If you're looking for bird food and everythning for your garden birds and wildlife on a budget, take a look at Garden Wildlife Direct

With everything from fat balls, seed mixes, sunflower hearts, peanuts, bird baths, bird houses, wildlife houses, wildlife feed, half coconuts, feeding stations, next boxes, chicken food, hedgehog houses, you should find lots to choose from to help our feathered friends through the winter or even the next few weeks.

Garden Wildlife Direct have great offers very often, so it's worth keeping an eye on their site to see what they've got.  Make your money go further and help wildlife at the same time.  Find out all about today's offers here.

Amongst other things, they've got these great High Energy Autumn and Winter Seed Mix, pictured below, just the thing to help your garden birds through the colder brrrrrr months of autumn and winter, as they have protein-rich and oil-rich ingredients.   You can buy them in different sizes of bag, too, from 2kg to 25.1kg.  Prices start at £7.99.   

This is the High Energy Autumn and Winter Mix
from £7.99.

 
How about this Sunflower Heart Value Seed Mix?
From 2kg bags for £5.99 up to 25.1kg for £34.99
It's a combination of sunflower heart kernels and black sunflower seeds,
so it gives a very nutritious seed variety to have.

 Flap your wings and fly off to Garden Wildlife Direct here.

*OFFER DETAILS: Does not include Borderstone products, gift cards and the already discounted Sunflower Hearts (sizes 12.55kg and above).  If your discount isn’t available when you apply the code, please contact Garden Wildlife Direct prior to placing your order. Orders submitted without an offer code cannot be amended retrospectively. View our full terms and conditions here.

Orders over £25 qualify for FREE standard delivery. Delivery charges apply to orders under £25 or 'out of areas' postcodes. Full delivery details here

I was on the RSPB's website this morning and they have some very helpful information about wildlife detecting and identifying tracks and signs.   You can become a nature detective, and work out who is living in your area!

The RSPB has an activity for you whether you're in school or as a family, with an activity sheet for you to download.

And they tell you how to make an animal tracker, so that you can see who's been out and about at night.  You can make a cast of the animal prints you find in your garden, and the RSPB tell you what footprints look like for animals such as the fox and hedgehog. 

Whose been visiting your garden?  Find out if it was the shrew!
Image ©RSPB

They've got lots of activities for you to help nature and wildlife, by the way, such as creating nature highways and byways, digging a ditch for garden biodiversity, how to grow sunflowers, how to make a bird bath and make a hedgehog cafe.   Find out more here.

Head to the RSPB's here.

The Mammal Society also has pictures of poo, so that you can work out whoose poo is whoose.   Visit their website here and take a look. 

 
The Nature Tracker's Handbook is available from the RSPB's Shop.
It has extensive photography and detailed diagrams to 
help you find and interpret the evidence the animals leavel in their wake.
£14.99 from the RSPB Shop.

You can get the Poo Bingo for Kids
from Hive.co.uk for £16.49
Featuring 24 animals and their uniquely shaped poos!

PS Please don't forget to put water out for wildlife - they need water, just as we do.    We need to look after them.

For dog owners, Earth Rated Dog Poo Bags, Guaranteed Leak Proof and Extra Thick Waste Bag Refill Rolls For Dogs, Lavender Scented, 270 Count, are available from Amazon

Looking for something fun to do to get away from the Christmas rush?

Take a look at the Wildlife Trusts!   Their 12 Days Wild starts on the 25^th December – yes, Christmas Day – getting out for a walk could be a start, or gazing at the clouds or stars in the sky could be something else to do if it’s pouring with rain. 

12 Day Wild is a festive nature challenge and the idea is that from the 25^th December through to the 5^th January, you do one wild thing every day.  

You could recycle your Christmas tree, go for a walk, feed your garden birds, stargaze, cloud gaze, or draw a picture of something to do with nature.   This could be a great way to get everyone off their screens and to do an activity for nature or with nature together!

The Wildlife Trusts have lots of resources – including the 12 Days Wild digital pack – and they are all available in Welsh!

Maybe one of the things you could do is to come up with a plan of how you can help nature in your garden or local area this year? 

Find out more and sign up for free here.

Those lovely folk at Pooch & Mutt have created an range of natural meals treats and supplements that both does good and tastes good giving dogs the ingredients they need to boost their mood and behaviour and their  physical health.

They create an enhanced range of natural meals treats and supplements that does good and tastes good, to give the UK's dogs the optimal ingredients needed to boost their mood and behaviour paw in paw with their physical health.

They’ve got lots of treats for dogs and cats, and also – very handy – they’ve got dental treat.   They’ve got functional ranges – calming, digestion, weight-loss, skin and coat, dental and joint care, and they have products which are suitable for different dietary needs such as hypoallergenic, low fat, grain-free, fish based, probiotics and gluten-free.   Not only that, they’ve dry food, wet food, supplements, dental sticks, long-lasting chews, a small dog range and Christmas gifts!  Their Christmas gifts for dogs include advent calendars, Christmas boxes, and cheese fondue meaty treats – yummy!!

There's a Dental Stick Advent Calendar 

 or how about....

There's Christmas Cheese Fondue Meaty Treats for £3.99 (one off purchase).

By the way, did you know that Pooch & Mutt support Woodgreen?  They donate bags of their dry food every month to feed the dogs in their care - along with lots of meaty treats to help with training and rewards!  And when people adopt a pet from Woodgreen, they receive a rehoming pack with helpful info;  Pooch & Mutt will also be supplying a taster bag of dry food with every dog rehoming pack - and also discounts for life on their nutritious range!  Pooch & Mutt customers can add a donation to their orders or through their Pooch Rewards! 

Go on - treat the ones you love so much, with Pooch & Mutt!

Take part in the Wildlife Quiz Poo with the London Wildlife Trust

Wildlife can be hard to spot, especially if they just come out at night, so droppings are a good way to find out who'se been visiting your garden at night, or your neighbourhood.   Can you guess with this quiz whose poo belongs to who?   

Give it a go!   Take the wildlife poo quiz here

And take actions to help nature, such as recycling your Christmas tree or feeding the birds - or just look out of the window and watch the stars!    Find out more about it here.

Image of the fox copyright London Wildlife Trust

For those of you who love nature and wildlife, how about a Half Day Woodland Ranger Experience with Go Wild Scotland in the Scottish Borders?  It's led by a knowlegeable guide so this is a good chance to ask lots of questions! 

This takes place in the stunning surroundings of Mauldsheugh in the South of Scotland.  Start by taking a walk around the reserve and discover all about the trees, plants and wildlife living there.  Get involved in activities such as topping up the feeders and surveying the wildlife, planting trees and checking the ponds.

You'll receive a certification on completion!  

A snack and a soft drink are included.

Find out more from Virgin Experience Days.  This experience is for two people for £74.00. 

There's also the chance to Become a Woodland Ranger for the Day with Lunch for Two with Go Wild Scotland for £194.00.  Find out about that here.

Whipsnade Zoo is situated in the beautiful Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, and 10,000 animals call it home - many of them are endangered in the wild.

And the zoo had some amazing news to share with everyone earlier this month - a rare Southern white rhino calf was born to Fahari and Sissle in early October!

Welcome to the world, little one!

He weighed roughly just under 50kg and first time mum Fahari did very well - her gestation period was 16 months so she had quite a wait, bless her.  Keepers have described how the calf is quite a character and actually stamps his feet when he's impatient for food.   He joins his half brother Benja who was born in March.  There are only about 17,500 of these particular rhinos left in the wild so you can see this is a really important birth. 

In the wild, these rhinos are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, since their horn is used for traditional medicine in Asia and for making dagger handles in the Middle East.  The Zoological Society of London is working worldwide to stop the illegal wildlife trade and you can find out how here. 

Earlier this year in July, there was an important addition to the family of reticulated giraffes, when mum Luna gave birth to a male calf.   The calf is tall, standing at six feet already, and he could stand and walk and zoo staff monitored him carefully.  It wasn't long before he was racing round the paddock with another reticulated giraffe, who'd been born a few weeks before the male.

The reticulated giraffe is endangered, so the new arrivals at Whipnsade are important

This means there are now six giraffe at Whipnsade - the species is endangered because of illegal hunting, habitat destruction and human-giraffe conflict.  

You can go and see the giraffe at Whipsnade zoo.  

Will the new baby Southern white rhino be seen by the public?  This little rhino may not be just quite ready - check with the Whipsnade Zoo website!  But there's lots going on, with Boo to the Zoo for Halloween - there are lots of activities taking place.  Click on the meerkat to find out all about it!  It runs from the 26th October to the 3rd November 2024.

Find out all about Boo to the Zoo 2024!

Plan your visit here.

It’s back!  All Creatures Great and Small starts again on the 19^th September 2024 at 9pm on Channel 5!

The veterinary drama is based on the early career of veterinary surgeon, James Herriot, played by Nicholas Ralph.  Herriot’s real name was Alf Wight but he used the pen name of James Herriot.

Callum Woodhouse will be back as Tristan Farnon, after time away serving in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.  And we meet Helen (Rachel Shenton) and James’ baby, too!   Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) becomes more and more reliant on Richard Carmody, who is played by James Anthony-Rose).

In Episode 1, To all our boys, vet James Herriot is grounded in the RAF and faces an uncertain future. 

You can see the first four series on My5, and if you feel like going on a tour of the places featured in All Creatures Great and Small, take a look at Into the Blue – they have an all-day mini coach tour for £75.00!   It sets off from York and you’ll tour filming locations around the Dales that were used in the Channel 5 and BBC series.  

The Dales are just absolutely stunning! 

Your driver guide will tell you about the show’s characters and the places featured, such as Skeldale House, the pubs used for the outside shots of the fictional Drover’s Arms – even the bus stop where James proposed to Helen!

Find out about this All Creatures Great and Small Tour for £75.00 pp

There’s also a visit to the ‘World of James Herriot' – the 1940s house has been restored, so that it reflects life as it was when Alf Wight lived there and worked as  a vet – and where he started to write his books! 

Hive.co.uk has lots of books and gift ideas from the books and series, 

Enjoy Series 5!

Not bought a calendar for 2024 yet? 

You could also think about these ways to have a more personal calendar for 2025.

You could go for Getting Personal, where you could choose a calendar and personalise it so that the name of your dog or cat appears in a number of different photos throughout the year.  The photos aren’t of your own cat or dog, but the name of your cat or dog appears in each photo, so adding a personal touch.   

See cat calendars here

See the dog calendars here

You can often choose the month the calendar starts, too, so you don’t have to wait for January and the new year!  And not only that, you can often get them in different sizes and dimensions, such as desk calendars and wall calendars.  There's lots of choice!  With some of the calendars, you can upload your favourite photos of your pet to enjoy throughout the year!

You can also produce calendars from Printerpix, uploading your photos, and Snapfish, too. 

Well, if you're looking for something a bit different to do this summer, you could take a look at an intriguing activity at London Zoo.  

London Zoo have come up with Poo at the Zoo.   Not Winnie the Pooh, this is all about poo, and who's done what.

London Zoo has a 'pooseum', and you can find out about the vital insights that can be gleaned from number two!

Challenge the whole family to poo-inspired giant games on the lawns, or join Poo at the Zoo author Steve Smallman for lead live storytelling sessions on certain dates over the summer.

The 'pooseum' is a 22 year labour of love for Tracey Lee, one of ZSL's zookeepers and a former artist.  It began as two special specimens - when the last elephant and black rhino were re-homed from London Zoo - were added to canvas in a piece called 'The last poo at the Zoo'.   Now, the collection has an incredible 100+ preserved specimens, with dung from a wide variety of animals including an endangered gorilla, a giant Galapagos tortoise and even a tiny poo from a caterpillar!

Every day, the zoo is running a Game of the Day and this will focus on animal feeding and digestion.  With Poo Bingo, Poo or False or a matching and memory challenge, Who did this poo?, there's plenty to do.   

And at certain times each day, kids can enjoy the stage adaptation of the bestselling book The Great Poo Mystery.

Not only that, there's also a self-led trail with challenges and clues to help young visitors track down a selection of animals including giant tortoises, lions, tigers and penguins.  

If you can't get to London Zoo, you could always buy the book Poo in the Zoo
for £6.99 from London Zoo's shop.

Plus, you can join the illustrator of the Poo in the Zoo book series, Ada Gray, for drawing classes on selected dates and times, and there are self-led drawing activities avialable at other times. 

Poo at the Zoo is running from the 25th July to 1st September 2024, and should be a lot of fun!  Find out more here.

Whilst you're at London Zoo, you may want to pop in and see the beautiful three Asiatic lion cubs.  Boys Mali and Syanii and girl Shanti were born at London Zoo on 13 March 2024 to seven-year-old mum, Arya, and 14-year-old dad Bhanu.  And they are just gorgeous!  Take a look here!