Hello All
If you are interested in nature you will have noticed that some things, such as birds, are easier to see than others such as water scorpion. Nature reserves such as Rye Meads are home to a whole host of wildlife that is not always seen! Often this wildlife is a key food source for the birds that make a home at Rye Meads. We are giving you the opportunity to explore some of the hidden depths of Rye Meads with our Delving in to Rye Meads events on 19 or 25 August 10 am - 12.30 pm. You will join one of our specialist Field Teachers for 2 and half hours as they take you on a journey of discovery through the less obvious, sometimes a bit wee or harder to find creatures of Rye Meads. £7 members and £14 non members.
Water boatman Genevieve Leaper (rspb-images.com)
In the pond dipping session you will identify the creatures you find such as dragonfly nymphs, water boatman and leeches using keys, find out how they are adapted to live in the water, and look at who eats who with food chains and food webs. You will also spend time looking under logs, or among vegetation for minibeasts. With 4,075 species of beetle (coleoptera), 7,064 species of flies (diptera) and 1,830 species of bugs (hemiptera) in Britain and Ireland (to count a few!) you will not be short of creatures to identify so an ID book might be a good idea (we will have a couple on hand if you do not have one).
After attending this event we hope you will have a greater appreciation for all the nature that lives at Rye Meads no matter how small and we will have provided you with an introduction to a host of new things in nature to look out for.
We hope to see you on the 19 or 25 August.
Thanks
Vicky