Now that ‘flaming June’ is here, can you do one wild thing a day throughout the whole of the month? Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust believes you can!
Despite the usual ‘Rushcliffe Country Park Wildlife Watch Group’ and other organised events at Rushcliffe Country Park being suspended due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, the latest easing of restrictions means it’s still possible to take part in the annual nature challenge safely whilst observing ‘social distancing’ regulations.
’30 Days Wild’ is billed as a fun, feel-good challenge run by The Wildlife Trusts every June – which you can do for your health, wellbeing, wildlife and our planet. Back for its sixth year, it aims to bring people closer to nature, taking small actions which can collectively have a big impact.
From little things such as watching a bee from your window or feeding the birds, to giving up single-use plastics for a month or digging a pond in your garden: every “Random Act of Wildness” counts. If you want to see what others are getting up to, you can check out #30DaysWild on social media.
When you sign up, you’ll be able to download a host of ‘goodies’ to help you plan your month. You’ll have a wallchart, wildlife bingo, an activity passport and a nature table template. Resource information can include anything from instructions for baking hedgehog cupcakes to a beginner’s guide to wildlife photography.
To sign up, find out more and read The Wildlife Trusts’ Covid-19 statement, please visit www.nottinghamshire wildlife.org/30dayswild.
Geoff East, of the Rushcliffe Wildlife Watch Group, has an additional ‘Hedgehog Award Challenge’ to run beyond June for all the usual attendees in Ruddington: “Why not share a photo of something special you have seen and photographed while you are in lockdown?” he suggests. “I could collect these together and produce a nice little photograph album to share once we can meet again and award hedgehog awards to everyone that contributes, with a special winners prize for the one that the group decides is their favourite. If you can send me your entry – with details of where and when you took the photo and perhaps some background details – that would be brilliant!”
Geoff is kicking this off with a few snaps of his own – including those below and the top photo of a badger he spotted in Ruddington a few Saturday evenings ago: “Badgers are one of the UK’s most charismatic and best loved mammals and are a keystone species in the landscape, shaping the habitats of woodland and grasslands for the benefit of other species and a crucial element of their ecological networks. They are rarely seen, so it was a privilege to spot this one within the confines of the Country Park.”
Geoff looks forward to receiving YOUR wildlife photos via rushcliffewatch@nottswt.co.uk.
Geoff adds: “Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, is currently helping our farmers in their fight against bovine TB, a disease mainly spread by cattle, which is affecting many of our farms. We are vaccinating badgers, which can catch this awful disease, to ensure they cannot be accused of spreading the disease, thereby avoiding the wider issue of calls for culling this wonderful animal. Badgers are a valued species in the UK, protected by law. 25% of the European population is found in the UK, so we have an international responsibility to conserve them. Badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, which makes it illegal to kill, injure or take badgers or to interfere with a badger sett. If you are aware that a badger or sett may have been disturbed, then please report it, as this is a wildlife crime.”
{All wildlife photos courtesy of Geoff East}
