Our blog & news: Get involved to help wildlife

 
 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." 
Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
 


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  1. Citizen Science: Take part in Star Count and count stars!

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    CPRE, the Countryside charity, want to make the countryside a better place for everyone to live, work and enjoy.  They have a number of areas they are particularly passionate about:

    • Nature and landscapes
    • Better places to live
    • Litter and recycling
    • Farming
    • Sustainable transport
    • Climate change and energy

    They have local groups in every county – so plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get involved in looking after the countryside around you.

    Their current campaigns include Dark skies, Hedgerows, Climate Emergency and What gets built where.  They've currently got a petition, Tell the government to put brownfield first, which you can sign to support them.

    Information about their hedgerow campaign is here and the UK government has finally announced an ambitious target to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows by 2037, and 45,000-miles of hedgerows by 2050, under the new Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.  Find out more about the UK government's target. 

    Dark Skies Campaign and Star Count 

    As part of the Dark Skies campaign, they have their annual Star Count which started on 17th February and runs through to the 24th February.

    Dark, starry skies are vital for the health of us all, people and wildlife.  But light pollution is disturbing the behaviour patterns of wildlife and in 2022, only 3% of people who took part in Star Count really enjoyed “truly dark skies”.

    Count the stars and let CPRE the Countryside charity know the resultsImage © CPRE the Countryside charity

    Star Count gives CPRE the countryside charity the opportunity to find out where is best and worst for seeing stars.  They can see on a map where light pollution is worst, and then work to tackle it with local councils.

    CPRE the Countryside charity have five simple steps you can follow to participate in Star Count:

    1. Try to pick a clear night for your star count.  Wait until after 7pm, when the sky is really dark.
    2. Give yourself at least 20 minutes to let your eyes adjust.
    3. Look south and find the Orion constellation with its four corners and three-star belt.
    4. Count how many stars you see within the rectangle that the four corner stars make.  Leave out the corner stars from your count, but you can count the three stars in the middle.
    5. Note down how many stars you see with your naked eye – not with binoculars or telescopes.  Then submit your findings on CPRE’s website.

    You can share your photos and experiences on social media – tag CPRE with @cpre and use #StarCount in your posts.

    Get counting!!  This is a wonderful opportunity to really look up at the stars! 

     

  2. State of Butterflies Urgent Appeal

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    Butterfly Conservation have an urgent appeal which I wanted to share with you.  It comes following the State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022 Report, which says that 80% of butterflies have decreased since the 1970s.

    And scientists have issued a stark warning:  time is running out to save the UK’s butterflies.   We can turn this situation around, but we need to act urgently.



    Butterflies are an integral part of the eco-system and the good news is that the report confirms that Butterfly Conservation’s projects make real change but the charity want to do more:

    • Fund more expert research
    • Expand its advice services rapidly
    • Keep inspiring the next generation of butterfly and moth enthusiasts

    It’s crucial to ensure that butterflies and moths  have the space they need to thrive.

    If you can’t donate, please spread the word about this appeal. 

    Other actions you can take to help butterflies include:

    Get gardening!

    Creating wild spaces for butterflies and moths at home, by planting butterfly-friendly plants and flowers in your garden or on a balcony or patio, in school grounds, village greens, roadside verges, and streets.  You can register your wild space with Butterfly Conservation.  There's a list of butterfly friendly plants and flowers here 

    Please don’t use insecticides and pesticides or peat compost – find out why here.

    Get busy monitoring and recording butterflies and moths

    Tell Butterfly Conservation about the butterflies you see – monitoring and recording butterflies is really important, as it helps build up a picture of how butterflies are doing and what action is needed where.  Be a citizen scientist for butterflies!

    Join in the National Moth Recording Scheme, which is a huge resource gathered by thousands of volunteer recorders.  It’s used to conserve threatened moths and increase scientific understanding of why moths have declined and improve public awareness                                                           

    Join in the Garden Butterfly Survey – tell Butterfly Conservation about the butterflies you see in your garden throughout the year.  There’s also the Big Butterfly Count from mid-July to early August

    Become a member!

    You could become a member of Butterfly Conservation  - you’ll receive a welcome pack with membership cards, essential advice on gardening for butterflies and leaflets to help you identify butterflies, moths and caterpillars.  It also includes Butterfly magazine three times a year, a monthly e-newsletter with the latest news, membership of your local branch with regular newsletters and invites to local guided walks, talks, conservation action days and social events.  And you’ll have the knowledge you’re helping to support Butterfly Conservation!

    Donate to Butterfly Conservation

    Donations can help (and I quote from the appeal information I received through the post)

    • £10.00 could help buy plug plants to create the habitats anad butterflies and moths need to survive
    • £25.00 could help create habitat case studies to show landowners which species can thrive on their land
    • £100.00 could provide specialist training to volunteers, helping them protect vulnerable species
    • £500.00 could fund research into how to mitigate the effects of climate change for endangered species.

    All donations help fund vital conservation work.   Butterfly Conservation says that targeted conservation action works, and that the recording and monitoring of UK butterflies is key. 

    Flutter off to Butterfly Conservation here

  3. Did you see Waterhole: Africa's Animal Oasis on BBC2 this January 2023?

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    February 2023:  Animal Survival International: 
    Worsening catastrophic drought claiming the lives of elephants, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra....  Find out how to help here 

    Did you see the repeat of Waterhole:  Africa’s Animal Oasis, a three part series coming from the BBC Studios Natural History Unit?

    I did a blog on this programme the first time it came out and it was quite amazing viewing. 

    Here's the original blog, hopefully you will find it helpful.

    The fabulous Natural History Unit is working with Mwiba Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania.  As water becomes scarcer, the reserve decided to create a water-hole.   And they've done it with the BBC's Natural History Unit 

    They  created the world’s first waterhole with build-in specialist camera rig.  The cameras are half sub-merged and weatherproof.  There are 20 cameras which are monitored 24/7 using infra-red, and there's a drone in the air too.

    Waterholes are essential to Africa’s ecosystem.   Hundreds of species meet at waterholes and compete for water.  Chris Packham and biologist Ella Al-Shamahi disocver the dynamics of the waterhole for the first time. 

    As they say, give wildlife water and they will come whether it's in the wild or your garden... By day 10, 40 species of animal had come to have a drink...

    The programme is filmed across three periods:

    • The middle of the dry season
    • The hottest time of the year
    • The height of the rains

    Unwind by the Waterhole

    Building The Waterhole  
    (Behind The Scenes)

    Remember:  "if you build it, they will come."

    Subscribe to the BBC Earth's You Tube Channel here


    The team want to find out how the animals use it.   How long would it take the animals to find the water hole?  (45 minutes, it didn't take long.) Will they share?  How many species will use it?  Will they keep coming back?  Will it be safe for them to visit?  They discover how truly important water is, especially given the climate changes taking place.

    The programme’s website has lots of interesting clips, including how the programme was made; and what it’s like to live alongside the wildlife of Africa, and why they built it in the first place.  Take the Waterhole personality test to find out which animal you are!  (I'm a buffalo.)

    I think this programme should be fascinating and give us a very good insight into the way African wildlife survive.

    Visit the programme’s website here

    There's a list of African conservation charities here and elephant charities here 

    Here's the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute

    Help provide water for wildlife

    Tigers4Ever on Global Giving have a fundraiser to give water to Bandhavgarh's tigers - find out more  and donate here.

    The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust  work to provide permanent and temporary water sources to relieve suffering in Kenya, mostly in the Tsavo and Lamu Conservation Areas.

    Friends of Hwange is on a mission to develop and maintain water resources in Hwange National Park for the benefit of its wildlife, in collaboration with the Authorities responsible for the Park.   Find out more here

    The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital has a fundraiser looking to take water to koalas and other wildlife.  It is still raising funds as it more than hit its target, and the plan now is to breed koalas for release into the wild. 

    The Brooke and SPANA both have virtual gifts on their shop with the purpose of providing water troughs, permanent and moveable, to hard working animals such as horses, donkeys and mules in a number of countries.

    In the UK, the Wildlife Trusts have information about providing water for wildlife, whether at home or elsewhere.

    The WWF have information on  establishing a network of artificial watering holes for Saiga Antelop in Russia.  Find out more

     

  4. It's Veganuary Month this January 2023!

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    In case you didn't know, January is Veganuary Month - a chance to try your hand at going Vegan, if you aren't already.  And according to a Vegan Society survey, that’s what a lot of British people are planning on doing!

    The survey of 2,000 British people found that about half of them were planning to make an environmental resolution in 2023 - over a third of non-vegans are planning to reduce meat and dairy consumption!  Some pledged to go vegan entirely, whilst others were planning on reducing their meat and dairy intake. 

    The most popular environmental friendly actions people were planning to take were:

    1. Reducing energy use (67%0
    2. Minimising waste by recycling and reusing (65%)
    3. Reducing their consumption of animal products (56%)

    The Vegan Society is encouraging us all to make #OneLittleSwitch to help protect our planet with its Plate Up for the Planet, and its eBook is full of classic recipes, blogs and tips to help you (you do need to sign up to receive it but it’s free).  It also has a World Vegan Month in November, but why wait to give it a go?  It’s never too late to start! They've got lots of recipes on their website, too

    For instance, why not use a plant based milk instead of a dairy one?  Or replace minced meat with lentils?

    So why go Vegan?

    The Vegan Society gives these reasons for going vegan:

    • For the animals - you can work out how many animals you would save if you went vegan.
    • For our health
    • For the environment (for instance, a lot of forest has been cleared for agriculture including cattle ranching - all those cattle need watering and feeding, so it's a propelling cycle)
    • For people, to develop a more sustainable way of living

    Visit the Vegan Society here.

    If you feel that becoming a vegan is a step too far, you could just introduce even one vegan meal a month or a week - or why not look at vegetarian food?  

    Hive.co.uk has up to 25% off its Veganuary books this January – they could make a lovely gift for someone who wants to try different vegan recipes!  There’s vegan baking, vegan pasta and one pot cooking, for instance.  Head to Hive.co.uk here

     There's up to 25% off Veganuary books at Hive.co.uk this January 2023
    There's up to 25% off Veganuary books at Hive.co.uk this January 2023