The Wildlife Trusts’ youth activism manager, Arran Wilson, draws on his background as a lecturer in zoology to explore what exactly hibernation is, and which animals rely on it to get through winter. Winter brings very different challenges to the UK’s wildlife – temperatures are lower and food is often harder to find. Many...
One native, one feral and one invasive. Could American mink halt the expansion of polecat range? Or is hybridisation with ferrets a bigger risk to their recovery? Naturally Native Project Officer Elliot Lea takes a closer look at the status of these three mustelids. European polecats, ferrets and American mink are all members of...
By Emily Marshall – Naturally Native Project Officer for NWT With autumn just around the corner, we are now entering the American mink dispersal season. American mink are an invasive non-native species which can decimate local water vole populations as well as being a problem for other animals like fish and ground nesting birds....
American mink are non-native species that pose a threat to water voles in our region. But what can we do to help restore ‘Ratty’ to North East waterways? If you have ever found yourself thinking, “There really ought to be a week to raise awareness about invasive species”, you will be pleased to hear...
Habitat Fragmentation In last month’s blog we wrote about the power of slowing down and observing nature in your local green space, and the benefit that this can have on your emotional connection with the world around you. We hope you’ve managed to find a minute to stand still in your local park; to...
In May 2020 the Knepp Estate’s white storks became the first to successfully fledge chicks on UK soils for over 600 years. And in 2019, white-tailed eagles were released on the Isle of Wight – the first to take to the island’s skies since 1780. These were truly wonderful moments for everyone with an...
Introducing Mark Slaughter – Naturally Native Project Officer at Tees Valley Wildlife Trust Thinking back to my childhood, our family holidays invariably involved tents, rain, and queues for lukewarm showers. To my school friends, these sounded like key ingredients for a week of misery. “We’ve been on the beach in Spain for a week”, they’d announce proudly. “Boring”, I’d murmur. Because whilst our family trips did entail tents and rain,...
National Marine Week – 25th July – 9th August 2020 – is The Wildlife Trusts’ nationwide celebration of all things marine. Despite the name, it lasts 15 fun-filled days to allow for the variation in tide times around the country. This year is slightly different, due to the Covid-19 crisis, but there’s still lots to...
Discover how our 30 Days Wild challenge can breathe new life into your relationship with nature. 30 Days Wild is back for another year! The Wildlife Trusts’ annual nature challenge; one random wild act a day, for a whole month, kicking off on the 1st of June. The last five years of 30 Days...
Wildlife expert Nick Acheson introduces some of our feathered superstars to listen out for this spring When we look at wildlife, anthropomorphising is commonly discouraged. ‘If you project human feelings onto animals,’ we’re told, ‘you won’t observe what is really going on.’ But if, like me, you see personalities in wild animals all around...
When working from home, it can be really easy to stay in front of a screen all day and never venture outdoors. We’ve got some easy ways to help you to connect with nature, even in the middle of a busy day! Whether you’ve got five minutes or an hour, there’s plenty of ways...
Dr Catherine McNicol reveals some of the work that Wildlife Trusts are doing to bring species back from the brink. Restoring ecosystems Complex ecosystems are healthy ecosystems. As we lose species from plant and animal communities, we lose important processes and therefore resilience. These simplified ecosystems become less able to endure extreme events, such...