30 Days Wild 2016 – Part 4: Days 21-30

The last 10 days of 30 Days Wild…

Day 21: Today I failed to do anything wild. I do however have a very good excuse – I had to take the kitten to a Blue Cross centre. No one claimed him locally. He has settled in well and is now named ‘Bilbo’ as he must have had a great adventure to get to the garage (that is unless someone dumped him which is sadly more than likely the case).

Day 22: Trying to identify the garden birds by their song. I have a lot to learn! Jamie (@proudfoot) kindly suggested a couple of phone apps that can help you identify bird song – BirdUp for Android or Warblr for iPhone.  I’ve had a bit of a play with BirdUp but need to use it a bit more. I found sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Will have to try Warblr next 🙂

Day 23: I often keep a note of wildlife that I see, I have a notebook I carry around with me and log what I see via iRecord. I have also been recording our garden nesting birds via the BTO Nest Box Challenge. Recording sightings is a great way to help the wildlife around us, it’s also so simple to do with apps on our phones.

Day 24: June 20th – 26th was National Insect Week so I decided to explore the garden. My knowledge of insects is limited but reading the website has increased my interest, some of them are quite cute up close! I have a macro lens I attach to my phone so I will have to go exploring more often 🙂

Day 25: We visited a garden centre to choose a new tree for the garden. We have decided on a Red Berried Cotoneaster.

Day 26: Watched the hedgehogs in the garden. We have a small one that comes out to feed slightly earlier than the larger ones, his tactic works well – he gets all the best food 🙂

Day 27: Watched the lovely orange sunset tonight.

Day 28: On the way home from work, I noticed a green woodpecker feeding its young. I pulled over so I could get out and watch for a while.  I always have binoculars in my bag so I could stay a good distance away so not to disturb them.  There was two young and one adult.

Day 29: Driving home from work, I noticed that someone had been fly-tipping again on the country road I use.  In one of the lay-by’s they had dumped bricks, a bath, a bike and some timber.  I have reported it using the Keep Britain Tidy app.  I don’t understand why they just didn’t take it to the recycling centre, its only 4 miles from where they dumped it!

Day 30: I hid hazelnuts in the local park for the squirrels.  Sometimes if they are feeling brave, they come and collect them while I’m still there but mostly they explore when there is no-one around.

I find 30 Days Wild enjoyable and I love reading what other people are doing.  What I have learnt over the last couple of years of taking part is there will always be some difficult days, either because other things crop up or what you plan just doesn’t turn out the way you hoped. June is always a busy month for me at work but I feel this year, I have accomplished more wild things than last. Next year I’m sure it will be wilder again : ) I can’t commit to #365DaysWild like some, but plan to #StayWild as much as I can.

30 Days Wild 2016 – Part 3: Days 11-20

Days 11-20 of 30 Days Wild…

Day 11: It rained so I visited Whelford Pools Nature Reserve to sit in the hides & watch the birds. I saw Great Created Grebe, Common Turn, Mallard, Coot, Cormorant, Black Headed Gulls, Blue Tit and Mute Swan.

Day 12: Day out at Avalon Marshes. At RSPB Ham Wall I saw – Bittern, Mute Swan, Mallard, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Coot, Great White Egret, Little Grebe, Hobby, Buzzard, Swift, Marsh Harrier, Pied Wagtail and at RSPB Greylake – Redshank, Marsh Harrier, Mute Swan, Coot and Roe Deer – blog posts: RSPB Ham Wall and RSPB Greylake coming soon.

Day 13: Cleaned the bird feeders 🙂

Day 14: Okay so today wasn’t completely wild but half wild! We found a stray kitten in the garage. After about an hour, I managed to convince him I was friendly and he came over for a cuddle. We asked around locally but no one had lost him. We fed him and gave him a pet carrier with a blanket so he was comfortable in the garage until we could take him to the Blue Cross.

Day 15: Nature breaking through – I like how nature works its way through the obstacles humans put in it way 🙂

Day 16: Wildlife spotting on the way to work – Yellow Hammer, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Buzzard, Rabbit, Red-legged Partridge, Sparrow, Magpie, Starling, Crow, Jackdaw, Blackbird and Pheasant.

Day 17: Logging ladybird sightings

Day 18: Feathers from my recent wanderings – I tend to pick up feathers when I’m out and about especially interesting looking ones. Some of the ones I photographed today were from a Red Kite 🙂

Day 19: Watched Springwatch – catching up on the shows I missed

Day 20: Lovely sunny evening after a very wet morning #summersolstice

30 Days Wild 2016 – Part 2: Days 01-10

So this is what has happened during days 01-10 of 30 Days Wild…

Day 01: I watched Springwatch webcams (I started off slowly due to unforeseen circumstances – a car accident; my poor car was driven into 🙁 )

Day 02: Photographing young starlings in the garden – we have approximately 30 young starlings that turn up for breakfast at 05:30!!! Who needs an alarm clock when you have starlings squabbling 🙂

Day 03: Reading about nature – ‘The Countryside Year’ by Steve Barnett

Day 04: Purchasing self-adhesive bird silhouettes. A goldfinch flew into the window today. Unfortunately it died. I heard a thud and ran outside and it was on the floor panting for breath. I ran back in to shout for a box but when I got back to him/her it was no longer panting. I picked it up hoping it was just unconscious but it’s head flopped – it broke its neck. Such a tiny bird. I sat holding it a while stroking it’s chest hoping to comfort it although it had already gone. I’m hoping bird silhouettes in the window will help deter any more from flying into it.

Day 05: Spreading wildflower seeds – Mum had Forget-me-nots in the garden this year. She was pulling them up over the weekend as they were going to seed. I took some of the seeds and spread them in the roadside verge to add to the wildflowers that are already there.

Day 06: Looking at wildflowers on my walk tonight. I’m still unsure what plant this is – I don’t think it’s Cow parsley as its too big, maybe Hemlock?

Day 07: Looking for a creepy crawly in the garden. After a bit of research I think it’s a grasshopper nymph.

Day 08: Rescued a bug from the floor of a busy hallway.

Day 09: Stood at the local cricket pitch with swallows darting around and a red kite soaring above 🙂

Day 10: Day out at Cotswold Wildlife Park – blog post coming soon