For this 30 Days Wild last night at Dusk I went outside and there flying around as usual was our local bats. A bit too fast to take a photo with my phone, but great to watch them flying around the front of the houses and over the wooded area in front of the house.

Although I cant confirm it as they are a bit fast to fully see, I think they are Common pipistrelle bats. These bats can eat around 3,000 insects a night and weigh about the same as a 20 pence piece (5 grams).

A great sight if you get the chance to see them flying around catching insects using their ears and sonar to find them.

In the UK we have around 18 species of bats which include

• Brandt’s bat
• Brown long-eared bat
• Daubenton’s bat
• Greater horseshoe bat
• Leisler’s bat
• Lesser horseshoe bat
• Whiskered bat

Full list of UK Bats https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/what-are-bats/uk-bats

There are over 1,400 species of bats in the world, and more are still being discovered.

 

Hedgerows form the part of many fields and country lanes. Typically forming a barrier to break up the land into plots for farming and stock, whilst also to mark territorial boundaries and local parish lines.

Early hedgerows can be traced back to Anglo-Saxton Charters.

Overtime the replacement of hedges with modern fencing has seen the removal and decline of the big and bushy hedgerows of yesteryear, however there is a bit of a resurgance of the hedgerow as the benefits of encouraging wildlife back to areas is increasing.

Last weekend I was on a social distanced walk with a friend as we went around the local area and luckily from where we are we were soon out of the primmed garden hedge to the wild hedgerows of the lanes and fields nearby.

The great thing about hedgerows is the variety of plants and wildlife that make them their home. Throughout the seasons hedgerows change with flowers to berries and the different wildlife that inhabits them.

The hedgerows on our walk consisted of:

• Beech
• Hawthorn
• Hazel
• Blackthorn
• Dog Rose
• Cow Parsley
• Hemlock
• Stinging Nettle
• Ivy
• Elder
• Bramble
• Cleavers

As well as lots of grasses and other plants on the verges next to the hedges.

Plenty of birds in and out of the plants, but no mammals were seen. Typically you could see:

• Squirrels
• Rabbits
• Stoats
• Weasel
• Hedgehog
• Voles
• Mice
• Shrews

Next time you are out on a walk keep your eyes open to what you can find.

 

Recently we have had some fantastic weather in the UK. Its been very warm and sunny which has been great. The weather has now changed for a bit and its raining again.

Whilst this can be not the weather we want, its what nature needs after a long dry spell.

During the dry spell lots of creatures cam to drink from the pond from birds to insects. It was great to see the pond being a focal point of the garden at the time. Due to some work in the garden the bird bath was not out, but now that work has finished its back out in the garden and ready to serve its purpose. This for me shows the importance of having a supply of water in your garden.

Grasses in the gardenis a great plant to show the nature of resilience in these times. During the dry spell it has been changing colour as it starts to save its nutriants into its roots to keep alive turning the grass blades to a brown dry colour. The rain has started to revert this process and bring the plant back to life to the colour that most gardeners love their lawns to be.

So have a water feature in your garden or small tub or plate of water to help the wildlife have somewhere to drink from.

There is so much around us to identify in nature that its hard to know everything, but there are animals, plants and nature that you will know the names of and facts about them. To help there are a large number of guides and books available, as well as internet sites.

So many that it can be hard to know what ones to buy and take around to help. Carrying guides can get heavy so having the right type with you can help if you want to do identification in the field.

When I am out looking at nature I will usually have a book or two with me – such as wildflowers or trees. However to save some weight and bag space I have been using id charts from the Field Studies Council.

The fold out charts cover a wide range of animals, plants and nature and being laminated make them ideal for the outdoors. The charts are great for Young People and help them with identification.

https://www.field-studies-council.org/product-category/publications/

The snail picture (Garden Snail) in the blog was a photo I took this morning. The snail was on the top of a fence post  having a drink from the rain water.

What do you use to identify nature whilst your out and about?