We were so excited to be able to host the Big Wild Sleepout at RSPB Dungeness for the very first time this year. Although we have been supporting the campaign over the years, it was finally time to take part!
41 people turned up to our fully booked event on the Saturday to set up their tents in our Discovery Area. They were given their activity packs and the children, armed with nets and bug pots, set off round the area to catch minibeasts whilst the parents set up the tents and prepared dinner. Jacket potatoes were also cooking on the campfire and people gathered, ate and relaxed around it before our first main activity – an evening walk of the reserve.
During the walk we discovered what creepy crawlies hid in the ponds including newts, water boatmen and our favourite – medicinal leeches. We also saw great crested newts crossing the paths, giant green bush crickets, common terns, damselflies and emperor dragonflies, a tawny owl and a great silver water beetle larvae. There were signs of badgers but sadly we didn’t get to see any.
After the walk we were rewarded with hot chocolate and marshmallows to roast over the campfire. A few of us went off exploring in the dark to look for night time wildlife such as moths and bats. We came up trumps with a glow worm! It was so amazing to see this bright little bug up close!
Soon after, the fire died down and as the night became cooler it was time for bed. Sleeping on the Dungeness nature reserve was a magical experience with the chirruping of crickets in the background and the rustles of rabbits around the tents.
The next morning we were up early and after a cup of tea and some breakfast we were ready for a morning walk to a different part of our reserve for some bird ringing! We were lucky enough to see lots of birds including a tree sparrow, a linnet, a reed bunting and a greenfinch!
We also checked last nights moth traps – what a good outcome! It was a still warm night, perfect for moths and we had plenty of them to pass around to people including the impressive garden tiger moths and the poplar hawk moth.
Sadly our sleepout drew to a close and it was time to head back to the campsite to pack up the tents. In between, we had another bug hunt and found lizards, newts, grass snakes and a toad as well as hundreds of damselflies, crickets, beetles and some butterflies! It was a beautiful warm morning and everything was out, busying about. What a lovely way to finish an amazing event. Roll on next year!