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Snapping Dragons
Sunday 13 July 1 - 4 pm
Outdoor wildlife photography course
Join Mike Dimery, local wildlife photographer,
for a walk around Willsbridge Valley Local Nature Reserve to identify butterflies,
dragonflies and damselflies and learn how to take great photographs of these ‘hard
to photograph wildlife’.
Win a hippo!
We're giving away five copies of the best-selling book There's a Hippo in my
Cistern by journalist Pete May, together with a toilet hippo to the first
five members who send in a Big Switch pledge...more
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|  Shaun the Sheep
Appeal
The Shaun the Sheep Appeal has certainly
caught the imagination! Here are two fantastic letters that came
to us with recent donations from members:
“It’s always
a cheerful moment when one receives Avon Wildlife Trust’s
newsletter!
I have a particular
interest in the progress at Folly Farm: I have joined workparties
there on a number of occasions in the past, and on one occasion
brought along my American sisters to join in. We were relaying
surface material on a path, digging out herbaceous borders etc.
My past history includes 38 years as a classroom teacher, so I
am also particularly interested in children learning and enjoying
themselves at the same time. I therefore enclose a cheque to be
spent on purchasing some of the equipment you would like to be
able to use at Folly Farm.
I admire the professional skills, the teamwork, and the sheer drive
and enthusiasm that has brought about this refurbishment at Folly
Farm; I wish good luck to all the team in the programme you have
embarked upon.”
“We’re members of Avon Wildlife Trust
and have enjoyed many walks and picnics at Folly Farm. It’s
a wonderfully peaceful place with great variety of flowers and
birds.
If you’d like
to support the Shaun Appeal you can do so online NOW |
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Folly
Farm Centre news
After a very successful round of interviews in
late May, Philip Niemand has now been offered and accepted the job of Centre
Director…more |
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Man
of the moors
James Field, our North Somerset
Levels and Moors Officer has sent in a poem by one of
the farmers he works with on the Levels, called "Born
of the Moor" and it paints a really evocative picture
of the North Somerset Levels and Moors. The farmer wishes
to remain anonymous but we are delighted that he’s
let us share his poem wiith our members...more |
| Ever wondered who
we are and what we do? more |
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orange tip © Mike
Dimery |
Free to
a good home!
Copies of beautifully illustrated Trust Nature Reserve Guides packed
full of fascinating information for the following sites
Avonmouth
Brandon Hill
Stockwood Open Space
Tucking Mill
Plus Burrington Combe
Send SAE to 32 Jacobs Wells Road, Bristol
BS8 1DR - 33p for one, 49p for all five |
Web exclusive
- Capture a butterfly!
As part of our recognition of the importance of
our membership we're always on the look out for special offers
and opportunities - and now you can download these FREE screensavers
or send an e-card - see
here... |
Special
permission!
As a Trust member you can get closer to wildlife on several of our
reserves where access is restricted because of their sensitivity
or for health and safety reasons, by applying for a permit... more |
Charity
flowers direct
Thinking of sending someone flowers, why not use Charity Flowers
and help the Trust too!... more |
| Wildlife gardening
for everyone This is a new compendium of answers
to over 200 need-to-know questions about cultivating wildlife
in your garden, written by experts from the Wildlife Trusts and
the Royal Horticultural Society. more |
| Wildlife walks
for sale! Snap up a bargain that you won't want
to be without this year - this guide tells you where to find
the best Wildlife Trust sites in the UK. Wildlife Walks features
full location details of each reserve, detailed maps of the sites
and easy-to-follow wildlife descriptions. more |
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Species
sightings and more...
Trust member Mike Dimery has started to send
up regular updates on his sightings around Willsbridge Valley:
Willsbridge w/e 22nd
June
The 'week ending' subject heading is a bit of a misnomer as 22nd
June was the only time I got down to the park when the sun was
shining. Other sunny days were out chasing butterflies elsewhere,
in particular the large blue emergence at Collard Hill. This
was a good year, I think.
As for Sunday, the first spot of note was a large skipper near
the meadow. This shot (top right) looked rather nice with the
sun peeking through the bramble. The horse field next door is
looking pretty good with wildflowers and the skipper is probably
from there. We'll have to get a horse for the park too. :o) more
Email us with your species sightings - members@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk |
large
skipper (top) and red
damsel:
Mike
Dimery |
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Reserve
of the month
Dolebury Warren
This walk
begins at the car park at the end of Doleberrow, just off the
A38. The first bit is the toughest as you go over the stile and
begin to climb the flight of steps to the top of the hill. There’s
a convenient bench half way up where you can catch your breath
before continuing up through the woodland onto the top. Ahead of
you is a small bank, which is the remains of the ramparts of the
Iron Age hill fort. Scale the ramparts then walk right, along the
top all the way to the highest point. This is the best viewpoint
on the reserve where you can see for miles around and understand
why our ancestors chose this site for their fort. Listen for the
distinctive calls of buzzards and ravens. They are often seen swooping
down the valley and around the pine plantation to the south...more |
What
to watch out for in July
The deep shade of our woodlands
can be refreshing during high summer but at Weston Big Wood the
sunshine along the ride and within the new coppice coupes will be
the place to find most of our resident species of butterfly. Speckled
wood are the most common, but towards the end of July purple hairstreaks
can be seen flying high above the canopy and feeding on the honey
dew secreted by aphids. It is hoped that the recent management may
attract silver-washed fritillary, a large species of butterfly that
can be found in reasonable numbers at Tickenham Ridge less
than two miles to the south...more |
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