Over the past few months UWNR has been popping up in different media; a Rewilding Britain webinar, a new and ground-breaking magazine called The Beautiful Truth (TBT), a live talk at a nature festival, hosted by the inspired people at Planted and a You Tube channel…what a feast!
So here you go:
Thank you so much to the wonderful Sara King at Rewidling Britain, who made this happen. The feedback has been stupendous and it has come at the right time for many who are rewidling at a smaller scale. The subjects covered and the running order are as follows:
Min 03.00 Introduction to UWNR and how I apply rewilding methods.
Min 09.37 Lake and Marsh
Min 18.29 Pasture
Min 31.56 Stream
Min 36.30 Hedges
Min 50.00 Built Structures
Min 57.34 Woodland
Min 1.14 until close of webinar question and answer.
A heartfelt thanks to the amazing people at TBT, who worked tirelessly to bring this sumptuously produced and brilliantly written piece to the world. UWNR features….
In soft spring rain, the inspirational Sam Peters hosted this panel (me, Keggie and Amber) to talk about nature writing…The UWNR Manual gets a bit of look in too!
Earlier this year I launched this You Tube channel - I update it with the best and latest trail camera videos. It gives a good account of the fauna, which call UWNR home!
Now for other news!
Nor: After 6 years of work and study at UWNR, Nor was awarded with the highest level John Muir Award and moves on to formally study ecology and animal behavior. Nor has been a cornerstone of our education program at UWNR and she is going to be really missed. Together we have studied subjects like barn owl ecology, seasonal changes to flora and fauna, grass snake ecology, woodland management, beaver ecology and on and on.
I must add, the highest level John Muir Award is not a push-over - it requires significant dedication…
A very happy & very sad moment, in the life of our project. As I have noted Nor will be hugely missed!
Workshops: The UWNR Rewidling Workshop program has continued through the spring of this year. The workshop itself is seriously firing now - I have done a fair bit of work refining the design and it is purring. All the groups have been just stunning - engaged, receptive and inquiring. The fact these events are so quickly booked up, shows the desire of people to do something positive in this time of crisis. I wish our global corporate and political leaders were of similar mind and intent!
Me in full cry on a bright early spring day - I’m doing the woodland slot!
Grass Snakes: The grass snakes have been slow to show themselves this year…but this week at last, they are present and correct. Last Thursday I came across this beauty. This is possibly the biggest snake I have seen at UWNR! She is a she, perhaps 4 - 5 years old, so fully mature. My task this week is to prepare and replenish her nesting creche - trailer loads of old hay will be stacked in a dedicated south facing spot. There in full sun, the hay will rot down sufficiently and provide her with a safe place to nest and lay her leathery eggs.
Bats: We built the barn owl barn five years ago. Immediately it was used by the resident barn owls as a refuge and hunting site, when inclement winter weather makes outdoor impossible and perilous. The barn is consistently used by the barn owls throughout the winter months and has for certain contributed to their winter survival.
All those yeas ago, as we completed the final phase of construction, our minds turned to consider what other structures we could incorporate to benefit fauna. The incomparable ecologist Gareth Harris offered superb and innovative solutions. One, attach bat panels to the exterior walls of the barn.
Then earlier this month, Sara King from Rewilding Britain, spotted traces of bat pooh. On a recent visit Gareth deployed his endoscope and bam - a bat! Not just any old bat - a male whiskered bat. A bit rare and a lot special!
If you have a garage, shed or similar please consider installing these panels - bats are under significant pressure and we now have proof that these structures help!
Solitary Bees: About three years ago we built this solitary bee hive, on the right of this picture - part fo the John Muir Award program.
This year it is just awash with activity - in fact, madly frenetic. Over time, these hives take on a burdensome parasitic load, with ultimately dire consequences for the various solitary bee species. Best practice is to either replace the older nesting material or build new. Yet again Gareth provided the optimum solution; screw sturdy, long and straight branches to the south facing wall of the barn. Once in place, drill holes to create nesting opportunities. I used an 8 mm drill bit and have created about 20 holes in each length of wood. Next year, I will drill another 20 and continue this process until it is time to change the length of wood.
If you have a south facing wall (garage, shed or similar) please consider doing this - all these species are crucial pollinators, and like many invertebrates, are under significant pressure in our increasingly toxic biosphere. These structures help!
And lastly….Suddenly the kestrel is constantly hunting at UWNR - it had only ever been an infrequent visitor. Why this change in behaviour? It could be down to climate change! I have been reading about recent research, which indicates that field vole numbers are remaining high through our milder winters and quickly bounce back with the onset of spring. This spring has been mild - perfect breeding conditions for this key prey species. My hunch - UWNR is groaning with field voles and the local kestrel is seizing this opportunity - a winner for now, from our warming planet.