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30 Days Wild 2019 – Day 01

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It is the first day of 30 Days Wild and I didn’t have a plan for what to do!  I watched a pair of house sparrows collecting some nesting material from the moss and feathers we put out in the garden; when I went to get a camera to photograph them they didn’t come back! I was looking at the garden and realised there was a patch in the flowerbed that I could dig up… I decided I would complete Mission 2: Worm Detective of this years Gardenwatch by Springwatch.  I have really like that this years Springwatch has included a lot more information about our own back gardens and the smaller creatures that live around us.  I think it is a great way to get more people out in their garden / outdoor spaces and interacting with our surroundings.  I spend a lot of time in the garden and really like looking at all the creepy crawlies that live there.  They are so much more accessible than some of the bigger mammals we live with and a great way to interact with nature.  I have discovered once you start looking you can’t stop and then want to learn more about each new friend you find.

Mission 2: Worm Detective…

I collected together a trowel, a box, a couple of plant pots to use as containers, a 30cm ruler, 4 stones and pen & paper then headed off to dig a hole!

As I didn’t have any twigs to mark out the corners of my 30cm square I roughly marked it with a few stones and got digging!  What I hadn’t taken into consideration was the bed wasn’t flat so everything was at a bit of an angle! 

I’ll be honest I didn’t expect to find much as I was sorting through the soil, it was all so dry… I started to put worms in the flower pot but I after a few minutes thought it was far to warm to leave them sitting in the sun, so as I found them, I measured them and got them back into the flowerbed as quickly as I could so they didn’t dry out.  In total I found 15 worms varying in size from 1cm – 6cm.  

Along with the worms I also found 1 ant, 1 woodlouce and 3 centipede. 

I really enjoyed digging in the garden and looking a little more closely at what was living under the ground, it is something I plan to do again 🙂 

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

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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.