Families blog

Your rock pool adventure starts here

2018-07-09T22:31:00Z

A sea anemone writhes. Tiny fish dart into the shadows. A crab looks right at you from under a pebble. Nothing quite captures the imagination like a rock pool. Peering through the glassy water into an entire world in miniature is thrilling, and not only for young minds. Each pool is like a soap opera of activity, ever changing, and different tide and tide again.

Whether you’re a dedicated rock pool enthusiast or fancy a quick look as part of a day at the beach, this blog post should be your starting point. Bringing together the best content the RSPB has to offer on rock pools, you’ll know what to look out for, where to find it, how to get the most out of your rock pool experience, and what to do if the weather changes your plans and you have to postpone rock pools for another weekend.

What should I bring?

To ensure you have the best time possible, we’ve created two handy checklists.

Essential rock pool checklist for guaranteed fun:

Appropriate footwear (old trainers, strong sandals – something with grip that you don’t mind getting wet for those slippy rocks)
Sun cream (it’s hot out there… well, sometimes)
Sun hat (keeps the rain off, too)
Awareness of the tides
A sense for adventure!

Optional rock pool extras for double the fun:

Bucket or container (fill it with sea water, keep it shaded, and don’t keep any crabs in it for too long – release everything you find)
Bottle scope - here’s how to make one

Make a Bottle Scope

All you need is a plastic bottle (you may even be able to remove one from the beach!), clingfilm, an elastic band and a penknife. Carefully cut both ends off the bottle and cover one end with clingfilm, held in place with the elastic band. Then wrap the whole lot up in black tape to block out the light. Pop the clingfilm end into a rockpool and peer down it to examine the marine life inside. What can you spot?

Where should I go?

There are loads of great rock pooling opportunities on beaches across the country. Find one of our reserves near you, or head to one of these fantastic locations close by for a rock pool ramble or just a day at the beach! Here’s a mix of rough and ready reserves and some of our more equipped ones. Some with rock pools nearby, and a few with a more beachy feel. Always check the reserve site before you visit for up-to-date information and a full list of facilities.

England

The rock pooling really shines on the west coast of the UK, and England is no exception. But there are places on the east and south coast if you go looking. Northumberland being a notable example of some of the most beautiful coast in the UK.

Walberswick near RSPB Dingle Marshes, Suffolk

We have fantastic reserves just about everywhere, and some of my favourites are in East Anglia. Unfortunately, rock pools aren’t as common here, but Walberswick is a lovely day out and not only close to Dingle Marshes but RSPB Minsmere – a gem of a reserve for all ages. There are great facilities and other things to do in nearby coastal towns and villages, plus Minsmere has some of the best cake I’ve ever eaten!

RSPB Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk

A seemingly endless strip of sand lapped by the North Sea. As you walk through the marshland to the beach, look out for avocet families with fluffy chicks, or even an elusive bittern.

St Bee’s Beach and RSPB St Bee’s Head

The Northwest. Rocky, unspoilt and beautiful. There’s plenty of choice on the Cumbrian coast for stunning beaches with rock pools, but make sure you get to RSPB St Bee’s Head for a seabird sighting before you head to the pools. Facilities run by the council.

Ness Beach and RSPB Labrador Bay, South Devon

The Northwest is great, but for rock pools I’d have to pick the South West (plus I’m a soft southerner). Surfing draws me down here regularly, as does the bird life with star species being Cirl buntings and choughs. Ness beach is a little spot accessed by a smugglers tunnel, and close to RSPB Labrador Bay, which offers spectacular views of Lyme Bay and others. Facilities are close by but not on-site, however.

RSPB Marazion Marsh, Cornwall

Overlooking the mystical St Michael's Mount, this little reedbed fronts a strip of Cornish sand lapped by gentle turquoise waters. Home to more than 250 bird species (incliding Cetti's warbler, sand martins and chiffchaff) and 18 mammal species.

RSPB Arne, Dorset

Has a small, sheltered sandy bay in the calm waters of Poole Harbour, with plenty of bird life. Look out for rare sand lizards among the coastal heather, and Dartford warblers atop gorse bushes.

Scotland

In my opinion, Scotland’s coast is unmatched. It’s huge for a start, and then there’s everything from the almost Mediterranean feeling beaches of the Western Isles, to the rugged beauty of the north east coast.

Stonehaven town and beach near RSPB Fowlsheurgh, Aberdeenshire

Feeling ready for an adventure? Good. This east coast Scottish reserve is nestled between several wild feeling bays, and once you’re done exploring there, the town of Stonehaven will have all the facilities you’ll need. Plus more rock pools!

RSPB Balranald, Isle of North Uist

Scotland's western coasts are gilded with talcum-white coral sand, lapped by invigorating azure waters dotted with intriguing islands. Balranald is on one of them.

Wales

Taeth Crigyll and RSPB South Stack, Angelsey

Seabirds, windswept coast and great facilities at South Stack make it one of the most engaging Welsh reserves, and the nearby bays and beaches mean there’s a ton to do. Wales is a top choice for a family holiday in general if you’re not lucky enough to live there already.

Northern Ireland

Ballycastle Strand and RSPB Rathlin Island

The castle and beach at Ballycastle Strand is pretty epic, and Rathlin Island only makes the whole experience more special. The ferry ride, the views of the Mull of Kintyre, the seals, seabirds and waders – everything. It’s a not-to-be-missed reserve for the UK and a seafaring adventure for the family.

What am I looking at, anyway?

It can be really satisfying to identify wildlife, but also really fun to find something you’ve never seen before. Don’t worry if you don’t know what something is though – discovery is its own reward. Whether it’s a regular rock pool pal or a rare visitor, everyone has a favourite. Here are some creatures sure to get you and your gang excited.

Crabs, hermit or otherwise

Anna, Nature’s Home managing editor has a lot to say about hermit crabs, “These property-ladder climbing little masters of disguise are fun and fascinating to watch - so it’s little wonder that we find hermit crabs so beguiling. I’m putting them at number one for sheer personality. Look for shells moving in a jerkier way than you’d expect from a mollusc.

A lovely description, and hermit crabs are incredible, but where’s the love for the humble shore crab? Infinitely entertaining and accessible, crabs have it all to captivate young ones. Pinchy, scuttly, characterful, and catchable for a close up look. Watch out for the pincers and try to pick up the crab by the leg sides of its shell from above – the widest bit. Don’t keep them too long though; they have important crab business to attend to.

Starfish

“Our most common starfish has five arms covered with white pimples, and can reach 30 cm across. Its suckery little feet can prise a mollusc shell apart enough to slip a bit of its own stomach in and secrete enzymes to liquefy the shellfish inside... but if needs be, they can survive several months without food (though they'll shrink).” Anna says.

I haven’t seen a starfish for a while in the UK. Other species to look out for are spiny starfish, cushion star, bloody Henry starfish, and brittle star. See if you can find all five of this summer!

Regularfish (blenny and goby)

Several species of goby can appear in rock pools, and they’ll stand out from the crowd being little tiny fish. The real star here though is the semi-amphibious blenny, that will slip and crawl over rocks between pools, or hide up in some wet seaweed until the tide returns. Entertaining survival techniques.

Shells glued to rocks, aka limpets

According to Anna, “The king of the clingers, the rock-pool VIP… Limpets boast the strongest muscle tissue of any animal, holding on with an incredible force of 75 lbs per square inch! They use a sharp, rasp-like tongue, hidden somewhere under there, to graze algae off the rocks, along with seaweed seedlings. Their shell shape is affected by wave flow, how long they spend out of water and how stressed they are - a relaxed and well-fed limpet has shallower contours. See? They’re fascinating!”

Anenome (beadlet anenome)

“Out of water, they’re a strange mound of reddish jelly up to 5cm across. But those below the waterline send forth an impressive crown of 192 waving, fluttering, sticky-tipped tentacles, arranged in six circles. It can sting its tiny prey, but is harmless to humans. It can tolerate very warm water and can even survive being temporarily dried out - and its mouth is also its bottom, and ejects ready-made babies out into the water, where they land on the rocks and set up home. I adore everything about this bizarre animal.”

Well that does sound bizarre. If that doesn’t blow your kid’s mind I’m not sure what will.

Look at the weather! What now?

Surprise surprise, it’s raining – again. One option is to listen to these wise words, “There’s no such thing as inappropriate weather, only inappropriate clothing." – Alfred Wainwright. Or not if it’s really pouring. Don’t worry either way, we’ve got just the thing to bring a rock pool inside. Let’s craft some rock pool wildlife and bake a rock pool cake!

Paper craft first, baking later

Make your own paper octopus, urchin and crab, plus loads of other fun things to do, inside and out, on our Pinterest page!

All that handy work has made me hungry!

Rock pool cake without the sand

It’s all about the decoration for this cake, and you can apply this design to almost any cake – or giant biscuit for that matter. It’s easy, and fun to make as a family.

For the cake

2x Victoria sponge cake mix (or make your own favourite cake for decorating)
We added 50g raisins and 100g glace cherries to our to jazz it up
Jam for between the layers

For the buttercream

125g unsalted butter, softened
250g icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

For the decoration

75g custard creams (about 6, but depends how sandy you want to go)
2 tbsp brown sugar
150g ready-to-roll white sugarpaste
Blue and black food colouring
Strawberry laces
Red chocolate sweets
Fizzy apple strips

Decorating

Cream the butter, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste and spread over the whole cake
Knead 100g of sugarpaste with one or two drops of black food colouring until it marbles. Roll different size pieces into balls to make rocks and put to one side
Knead the rest of the sugar paste with one or two drops of blue food colouring until marbled. Roll out flat and round and put to the side
Put the biscuits and brown sugar in a sandwich bag, seal it, and bash with a rolling pin to make sand. Spread the sand on the top of the cake
Add the blue pool to the top of the cake, and surround with rocks
Now for the finishing touches! Create crabs from red sweets and laces, and seaweed from fizzy apple strips
DEVOUR

Try the RSPB’s Wild Challenge this summer – kick off your go-for-gold with rock pooling. All you have to do is register online and tell us what you saw when you went rock pooling. It’s easy, and there are tons of activities to do all year!

Rock pooling as a child has stayed with me for life. It is utterly engrossing for a young person, and one of the most accessible ways to get up close to wildlife.

Connect with nature this summer and get your feet wet in a rock pool!

It weren't like this when I were a kid

2018-06-25T15:42:14Z

I've recently become a dad, and that means rediscovering all the old baby-books regardless of whether they're charmingly retro or just mindnumbingly dull.

One that I quite like - and my son puts up with - is Peebo! It's all about what one baby sees when sat in different situations through an ordinary day.

It's an old one, so old that the pram looks like a bucket on wheels and the mum heats her iron by the open fire.

A page in this book that has really stuck with me is when the baby is watching his sisters trying to catch things in a local pond:

Here it's presented as completely normal for these two young girls to wade into a public pond with their skirts tucked into their knickers to catch fishes using a homemade net.

Thinking about the reality of doing this, all these millennial thoughts went through my head:

What about all the rubbish and broken glass in there? What about diseases in the water? Is it legal to catch fish at the park and take them home? Shouldn't they be wearing some special gear for that kind of activity?

Then I stopped and thought, What has happened to me? When I was 10, I swam in our town's brackish boating lake in my pants, regardless of swans. I dug my feet into the squishy sediment on the floor where the crabs I fished for nipped at my toes. Now, I was silently judging the images in this old fashioned baby book for not doing a health and safety assessment?

The concerns I felt for these fictional children were probably justifiable, but don't they illustrate a more sterilised way of living? A more sterilised way of thinking? Shouldn't I instead be focusing on the joy that kids get from splashing around and exploring this underwater world?

The summer is here now, and while I don't advocate climbing into public ponds in this way, searching rockpools and ponds with your eyes and a net or even a jar is a wonderous thing when you're a child.

https://vimeo.com/257144413

Yes, be safe and yes be sensible, but if you get the chance, try to remember the wonder to be found when out in nature and try to pass that on to a child who could miss it without your guidance. You never know, you might even lose yourself in the moment.

Join our Wild Challenge this summer.

Gökotta: Dawn chorus the Scandinavian way

2018-03-21T21:16:00Z

Recently, native English speakers have been adopting Scandinavian ideas to improve their well being.

For example:

Hygge: a Danish word referring to a feeling of cosiness or contentment.

Lagom: a Swedish word meaning 'just the right amount' or 'in balance'.

Just in time for spring, we've discovered gökotta. It's a Swedish word meaning 'rising at dawn to listen to birdsong'. Obviously we at the RSPB are most excited about this.

Early starts can be something to groan at, especially when you've got kids to get ready, but the stillness of early mornings mixed with the symphony of a dawn chorus is a true wonder of nature.

And unlike many wildlife spectacles your kids don't need to be quiet because the birds are making such a row anyway.

This Easter, experience a dawn chorus by throwing open the windows and listening from your bed, or get wrapped up and go for the full gökotta experience.

Either way, experiencing it counts towards your Wild Challenge, so why not take one step closer to your bronze, silver or gold award?

https://vimeo.com/80372081

Despite their small size, wrens have a loud and distinctive call.

The science of the dawn chorus

What we call the dawn chorus is predominantly birds calling in the early morning to defend a breeding territory, attract a mate or calling to others in a social group.

They choose the early morning because the stillness of the air before the sun starts to warm it means that sound travels more clearly.

It's not just birds that choose this time of day to broadcast their messages. In the tropics some monkeys and apes use their position in the tops of trees and the cool, still air to make themselves heard 20 times further than at later times in the day.

Studies have shown that birds respond to recorded song with responsive or competing calls. So once one bird starts in a given area, it may well set off a cascade until they're all at it!

A thankyou for joining in with this year's Sleepout

2017-07-28T16:07:00Z

The Big Wild Sleepout is all about connecting more families to nature in a fun way, but in order to justify doing it every year we need to find out how many people are taking part.

To do this, we've asked you to participate in our Wild Challenge, which you signed up to as part of registering for the Sleepout.

Simply complete one of these activities in your Wild Challenge before the end of August:

Sleepout activities

To say thank you to all of you who took part, we've got 11 great prizes to give away and by taking part in the Sleepout you're automatically entered into a prize draw to win one of them.

One is a big prize courtesy of our Sleepout partner Rohan worth £600.

The others are worth around £60 and are supplied by our very own shop. You get everything you can see here:

Check out our T&Cs for more information.

We hope you had a great time getting closer to nature at night, why not share your experiences with us on Facebook too?

The Rocky Shores of Tyneside

2017-07-13T16:09:00Z

This Wild Parks post comes from Sue Overfield - Family Events Officer for Newcastle and Gateshead. On this occasion she's reporting on our work at a lighthouse!

This year has been the first that the RSPB Wild Parks team has been working in partnership with St. Mary’s Lighthouse, Whitley Bay, and we are thrilled at how many connections to nature we have been able to make so far through this wonderful new partnership.

The lighthouse manager, Adam Kelsey of the North Tyneside Council, and his team have been hugely supportive of our efforts to engage children with the diversity of wildlife and habitats that St. Mary’s beaches and rocky shores have to offer. The council run a range of events here that you can find out about on their Facebook page.

While most of our RSPB Wild Parks activities are hosted in urban green spaces, it is fantastic to have the opportunity to encourage children to also recognise the importance of our coastal wildlife havens, and can only enhance our offering of free public events in such spaces across the 17 cities that we’re working in on this project.

Look out for these banners in your city, and make use of our free family activities in your local park

Wildlife fun for all

We are very lucky to have been blessed with warm weather so far this season and it has brought many families out to enjoy our wild spaces, even on those occasions when the winds have been so strong that we have been unable to erect our feather banners! It is a delight to see families crouched around the rock pools with their shrimp nets and buckets, armed with our Rockpool Detective, Seabird Spotter and Wildlife Scavenger Hunt sheets, not to mention heaps of enthusiasm.

What did our explorers discover?

Even without nets and buckets, this location offers the perfect opportunity to discover a variety of species: from shore crabs to prawns, hermit crabs, beadlet anemones and tiny fish such as blennys and butterfish, not to mention the huge number and variety of seabirds.

However, one of the biggest thrills is seeing the many grey seals which haul themselves onto the rocks behind the lighthouse, or seeing them ‘bottling’ in the shallows with their noses pointing straight up while they survey the shoreline.

We’re really excited to have been invited back to St. Mary’s on several more Sundays this summer, and you will find us beside the causeway leading to St. Mary’s island and lighthouse. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out when our FREE tide dependent activities are on offer.

Facebook: RSPB Saltholme & North East England

Twitter: @RSPB_N_England

Search for events near you: rspb.org.uk/wildparks

Bug hunting in Bristol

2017-06-30T15:56:00Z

Here's another guest post from Charly Crump. Charly is the schools and green space outreach project officer for Bristol, working to engage local schools and families in the fantastic habitats and wildlife in the heart of the city.

June has been a fantastic month so far for exciting wildlife finds! We’ve had the luxury of being invited to some of Bristol’s most rich and diverse nature reserves by teaming up with our lovely colleagues at Avon Wildlife Trust. The launch of the Wildlife Trust’s ’30 days wild’ campaign at the beginning of June signalled a fantastic opportunity for us to team up and offer some hands on, family focused Wild Parks events based at their reserves around Bristol and Avon.

Says Court Farm is a solar farm on the North East edge of Bristol and an exciting partnership project between the landowners; council; and Avon Wildlife Trust sees an amazing opportunity for this site to become a haven for wildlife. That’s where our Aldi Wild Parks project comes into play. Although not strictly a ‘park’, the project offers the opportunity for the RSPB to offer free public events in green spaces across the 17 cities that we’re working in, including nature reserves; city farms; school grounds and even solar farms!

What did we catch this time?

This particular location offered the perfect opportunity to be armed with sweep nets ready to catch a variety of species: from bees to butterflies and grasshoppers and froghoppers. The meadow habitat in the farm’s open green spaces meant that we had a brilliant time swishing our nets across the long grass to uncover the marvellous minibeasts beneath.

Bug pot at the ready to take a closer look at our captors!

Fun for all the family

Teaming up with Avon Wildlife Trust not only offered us an amazing opportunity to offer free family activities in a local nature reserve, but also meant that we could share their expertise to help identify the diverse range of bugs; birds; and habitats waiting to be discovered at the site.

We’re really excited to have been invited back to Says Court Farm for yet another fantastic family event once the school summer holidays are well underway on 8 August. Watch this space and follow us on twitter (#wildparks) to see what different creatures we capture at this next event at the height of summer. To find out where we’ll be in Bristol, check out www.rspb.org.uk/wildparks and search for Bristol events or keep an eye out on Avon Wildlife Trust’s events pages: http://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on

To find out when your next local Wild Parks event is, visit our website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/kids-and-schools/kids-and-families/wild-parks/

Our Wild Parks cities are:

Aberdeen

Birmingham

Bournemouth

Brighton

Bristol

Derby

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Leeds

Liverpool

London

Manchester

Newcastle

Norwich

Nottingham

Plymouth

Swansea

If you are interested in organising an event in your local green space within one of the above cities, please email: charly.crump@rspb.org.uk

** Free Wild Parks events are funded by supermarket Aldi single-use carrier bag levy in England, Scotland and Wales; run between May and August and aim to connect families across Bristol and Bath to nature **

Go on a mini safari in your garden

2017-05-30T22:47:00Z

We went to a school near our HQ and asked the children a couple of questions: 'what lives in your garden?' and 'what would you like to see in your garden?'. This is what they said:

https://vimeo.com/179456480

They made us smile anyway.

You might not find many wolves in your garden - not the furry four legged kind anyway - but you may well find an eight-legged wolf spider.

Image of wolf spider (AKA 'the boss of the garden') by Will George

Similarly look out for dragonflies if you live near still water and the beautiful tiger moth if you go on a garden bug hunt at night.

Get started on your adventure here: https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/kids-and-schools/kids-and-families/wild-challenge/activities/go-on-a-bug-safari/

Go wild in your city's parks

2017-05-19T19:51:01Z

This guest blog comes from Charly Crump. Charly is our schools and green space outreach project officer for Bristol, working to engage local schools and families in the fantastic habitats and wildlife in the heart of the city. Here she talks about one of our Wild Parks. Wild Parks is a nation wide campaign in 17 cities across Britain.

What happens when a local artist wants to celebrate the green space on her doorstep? Blooming Whiteway Flower Festival!

On 6^th May the Whiteway Estate on the edge of Bath was transformed into a parade of lanterns and flowers as the local community flocked together to celebrate the spaces for nature in their local area.

Mum of two and artist, Claire, contacted me back in March to vent her frustrations about how her local green space – Rosewarn Park – was so unloved/unknown by the rest of her community.

Claire could see the potential these green spaces along with other wildlife corridors had to offer and not only for the flocks of starlings and sparrows which she loves so much, but also for people to come together and enjoy as a community. That’s when ‘Blooming Whiteway Festival’ was born.

Months of planning, seed planting, paper flower making and schools engagement paid off and Claire’s dreams were realised – the people heard, and they came, creating a festival to remember. More photos here on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingwhiteway/

Here are some pictures from the site:

Wild parks Volunteer – Abi, uncovers the bugs and beasties hiding in the bushes at Rosewarn Park

What’s in the bug pot? Join Abi at our next event to find out!

The joy of sweep netting! Ever tried? If not come along and use ours for free at our next event

Everyone loves a sticker with a cricket on it!

Images by Rosie Despres rosemarydespres.com

So how does the RSPB get involved in a flower festival I hear you ask!?! Well, thanks to funding from supermarket Aldi via the carrier bag levy, the RSPB is working with communities and their green spaces across 17 UK cities. We’re calling the project ‘Wild Parks’ as we’re really excited to be engaging local families with the wildlife that their local park has waiting to be explored.

The activities on offer include minibeast hunting; bird watching and pond dipping and we’re aiming to reach as many different parks and green spaces as possible across our Wild Parks cities. We’re also working in collaboration with local authorities; community groups; friends of groups and wildlife charities to celebrate the amazing habitats found in our cities.

To find out when your next Wild Parks event is, visit our website: rspb.org.uk/wildparks/

Our Wild Parks cities are:

Aberdeen

Birmingham

Bournemouth

Brighton

Bristol

Derby

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Leeds

Liverpool

London

Manchester

Newcastle

Norwich

Nottingham

Plymouth

Swansea

If you are interested in organising an event in your local green space within one of the above cities, please email: charly.crump@rspb.org.uk

Join hands with nature – my reignited passion

2017-05-03T20:24:27Z

This guest post comes from a Katie Eccles, a Visual Communication student whose work was inspired by our Giving Nature a Home campaign. Entirely off her own back, she has created a mini-campaign and it's wonderful to find out that its inspiration came from the RSPB.

Since being a little girl, I have spent endless hours playing over the fields with my friends and family. We would make bird boxes and bee houses which I still have to this day! We would explore until the sun went down trying to see what creatures and secret hiding places we could find. I will always cherish these fond memories the outdoors has given me and value how it has shaped who I am today.

The RSPB’s ‘Giving Nature a Home’ campaign has reignited my passion for homing wildlife in recent years. The tailor made advice the campaign gives on how to home wildlife, according to the amount of outdoor space you have is a wonderful idea. And with so many young people seemingly disconnecting from the outdoors in favour of modern technology such as phones and tablets, it’s a great way to engage a new generation.

Join hands with nature

As a student studying Visual Communication at Birmingham University, I have been able to use my skills as a designer to inspire people to give nature a hand. A university project to raise awareness for a not-for-profit organisation provided me with the perfect opportunity to create my RSPB-inspired ‘Join hands with nature’ campaign.

Using my two passions for nature and graphic design and photography, I created a concept for a campaign aimed at getting the public outdoors and helping nature. ‘Join hands with nature’ reflects the loving image of being at one with what the outdoors has to offer. The accompanying hashtag, #muddyhands, aims to develop engagement through social media and inspire people to go out, get dirty, and come back exhilarated from their adventures!

https://vimeo.com/192690259

Please take a look at the promotional materials for the campaign here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/45231073/Join-hands-with-nature

The start of my journey

The campaign was inspired by the RSPB and their work and the charity provided me with encouragement and support during the planning and making of it. I will certainly be keeping my passion for nature alive and will continue to raise public awareness of nature and looking after our environment. Whether young or old, use your voice to inspire more people to value and care for nature.

You can follow my blog here: https://katieedesign.wordpress.com

Katie

And the winners are...

2017-05-02T22:45:00Z

Well done to everyone who took part in Wild Challenge through April.

We've loved seeing all the pictures you've sent in on your way to achieving bronze, silver and gold. Here are just a couple:

The Thompson family's hedgehog cafe in Aberdeenshire

Rockpooling with the Davies family in Pembrokeshire

While hundreds of you have taken part, reaching an award level requires a real wild explorer.

Of those who reached an award over April we picked 16 at random. These are the lucky winners:

Smaller prize winners by group name:

The Thomson family from Aberdeenshire
The Hunter family from Derbyshire
Jasper from Devon
The Draper Family from Windsor
The Skye's family from Humberside
The Davies family from Dyfed
The family Play Days from East Sussex
Dakota's Challenge from Northhumberland
Team Muirhead from Aberdeenshire
The Barry Family from Kent
The Jones Family from Aberdeenshire
The Griffith family from Clwyd
The Swann family from Suffolk
Our bubble from Manchester
The Greenslade's from Doncaster

The one big prize goes to:

The Odd Sprogs from Surry

If you've yet to get involved you can still earn your personalised certificate and stickers for free, by signing up at rspb.org.uk/wildchallenge

Teaming up with Twirlywoos

2017-04-07T18:26:00Z

Many of you with young kids will be familiar with the Twirlywoos.

For those of you who don't know them, they're bird-like creatures that live in a boat, obviously! You can see them on their adventures on CBeeBies.

Now the Twirlywoos have teamed up with the RSPB to raise awareness about people's growing disconnection with nature.

To do this they carried out research into how good people in the UK are at identifying native birds.

The results showed some encouraging signs eg 9 out of 10 knew a swift was a bird, but there's definitely room for improvement, some people thought the red kite was a batman villain.

Here's our very own James Harding-Morris on the streets of London testing the unsuspecting public on their bird knowledge:

https://vimeo.com/212249190

Take the test

Test your own bird knowledge and get some free resources to help your kids here.

What next

In response we're helping families learn more about all kinds of wildlife through the Wild Challenge.

Bird watching, wildlife surveys and many other activities count as a tick on your way to achieving bronze, silver or gold and all activities include resources and step-by-step instructions.

Why not have a browse for yourself?

Go wild this April and you could be a winner

2017-03-28T19:24:00Z

This Easter we're launching the Wild Challenge to the wider world.

Its goal is to get more kids and their families experiencing nature in a way that will lead to a life-long love of wildlife.

It's totally free and by achieving a level of the Wild Challenge (bronze, silver or gold) in April you could also win one of 15 prizes worth over £60, or one big prize worth over £500 (courtesy of our partner Aldi Stores Ltd).

Here's the smaller prize:

Each smaller prize prize includes:

Binoculars for kids
An iSpy nature book and an iSpy birds book
An Explorer Dome to see minibeasts in close up
Some Top Turmp bugs cards
Wildlife in Your Garden book by Mike Dilger

For the bigger prize there's so much stuff we couldn't even fit it all on this picture!:

It includes:

A hogilo hedgehog home and some food
Two bird feeders and a bird feeding station to mount them on
A pair of binoculars for adults
Two pairs of binoculars for kids
A bat detector - picks up the sounds bats make and tells you the frequency. From this you can find out what the species is (cool ey?).
A wildlife camera trap - find out what creatures visit your garden while you're away.
Classic Apex bird box
A book of 365 outdoor activities
Buggy nibbles, mealworms and lots of other bird food

You'll also receive a £50 Aldi voucher, thanks to our partner - Aldi Supermarkets - who have made the Wild Challenge possible.

It's a simple prize draw of all the people who achieve an award in April (terms and conditions apply).

So what are you waiting for? Sign up and take part this April and you could be a winner.

rspb.org.uk/wildchallenge

Return of the spring

2017-02-22T20:36:00Z

I don't know why but it's felt like a long winter this year, perhaps it's because the cold has come in fits and starts. Pockets of mild weather made us think 'winter's over' only for the frost to come back.

But now we're on the home straight and the return of spring is in evidence.

Looking for wildlife can seem like a bit of a chore through February. Let's be honest there's not loads to see. But the coming of spring can bring with it some of nature's great wonders.

Here are a few things to keep an eye out on your first walks this spring:

Hares

If you live near fields, you may be lucky enough to bear witness to the most iconic March spectacle, the boxing hare.

You may not know that this is actually the behaviour of female hares trying to shoo away amorous males, not a competition between two males:

https://vimeo.com/155498149

Frogs

In southern parts of the UK, frog spawn was laid as early as January but by now it should have be growing and turning into tadpoles throughout the UK.

See if you can spot some of these animated apostrophes wriggling in the shallows of a pond.

This is a time lapse video of new frogspawn expanding in water:

https://vimeo.com/151919195

Bumblebees

You may have already seen some thumb sized blobs buzzing by in mid air. These huge bumblebees are the queens and the only one's that survive the winter.

They'll be setting about making a new hive at this time of year, the drones are smaller and look like this:

This is actually a cuckoo bumblebee. These bees hide their eggs in the nests of other bumblebees so they don't have to do any of the parenting.

Daffodils

Most of the daffs you see nodding their yellow heads in the breeze are domestic versions.

They're still beautiful, but if you're walking somewhere a bit more remote than a town park (like Wordsworth did) it's a special treat to see the smaller, paler wild ones.

Now's a great time to start our Wild Challenge, we have an activity dedicated to signs of spring!

Wildlife inspired pancake art

2017-01-30T14:58:00Z

This pancake day don't just settle for any old crepe.

Our ingenious Wildlife Explorer magazines team have come up with a way to take inspiration from nature while cooking up tasty treats.

Here are just a few ideas to try out, and all you need in addition to the normal ingredients are some plastic chef bottles and some cocoa powder:

https://vimeo.com/199983041

We'd love to see how yours come out so please share them with us on Facebook or tag us on Instagram.

Quiz - Who's starring in this video?

2016-12-21T19:23:25Z

How's your bird identification knowledge?

It's a question I always answer with some trepidation, who am I being compared to? An elite twitcher or a total newbie?

Whatever the answer, we could all learn more and with Big Garden Birdwatch approaching, it's the prefect opportunity for novices to get their eye in.

Quiz

Watch this short video of some garden birds you might see near you. How many can you identify?:

https://vimeo.com/194841307

STOP! Have you had a go at naming them all?

Scroll to the bottom for the answers.

Answers

In order of appearance:

- dunnock (aka hedge sparrow)

- long-tailed tit

- blue tit

- songthrush

How did you get on?

If your birding skills are all warmed up why not sign up-to the Big Garden Birdwatch?