http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/ en BCahn@nottswt.co.uk Copyright 2013 2013-05-15T15:32:39+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/pub-quiz-a-fun-fundraising-evening-.-.-/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/pub-quiz-a-fun-fundraising-evening-.-.-/#When:14:32:39Z Intelligent . . . ? Like a drink . . . ? . . . then why not join us to answer a few Pub Quiz questions over a drink & light supper in good company, while helping to raise funds to create Rushcliffe's largest nature reserve? Join Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for a CHARITY PUB QUIZ, raising funds for our Skylarks Appeal.   When?      Sunday 30 June 2013 - 7.30pm Where?    The Chesterfield Pub & Kitchen                   Church Street                   Bingham                   Nottingham                   NG13 8AL                   01949 838074 How?        Book your team table by:                    ►  phoning the Trust's Development Team on 0115 958 8242                   ►  or in person from the Bar Staff at The Chesterfield £3.50 per entrant (incl. supper), ideally in teams of 4 RAFFLE - with a great selection of prizes!   We look forward to seeing you there . . . 2013-05-15T14:32:39+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/happy-50th-birthday-to-us/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/happy-50th-birthday-to-us/#When:11:30:30Z Let the celebrations begin... Nottinghamshire WIldlife Trust is officially 50 years old! Saturday 11th May saw the launch of our Golden Anniversary celebrations, with a special evening at Nottingham's Council House. Held exactly 50 years to the day, since our charity was established, the event marked our successes to date and outlined our ambitions for the future. The civic reception, hosted for us by Nottingham City Council, attracted over 100 invited guests. A year of Anniversary events The evening was the first celebration in an entire year of special events for our Anniversary - running from May 2013 to May 2014 - covering the length and breadth of the county. Click here to find out more about our 50th Anniversary celebrations. The next official celebratory event is an Open Day at Farndon Willow Holt Nature Reserve near Newark on Saturday 8th June, followed by a Summer Fair at our Idle Valley Nature Reserve near Retford on Sunday 16th June. 1963: a very special year Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (then known as the 'Nottinghamshire Trust for Nature Conservation') was initially set up by local people keen to do more to protect the county’s wildlife and countryside. The event at the Council House, attended by long-term members and supporters, past and present staff and a range of current funders and project partners, highlighted the fact that our origins hark back to a group of people who were passionate about saving wildlife at the 'Attenborough Gravel Pits'  - now our most popular Nature Reserve. The launch of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust didn’t really make the headlines back in 1963 – after all, this was the year that the Beatles had their first number 1 hit, the year of the Great Train Robbery and the Profumo Scandal. However the people responsible have had a lasting impact on our county in terms of the wildlife areas we have subsequently saved and the tens of thousands of people who have been inspired by our education programmes and events over the past five decades. From strength to strength From very humble beginnings with just a few volunteers, we now have over 800 active volunteers; care for more than 70 nature reserves across Nottinghamshire; have the support of almost 11,000 members; deliver hundreds of events each year and have an extensive education programme that supports over 7500 children each year. A chance to shout about our work Whilst many people will have heard of us and may be aware of our high profile sites such as Attenborough, most people don’t realise the full extent of our work. Many may be unaware that we care for so many precious wetlands, woodlands and other wildlife areas in Nottinghamshire, that we are the only charity that monitors planning and development across the whole county for threats to wildlife, or that our education programme enables thousands of children each year to experience and enjoy the natural world on their doorstep. We want to use our Anniversary year to showcase the work we are doing right across the county to make Nottinghamshire a better place for both wildlife and people - and to highlight the different ways people can help by getting involved. Still fighting to save sites five decades on The event also saw the official launch of our £50,000 Skylarks Appeal to help create the largest Nature Reserve in Rushcliffe. We're currently trying to raise the funds as part of a major project to purchase land adjacent to its Skylarks Nature Reserve at Holme Pierrepont. Known as Blott’s Pit, the land is popular with birdwatchers and is amongst the most important habitats for birds in the Trent Valley. Having secured a temporary deal to save the site from being sold on the open market, we now have approximately 18 months to raise the funds to buy the land. If successful, we plan to extend the Skylarks Reserve to create a major wetland reserve. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was born out of a fight to safeguard the future of wetland habitat alongside the River Trent at Attenborough. Now, 50 years on, we are once again responding to the wishes of local people in trying to secure the future of vital habitat at Holme Pierrepont. It somehow seems a very fitting challenge for our Anniversary year and we call upon the people of the county to help us reach our goal of raising £50,000 to create a lasting legacy in our special year. Click here to find out more about our 50th Anniversary celebrations. Skylarks 2013-05-13T11:30:30+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/peregrinecam2013/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/peregrinecam2013/#When:13:34:15Z It's competition time again. Help name one of our Nottingham Peregrine Chicks! After a hugely popular naming competition last year which saw thousands of Nottingham peregrine fans vote to name our chick Storm, we’re pleased to announce that this year we will again hold a poll to enable you the viewers to name this year’s eyases. One of our chicks has already been named! We welcome Ernest to the peregrine family. As a fitting tribute last summer we reserved the name for one of this year’s chicks as a tribute to a follower whose grandfather Ernest, an avid viewer of our falcon cam, sadly passed away. Coincidentally, we’re also now informed that the eggs hatched this year on the eve of the gentleman’s birthday anniversary. As you may also recall the name Ernest came a very close second to Storm in our poll, so we’re very pleased to confirm that one of this year’s chicks will take the name which proved so very popular.  We have two more chicks to name. During the next seven days email your suggestions and we’ll compile a shortlist suitable for an online poll. The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Tuesday 21st May. So play the name game and submit your suggestions. Want more info about peregrines or peregrinecam? For the latest news and all things Nottingham Peregrine Cam visit  www.peregrinecam.co.uk A pair of peregrine falcons, a protected species, has been nesting successfully high on Nottingham Trent University’s Newton Building for over a decade, raising a number of chicks each year. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has teamed up with the university to help protect the birds with 24/7 security cameras. This footage, for the third year running, is now available for you to watch through an online webcam. Click here to watch live now! Discover more about what you can see now, with our egg-cellent Peregrine FAQs... What do the chicks look like? They look very small, white and fluffy, but grow very quickly! As they get older, the white downy feathers are slowly replaced by brown adult feathers. Born in April, by the time they fledge the nest in July they are pretty much fully grown! When do the chicks learn to fly? The young fly after around 39 days, gradually becoming independent of their parents. How will the fledged chicks learn to hunt and when will they leave the parents? As the chicks get older, the adults will withhold food items and encourage them to take longer flights. At this time the adults will also drop prey in mid-air for them to catch as they pass the nest. This activity contributes to bringing about the day when they will become independent. The loosening of ties with the parents is probably gradual and spread over several weeks, during which time they gradually learn to fend for themselves. The adults will continue to feed them until they disperse naturally. There is no evidence that the adults drive juveniles away – it is likely that they will detach themselves from the parents as instinct dictates. Get involved! To keep up to date as the story unfolds, follow the Falcon Cam blog Get involved in the Peregrine Cam chat on our Facebook page and our @nottswildlife Twitter 2013-05-03T13:34:15+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/help-rescue-flooded-wildflower-reserve/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/help-rescue-flooded-wildflower-reserve/#When:13:10:46Z Staff and volunteers have been hard at work to help rescue wildflowers and delicate grasses at our Wilwell Farm Cutting Nature Reserve, between Wilford and Ruddington, which have been damaged by flooding. The flooding, which we believe was caused by engineering work linked to the construction of the NET Tram Phase 2, has now receded, leaving a mat of dried algae lying on the surface of most of the reserve’s fragile grassland meadows. Click here to watch a BBC news video about the flooding. We believe the area flooded because the tram works altered the site's drainage. Click here to read the latest BBC news report A long, slow recovery We believe that it will take up to 5 years for the site’s wildflower populations to recover. Now that the water level has dropped, the reserve is blanketed in a layer of dried algae which is making it difficult for the wild flowers and grasses to begin to thrive once more. By carefully raking off the algae, we're hoping to speed up the reserve’s recovery by allowing more light to reach the flowers and to remove the risk of delicate species being swamped. Click here to find out more about the reserve Wilwell Farm Cutting, Ashfield 2013-05-03T13:10:46+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/dogs-at-idle-valley/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/dogs-at-idle-valley/#When:11:28:24Z The Idle Valley Nature Reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)which welcomes responsible dog walkers to enjoy the area.  To help protect the important wildlife on the site and ensure that all our visitors can experience the quiet enjoyment of the countryside, we respectfully remind dog walkers to: Keep your dog under control at all times and on a lead around the Rural Learning Centre and Belmoor Lake    Keep on the clearly marked pathways Clean up after your dog and place any waste in the bins provided. Following these simple guidelines will help to: Reduce disturbance to sensitive species and their habitats so we can keep the nature     reserve special.  Nesting birds are particularly vulnerable as most nest less than two feet above the ground. Prevent disturbance to livestock that are used to graze the site Ensure that dogs are kept safe around traffic. Reduce the risk to young children from dog mess. Thank you for your cooperation and we hope you enjoy your visit to the Idle Valley Nature Reserve. Idle Valley 2013-05-03T11:28:24+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/help-our-glow-worms/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/help-our-glow-worms/#When:13:41:21Z Have you ever seen a Glow Worm? Do you know someone who has? We’re proud to announce that we are supporting the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey. One of our most fascinating and endearing insects, the glow worm (Lampyris noctiluca) – which is in fact a beetle and not a worm at all - gets its name from its ability to produce light.   Female glow worms can be seen glowing bright green against a dark night, but this sight may be less common in the UK nowadays. Habitat loss through urbanisation, industrial development and modern farming practices, are all thought to be contributing factors towards the insect’s decline. Today, we know little more about its current UK range than Victorian naturalists did over 100 years ago, but has the glow worm declined in Nottinghamshire? The Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey aims to record the distribution of this beetle in the county for the first time. It is hoped that it will answer the question as to whether the lack of modern records from many of its known sites is through genuine decline, or just a lack of recording.  Knowing more about the glow worm’s distribution will also give us an idea of how land owners can be helped to sympathetically manage their sites to help protect these bright little creatures. Please see below for details of how you can help! Did you know? A glow worm’s light is a form of bioluminescence caused by chemical reaction. The larval stage lasts between one and three years, during which time the larva eats a diet of slugs and snails. The 20mm long females are unable to fly, but the male is fully-winged and more typically beetle-like. Both adults do not eat. Please help Your help is needed – we are looking for volunteers to undertake simple searches, looking for signs of glow worms. Surveying is relatively easy and the whole family can take part. A survey for adult insects would take around an hour or longer, depending on the size of the site. Adult glow worms are nocturnal and any surveying is therefore best undertaken without a torch. Mild, cloudy evenings are ideal, from around 10.15pm onwards, between early June and late July. Glow worms traditionally prefer grassy habitats, but can also be found on disused railway lines, forest rides and roadside verges on well-drained soils. Please remember, if you wish to survey for glow worms on any private site, to check and arrange access permissions with the landowner before you visit. All results from a site, both positive and negative, are needed to help the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey map distribution across the county. For more information about Glow Worms in Nottinghamshire, or to take part in the survey, please visit http://www.eakringbirds.com, or post your records to The NGS, 13 Day Street, Market Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG20 0NG. 2013-04-30T13:41:21+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/meet-our-latest-fully-fledged-wildlife-guardians/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/meet-our-latest-fully-fledged-wildlife-guardians/#When:10:33:48Z Bildurn Properties Ltd, a city centre based Urban Real Estate Development and Property Management company, contacted us earlier this year offering the opportunity to inspect the roof spaces of their high rise buildings, for suitability of nest box installation.  After watching Mr & Mrs Peregrine nesting atop NTU's Newton building last year, the staff at Bildurn wondered if any of their city centre skyscrapers might also make suitable homes for nesting birds . . . what a great offer! Following an intital meeting, where we viewed images and a map of their numerous city centre buildings, a site visit was arranged to visit the roof tops themselves (possibly on the only sunny day in February!) to assess suitability.  The Pod development on Fletcher Gate proved to be the largest roofspace with the best aspect, so four nest boxes, specifically designed to attract black redstarts, were ordered. During this initial meeting we also discussed the possibility of Bildurn becoming Wildlife Guardians of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, joining a growing band of locally based businesses who support us in many different ways - with financial donations; project sponsorship; in-kind support; staff volunteering days and in-house fundraising events.  A few weeks after our initial meeting we were delighted to receive confirmation that Bildurn wished to become a Wildlife Guardian. The nest boxes arrived, a suitable date was found in everyone's diaries (St George's Day, by chance) and the sun came out!  Together with Bildurn's staff - Sean (Managing Director) and Fay (Office & Marketing Manager) we scaled the roof of The Pod to install the 4 nest boxes and present Bildurn with their 2013 Wildife Guardian certificate.   Photo above shows us presenting the certificate to Fay & Sean, on the roof. We tremendously value the support of all our Wildlife Guardians, without whose help we would be unable to carry out much of the work we do to improve habitats for wildlife in our community.  Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is passionate about restoring and recreating habitats across Nottingham.  Over the past three years we have been raising awareness of the value of urban wildlife through our Wildlife in the City project but to really make a difference we need the support of partner organisations, such as Bildurn.  By working together we make Nottingham a better place, for both wildlife and people and we very much hope to see black redstarts back in our city in the future. If you would like to join our Corporate Supporters by becoming a Wildlife Guardian, please contact nwtcorporate@nottswt.co.uk or call us on 0115 958 8242.  We'd love to hear from you.  Thank you for your support. 2013-04-26T10:33:48+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/celebrate-nottinghamshires-wonderful-woodlands/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/celebrate-nottinghamshires-wonderful-woodlands/#When:13:40:38Z Put a spring in your step with a walk through our beautiful woodlands... With more than 400 woodlands to choose from across the UK, The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging everyone to take a wander in the woods on the weekend of 27-28 April 2013. Last year we celebrated our Centenary with a series of events celebrating wildlife in woods, meadows, gardens, wetlands and in our seas. With nearly 8,000 people having taken part, these events are now an annual fixture. ‘Our Woodland Wildlife’ starts this year’s series, with individual Wildlife Trusts offering everything from wanders past drifts of beautiful bluebells to bird and butterfly spotting, wood-whittling and even cooking a Sunday roast in the great outdoors. If staying close to home this weekend, we're hosting a special event on Sunday 28th April as part of this celebratory series.  Join us for Bunny Old Wood Open Day, at this popular reserve, 15 minutes drive from Nottingham city centre. Come along and see our display of spring flowers, take part in a scavenger hunt and enjoy a guided walk with the South Notts Local group (walks leaving at 11.00am 1.00pm and 3.00pm). Bunny Old Wood is on the left of the A60 climbing out of Bunny village. Car parking available. For more information contact Chris Terrell-Neild on 0115 937 4906. Click below to download and print our free Wildlife Spotter sheets to take with you: Woodland Wildlife Spotter Sheet Spring Flowers Spotter Sheet All the ‘Our Woodland Wildlife’ events are designed to introduce more people to the benefits that exploring our woods can bring to their health and well-being, as well as alerting them to the wildlife within. “We are offering people a chance to re-connect with their local woodlands and wildlife, making it easy for them to get closer to nature. These woodland events take place across the UK over just one weekend but they could permanently change people’s lives for the better,” said Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts. “We do need support to maintain the conditions of many of our woodlands. Once people see what is out there and what is needed to protect these precious natural resources, they often feel encouraged to make nature part of their lives again. “Those who join or volunteer for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust can enjoy the woods knowing that they’re helping to establish and protect these wonderful places for generations to come.” Those unable to attend a particular event should not despair as our woodland nature reserves are open to everyone, all weekend. Find out which is closest to home and plan your own walk at any of these beautiful sites: Bunny Old Wood - near Bunny, Nottingham (see above) Duke's Wood - near Kirklington & Eakring Dyscarr Wood - on the Nottinghamshire/South Yorkshire border, west of Langold Eaton & Gamston Woods - near Retford Glapton Wood - Clifton, Nottingham Ploughman Wood - near Lambley, south-east of Nottingham Sellers Wood - near Bulwell, Nottingham Treswell Wood - near Retford Bunny Wood, Duke's Wood, Gamston Wood, Ploughman Wood, Treswell Wood 2013-04-23T13:40:38+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/idle-valley-lincoln-red-calves/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/idle-valley-lincoln-red-calves/#When:07:40:22Z Our small herd of Lincolnshire Red cows are an important grazing tool on the nature reserve.  As well as eating down the grass they also browse on willow and other scrub and help keep it under control.  We are now calving and increasing the size of our herd which will be used acorss the county to help manage different nature reserves.  Idle Valley 2013-04-11T07:40:22+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/idle-valley-needs-your-help/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/idle-valley-needs-your-help/#When:06:47:54Z If you have visited the Idle Valley recently you will have seen that we are working hard to build the offer up at weekends and a key part of this is the cafe. If you can make cheese on toast, bacon butties and hot chocolate, then you could be just the person we’re looking for!  Our café is only open on Sundays and we need at least 4 more kitchen volunteers to complete the team and make sure we have enough volunteer help to see us over the summer months when folks are on holiday.  Food hygiene training will be given to all volunteers who help us in the kitchen and there will always be a Duty Manager on hand to look after you.  If you’re one of those people who want to make a difference but aren’t sure how, then if you have these basic cooking skills this could be just the opportunity you’ve been looking for.  Strange as it may seem, helping in the kitchen is actually helping to protect wildlife – without the café we would lose valuable income that is helping us become sustainable.  To take the first step, simply call Sara Smith on 01777 713945. Idle Valley 2013-04-11T06:47:54+00:00