News
Charity shop news
Would you like to shop for your Spring/Summer 2018 wardrobe while supporting the work we do? Our charity shop in Egham, Surrey has been doing a roaring trade in vintage summer clothes now the weather is getting warmer! It is also the perfect place to donate clothes and bric-a-brac to if you are having a …
Spring has sprung!
The water vole survey is starting this week, records are coming in from across the country to the BIG hedgehog map and the first dormouse checks are under way. Spring might have been slow to start this year but it has definitely sprung now! So what are the favourite signs of spring from staff here at …
Calling all water vole enthusiasts!
National Water Vole Monitoring Programme starts 15 April 2018. We are calling on all wildlife enthusiasts to help monitor signs of the UK’s disappearing water voles as part of our annual National Water Vole Monitoring Programme. Affectionately portrayed as Ratty in childhood favourite Wind in the Willows, water voles were once a common sight along …
Unicorn reintroduction
Iconic British unicorns reintroduced into secluded nature reserve on the Isle of Wight We are proud to unveil our new project – reintroducing unicorns (Equus monoceros) into Briddlesford Wood on the Isle of Wight and the Shetland Isles, as part of our ongoing conservation efforts to reintroduce endangered species back to the UK. Once a …
I-Spy, with my mammal eye…
Help us spot Britain’s mammals We’re calling for volunteers to take part in our Living with Mammals survey and to record the wild mammals they see. You can help by choosing a green space, such as a garden, allotment or park, and observing it each week between Monday 26th March and Sunday 24th June 2018. …
New report points to 30% decline in water vole distribution
National treasure ‘Ratty’ needs urgent help to survive A new analysis of data collected over ten years by a network of experts led by The Wildlife Trusts and supported by People’s Trust for Endangered Species has revealed that water vole distribution has declined dramatically. There has been a 30% decline in the places where these …
Rough Hill Orchard Update
Winter might look like a quiet time for orchards but it is a busy season for orchard management. Laura Bower, Conservation Officer, gives us an update on Rough Hill and the work to convert this once neglected orchard into a wildlife haven. Since we were last at Rough Hill, it has been flailed and looks …
Day and night in the life of a Bechstein’s bat researcher
Bechstein’s is one of the rarest British bats as their preferred woodland homes are being destroyed or intensively managed. The challenges of studying an elusive night flying animal means much remains to be learned about this wonderful species. In this guest blog post Patrick Wright, PhD researcher at Exeter University, gives us a glimpse …
Hedgehogs on the Edge
Hedgehogs on the Edge: new report shows hedgehogs plummet by half in British countryside At least half the population of our native hedgehogs has been lost from the British countryside over the last two decades, warn two wildlife charities in a report issued today, Wednesday 7 February 2018. The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2018, published …
A day in the life of a wildlife educator
Many of the solutions to helping protect some of our most endangered species involve working with local communities to raise awareness of the issues and solutions. This vital conservation tool is very different from much of the work researchers do but it has the rewards of watching people inspired by your work coming together to …
Volunteer Wild Woodland Weekend
20th January 2018 saw 50 volunteers descend on Briddlesford Woods, our nature reserve on the Isle of Wight. It might have been a damp weekend but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of our superstar volunteers! 70m of hedge layed 12m of boardwalk installed Oak tree cage erected Large sycamores felled and large area cleared of …
Saiga antelope update
Sudden death of hundreds of thousands of saiga antelope The sudden death of over 200,000 saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan in May 2015, more than 80% of the affected population and more than 60% of the global population of this species, baffled the world. In just three weeks, entire herds of tens of thousands of healthy …