Students

Welcome Student Members!

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Time for NO MOW MAY! During spring many wildflowers and other plants bloom at the perfect time to provide food for the huge numbers of hungry pollinators emerging. So, tell your friends and family to preserve the daisies and other flowering plants this month, because skipping the tiresome job of mowing your lawn during May helps to save the bees!
World Bee Day on the 20th of May meaning saving the bees is particularly prevalent this month. Bees are fundamental to our ecosystems because they provide pollination services to lots of our flowering plants, some of which we use for food, to brighten up our gardens and many more animals and insects that rely on flowers and the fruit some turn into.
So instead of mowing the lawn, you can spend time in your garden, allotment or local park relaxing and watching wildlife flood into this amazing habitat you have created, you might be surprised how much you see.
You could search your vegetable patch or local greenspace for caterpillars to keep yourself busy. I’m sure your family will thank you for rescuing them and your vegetables! Put them in a caterpillar enclosure, feed them up and watch them develop into their cocoons. Be sure to release them on a calm sunny day when they are ready, butterflies and moths have important pollination to do too!
Why not post pictures of your caterpillars to our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram (@sdnhsoc) to find out what species they might be!
What is your favourite bird that you’ve seen recently? So many birds are migrating from Africa to the UK at the moment. Swifts and swallows are particularly distinctive birds that some of our members have already reported spotting! Their elegant shape and swooping flight patterns are easy to spot! They often come back to the same places to nest but will usually prefer to create a fresh new nest rather than use the one they used before.
To create a new nest, they need more than fluffy feather and twigs. Swifts, swallows and many other bird species require mud to make their nests! This may not be hard to find at the moment with our very wet winter but as spring turns to summer and the earth turns dry keep in mind what these hard working little birds need!

Things to Do

Bird Watch

Become a birder with this brand-new children's activity book from the RSPB. Joining the thousands of people who take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch every year has never been easier with this handy sticker book and birdwatching guide!

Pond Dipping

Ponds are very busy in April with tadpoles, dragonfly nymphs and water beetles to find. Make sure that you have permission and ask an adult for help if you need it. You will need a net, wellies and magnifier. Once you have had a good look at the animals you have captured gently put them back into the pond.

Moths by Month

To celebrate all things moth, Butterfly conservation has created a Moths by Month calendar for you to download so you can see which marvellous moths you might spot throughout the year. You can also print it at home to tick off the ones you see!

Nectar Cafe

Now is a good time for planting plants that will produce lots of pollen and nectar over the coming months, so why not create a nectar cafe? Some recommended plants: Buddleia, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Lungwort, Vipers Bugloss, Lavender, Verbena, Catmint, Scabious, Evening primrose, Marjoram, Rosemary, Chives, Thyme, Mint, Sage and even Ivy are all great for
pollinators.

BTO Garden BirdWatch

BTO runs this year-round scheme and you can help by keeping a simple list and telling us which species visit, helping us learn about how birds and other wildlife use the food, shelter and other resources in our gardens. You don't have to make a submission every week, but taking part online effectively gives you access to your own weekly record of the species using your garden.

Know Your Owls

Barn Owl

The Barn Owl is a distinctive and much-loved countryside bird. Widely distributed across the UK it has a heart-shaped face, buff back and wings and pure white underparts. They are avid hunters, scouring open grassland for small mammals such as voles, mice, shrews and rats. They catch prey with ease thanks to their incredible long-distance vision, sensitive hearing and silent flight.

Little Owl

Little Owls usually hunt from a perch, typically a fence post. They like mixed farmland as well as open wooded areas and can be very noisy and territorial. They nest in holes, often in trees and like to use the same nest every year. They are small owls with brown and white colouring and they like to be out and about during the day as well as the evening. They eat a lot of insects.

Tawny Owl

These beautiful owls like woodlands and choose to eat small mammals like mice and shrews. They like to nest in tree holes but don't like buildings. They are the most commonly found owl in the UK and young birds leave the nest very early to sit around nearby so sometimes they can be found on the ground and should always be left alone. They make the classic twit-twoo noise but this is made by a pair of birds calling and answering each other. They also make a "kewick" noise so you can get lots of interesting duets.

Long Eared Owl

The Long-eared owl is one of the rarest native owls. Highly secretive and strictly nocturnal, they choose quiet, isolated areas away from people like woodland or dense hedgerows.

With its long ear tufts, they can't be mistaken for any other owl.

Short Eared Owl

Short-eared owls are not as common as other owls in UK but their numbers are increased by the many winter migrants coming from Scandinavia. They are found in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and North England. The like to hunt small mammals over grasslands at dusk and dawn. They have short ear tufts but are otherwise quite similar to tawny owls.