Everyone at Fairburn Ings is getting super excited which can only mean one thing – it’s nearly Big Wild Sleepout time! I hope everyone’s ready; have you got your tent (do you know how to put it up?) and your torches at the ready? I’ve spent all week asking every friend and family member if they have a tent I can borrow and have ended up with a pop up thing that I’ll be struggling to put down!
The idea behind Big Wild Sleepout is to spend a night in nature and experience the natural world from a unique perspective. Whether you’re joining us on the reserve or even just camping out in your back garden it’s going to be amazing to see what happens in nature after dark!
It all kicks off here on Saturday afternoon with activities including minibeasting, pond dipping and guided walks. We’re also running a natural dye and charcoal making workshop, where you’ll get the chance to give tie dying a go and camouflage your face Rambo-style with charcoal! In the evening we have a quiz for round the campfire where you can test your night-time knowledge, before heading back onto the reserve for a guided walk with a difference!
I'm really looking forward to the evening guided walks - Photo credit RSPB, (rspb-images.com)
Evening walks give you the chance to experience some of the wildlife you don’t get during daylight. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see some bats (bat detectors will be on hand!), owls and amphibians! For those of you who aren’t too exhausted after a busy day, there will also been stargazing carrying on late into the night!
Sunday is a bit more laid back, but there’s still plenty to get stuck into! Get your face painted as your favourite animal or do something crafty like making a bug home or a flapping hen harrier. There will also be loads of games to play all morning (keep the kids occupied while the tents are packed up!). We'll also be unpacking our moth trap to see what paid us a visit in the night!
Like I said, we’re all really excited and can’t wait for everything to kick off tomorrow at 12pm! If you’re coming down we’d love to see some of your photos of the event – you can tweet them to us @fairburnings or post them to our Facebook page (RSPB West Yorks).