http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/ en BCahn@nottswt.co.uk Copyright 2012 2012-01-31T15:16:15+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/whats-that-bird-feed-me-now/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/whats-that-bird-feed-me-now/#When:14:39:57Z In this cold weather, please spare a thought for our feathered friends and leave food and water out for the birds. Bird feeders and tables are also great ways to attract birds to your garden, providing unique entertainment whilst you are eating your own breakfast! If you haven't got space for a full bird table or feeder, you could fill half a coconut, or the holes and cracks of a post, with fatty food such as suet. To match our nation's  soaring interest in birds, the range and type of bird feed and bird feeder available has grown immensely: the market is estimated to be worth almost £200m a year. The UK has lost 95% of its traditional wildflower meadows, and 50% of ancient woodlands, the more "habitat" we can reproduce in our gardens, even if its just a bird bath or bird feeder, the more helpful we can be. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is already working to redress this situation somewhat with our Farmland Birds Bed and Breakfast project, where we provide subsidised feed hoppers and boxes and advice on where to site them. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's Conservation Officer Mark Speck recently helped to install a bird feeding station and nest boxes at Holly Primary School in Forest Town.  Funding for this exciting scheme to support birds during the winter months through supplementary food was provided by Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers. In addition to the supplementary food, the school is providing natural habitat across their grounds in the form of a nature reserve, woodland, orchard and allotment. It is hoped that by stimulating interest in the natural environment the children at the school will be encouraged to become the conservationists of the future. The school is also hoping to be able to restore a pond in order to provide further habitat diversity within the school grounds and act as an educational tool for students. As well as providing advice to schools, a key part of Mark’s work at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is advising farmers as to how they can improve their land for wildlife. Through our Farmland Bird Bed & Breakfast Scheme we also supply special seed hoppers and nest boxes designed to help boost populations of farmland bird species such as tree sparrow and yellowhammer.   The Farmland Bird Bed & Breakfast Scheme is also supported by Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers and is another example of how the the two groups are working together to help local wildlife. 2012-01-30T14:39:57+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/world-wetlands-day-this-thurs/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/world-wetlands-day-this-thurs/#When:14:16:15Z Celebrate World Wetlands Day and explore a fantastic Wildlife Trust wetland reserve near you!...plus Free Froggy Flipbook for kids!   World Wetlands day takes place this coming Thursday (2 February) and here at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust we are encouraging nature lovers across the county to visit these often overlooked gems. We're also celebrating by offering a free downloadable Froggy Flipbook for kids - simply click here to visit our special Wildlife in the Wetlands page, and go to the Downloads section.   In total we manage over 950ha of wetland sites in the county and this is an area equivalent to an amazing 1,350 football pitches. Our wetland reserves range from the award winning Idle Valley Nature Reserve and iconic Attenborough Nature Centre and Reserve, to smaller sites like Reed Pond at Lambley or Skylarks at Holme Pierrepoint.   These wetland nature reserves are inspiring places to be with a variety of things to interest nature lovers all year round so why not visit one of the reserves listed below today?   • Aldercarr Flash, Langley Mill • Attenborough, between Beeston and Long Eaton • Besthorpe, north of Newark • Daneshill, north of Retford • Fairham Brook, Clifton • Idle Valley, Retford • Lady Lee Quarry, Worksop • Moorbridge Pond, Bulwell • North Muskham Lake, north of Newark • Reed Pond, Lambley • Skylarks, Holme Pierrepoint • Spa Ponds, New Clipstone • Wilford Claypit, Wilford (Compton Acres)   If you have visited any of the wetland reserves before you will have notice that many of them are also grazed with livestock as  this is a great way of managing valuable wet grasslands and has many environmental benefits to boot.   Recently we launched our Cow Appeal to raise funds to create a breeding herd of Lincolnshire Red cows in the east and north of the county, in order to further develop our conservation work in these areas.   Although delighted with all the donations so far, thank you to everyone kind enough to donate to us as your money has allowed us to purchase our first three cows before Christmas and hopefully have our first calf in early spring, we still have a long way to go to reach our £25,000 target.   So, if you wish to help us reach our target, you can make a donation by Text - to donate £2, £5 or £10 using your mobile phone, please text COWS21 then leave a space and enter the amount you wish to donate, i.e.:  COWS21 £5 and send to 70070. Your texts will cost the price of a regular text from your phone, plus the value of your donation. All of the money you donate will go exclusively to the Cow Appeal, with no additional charges.   Thank you again for your support so far and we will keep all our supporters up to date as our Cow Appeal gains more and more momentum.   Click here for more information about our Wildlife in the Wetlands campaign supported by Speedo, including reserves, events, activities and fun free downloads! 2012-01-31T14:16:15+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/gushing-water-begins-besthorpe-wetland-success/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/gushing-water-begins-besthorpe-wetland-success/#When:15:19:25Z Gushing water signalled the final stage of our half a million pound project to restore a major Trent-side nature reserve last week, as millions of litres were transferred from a specially-created lagoon, to a new area of reedbed and ponds - at Besthorpe Nature Reserve near Collingham, Newark.    Makeover ‘Besthorpe’s Big Makeover’ was our largest ever single restoration project, creating vital new habitats for wildlife in this former quarry area. Months of hard work finally came to fruition as we turned on a ‘tap’ from the Trent.   Special event At Friday’s (20 January) event, a special sluice gate, installed to control the flow of water between different areas of the nature reserve, was opened for the first time - allowing the water from the lagoon to flow through, and beginning the process of re-wetting the new habitat. In future, the sluice will allow Wildlife Trust to ensure that the reedbed areas, connected by a system of pools and ditches, have sufficient water to thrive.   The transfer of water came as a relief to everyone involved in the ambitious project, after a worrying period of dry weather. Thanks to much-needed rainfall before Christmas, we were granted permission to draw water from the River Trent into a special Buffer Lagoon. Following Friday's event, some of this water has now moved to fill a new network of ponds and reedbeds created on the site which was once the home of the county’s largest reedbed.   Watch a YouTube Video of the gushing water   New habitats These new habitats will complement those already existing on the reserve, including areas of dry reedbed of high value for scarce moths, the wet woodland and the grassland and open water. The large wetland on the reserve, Mons Pool, has also been reshaped as part of the restoration works, to create islands for birds to breed safe from predatory foxes, to provide an improved sand martin bank, and to establish shallow wetlands to attract waders.   "Sanctuary" Speaking about the project, Head of Estate Management & Development Charles Langtree said: “We worked tremendously hard last year to re-landscape the reserve and to create the new habitat areas and it was very worrying to have to wait so long to flood the areas to complete the job. Thankfully the reeds seem to have survived and we now look forward to them becoming well established in the spring. In time these reedbeds will become a sanctuary for a wide range of birds, and potentially for mammals such as the otter and we are really excited about how the reserve will develop in the years to come.”   Restored quarry Besthorpe Nature Reserve, situated off Trent Lane, Besthorpe, covers almost 70 hectares alongside the River Trent between the villages of Collingham and Besthorpe. It was developed through the restoration of sand and gravel quarries and is now home to an array of wildlife. It forms part of a wider complex of wetland sites in the Trent Vale.   Generous support The project has received generous support from a wide range of businesses, volunteers, clubs, local groups and individuals and forms a major contribution to the work of the Trent Vale Landscape Partnership, a £2.6m project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Work on site has been funded by contributions from E.ON as well as Landfill Communities Fund grants from Biffaward, Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK and SITA Trust.    Captured on camera: Pictured are local volunteer Andrew Hindmarsh, Sam Gorin (Besthorpe Parish Counci)l and David Cansfield Lafarge Aggregates 2012-01-27T15:19:25+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/new-video-1-cow-1-man-1-bike-1-mission/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/new-video-1-cow-1-man-1-bike-1-mission/#When:12:46:52Z When was the last time you cycled over 300 miles, with a tent strapped to your back, on your own for days? Well local man Geoff Hickman is kindly planning to raise funds for our new Cow Appeal, by doing just that! In May 2012, Geoff will be taking his bike and tent on a very long sponsored ride, from Land's End to his home in Nottingham. We’re hoping that when you find out about his plans, you might be inspired to click and sponsor him.  Any amount, however small, will go straight to our Cow Appeal, helping to inch us closer to the £25,000 we need to be able to buy our own herd of cattle.  Want to know why we’re doing this?  Click here to read more about our Cow Appeal. But this article isn’t just about the Appeal; it is about Geoff.  About a man who until recently had never cycled more than the 5 miles to his office, taking on a worthy and, some might say, moo-mentous challenge! Click on the image below to watch the brand new teaser trailer on our YouTube channel, featuring Geoff and a friendly plastic cow called Pat, travelling around Nottingham (what more could you ask for from a video!). If you watch our video and are in the moo-d to help, please click here to sponsor Geoff . And if you would also like to follow Geoff's progress as he trains for this impressive feat, why not click here to check out his blog. Thank you very much! 2012-01-04T12:46:52+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/friendly-robin-wins-award/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/friendly-robin-wins-award/#When:13:10:53Z A photograph capturing an extremely friendly robin, taken by one of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Volunteer Photographers, has been successful in a national award. Nottingham photographer Jacqui Grafton was highly commended for her picture, featuring a robin perching on an elderly person’s open palm and entitled “Old Friends”, at the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2011. We are proud to see one of our volunteers do so well.   Our Communications Officer Anna Williams looks after many of our volunteers. Speaking about Jacqui's Award, she said: “Without the support of our passionate volunteers the Wildlife Trust would simply not be the same. We rely on Volunteer Photographers such as Jacqui to capture our county’s wildlife on camera, helping to promote our work to protect it. It is great to see Jacqui earning recognition for her talent.”   Click to find out more about volunteering for the Wildlife Trust   2011-12-21T13:10:53+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/raffle-winners-announced/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/raffle-winners-announced/#When:11:01:33Z Our Grand Raffle winners can now be revealed . . . Thanks to everyone who helped support us by joining in the fun and buying a ticket. The raffle has raised almost £3000, which will release £30,000 for our conservation work throughout the county.   RAFFLE WINNERS:   School House, Yorkshire Dales – mid-week break:  Mr Smith, Chilwell.   Center Parcs – short break:  Ian Charnley, Compton Acres.   East Midlands Airport to Amsterdam:  Bianca Winter, St Anns.   L’Oreal Cosmetics Hamper 1:  Ben Lewis, Goverton.   L’Oreal Cosmetics Hamper 2:  Mr Taylor, Macclesfield.   L’Oreal Cosmetics Hamper 3:  Lorraine Birch, Radcliffe-on-Trent.   Framed Wildlife Cross-Stitch:  Wesley Woodford, East Leake.   10L Poly Pin of Natural Selections Beer:  Vince Davies, Solihull.   Nottingham Playhouse - Annual ‘Backstage Pass’ for 2 people:  Jim Cottam, Staythorpe.   Broadway Cinema - Pair of Tickets:  Ruth Testa, The Meadows.   Harrison’s 'Garden Friends' Bird Seed+Feeder:  Liam Upton, Nottingham.   Congratulations to everyone! 2011-12-20T11:01:33+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/special-report-the-seas-must-recover/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/special-report-the-seas-must-recover/#When:10:19:22Z The world’s oceans are under terrible pressure, but protected areas are beginning to appear. Now the UK must play its part. Here in landlocked Nottinghamshire it is very easy to sit back and ignore the plight of the UK's underwater wildlife, but protecting the fragile habitats of our country's coastline has never been more important. The Wildlife Trusts are campaigning for action. Sign up online to support our Petition Fish campaign. We are now pleased to be able to bring you a special report by Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICUN). IUCN is the world’s largest global environmental network. Please click the link below to view... The Seas Must Recover: a Special Report 2011-12-09T10:19:22+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/books/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/books/#When:09:37:17Z Over the last few years many members have kindly donated wildlife books - however our library is now overflowing with duplicate copies of some titles, multiple copies of similar books and a range of books that do not relate to Nottinghamshire or UK wildlife. So, we have selected over 100 such books and are going to sell them on Ebay. All funds raised through the book sale will be put towards our conservation work in the county. The campaign is being coordinated by Suzanne Hemsley, a member and volunteer of the Wildlife Trust. Every Thursday she has been kindly coming into the office to help catalogue the books, photograph them and upload details to Ebay.  Whilst cataloguing the books Suzanne discovered some very interesting, rare and valuable books – so she is optimistic that this campaign will raise some considerable funds to protect wildlife.   Suzanne says, "That although the task was initially daunting, it has turned out to be very interesting sorting through the huge variety of donated books and I hope they all find good homes". There are bargains to be had, books just to look at and others useful for study. From the comfort of your armchair, you can re-home previously loved books and know you are actively helping your local wildlife. Treat yourself or find a present for someone special.   The books cover a range of topics from wildlife, as you would expect, to others such as “The Old Hand-Knitters of the Dales” and “Robin Hood”.  Amongst the tomes are little treasures such as Japanese artist Utamaro’s “A Chorus of Birds”.  The beautiful paintings are displayed accordion style with short, humorous poems relating to the birds on the reverse.  Another book to look out for is “Where Truth Abides: Diaries of the 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme (1822-1850)”, a true life period drama!  For people new to bird-watching or wanting to learn more there is the useful “In Search of Birds: Their Haunts & Habitats”.  It explains what birds you are likely to find in which habitat and why.  Prices start from as little as £1 up to those with reserves of £50.   If you would like to buy then please visit our Ebay Shop. The books go on sale from Saturday 10th December, and we will be adding new books every 5 days, so pleas keep checking our Ebay page.   Happy bidding!   2011-12-08T09:37:17+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/grand-autumn-raffle/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/grand-autumn-raffle/#When:16:37:59Z Our Grand Autumn Raffle tickets will be on sale until Thursday 15 December 2011, so there are only a few days to purchase the chance to win one of our fabulous prizes, whilst helping to raise funds for our work throughout the county.   TOP PRIZES INCLUDE: Luxury 5-Star midweek break in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales for 12-15 people in a historic Grade II listed building - The School House, Middleham. Center Parcs holiday for up to 6 people - either a 3 night weekend or 4 night mid-week break, staying in a woodland lodge at either Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, Elveden Forest in Suffolk, Longleat Forest in Wiltshire or Whinfell Forest in Cumbria. 2 free return flights to Amsterdam with bmibaby.com from East Midlands Airport. . . . and many more! Click to view full prize list Tickets cost £1 each and are also available in books of 5.  All proceeds will provide vital funds to help us continue to protect Nottinghamshire's wildlife.  RRRaffle tickets will be on sale at many of our events.  Please email us to find out your nearest event. We were the Official Festival Raffle at CAMRA’s annual 3-day Robin Hood Beer Festival in October, where we had a fantastic response to our ticket selling, so a big THANK YOU to all of you who supported us there.     Tickets will continue to be available from reception at:    Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Head Office The Old Ragged School Brook Street Nottingham NG1 1EA Attenborough Nature Reserve Barton Lane Attenborough NG9 6DY   Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre North Road Retford DN22 8RQ   Click here to view the Terms & Conditions     2011-12-07T16:37:59+00:00 http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/news/item/christmas2011/ http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/site/christmas2011/#When:15:51:18Z Spread a little Christmas cheer with our amazing gift ideas! From cards to calendars, from Adopt an Otter to discounted binoculars – there’s something for everyone this festive season. Every penny of profit goes to help protect Nottinghamshire’s Wildlife for the future. Christmas Cards Special packs of Wildlife Trust Christmas cards available from £3.75 - buy in store at our Attenborough Nature Centre shop. Why not visit the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Online Card Shop? With over 3,000 greeting card designs to choose from, there is something for everyone. Each card will be handwritten and posted on your behalf for that personal touch. Why not opt to add in some Christmas sparkly confetti to surprise them too?! Or you can save on postage and paper (and send it last-minute!) with an innovative e-card through Charity Greetings, which allows you to create your own e-card to send anywhere in the world. Every card sent will raise at least £1 for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Gift Ideas 2012 Wildlife Trust Calendar Featuring 13 stunning images of some of Britain’s most beautiful plants and animals. Only £6.99 at Attenborough Nature Centre shop. Or buy online for only £1.50 postage and packaging! Special Wildlife Trust Gift Boxes Gift Membership - for Kids, Adults, Couples or Families – pick one today! Adopt a Barn Owl or Otter - Gift pack with cuddly toy. A unique opportunity to adopt a native threatened species. Adopters receive a special pack full of information about their chosen creature along with a fun ‘pop-up’ version of the species. *NEW OFFER*: with every Barn Owl and Otter adopted, they will also receive a free cuddly toy. Buy online or over the phone. Amazing discount on quality Opticron binoculars OVER £100 OFF! Great gift idea for the birdwatcher in your life! Buy online or in store at Attenborough Nature Centre to claim your discounted Opticron Imagic BGA SE Find out more about this pocket-size professional-grade product on the Opticron website. With a huge 8.0° wide angle field of view and extreme close focus for birdwatching and watching butterflies and other insects. Now only £299 (usually £409)     Seasons Greetings from us all at   Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust...   Thanks for all your support! 2011-12-07T15:51:18+00:00