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| Puffin - RSPB images |
Monday 30 July 2018
RSPB Coasts in Crisis Roadshow
Come and join us and learn more about what we can do to help save our wildlife, join in with family activities, including our Wild Challenge and meet “Percy the Puffin”.
Sunday 29 July 2018
Go wild uncovering nature in Merseyside this summer
Go wild uncovering nature in Merseyside this summer
· The RSPB and ALDI are challenging families in Merseyside to get outside and get wild this summer by taking part in Wild Challenge.
· Families taking part during Wild Challenge Week – 30 July to 5 August- will receive a free Wild Challenge kit to help them continue on their adventures.
· A whole host of exciting Wild Challenge activities are available throughout the summer at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands near Neston.
With the summer holidays fast approaching, the RSPB and discount supermarket ALDI, are challenging families to get outside and go on a wild adventure this summer by taking part in the Wild Challenge.
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| Big sleepout. Nick Cunard (rspb-images.com) |
As the amount of time children and families are spending outside in nature continues to decline, the RSPB launched the Wild Challenge online awards scheme to encourage families to get closer to the natural world. By completing fun wildlife related activities, children are able to learn about nature and earn awards.
Every family who achieves a bronze, silver or gold award during Wild Challenge Week (30 July to 5 August) will receive a Wild Challenge kit to help them continue on their own outside adventure. The kit includes a selection of wildlife goodies, including a minibeast viewer and a bee attractor pack.
To kick start the Wild Challenge, and for those who really want a wild time, a whole host of activities are on offer this summer at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands near Neston. From free nature-themed quiz trails to self-led den building and hiring an explorer backpack to help discover mini beasts and birds, there is an exciting variety to get involved in through the holidays.
Dan Trotman, Visitor Experience Manager at Burton Mere Wetlands said: “We’re challenging families across Merseyside to go on an adventure – get together, get wild and discover the amazing wildlife on their own doorstep through the Wild Challenge.
“Getting outside and discovering nature is important whether your motivation is happy healthy children, memorable family time or to see our towns and countryside richer in nature. As well as taking part at home, we’re offering a range of Wild Challenge opportunities here at Burton Mere Wetlands throughout the summer too, and we hope to see lots of people coming along to get involved.”
The Wild Challenge is an exciting new scheme thanks to a partnership between the RSPB and Aldi aimed at bringing families closer to nature.
Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility for Aldi UK said: “Here at Aldi we’re delighted that our partnership with the RSPB is helping young people and their families make the most of the great British outdoors. We’re passionate about the British countryside, with so much of our fresh produce being grown and produced in Britain, and encourage people to discover the outdoors this summer with the Wild Challenge.”
There are 30 Wild Challenge activities to choose from that will take you from your own back garden to exploring towns, cities, woodlands and even the coast as well as your local RSPB reserve. There is something to do at all times of the year, no matter what the weather. Each activity comes with helpful ideas and resources to help families on their wild adventure. Families can log their achievements on to the RSPB Wild Challenge website and collect bronze, silver and gold awards.
To discover more about the Wild Challenge events and activities at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands visit www.rspb.org.uk/burtonmerewetlands
No reproduction for Greenlandic shorebirds this year?
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| Sanderlings - Mid-Sep., Brittany: One species but two age classes: the bird to the left is an adult showing the typical winter plumage, whereas the bird to the right is a juvenile with only very few (grey) mantle feathers already moulted. |
Jeroen : It is early July, and most Arctic shorebirds are on their breeding grounds now. I have just returned from Zackenberg in northeast Greenland, and it appeared to be a non-breeding season, which I have never experienced before. It looks like hardly any shorebird will breed this year along the entire east coast of Greenland, so I would already ask for your help to document the (extend of the) effects of this odd Arctic summer by counting the number of juvenile and adult Sanderlings when they have returned from the Arctic. You can find a manual of how to do this - Please contact Laura for PDF
You can send your counts to Jeroen by e-mail. j.w.h.reneerkens@rug.nl
In this link you can read more about what I witnessed in the last half of June in Greenland:
Jeroen Reneerkens of the University of Groningen
To understand the viability of the population
of sanderlings, data on survival and
reproduction are essential. Reproductive
success of the High Arctic breeding sanderlings
can vary considerably from year
to year due to the varying circumstances in
the breeding grounds (lemming cycles and
predation pressure). Reproductive success
can best be estimated in the wintering
grounds as the proportion of juveniles
within flocks. However, due to the enormous
and widespread wintering range of
Sanderlings, reliable estimates can only be
obtained when many observers at many
locations score the number of juveniles
within flocks in a standardised and reliable
manner. We would like to ask for your help
with this. At the end of the season we will
report the results to you.
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