#30dayswild - day 19 - a day at the woods

Today I invited loads of friends to my woods. It is something that I have been planning for ages but had never managed to get around to it. Until now!!  I am hoping it is going to be something that will happen quite often and was really pleased that 8 families made it along today and we had a great time.

I am hoping that a fellow #30dayswild-er will share some fab photos that see took via her blog here. Jenny's Gecko Wood post is here.

Any way we had a great time at the woods and as part of the #30dayswild. I had decided beforehand that I would do the following:

Today, I chose to lift up a log #30DaysWild pic.twitter.com/H6rg9Wjj6R — Viv (@vckidd) June 19, 2016

and

Today, I chose to learn who sings a favourite song #30DaysWild pic.twitter.com/l4jsfxbv0f

— Viv (@vckidd) June 19, 2016

So I learnt the descending whistle of the Willow Warbler and when I lifted a log in the woods discovered woodlice!!

As part of looking for interesting things a casing was found (which I am holding in my hand in the collage above). We thought it may be the outer casing of a stinkhorn mushroom.

There was also an egg (we think pigeon) and a stinkhorn mushroom.

I showed people around the woodland and we ate some wood sorrell and identified wild strawberries. We discovered that the area of the woods in which we want to make a pond is still boggy (top left photo) and therefore definitely does seem like a good area to make a pond in the future.

We saw loads of blackberry bushes (bottom left) which are going to be great fun to pick in Autumn.

My dd and Jenny made a den (hence the fact I will add a link to her blog post because she took loads of great photos of the transformation.) And a carved The Den sign was made (spot the associated photos).

People had a go at archery, on the zip wire, and on the slack line.

We then discovered an actually living stinkhorn (middle.) Dh had some help planting some trees that had been donated to us and harvested some elderflowers (top right.)

As well as all that there were fires, food cooked on fires, fun, and friendship. Who could ask for more?

#30dayswild - day 18

I thought I would sneak this post in because it is short and I didn't want it getting lost in the post for tomorrow which will be all about my day at the woods.

So walking through town I spotted this amazing white pigeon with gorgeous green and blues on it back (although you can't really see that in the photo unfortunately) but click on the link below to go to my instagram photo.

Gorgeous white pigeon #30dayswild @ York Museum Gardens https://t.co/ZFDqFgjnAH

— Viv (@vckidd) June 18, 2016

So because I hadn't really done anything 'wild' all day other than the spotting the white pigeon and noticing birdsong whilst in the toilet at the York Explore library I thought I would take the time to read these books I have been meaning to read for a while.
They are by Ffyona Campbell who wrote the Hunter Gatherer Way written about in this Bushcraft Show blog here.

I then made sure I watched the sunset from my attic room window.

Enjoy the photos and see if you can spot the birds!

#30dayswild days15-17 - nettle tea, recycling, rose and alliums

Wednesday 15th June

I was going to York University to attend the One Planet York Launch so I decided I would do an observation experiment with myself by walking to the Ron Cooke Hub from the York University Library one way and walking back a different way.

I discovered very interesting things such as I do actually have to pay attention if I want to notice things. I was talking to my wonderful brother for part of the journey in the morning (hence the longer walk because I went round and round the campus whilst still talking to him.) It meant that I wasn't observant at all. I did however notice that there was way less bird song on the campus and wondered if this was due to lack of trees.

The transition between walking on campus and then onto Field Lane was a noticeable increases in birdsong which surprised me. The gardens on Field Lane were filled with flowers, hedges, trees and this seemed to encourage wildlife way more than the green on campus.

I still love it on both campuses because there is a lot of green and water which is great. However at present I prefer the West Campus just because of the diversity of green with trees, bushes, lawns, wildflowers, etc.

I spotted Jack by the Hedge on the way back so now I have nailed that one I need to move onto another edible plant that I can try and recognise out in the wild!!!

I also discovered this bug in my filofax and managed to get a picture and with the help of facebook and instagram friends discovered it was a ladybird larva so thanks #30dayswild - I learnt a new thing today!!!

I then started my Ecology online course whilst waiting for my dh to finish up at work.

It looks really good and shouldn't take me too long. I have been meaning to learn more about ecology for ages so thanks again #30dayswild for giving the impetus I needed to actually just get on with it.

The link is here in case you are interested yourself.



Thursday 16th June

Today was about learning the plants in my garden which I mentioned at the beginning of this challenge in this blog post. Whilst the kids were busy playing with their friends I took the opportunity to check if I could remember the plants that my Mum had told me about 2 weeks ago and I didn't do too badly!!

I checked under the trampoline and got my photos.

Obviously I know that this plant to the left is Jack by the Hedge and although it is growing ok here some of the plants nearby at struggling without support so I thinking that they should be moved to over by the fence. However I definitely recognise this plant now even in the wild which is great.

The eaten plant to the right is wild garlic or ransoms and I thought it had disappeared last year but it came back this year. It isn't faring too well probably not helped by the wild geranium next to it.

And then we have this other variety of geranium (Geranium phaeum) near by with the purple patches on the leaves. The chickens love eating this. Then there were the yellow and red poppies. Pretty little plants on the edge of the trampoline.

Trying to discover what plants are edible isn't always easy so resources like this or this are really helpful.

It was then time to chop up my dried nettles and store them ready for a cup of tea. Oh and then have a cup of nettle tea in my wonderful see-through glass infuser tea mug from Marks and Spencers here. Well worth the £7.50 I spent on it. See below.

Friday 17th June


A home education trip to meet fellow home educators at Castle Howard resulted in watching kids playing, having a picnic, trying to get fresh water oyster shells out of the lake, photographing peacocks, chatting and generally having a good time.

The weather held even though it had promised rain and the sun even came out once we had left the playground area and gone to admire the walled gardens.

I am not normally a fan of roses but I took the time to smell all the roses as part of #30dayswild.

It was really fun working out the roses that I actually like the smell of - namely The Nun to the right (which smells like a typical rose but not too overwhelming) and the Leander rose which smelt like peaches and is now my favourite rose.

I also learnt about alliums and get some lovely pictures on my phone including the purple one in the middle with a lovely, very yellow bee on it.

When I then started writing this blog I wondered whether ransoms (also being of the onion family) also had an allium name and they do - allium ursinum. I love alliums!!!

They were all so beautiful and the one in the left corner made me laugh by being called allium purple and round - genius!!

I then did my bit for the wild by making sure that I collected and brought home as much recycling from the youth club I volunteer at as I could and putting it in my recycling bin.

And bringing back the tuck shop emptied for my son to store his lego pieces in.

All in all a fab few days of #30dayswild moments and pictures.

#30dayswild days 12-14 - metal leaves, rainbows, clouds and webcams

Saturday - 12th June
We went away at the weekend and spent some fab time walking around College Lake, watching lightning, listening to thunder, making metal leaves, walking up Ivinghoe Beacon and generally having a great time with some of my family.

It was lovely visiting another Wildlife Trust place and watching my kids sharing the wildlife with their younger cousins. It was also amazing seeing a red kite fly just overhead whilst eating what looked like a fish. It was a shame I didn't manage to get a picture of it though but I did remember to tweet about it!!

Again I realised that I normally miss so much and that the #30dayswild challenge has made me appreciate the beauty of nature more than I realised. We only ventured up Ivinghoe Beacon because I wanted to get some nature pictures and we went even though it was raining. It was so much fun though!!!

Monday 13th June
I snapped the picture of the overgrown ditch in Berkhamsted (above, top right) because I am now more attuned to seeing green.

I spotted Jack by the Hedge at College Lake which I already knew about but I now recognise because I am trying to learn more edible plants. I am especially trying to learn about the ones in my garden and I have Jack by the Hedge underneath my trampoline.

I enjoyed making the metal leaves so much I bought more wire so that I can make some at home or in the woods!!


I even remembered to use my other camera which has a better zoom.


It was the only way I could get a decent picture of the chalk lion on the side of the hill near Whipsnade Zoo from the top of the beacon.


Again being more attuned to nature I got some rubbish video of the fabulous sunny, stormy sky on the way home. Watch and marvel at my videoing skills below!!




Tuesday 14th June 
Today I decided to do my #30dayswild task by watching some of the webcams and it was great. Until doing this challenge I didn't even know there were such things that you could watch for free.


Here are some of the photos I got but it really is better if you go and watch them yourself here and here.

#30dayswild - day 10 & 11 - baby birds, raindrops, haiku, road-crossing geese

Day 10 of #30dayswild 

We went to Moorlands Nature Reserve again today after the rains and it was wonderful to see all the plants with water on them.

It was also fascinating to see the humidity it was creating as can be seen vaguely in the picture to the right.

Having been to the same place last week on day 3 of the #30dayswild challenge (blog and pictures here) is was interesting to see that a fair few of the blossoms were already gone and were scattered all over the path.

Again I found myself trying to identify bird calls which seems to be my thing as part of this challenge. I found a little pond whilst the family walked off and got some lovely video of raindrops causing ripples in the pond whilst the birds were singing all around (see below). 

Although Moorlands is a relatively small woodland it is amazing how many plants, ponds and birds there are as well as carvings, seating areas, a treehouse and great trees for climbing.

It is definitely a family favourite and it was great to see it whislt there were still lovely, colourful  rhododendron blooms before they all go.



Just before getting back to the entrance of the woodland I heard these baby birds chirping for food and managed to get a video of them being fed which was great.

Day 11 of #30dayswild 

I knew day 11 was going to be a tricky day because I was working a half day before heading off to see family down South which would leave very little time for wilderness stuff. Luckily I used the #30dayswild app before going bed and was told to write a haiku!! I love poetry so thought I could manage that whilst on the 3 hour car trip. However I didn't have to wait until then because I was woken up by birdsong at 5.40 am and I decided to write haiku about the birds that heard. Here are my attempts:

5.40 bird song / awake too early, so wrong / wake up call ding dong

6 o'clock birdsong / exchanging calls like ping pong / all still going strong

Now film ref birdsong / the crows singing bring it on / up where we belong

6.40 birdsong / small birds are still going strong / singing on and on

6.50 birdsong / a pigeon's cooing along / filling in plainsong

I then came across the road crossing geese on the way to work which shows you that even in central York nature is all around.

They made me chuckle because they crossed the first road (1st video) and waited to cross the double carriageway when it was clear (2nd video). This is something they have obviously done before!!

#30dayswild - day 8 & 9 - maps, trains, owls, the bounts app and 4 green spaces in York

I took the opportunity on day 8 of the #30dayswild to walk a slightly longer way to my appointment over 3 miles away so that I took in 4 of the green spaces in York between my house and my appointment. I also decided that I would take this opportunity to be more aware of my surroundings.

Fishponds Wood is a nature reserve between Danebury Drive and Rosedale Avenue quite near my house and is the big green space on the map below. There are various ways that you can into it but it is a lovely green space right in the middle of Acomb, York.

There are always loads of birds singing there which is fab and because I knew it was going to take me just over an hour to walk to my appointment I set off extra early to make sure I had time to enjoy my suroundings on route.

What I also love about this nature reserve is that there are various different ways you can get out of it so you can always walk through it even if you are heading along Danebury Drive as I was - it is definitely nicer than walking along the road!!

Then is was on to Acomb Green which I skirted around the edge capturing this lovely picture of a laburnum and cherry in blossom before heading onto Hob Moor. Having spotted so many concreted driveways walking down to Fishponds I decided that along one stretch of road I was going to do a survey of drive ways.

It was quite depressing to be honest as there were more driveways concreted, bricked, paved with hardly any signs of plants or grass than there were flowers, hedges, greens. As you can see from these 2 pictures nature was trying to make a breakthrough in a fair few cases but I find it sad that people aren't considering the health impacts on paving over their front gardens. It is so much nicer/healthier to come out of your front door and see some plant or grass. I know people have to park cars but we have compromised on our driveway by using the plastic grass filled stuff - golpla - rather than extra paving. It works really well if anyone comes to stay and needs to park a second car and it means that we get grass, clover, dandelions, etc in our front garden.

Having done my little survey along one stretch of road I was over-joyed to view the following:

There have recently been a lot of murmurating (is that even a word?!?!) birds very near where I live but these were much bigger birds so thought I would get a video. It turned out that they were a group of homing pigeons that lived nearby. I didn't even know pigeons could flew like a starling murmuration!!! I know it wasn't as impressive as a large starling murmuration but it was fab to see at 12pm on a Wednesday.

Anyway on to Hob Moor which is right behind Lidl and is a great green space where I have done a forage with York Timebank before. Cows graze there which is always funny to see especially when they are right up at the fence next to Lidl.



Again I was greeted whilst I was walking with a lovely bunch of birds that were flying together very close to the ground, landing and then flying off again. My apologise for my appalling camera skills but I did at least capture the birds!!

There are some lovely trees on Hob Moor but this was my favourite.

What I also like about Hob Moor is the fact that right on the edge nearest the Knavesmire the railway goes goes by and there is a patch of woodland. Normally I walk right past there but today I thought it would be a great place to observe birdsong and I luckily captured 2 trains going past and then the birdsong on the video below:


I was sad not to capture the chiffchaff singing as they are favourite bird and I had heard one before the trains went past but I thought it was a lovely contrast between the trains and the birds.

So on to the Knavesmire and Knavesmire Woods were I enjoyed walking across the grass after so much concrete.

But soon it was back to pavements and my final destination.

You can see my map from Strava showing my route below and if you are someone who uses a fitbit, strava, mapmyrun or anything like that you might want to check out Bounts (and if you use my referral code to join you will get 100 free points which you can use on M&S, Starbucks, Waitrose, etc -> chamberlin-kidd183) 

Day 9
I had a lazy day today because I have a house full of ill people and wasn't feeling great myself either. So for my #30dayswild challenge today I stood outside once it had got dark and listened for a while.

My main reason for doing this was that last night laying in bed with the velux windows open I swore that I heard an owl. Owls are not something I have ever heard on the edge of York before but maybe this whole "being more observant for the #30dayswild challenge" is actually paying off because I did indeed hear an owl as I stood outside in the dark!!!! Amazing end to the day.

#30dayswild day 6 & 7 - friends, sun and Museum Gardens

Day 6

Today I got my copy of How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and I also had some rare free time so I decided to spend some time appreciating my garden and reading my book. I only ordered How I Live Now because I saw an article in the Guardian about Meg Rosoff condemning UK education policy as an 'assault on childhood' - what a woman!!



Here are the views I got to see whilst I was reading the book.

It was great to spend some time enjoying a book and stopping occasionally to enjoy my garden was a bonus.

This is one of the things I am loving about the #30dayswild challenge - it has made me slow down and actually observe myself  (needing to take some time for me and finding the space to do that) and it has made me think about my surroundings whether when walking, in my house, in my garden, etc.  

Later when I had a friend over I shared some Sweet Cicely with her - again something I might not have thought to do without the #30dayswild challenge. I am gaining knowledge and I want to share it with people. She loved the pods.

Whilst we were sitting outside I decided to have a got at my now dry nettle stems and started splitting them into 4 strands. It was not as easy as I had hoped and took longer than I thought but I managed to get some strands done.

I did a few more when she was gone whilst my husband finished carving a spatula with one of our new knives mentioned in the Bushcraft Show blog post here. I then finished the book and highly, highly recommend it to EVERYONE. It was a fantastic book to read as part of the #30dayswild challenge because there was food foraging, wild camping, river swimming and other wild activities.

Day 7

Knowing that I was going to be spending most of the day in York so that my dd could attend her drama class at the York Theatre Royal I decided to again spend some time noticing the nature that is in York.

It wasn't difficult to find some lovely nature throughout the bits of York I visited. We are very lucky to have the River Ouse running through the centre of the City which is always lovely to walk along or look at.

Quite often recently there has been a bird of prey place in the Museum Gardens and they had lost one of the new additions. It had a great time looking around and exploring.

I took the picture to the right with my phone before I remembered that I had brought my Samsung WB250F camera with me.

I got these other pictures with that camera and you can see the difference!!

I am trying to get better at using my camera so again the #30dayswild has again helped me to practice with the photography skills which is always easier if I remember to take my camera AND I remember to use it!!

After drama the children always like to spend some time in the Museum Gardens.




This gives us parents a chance to catch up with each other and it gave me a chance to get some pictures of us all connecting with and enjoying nature.


It was fantastic as always seeing the children running around playing together and we had decided to visit a different part of the Museum Gardens.

I sampled a coffee from the No8 Pavilion Pop Up Cafe and also enjoyed briefly visiting the Edible Wood and Artists' Garden that were created as part of the York City Art Gallery refurbishment.

Below are some of the things that I saw whilst walking through the gardens on my way home.

Mint

Peppermint

Edible Woods