Nattering about bat boxes

The final push for Make A Difference Weeks, and we were to spend 2 days on Brownsea Island - dodging the hordes of visitors all looking for a glimpse of the Autumnwatch two, Bill and Kate.  We hadn’t the heart to tell them that they had already gone home for the weekend! 

A Red squirrel watched over us

Read on to find just what we were up to…..

A very deserved award..

Earlier this yera, the President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, asked if she could fund the provision of an annaul award for our volunteers.  The result was ‘ The Helen Brotherton Award for Volunteering’.   This is awarded annually from this year, in recognition of the huge efforts of our volunteers.

John shows off his medal, with Aaron and Chris

Volunteers and Staff were invited to nominate individuals that thye felt best deserved this recognition for their work over the previous year.  A panel of four of us then had the task of sorting through the forms and eventually deciding who should receive the award for this year.

It proved to be a task too far!  In the end it was decided that this year there would be 2 award winners!  Giles Harbottle and John Avey were the 2 selected – with the Awards to be made at the AGM in early September.   Unfortunately Johns medal didn’t arrive in time so we agreed to organise a suitable presentation at a later date.

John started volunteering after some badgering by Aaron, his grandson, who was also volunteering with us at the time.  He has not looked back since  – and has become a huge assett to our work, particularly in the East Dorset and Purbeck areas. 

Today, at last, it all cvame together. The medal had arrived, and I had managed to get Johns family in on it – so at 9.30 they all arrived and hid in the Education room.  I had asked John if he could pop up and deliver a package for us at 10am (he readily agreed, as always!).   Sure enough at 10am on the dot, John and his wife walked in the door.  I took him into the Ed room to the package on the floor – and his family cheered him in!

We presented him with his medal at last, and Amanda had even cooked a fantastic cake, complete with jam and cream!

Well done John – a very well deserved award indeed!

A post about posts, and another adder encounter

It turned out to be a rather chilly out there today.  Luckily for us, we were working just outside the office, in the wildlife garden at the Urban Wildlife Centre.

Stop leaning on the fence - we have work to do!

Why were we lucky?  Because it meant we were close to the kettle – so plenty of tea was on hand!  Read on to find out what we were doing to the fence…

Forensics with owl pellets…

Another MADD event – we must be near the end now!  We had been given a batch of barn owl pellets, from the roost at our Lorton Meadows Reserve.  Wouldn’t it be a good idea to find out what the owls have been eating?

Faye and Lorretta hard at work

We found plenty of bones and fur – plus a few surprises.  Read on to find out all about it..

A batty first for Ashley Wood!

A bunch of volunteers and DWT staff descended on Ashley wood today – in search of bats….

Checking one of the bat boxes

We did find some bats – but what sort? and what else did we find?  Read on to find out!