The Hide , Tuesday 19th August 2025

Water , water , water. That has been the story of the past few weeks as we navigate the latest heatwave and prolonged period of rain free weather. The three ponds at the meadow are vital and a focal point for the local feathers and furries that call the meadow home .

Due to the size limitations of the ponds ( they are all about 75mm or 3 inches deep ) in hot weather they can dry up completely in a few days . All the water on site has to be carried in from the nearest access point , about 600 metres away. Last week that equated to around 200 litres of water , at 200kg no small task ! So hopefully you’ll join me in a little rain dance !

Elk are in the news this week , Plans to create an International School of Rewilding (ISR) featuring elk on the Isle of Wight have been backed by councillors. Sandown Town Council is supporting the proposal from Wildheart Trust for a 140 hectare (345 acre) site with elk-rewilded wetlands and visitor facilities. Chief executive of the trust, Lawrence Bates, told councillors the school would create the “most amazing wildlife spectacle” and “drive people into the area”.

According to Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, the ISR would be an “international centre for research, study and innovation in environmental sciences”. It would cater to students from the island and mainland, a paper from the sanctuary explained. Councillors heard the ISR would also develop a “year-round economy” and investment partnerships with universities and environmental science industries. Read the full story here ( from the BBC )

The latest article in the Meet the Model series is now live , The Painted Lady butterfly. One of the main stays of this blog and now called simply Wildlife this now features information on nearly 90 species  native to the uk. There is also a new post from Thomas Orrin continuing his journey on wildlife photography . I think its important we do all we can to encourage and support the next generation of naturalists in anyway we can.

Until next time keep safe and keep it wild !

There’s lots more information about my local patch wildlife , click here for more details.