Tag: wildlife
Wildwatch: March-May highlights
Spring was certainly a very exciting time for our Wildwatch team with lots of amazing new discoveries and the return of a few familiar friends. For some of our Wildwatch team, just getting back to St Nicks following lockdown was a highlight in itself (and a highlight for us too as our team are amazing […]
How to rewild yourself and reconnect with nature
We hear a lot these days about how to rewild nature – a form of conservation and ecological restoration that has significant potential to increase biodiversity through letting things take their natural course, reintroducing native species and not having too much human interference. But is it also possible to rewild ourselves? This could mean doing […]
Meet the Team: Green Mentor, Freya Lovett
What is your role at St Nicks? My role is a Green Mentor which involves working with young people aged 10-14 to help them organise their own environmental projects. I also lead the Ecotherapy Bearing Fruit group but I’ll save talking about that for another time. In what ways have you been involved in environmental […]
Spotlight on… Red Kites
This blog has been written by the incredibly knowledgeable Phil Taylor from Green Underwing who also leads our Discover Nature Ecotherapy session. Recently I saw a red kite flying over the road near Rufforth and this prompted me to explore the history of this bird of prey. Red kites are a magnificent part of British […]
Himalayan Balsam – the scourge of our rivers!
Every year in May we get a little obsessive about Himalayan balsam. For those who don’t know it, this is a highly invasive plant which has taken over river banks, becks and ditches across the country. Whether it’s the Ouse, the Foss or local becks like Tang Hall and Osbaldwick, you don’t have to go […]
Wildwatch April 2020
Wildlife at St Nicks has been flourishing this spring. Wildwatch volunteers would normally be meeting every week to record – and enjoy – this. Alas, this is impossible right now. However, several Wildwatchers have been able to visit individually and share their sightings with us all. And of course staff members continue to do essential […]
Wildwatch March 2020
New life sprung forth this March at St Nicks – as always. Despite inevitable difficulties, the Wildwatch team was still able to enjoy some great wildlife sightings. Wildwatch groups met as usual on the Wednesday mornings of the 4th and 11th of March – seventeen of us on the latter date. (What a long time ago this […]
Spotlight on… Tawny Mining Bee and Bee Fly
The Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva) and the Bee Fly (Bombylius major) have a story to tell. The first is a solitary bee while the second is not a bee but a fly impersonating one. Both can be seen on the reserve at St Nicks from April to June. The Bee Fly tries to stay as […]
Keeping connected to nature: even during lockdown
Hard times for us all. So many pressing concerns. Not least of these, for many of us, is the way in which our access to the natural world has suddenly become so constricted. Absence, it is said, makes the heart grow fonder. How true this seems now, regarding not just family and friends, but also […]
How can I help wildlife thrive in my garden over winter?
Many of us would like to find ways to support our local wildlife, especially when the weather is cold. Here are some of our top tips. Shelter Let (some of) your garden grow wild and leave piles of leaves or long grass to provide shelter for animals and nesting spots for birds. Think about building […]
