Summer is here, and what better way to enjoy the great outdoors than to spend the night in it?
Over the next few weeks many staff, volunteers and visitors will be pitching in with the RSPB Big Wild Sleepout, taking place at a variety of reserves all over the country.
Last Saturday and Sunday was the turn of our Minsmere Wildlife Explorers, and their annual sleep out. Amy had prepared an action-packed weekend of family challenges, nature games and wildlife walks, so needless to say I was very happy to be helping out.
After everybody had set up camp, Saturday afternoon kicked off with my favourite – pond dipping. The stakes were raised as it was announced that points would be given out to the teams with the most biodiverse trays and rare catches. In short: ‘if you find a water scorpion – it’s probably game over’. Those were the famous last words it seems, as by 5 o’clock we had scooped not one, but two water scorpions!
Other catches of the day included a saucer bug and some brilliant caddisfly larva cases.
The competition continued in the woods with bird nest making: who can build the highest free-standing nest in which to comfortably hold a chickens’ egg.
I think it’s safe to say this was a time to shine for some of the parents and Wildlife Explorer leaders, with an array of balancing contraptions being invented all over the den building area.
After a delicious supper from the local fish & chippy, the activities continued with camping games and an evening walk through the woods to Island Mere. We were truly spoilt with not only a glorious sunset, but some spectacular wildlife including marsh harrier and bittern flights and a starling murmuration of 11,000(ish) birds!
As dusk approached we meandered back through the woods, with our ears tuned closely into the bat detectors and searching for signs of nocturnal life. We sniffed out fresh badger poo at the south belt crossroads, and gazed at pipistrelles flying overhead feeding on insects (which were, incidentally, very much feeding on us at this point!).
With enough excitement for one evening, we returned to camp for marshmallows and hot chocolate and tucked ourselves in for the night.
After breakfast in the Discovery Centre, we excitedly took a peek at the moth trap left out overnight, with Sonya Miller-Smith on hand as our very knowledgeable moth guru. The kids were amazed at the variety of species we found; including a couple of peppered moths, dark arches, elephant hawk moth and a fine-looking large emerald which evidently was in the mood for a close up.
Large Emerald by Anna John
The group then split off to enjoy a choice of nature walks in the sunshine with our fantastic resident guides David, Davene & Steve. Glancing out over the west and south scrape it was clear that our birds were also enjoying a relaxing Sunday morning with families of their own, and I was absolutely ecstatic to round the weekend off by spotting my first avocet chicks of the year!
Camp night was concluded with the announcement of the Barthorpes (possibly unsurprisingly!) crowned as winners of the family challenges.
A big thank you to all of the families that made the weekend such fun, and Amy who did a brilliant job organising it all!
This weekend is the Minsmere Camp Night when we’ll be welcoming members and non-members alike to pitch their tents and enjoy our fantastic reserve overnight on Saturday.
And there are plenty more opportunities across the country for a night under the stars as part of the RSPB Big Wild Sleepout. Happy camping!