Good afternoon. One of my favourite events, our annual Big Wild Sleepout event will take place 28-30 July. This provides event attendees the opportunity to camp out under the stars on the reserve for either one or two nights on Friday 28 July and/ or Saturday 29 July. Several of the reserve team (including myself) will also be camping out and we are really looking forward to it!
The event begins on the Friday evening and after everyone has pitched their tents and had a briefing, the activities begin. The theme for the Friday evening is moths. After a short talk in the visitor centre, we will go for a walk and visit the moth traps before retiring under canvas for the night.
After breakfast the following morning, we will join the reserve Wardens to find out what moths were caught on the reserve overnight. Here are a couple of pictures from last year's event:
Looking through one of the traps:
Grace and poplar hawkmoth:
Swallow prominent:
After a rest, the activities will begin again on Saturday afternoon. There will be a guided walk and if the weather levels are sufficiently high, we will do some pond dipping. Here are some pictures from last year:
Image credits: David White
In the evening, we will go for a walk around the reserve to look for barn owls and other nocturnal wildlife such as roe deer. We will also listen for bats using our special bat detectors.
After our walk, there will be a chance to toast marshmallows over the camp fire. Here is the camp fire from last year:
Image credit: Emma Cuthbertson
After breakfast the following morning, there will be another opportunity to take a look at the moths that were caught on the reserve the night before. Weather permitting, there will also be a bird ringing demonstration. This will hopefully provide the opportunity to see some of our resident birds in the hand so that you can see them up close and personal.
In terms of practicalities, all tent pitches will be very close to the visitor centre and the toilets will be left open for the duration of the event. Staff will be on site throughout. All activities and breakfast will be included in the price. Here are some pictures of the camping area from last year:
If this sounds like your kind of event, then please follow this link to find out more including pricing and how to book. We hope to see you there!