The Canal and River Trust look after our canals and rivers (with lots of help from volunteers, in case you’re looking for something to do in your spare time, which makes a difference).

And they have launched a #PlasticsChallenge.

They say if everyone took their litter home with them and picked up even just ONE piece of plastic every time they visited, our canals and rivers could be free of litter within one year!

The Trust does an amazing job looking after the canals and rivers – but nonetheless, these beautiful places are in danger from mindless pollution!

Water birds make nests from pieces of plastics.   Aquatic invertebrates ingest plastic – and that means that small fish ingest them too, as they are higher up the food chain.

So everyone needs to get involved and pick up litter.  Every year, about 14 million pieces of plastic end up in our canals and rivers.  We need to reduce the plastics in these places.

The Canal and River Trust has advice on doing this safely and makes it very clear that you should NOT go into the water to collect plastic out.

Don’t let litter mean it’s over for wildlife.  Please pick up litter or share the information about the campaign!   

Please pledge your support for this #PlasticChallenge.

Wow, if you're looking for a gift or a card for an animal lover, why don't you take a look at Cardology?  

This is the Dressage Pop Up Card

They produce 3D pop up cards, which are hand made, and quite amazing! 

There's a Cat Tree Pop Up Card
The cards are kind of half gift, half card!

Got a friend who loves llamas?

And they've got a great selection of animal cards, including cards for horse lovers, dog lovers, cats, farm animals, bears, labradors, owls, and even a dinosaur! 

You could support Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
with the purchase of a Battersea card

There's also a Highland cow!

Visit Cardology here to see all their cards!

If you love nature and wildlife, and want to discover more about wetlands in particular, please take a stroll around the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s website and especially their Discover Wetlands pages.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) is the UK’s leading wetland conservation charity.  And they are working "to create a world where healthy wetland nature thrives and enriches lives."

There’s lots to discover and learn about wetlands from their website and there are things to do, for all the family – and this is a great chance to boost your knowledge about vital wetlands and what they are and why they are so very important.  Sadly, they are often overlooked and seen as “wasteland” but they are critical for both wildlife and people and the good of us all.

Amongst the  things to do, you’ll find a series of Make it videos.  They are all short in length and easy to follow, and they give you lots of ways to encourage wildlife to your garden so that you can help all garden wildlife. 

Make it with help from the WWT - they have got some great videos to help you!

The WWV videos show you how to make things such as...

• A mini pond
• A toad hall
• A LEGO bird table
• A bird feeder
• Yoru own binoculars
• A bird hide
• A water cycle in a jar
• Your own t-shirt bag
• An upcycled bird feeder
• A bug hotel
• Eggy cress aniamls
• A nature star

They all come with an activity sheet in PDF format that you can download, too

The Discovery Wetlands pages also have quizzes you can do plus for teachers and parents (or I presume anyone who would like to do it), there’s a 12 week home-learning programme with everything you need to teach key science and geography topics at home!

Don’t forget that the WWT has a number of different wetland centres you can visit around the UK – you can find the one closest to you here.

Help our wetlands!  They need your support

Please, please may I urge you to respond to WWT's call to give the creations of wetlands our support? Wetlands Can is asking for all our support (signatures) for the creation of 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands – including in urban areas – to help fight today’s wellbeing, climate and nature crises.

Find out more about Wetlands Can here

Pledge your support for Wetlands Can here

Images on this blog entry ©WWT

We have done lots of things to encourage wildlife into our garden in the last few years and we've been rewarded with lots of different species of birds.   We've also had a frog or two, and bees and butterflies, dragonflies and a couple of hedgehogs.  

Our neighbour is very good with identifying different types of birds and says he's spotted over 60 species of our feathered friends in the neighbourhood which is really good to hear.

Rewild your garden with tips from Springwatch

So far, in our garden we've....

• Put up a log pile (or more accurately, we've put a pile of logs in a quiet corner which the insects seem to like
• Put out a hedgehog house with a water bowl (also in a quiet corner so that the hedgehogs can have some peace)
• Stuck up a little bee house and a butterfly hotel
• Planted lots of flowers for wildlife - ones the bees and butterflies will LOVE!
• Put out two or three bird feeders
• Dug out a very small wildlife pond which we did in lockdown.  
• Let our garden overgrow in some parts and let the lawn grow, grow, grow

We love looking out of the window to see who is in the garden paying a visit and I'm sure there's more we can do to encourage the wildlife.  

Top 10 patio plants for bees

If you're looking for hints and tips, and ways to get started, a great place to start is the RHS website.  They have a particular section of the site for wildlife gardening and however much you have done already or want to do, there could be something there to spark off an idea or an activity.

Head off here to see their section on Wildlife Gardening.  Take it a step at a time;  it's the sort of thing you could do a step a month.

By the way, you could do something as simple as pot a plant for pollinators - just get a pot and stick some bee and/or butterfly friendly flowers in it.  All you need is the pot, soil, compost (and you can make your own) the seeds and a small space, so it's very easy to do.

This year, Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on connecting with Nature.

There are many benefits of having contact with nature, whether you spend time in the garden looking at the sky or growing flowers and planting vegetables, or go on a walk through woods or up hills, or have a weekend glamping  or forest bathing!

Do some Mindfulness Meditation for two in Kent, from BuyaGift
Use the code 15AHW2021 and get 15% off!**
Plus we will make a donation to the Woodland Trust  

Spending time with nature can have many benefits:

1. You can meet other people especially if you volunteer for a conservation charity
2. You can improve your physical health by going on walks or being physically active through gardening
3. Volunteering for a nature charity can really give you a feel-good feeling – you’ve made a difference and can meet like-minded people who want to do the same
4. You could end up going where people don’t always go – sort of getting behind the scenes with nature!
   
   
   Enjoy a Two Night Break in The Nest Tree House, Devon, from Red Letter Days
   Use the code AHW2021RED and get 15% off!** Plus we will make a  donation to the Woodland Trust  
   
   
   
5. There are some amazing nature experiences you can enjoy
6. Nature can help you reduce stress  and help you relax
7. Nature can help you escape from everyday life – you really can get away from it all
8. You could do an activity that you don’t normally do, such as forest bathing or walking with an alpaca or llama!
   
   
   
   

   Lucky Tails Alpaca Farm Entry with Alpaca Walk
   for Two Adults and Two Children from BuyaGift
   Use the code 15AHW2021 and get 15% off!**
   Plus we will make a donation to the Woodland Trust  
   

9. You can see some amazing wildlife.
10. You can also enjoy nature on the water, so to speak, with some time on a boat!
11. You can combine being social, having exercise, getting fresh air, helping nature and escaping from the day’s routine all in one go!
    
    
    
    Go Forest Bathing in Sussex
    Use the code AHW2021RED and get 15% off!** Plus we will make a donation to the Woodland Trust  
    
    
12. Enjoy a holiday with nature at its heart – you could go glamping in the UK or spend time on a farm in Devon!
    
    
    
    Go stargazing in Wales!
    Use the code AHW2021RED and get 15% off!** Plus we will make a donation to the Woodland Trust   
    
    
13. Look up at the sky!  Spend an hour stargazing and be in awe of the beautiful stars in the sky. 
14. You can exercise your senses if you listen to the sounds of nature, look closely at its colours and detail, smell the scent of nature, taste vegetables and fruit and hug a tree! 

 Enjoy the natural world and improve your wellbeing!  

Buy an experience from Red Letter Days or Buy A Gift
and we will make a donation to the Woodland Trust!

**Codes are valid until 31 December 2021.  Non-discounted products do not apply  apart from that, the codes are site wide!

 The 24^th April is Save the Frogs Day.

It’s a chance to raise awareness of the plight of frogs around the world and also to show ways in which you can help frogs and toads!

The charity Froglife.org.uk has lots of ways you can help frogs and toads, as does the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, so here are some of these ways:

Become a toad patroller!

A Toad Patrol is a group of volunteers who monitor a stretch of road that toads have to cross to reach their breeding pond in the spring. 

Join the Wildlife Tunnel Campaign

Wildlife Tunnels are tunnels built under our roads so that amphibians and reptiles can cross the roads safely.  They are invaluable in linking up important wildlife habitats and lessening the negative impacts our demands for infrastructure are having on British wildlife.  Join Froglife's campaign for Wildlife Tunnels. 

Please sign Froglife's petition for Wildlife Tunnels

Build a wildlife pond!

It doesn’t need to be enormous or complicated – take a look at this PDF from Froglife!  Ponds are really important to wildlife – and it’s estimated that over a third of ponds have vanished in the last 30 years or so which has had a terrible effect on wildlife and especially amphibians.   Frogs, toads and needs need ponds to breed – so if there are no ponds, there will be no frogs, toads and newts.  And there’s nothing like enjoying the sight of your pond, however big or small it is.

Here are some more wildlife gardening ideas to help frogs and toads

Buy an animal experience from BuyaGift.co.uk
and get 15% off** with the code 15AHW2021.   
Plus we'll make a donation to Froglife!

Become a friend of Froglife

From £18 a year, become a friend of Froglife and help them conserve frogs and toads!

Go wildlife spotting and record your sightings!

When you’re out and about, spot wildlife and let Froglife know what you’ve seen!  Froglife has the Dragon Finder App – a free app for Android and iPhone, with a mobile website version for other devices. You can identify amphibians and reptiles in the field and record what you see by letting Froglife know about your sightings whilst you’re out and about.  They’ve got an online free guide to the sorts of animals you might see here.

Take part in Garden Dragon Watch 2021

The information collected will help the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust find out more about the reptiles and amphibians we all find in our gardens, and the habitats that they like.  In turn, this will help ARC with its conservation work.  

Volunteer for ARC!

Volunteer for the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust  - they have many reserves around the UK and it’s a great way to get out and about and to meet like-minded people whilst helping conservation at the same time!  Help on their nature reserves or on specific projects.

Buy an animal experience from BuyaGift.co.uk
and get 15% off** with the code 15AHW2021.   
Plus we'll make a donation to Froglife!

Sponsor one of ARC’s appeals

There are a number, such as sponsoring an adder or a smooth snake or a natterjack toad or a pool frog and more!

Visit Froglife

Visit the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust

** This code is valid until 31 December 2021 and does not include non-discounted products

Want to make a difference to wildlife?

One way to do this is to take part in surveys.   They give conservation charities a really good idea of what is happening across the country – so the more people who join in the better.  You don’t need to be an expert, just to take part.

Building up a picture of wildlife on our doorsteps help us tell if a species is in trouble and needs help.   For example, thousands of wildlife watchers have helped identify the loss of hedgehogs over 20 years.  Like the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, which has run for over 40 years now, surveys give a lot of local information which give great value to wildlife conservation because of the picture they build up.

It’s time for the PTES Living with Mammals Survey!

The 29^th March 2021 saw the launch of this year’s Living With Mammals survey.  All you need to do is to record the mammals you see every week and any signs they leave behind, such as footprints or droppings.

Spotting wild mammals, a PDF from the PTES
image © PTES

You can choose any green space to survey.

It could be a garden, an allotment, a local park or any other area that’s convenient to spend a little time in each week.   The site must be within 200 metres of a building.

You can share your photos online using #LivingwithMammals

PTES who run the survey aren’t asking people to survey public areas, but to survey in gardens and other private land.  If you’re not sure about whether to take part in surveys during COVID-19, check government guidelines and then decide if it is right and proper and safe for you to take part.

Register here (it’s free to do this and there’s the most gorgeous picture of a fox waiting for you)

Survey tips and hints are here such as when and where to look, tracking signs so you can work out who is who, a note on wildlife cameras and more.   Mammals are typically more active at sunrise and suntset.   Check walls, hedges, fences, grass verges and field margins – they all provide cover for mammals.

There are mammal fact files here.   Doing a survey is a great way to find out more about wildlife!

You can see the results of past surveys here – Living with Mammals started in 2003!

Visit the PTES website for more information

Give local wildlife their own wildlife corridors

PTES point out that connecting our gardens and patches of green such as grass verges and local parks enable animals to move between different features.  Make a CD sized hole in the bottom of a fence can really help them journey from one place to another – their own sort of motorway network, a wildlife corridor, if you like.  These can certainly help animals such as hedgehogs.   Visit Hedgehog Street, a campaign run by PTES and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for more information..

The Turtle Dove is in trouble.

They are vulnerable to global extinction and on the IUCV Red List of Endangered species.  Since 1995, they have suffered a catastrophic 94% UK population decline and since 1980, a 78% decline in Europe.

Reasons why is the turtle dove in such trouble are

• the loss of habitat on UK breeding grounds, which means that there are food shortages as well.  
• the disease trichomoniasis
• in the EU member states, hunting has killed 2 to 3 million birds, though this number is from old figures. 
• In the birds’ winter homes in Africa, many habitats have been turned over to agriculture and livestock don’t help because they overgraze and so cause damage.

They now tend to be seen in the south and east of England, though they do head further north and west as well. 

Find out more about turtle doves here.

We need to help them before they become extinct  Enter Operation Turtle Dove.

About Operation Turtle Dove

This is an urgent mission to reverse the fortunes of this beautiful bird.   The RSPB is asking us all to save them.

Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership conservation project between the RSPB, Conservation Grade, Natural England and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust.  It was started in the spring of 2012 and it aimed to identify the primary causes of the turtle dove decline and develop and deploy urgent practical solutions. 

6 ways to get involved in Operation Turtle Dove

1. Create turtle dove habitat, whether you are at home, own land or farm.   The website has information – just look for the heading Create Turtle Dove Habitat and choose the option that’s most relevant to you.  Gardens and green spaces are useful habitats for turtle doves so make them  welcome and hopefully they will come.  Farms are helping turtle doves so if you’re a farmer, take a look at these videos to be inspired!
2. Find out how to identify a turtle dove and then let the RSPB know if you see one with their Report a Turtle Dove Sighting page.  Then they can better idea of how to help turtle doves.
3. Take a look at the year of a turtle dove so you can better understand the bird 
4. Donate to Operation Turtle Dove 
5. Spread the word through your community and on social media and ask people to help
6. Find out what is being done to help these incredible birds and see what else you can do to help

Visit Operation Turtle Dove’s website

Buy an RSPB singing turtle dove soft toy and support conservation

Love donkeys and horses?   

If you do, just take a moment to imagine them walking mile after mile, every day. 

That’s the reality for many working horses, donkeys and mules who work tirelessly, around the world. 

The Brooke reach over 1.5 million working horses, donkeys and mules across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and help them.  

If you do and want to do your bit to help them, please take a look at The Brooke's Step in their Shoes Challenge and take on the 100 mile challenge to raise essential funds to support the working animals they care for every day. 

The Brooke is asking us all to walk 100 miles (not in one go!) at some stage this year. 

There is no set time limit for the challenge;  you can do the 100 miles however you like – walking, wheeling, running or cycling, whatever!  If you have a dog, you could include your daily dog walking in your 100 miles!

Register, and a fundraising page will be set up for you - you just need then to share the link with your family and friends and ask for donations.  The Brooke is asking us to raise £100 or as much as you can. 

If you can't do the challenge, why not donate or sponsor someone? 

Visit Step in their Shoes' website here

Get active!

Harringtons has launched a “Miles and Meals” campaign to get everyone moving and also get more meals to those in need.

The idea is to help pet owners clock up the miles – and for every one mile walked, Harringtons will donate a meal.  

There’s an online community that tracks steps, using exercise and running app Strava.   Meal donations will go to dogs in need.

In short, the more miles we all do, the more meals go to pets in care.

Harringtons are hoping that a million miles will be walked – which will mean one million meals can will be donated.   And hopefully we can all get fitter and having waggy tail fun while we’re doing it!

So far, over half a million meals have been donated!

You can use the hashtag #PositivePawprint for a chance to be featured in Harrington’s gallery!

COVID-19
Stay safe and please stick to the current COVID-19 restrictions in your area.  Maintain social distancing.    

Find out more here

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