Ok , who said the weather needed to change , oh that would have been me then. Well since the last post it has rained every single day ! One upside is the meadow smells fantastic after rain , that sweet damp grass smell if you know what i mean. And the drop in temperature and general dampness has had a dramatic effect on visitor numbers at the meadow with far more activity , especially around the ponds.
One of the many new fledglings at the meadow , waiting for food to magically appear from the over worked parent birds
There are a lot of new faces at the meadow , the Blue tits , Great tits and Robins all have new demanding fledgling to feed , the rat family has expanded and we have a couple of very timid little Grey Squirrels learning the ropes. But perhaps the award for cutest newbie has to go to the little rabbit i spent a good hour watching . Hopping around and munching on the tall grass at the side of the path.
“ The Wildlife Trusts manage over 110,000 hectares of land across the UK, with more than 2,600 individual nature reserves”
We had a day trip this week to meet up with Thomas Orrin at The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust site , College Lake near Aylesbury. It’s always good to meet young wildlife enthusiasts and Thomas is certainly that. And his enthusiasm for the natural world is contagious , so thank you Thomas !
Making the news ……….
Puffin and bumblebee among 18 creatures shortlisted to feature on banknotes
Eighteen animals, birds and insects have been shortlisted to appear on future banknotes – and the public can have their say on which creatures feature. The wildlife beauty contest gives the colourful kingfisher and common frog an equal chance of a place on the next series of Bank of England notes. You now have a month to offer their views about which species of wildlife should be honoured on the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.
A rare bird that was previously on the brink of extinction in the UK is making a comeback, surveys have shown.
The Dartford warbler suffered from a population crash in the 1960s, leaving only a few pairs in Dorset. The latest national surveys have revealed a 44% increase in the species in the past five years, with 264 pairs counted in 2025. The RSPB said a record 97 pairs were at RSPB Arne where the charity has been carrying out habitat restoration.
Fundraising plan to buy £5m red squirrel habitat
The Woodland Trust wants to raise £4.86m to acquire 348 acres (141 hectares) of Snaizeholme Valley, near Hawes, as a “once in a lifetime opportunity”. The land, where red squirrels already roam and forage, has been temporarily secured thanks to the help of a “sympathetic organisation”, giving the charity two years to raise the money.
Wildlife including sand lizards, deer and badgers are using a new crossing linking two protected heathland sites near Cobham, in Surrey.
Sand lizards have been spotted on a heathland bridge over the A3, which has reconnected two key wildlife sites for the first time in decades. The crossing opened over the bank holiday weekend, and National Highways said that reptiles, deer and badgers were already using it.
The £3.7m Cockrow Bridge provides a link between Wisley Common and Ockham Common, near Cobham, which are both protected heathland areas, and provides access to Surrey Wildlife Trust’s headquarters.
Project manager Jonathan Wade said that the structure, which is 223ft (68m) in length, was the UK’s first heathland bridge.
Experts from the Royal Horticultural Society and Painshill Park, took turf from the commons and laid it on the bridge in November and December.
The Visitor Book
Let’s start with the furries for a change and with the largest of this weeks visitors , the Roe deer , then we have a male Reeves Muntjac deer , a couple of rabbits including the cute little one , the Grey Squirrels Gang and last but not least the expanded Rat pack.
Moving on to the smaller birds , we have the various tit families , Blue tits , Long-tailed tits and Great tits. The ever present European Robins and chaffinchs . Then we have the Wren , Goldfinch , Dunnock , Bullfinch and Chiffchaff. Moving on to the larger birds we have the Blackbird , wood Pigeon , a more confident Jay , Great Spotted Woodpecker , Magpie and Pheasant.
The Name check
As you may know this blog started nine years ago and I’m still amazed by the wonderful support and encouragement i continue to receive so here is a quick shout our to some of the towns and cities that have read the blog this week. As ever thank you so much for your support !
UK edition , Swindon , London , Bath , Bristol , Sheffield , Manchester , Halifax and Swansea. Thank you
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