RXwildlife Sightings

As part of National Insect Week, Great Dixter will host a Great British Insect Day on Saturday 30th June 2012, 10am-1pm. Three talks - see below. Places limited, so email to book… education@greatdixter.co.uk.

This year’s RX Wildlife Festival is on now and events can be viewed by clicking here. It includes a Bee Festival at Dungeness that includes information about the recent re-introduction of the short-haired bumblebee.

Come down to RSPB Dungeness and join in our Bee Fest activities, that’s what! In the comfort of the Visitor Centre you can make a cosy bee house, have fun at our craft table and visit our bee market where we’re selling a wide range of bee goodies - everything from hand-knitted bees and honey to hand lenses and id guides for the serious bee watcher. Outside you can follow our bee trail and enter our priize draw or even do a spot of pond-dipping! Activities start at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday and continue throughout the week - take a look at the events pages for full details.

Unfortunately we have had to change one of our childrens events over the Easter holidays…

Mud Exploration will now become Bugs and Birds on Tuesday 3rd April.

This is due to the works along the River Rother stopping access to the saltmarsh. For details of this and other events at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve please see www.wildRye.info/dates

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 March 10 am - 5 pm
An opportunity to try out and purchase some of the best optical equipment available.

Saturday 17th March. An illustrated talk by Graeme Lyons, Sussex Wildlife Trust Ecologist. Some of the more exciting moth-related stories Graeme and other moth-ers have experienced over the last 20 years. Organised by the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. Meet at Winchelsea Beach Community Hall at 7:30pm. Open to all, donations appreciated.

These events are being run by Nikkii Gammans of Bumblebee Conservation Trust as part of an exctiting project click here.
•15th April RSPB Dungeness Bumblebee ID course- FULLY BOOKED
•6th June RSPB Dungeness walk and talk 2-4pm
•9th June RSPB Dungeness walk and talk 2-4pm
•21st June High Weald AONB event to be arranged
•24th June Maidstone Mote Park, stall 12-4pm
•30th June Great Dixter Gardens Insect day, talk
•7th July Folkestone Green Fair, stall
•7th July Tunbridge Wells walk and talk event to be arranged
•8th July Maidstone Mote Park walk and talk 2-4pm
•21st July Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn bumblebee ID course
•28th July RSPB Dungeness walk and talk 2-4pm
•1st August RSPB Dungeness walk and talk 2-4pm
•5th August Rye Harbour Nature Reserve walk and talk 2-4pm
•11-12th August RSPB Dungeness kids fun weekend, stall and walks
•18-19th August Kent Wildlife Trust Sevenoaks wildlife festival, stall
•26-21st August Sandwich Bay wildlife festival, stall
Please contact the venue for further information on car parking, bookings and times where not listed.

The beachcombing has been pretty cold so far this month but some interesting finds….

Mermaid purses - the usual thornback (ravioli), lesser spotted catfish (dogfish), lots of undulate (larger than the others) and blonde (larger ravioli!),
Green Sea Urchins from Pett Level to Rye Harbour - from the December storms,
Common Otter shells (large like freshwater mussels),
Many cockle shells of a particular size - again washed up from December storms,
Many balloons and ribbons - from Norman’s Bay to Camber,
Plastic nurdles from Camber Sands, - click here and here.
Rubber cheerios!
Lots of footwear too!

If anyone wants to keep up to date with the beachcombing finds I am still tweeting (!) (Andy Dinsdale @Strandliner)
The next beach surveys are next weekend. Rye Harbour Saturday 4th February and Pett Level Sunday 5th February. Pass on to others who may be interested. Lucy will be at Rye Harbour and I will be at Pett Level. For more info click here. to We will aim to have refreshments too! Wrap up warm and bring gloves.

Contact me at strandliner@btinternet.com

Today a small group of Woodland Trust volunteers headed to Brede High Wood’s Holman Meadow. The task was to clear out the invading birch scrub. It was hard work but we all felt very rewarded when we took time to stand back and admire our efforts.
As we were heading back for some warm drinks, (provided by Mike) I spotted an adder on the side of the path. Yes that’s right an adder. Yes in January. I know. Amazing. I don’t believe we had disturbed it. It was away from where we had been working and it had already been around long enough to have fed. A bump can clearly be seen in the snake, perhaps the size on a small rodent.
If you look closely at the picture you may be able to see the snakes tongue tasting the air.
It is also in a position that it takes before it strikes. A good time to use the zoom on the camera I thought. I wonder if this may be the first record for an adder in the UK this year.
If you would like to get involved please contact Mike Jackson at swbjackson@talktalk.net Read the rest of this entry »

The Sussex Wildlife Trust runs a wide range of wildlife courses throughout the year that can be viewed by clicking here.