branch of the Tisbury and District Natural History Society (T&DNHS).
YNW is free for under-21s! Young people always have priority at any of our activities but accompanying adults are required for under-12s. For adults, annual membership for the T&DNHS (£10) or a £2 fee per event (for non-members) is due. Download our annual programme below!
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YNW logo design by Izzy Fry.
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