Winter Nature Activities Pack

1

Keeping busy Hello my fellow nature lovers! I hope you are all keeping busy and safe. We have put a little wildlife pack together to help keep you entertained during this lockdown period, until we can go out and about together again.

Most of the ideas in this pack can be done in a small back garden or yard. Use this lockdown time to make the green space around your house perfect for wildlife. Some involve going a little further As well as the ideas in this guide, you may have your own suggestions. We would love to hear them!

Tel: 07426 716677 (including WhatsApp) Email: info@opencountry.org.uk

www.opencountry.org.uk

2

Safety First! Important things to remember:

1. Always work with adult supervision. You should never do any of these gardening tasks or wildlife study sessions alone.

2. If woodworking, use a vice or clamp to make sure the wood is stable and secure before starting sawing.

3. Use gloves when working outside or with soil.

4. Use safety goggles whilst woodworking.

5. Make sure you keep a neat work area. Do not leave tools, equipment or wood lying around, somebody could trip over them!

6. Concentrate on what you are doing and take your time with each task.

7. There are added dangers when studying or walking near ponds and lakes – make sure you know the risks and are safe at all times.

3

Habitats

What is a habitat?

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant or other organism

A home for wildlife

A special environment for living in

A place that provides an animal or plant with everything it needs to survive

A place that shelters, supplies food, water and protection for that species. A place that they can reproduce. Wildlife species

might need lots of habitats for survival

4

Habitats So now we know what habitats are, can we name some examples? Use the boxes below to list or draw some wild habitats around you and who lives in them.

A pond A wildflower meadow

Frogs, toads,

5

Key words

Hibernation – The period of time an animal or plant spends in a dormant state.

Nocturnal – A creature that is active at night time.

Deciduous – A tree or shrub that loses its leaves on an annual basis

Evergreen – A tree or shrub that keeps its leaves all year round.

Coniferous - A tree that bears cones and needle-like or scale-like leaves that are typically

evergreen.

Mammal – a warm-blooded vertebrate animal that has hair or fur, the females secrete milk

for the nourishment of the young, and (typically) they give birth to live young.

6

Nature Alphabet Challenge

For this one you will just need a camera and a bit of patience! It is a great way of taking a closer look at your local environment. Use your daily exercise walks to find all of the letters of the alphabet in nature. Use your imagination and remember it might take longer than one day...

Lizzie did this one with her kids and had great fun with the challenge but said that the letters ‘G’ and ‘D’ were a bit tricky. Maybe you can already think of some ideas for a few of the letters?

Find Ten Top Tips for Nature Photography on our website:

http://www.opencountry.org.uk/toms-top-10-tips-to-keep-you-snap-happy-during-lockdown/

7

Litter Picking One of the simplest ways to help your local habitats is to do a litter pick. It helps to get the plastic pollution out of the natural environment and ensures creatures don’t get harmed.

Photo: The Wildlife Trusts 8

Duck Detectives

Photo: The Wildlife Trusts

If you head out to your local pond or lake this winter you are sure to see at least one of these duck species on the water. Can you find three of these wildfowl species on your next walk? It is helpful to use binoculars for this activity, if you have any. They help you to see the birds clearly from far away.

9

Really Funny Duck Jokes

What did the duck detective say to his

partner?

‘’Let’s quack this case!’’

What time did the duck wake up?

At the quack of dawn!

What do you call a duck that steals?

A robber ducky!

Where do sick ducks go?

To the duck-tors

What do ducks like to watch on telly?

Duck-umentaries

What do you call a cat that eats the duck?

A duck-filled-fatty-puss!

10

Geese and Swan Watch

Photo: The Wildlife Trusts 11

Starling Murmuration A starling murmuration occurs when thousands of birds flock together, swooping and diving at the same time. It is one of the best UK nature spectacles! It is thought that starlings do it for many reasons. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas.

Photo: The Huffington Post 12

Where to find a Starling Murmuration

RSPB Saltholme

RSPB Leighton Moss

Blackpool Pier

Brereton, Cheshire

North Lincolnshire

Gretna Green

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Potteric Carr

A starling murmuration is best seen between late October and mid-February at dusk. Below is a list of the best places to watch the starling murmurations near us. Please contact the site directly to find out about current opening hours, etc. Do let us know if you spot a murmuration, big or small, somewhere else in the world!

RSPB Blacktoft Sands

13

Trees in Winter

Photo: The Woodland Trust

It can be hard to identify what tree is what in winter because most trees do not have their leaves. Look at their twigs and branches and see if any match the identification sheet opposite to figure out what tree you are looking at. Can you find any other clues?

14

Planting Trees from Seed

15

What you need: • Acorns, and UK native tree seeds • At least one used milk bottle or large plastic bottle, empty and cleaned • Scissors (you will need two people for this) • A few litres of peat-free top soil (not compost) • Gardening gloves • Hand trowel

By the end of autumn most of the UK trees have dropped their seeds and you will probably need to scavenge around on the woodland floor to find them so wear gloves! Once you have some of the seeds you will need to take them home and identify them using the chart on the left. Once you have done that, take your milk or plastic bottles and cut holes in the bottom so that the water can seep out. This is a two person job. Fill up your milk or plastic bottles with soil so they are ¾ full. Place one or two seeds in each container, on top of the soil. Add another 1 ½ inches of soil and water the pots. Leave them on a tray on a windowsill until they germinate, then put them outside on flat ground. Be patient waiting for your seeds to germinate, it can take some time!

Photo: The Woodland Trust

Willow Weaving for All Willow weaving can keep you busy for hours and you might be impressed by what you end up with! If you are not able to source willow cuttings yourself, you can buy pre-cut willow online or from some larger garden centres. You can find lots of simple ideas for willow weaving on this website: www.willowweaving.co.uk/ Or if you want to try it, the next few slides should help you create a willow bird feeder. Thanks to Buntwerkstattat for the photos and inspiration.

16

Willow Bird Feeder – Step 1

17

Willow Bird Feeder – Step 2

18

Willow Bird Feeder – Step 3

19

Festive Treasure Hunt

Photo: The Wildlife Trusts 20

Birds of Prey Identification

ID photo: www.riedesigned.co.uk

A bird of prey (or raptor) is a bird that feeds on animal flesh. They have a hooked beak and sharp talons. In Britain we have many species of birds of prey, but some are a lot more common than others. In your garden, it is usually the sparrowhawk you see, which likes to catch and eat smaller birds. If you see one hovering at the side of the road, it is likely to be a kestrel. And in Yorkshire, buzzards and red kites can be seen soaring above farmland and woods.

Fun fact: Peregrine falcons are the fastest animal on

the planet! We now have many

peregrine falcon pairs nesting in our cities

and towns.

21

Bird of Prey Identification

ID photo: www.thefarmingforward.co.uk 22

Be a Minibeast Detective

ID photo: The Wildlife Trusts

In winter it gets harder to spot insects, but as spring starts to arrive, our gardens quickly get busy again. Can you find all of these creepy crawlies in your local green space? Remember, look but don’t touch!

Top Tip: Look under dead wood and in leaf

piles

23

Mammal Watching Winter can be an interesting time for watching wild mammals. Seals Seals can be spotted on day trips to the coast and winter can be a great time to find them because they come inland to breed. The grey seals have their babies in autumn and winter on the rocky shores of the British Isles. The best places to visit include: Donna Nook (Lincolnshire) Farne Isles – via a boat trip (Northumberland) Ravenscar (just North of Scarborough) If you get lucky and find seals, make sure you don’t get too close to the them or their pups (keep at least 30m away) and keep dogs out of sight so you don’t scare them. Deer Autumn and winter can be great seasons to find deer. In the UK, we have some wild deer and some are farmed (kept as livestock in fields). As they get scared easily, you might not see them in the wild, but you can occasionally find the footprints in the mud or snow...

24

Did you know?

There are two species of seals in the UK; the grey seal and the harbour seal. The harbour (common) seal has a rounded dog-like face. Their heads are round. The grey seal is larger and has nostrils like parallel lines. Britain is home to around 36% of the world population of grey seals, so we need to take good care of them!

Roe deer footprints

Big Garden Birdwatch

ID photo: The RSPB

Join your family and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for the Big Garden Birdwatch on 29 - 31 January 2021. Registration opens 9 December 2020 – www.rspb.org.uk

25

Can you put a name to all the birds pictured here?

Make an Apple Bird Feeder

Photo: www.momthemagnificient.com

There are quite a lot of variations on this idea, but generally you want to stuff or cover an apple with The birds can eat the seeds for energy and the peanut butter helps them keep a layer of fat on them for the colder months. Once you are happy, tie it to a tree branch or washing line and hope you get some feathered visitors.

What you need:

• 3-4 apples • Peanut butter (no salt) • Blunt knife or spoon • Twine or string • Scissors (make sure there is two people doing this bit) • Bird seed (a few handfuls)

26

What you need:

• Silver birch or other tree species log • Drill and 26” drill bit • 1 x packet lard • 2 x handfuls of bird seed • 1 x handful of raisins or sultanas • Vice/clamps

1. Start by finding the

appropriate log and drilling a small hole at the top end.

2. Thread the twine through the hole and tie it so the log hangs vertically.

3. With the drill and drill bit, make lots of large holes in the log. You will need two people and a vice/clamp for this – to keep the log steady

4. In a bowl, mix the lard, bird seed and fruit until they have all combined.

5. Spoon the lard mix into the log holes and hang in a tree or from a washing line

Wild about Wetherby Leader Kate made one of these logs for her garden and she has had all sorts of bird species enjoying it since.

Hang up a Bird Lard Log

27

Be a Pond Detective

You will need:

• Net on a long pole • White tray • Magnifying glass • ID sheet (next page)

• Small jar with lid • Gloves • Hand sanitiser

When early spring arrived, why not think about a pond dip to find out what mini murky monsters live below the surface?

It is important to remember that you can’t go pond dipping in every water hole you find. You must have the landowner’s permission if it is not in your own garden. Only go near water with another supervising adult.

1. Kneel or lie on the ground. Do not bend over water. 2. Ensure that you cover any cuts on your hands with

waterproof plasters or latex gloves. 3. For ponds which are too deep for an adult to perform a

wading rescue, suitable rescue equipment such as a reach pole, or a throw line should be nearby at all times.

4. Half fill your white tray with pond water. 5. Using your net, make a circle of eight movement in the

water, making sure you get to the bottom of pond (a lot of the critters like to hang out in the mud at the bottom)

6. Tip the contents of the net into the white tray and try to identify the creatures you have swimming around.

Make sure you don’t leave the creatures in your tray for longer than 10 minutes. Tip them back into the pond.

Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

28

Be a Pond Detective

ID photo: The Wildlife Trusts

Then can you find all of these pond creatures in your local pond?

29

Bird in Love The birds in your garden and in your local park can't afford to sit around, feeling glum and wishing the sun would come out. There's important work to be done - breeding! Perhaps the most noticeable evidence of birds getting geared up for the new breeding season is the increase in bird song that occurs from mid-January onwards. While some birds, such as robins, sing throughout the winter, others start singing at this time of year, both to attract potential mates and to signal to other birds the boundaries of their ‘patch’. You can help your local birds by making a nest box so they have a safe place to have their babies.

Great crested grebes: Devon Wildlife Trust

Look out for:

Birds collecting nest material like moss and twigs

Birds singing more

Courtship displays like these grebes dancing with each other!

Male birds fighting over territories

30

Build a Robin Nest Box You will need: • A plank of FSC wood 15cm x 1.2m long x 1.5-1.8cm thick • Pencil and tape measure • Hand saw • Nails (1 ½ inch) and tack nails • Strip of waterproof rubber • Drill and drill bits • Ladder • Screws • Water based paint and brushes

1. Start by cutting the wood to the measurements on the BTO guide (next page). 2. Then with somebody helping to hold the wood in place, nail the back board to the side edges. 3. Once both sides are secure, slot in the base between them and nail the bottom of the sides into

the edge of the base (two on either side) 4. Place the front piece on top of the sides and base and nail in with five nails. 5. Finally, add the roof and nail to the top edges of the sloped sides. With tack nails, hammer in

the waterproof rubber to cover the gap between the back board and the roof. 6. Paint and leave to dry. Make a pilot hole in the top of the back board and seek assistance to put

up in your garden 31

Make a Robin Nest Box

Put your nest box in a tree or fence, around 1.5m – 2m off the ground. The entrance should be facing north-east, or away from strong winds. The box should be put in climber vegetation, e.g. Ivy, but with a clear entrance. You may get wrens nesting in the box instead of robins.

32

Wildflowers In early spring, March time, as the weather looks brighter, you can think about searching for these wild flowers in your local parks and green spaces. See if you can spot all 10 species before May!

33 ID photo: The Wildlife Trusts

Make a Seed Bomb

34 Picture: The Wildlife Trusts

This is a great fun idea to do with the whole family to do in spring.

March is when butterflies start being seen again so keep your eyes peeled! Can you put the four life stages of the butterfly in the right order by adding 1, 2, 3 and 4 to each picture?

ID photo: www.ebay.com

Butterflies and Moths of March

You can help butterflies and moths by helping to feed their caterpillars by planting garden species such as: Nettles (Urtica dioica) Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) Hops (Humulus lupulus) Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Sweet bedstraw (Galium species) Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

35

Butterflies and Moths of March

ID photo: The Butterfly Conservation Trust 36

Amphibians of the UK

ID photo: www.herpetofauna.co.uk

Can you match the names below with the correct amphibian photos on the right?

Common frog

Natterjack toad

Common toad

Smooth newt

Great crested newt

Palmate newt

37

Reptiles of the UK

ID photo: www.herpetofauna.co.uk

Can you match the names below with the correct reptile pictures on the left?

Adder

Common lizard

Sand lizard

Slow worm

Smooth snake

Grass snake

38

Reptiles of the UK A combination of lizards and snakes make up the reptile population in the UK. Reptiles are animals with bodies covered with bony plates, scales or both. They are cold-blooded animals, unable to maintain a constant internal body temperature. In order to stay warm, they rely on the sun and their environment. During winter, they undergo brumation, a hibernation-like state, where they become less active. Some reptiles lay eggs, while others, like those found in the Scottish Highlands, give birth to live young.

39

Adders are the only

venomous snake in the UK. They can be found on heathland and sand dunes and although bites are extremely rare, and unlikely to be fatal, you need to walk with care.

You can help wild reptiles locally by: • A diverse vegetation structure can provide a mix of insolated basking sites and nearby cover. • Rockeries can provide good habitat for reptiles; the rocks and low-growing mats of vegetation provide cover and basking sites. • Compost heaps or bins are invaluable to reptiles, especially grass snakes and slow-worms. The compost heap should be in a sunny location. The larger the heap the better. Having two heaps/bins allows slow-worms to be transferred from one heap to another as matured compost is removed. • Create a wildlife pond, to attract amphibians, which are the prey of the grass snake. • Allow areas of lawn to grow long to provide cover, for example along the sunny base of a hedge. • Create log or brash piles to act as refuges. • Do not disturb compost heaps used as grass snake egg-laying sites from June to September, or during the winter. • If space allows, place reptile survey refuges in sunny locations.

Text: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust

Build a Hibernaculum Great for helping reptiles and amphibians!

40 Picture: The Wildlife Trusts

Make a Mini Pond

Ponds are very important for wildlife and we need more of them. It doesn’t matter how big your pond is so why not try this simple idea for digging a washing-up bowl into the ground to help bring water-loving wildlife to your garden. Spring is a great time to make a pond as you can watch it develop over the next few months.

Photo and text: RSPB

What you will need:

• A washing up bowl (or similar sized container) • Stones and gravel • Spade • Sticks • Native aquatic plants

1. Put your container into your chosen place while it’s empty. Once it’s full of water, it will be difficult to move! Ideally you’ll put it somewhere that gets a good amount of light, but isn't in full sunlight all day. You can sink it into the ground or leave it proud of the surface, but if the edges are level with the ground, more creatures can get in and out.

2. Even a mini-pond can be a hazard for small children, so position it where it will be safe. Make sure that wildlife can get in and out, by using bricks, rocks or logs to create stepping stones in and out of the pond. It is vital that the pond is not a trap for creatures such as hedgehogs.

3. Prepare your pond. Seal any drainage holes. If you’re using an old sink, silicon a plug into the plughole. If using a large plant pot line it with butyl pond liner, although be aware that folding it around right-angle corners is challenging! Put a layer of clean gravel in the bottom if you wish. Don't use soil – it is too full of nutrients and it will prompt blooms of unsightly algae to form.

4. Fill with tap water and add any aquatic plants you might have purchased. Only larger garden centres tend to sell these.

41

Make a Toad Abode What you will need: • Ceramic pot • A patch of bare ground • Little plate of water • Leaves • Sticks • Watering can • Spade

This one is easy to do and helps provide toads, frogs and newts with a place to hide out in winter.

1. You need somewhere where you can dig a hole in the ground about 30-45 cm deep where you can part-bury your collection of logs and stones. A shady or semi-shady spot is ideal.

2. Dig a round hole with a flat bottom. Pile the soil to one side as you go. Once big enough, fill it with your assorted rubble and logs. Imagine you are creating a higgledy-piggledy underground maze.

3. Continue to pile material up above ground level – it is really useful to continue to build the pile into a low mound. Put soil back over the top. You still need to be able to see lots of gaps around the edges. You can pile the soil over the back half of the abode so that the front entrances are all clear of soil.

42

Composting

Photo: The Wildlife Trusts

This can be a really simple idea to help make good rich soil for your garden or yard.

43

Make a Wormery

Using a see through glass or plastic container, add layers of soil and sand and some leaves for food. Find some worms in the garden and add them to the container. See how they tunnel into the ground and help make spaces for roots to grow. Release the worms back into your garden when you have observed them enough.

Photo: The Daily Telegraph

You will need:

• Clear plastic container with no lid • Sand • Soil or compost • A few handfuls of leaf litter and grass

Worms turn waste products and leaves in to soil and we need soil to grow fruit and vegetables so worms are very important!

44

With thanks to... The following organisations for their ideas, guides and photos:

• The RSPB – https://www.rspb.org.uk/ • The Wildlife Trust – https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/ • Butterfly Conservation Trust - https://butterfly-conservation.org/ • The Woodland Trust - https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ • The Mammal Society - https://www.mammal.org.uk/ • The Aire Rivers Trust - https://aireriverstrust.org.uk/ • Open Country – www.opencountry.org.uk

Go check out their websites for more tips and ideas on saving nature near you!

45