The secret life of sandwell slugs...

....not the most inspirational title for a blog post, but it is exactly what myself, two very dedicated rspb volunteers and a band of local youngsters found out on Tuesday night.

Every few weeks I take over the local youth club and try my best to get the kids excited about Sandwell Valley nature reserve, and just wild stuff in general. This week it was time to try out some macro photography (aka taking pictures of stuff really close up with lots of detail).

Before we headed over to the local community centre which hosts the club, I had to do a bit of searching through the undergrowth to find some creatures to photograph. It turns out that on a wet, grey, cold and muddy Tuesday afternoon, a 30 minute quick bug hunting session will reward the explorer with little more than woodlouse, several small slugs and a selection of earthworms. Perhaps I'm just not that good at locating insects, maybe I'll recruit a blue tit or a robin to help me next time (how do they find so many insects and make it look so easy).

So we headed out to the youth club at 7pm, equipped with digital cameras, spot lights and the stars of the show. At first the reaction was less than enthusiastic to say the least (we were competing with an xbox and a pool table). But I'm happy to say that after 5 minutes there was a handful of kids milling around our table and soon it was lights...camera...action. 

Taking pictures of small creatures is a lot harder than you think. The guys had to think about the lighting, the angle, background colours, the subject and master the cameras themselves. It really was quite tricky, but they put a lot of effort into getting the shots in focus.

Steady hands from one of the youth club members

Below are some of my favourite shots from the night:



I like to call this one 'woodlouse on the edge'

I would like you all to get your phones out, have a bit of a rummage in your garden, look under plant pots and in your flower beds to find some nice creepy crawlies to photograph.

Top tip: use an old paintbrush to collect specimens so you don't damage them!!

The pictures above show some of the amazing detail found in nature. It is waiting to be discovered if you just look close enough.

Location, location, location

As it's 'national nest box week' I thought I would take a moment to write a quick blog about the breeding season which is quickly creeping up on us. You might be thinking that it's a bit early to be taking about nest boxes and breeding birds, but it's not, I promise. This is a great time of year to put boxes up, birds are already setting up territories and looking for the best real estate to set up home for the spring and summer. It's all about location, location, location, birds are looking for the best places to raise their families and you have to start early to secure the best spot. This weekend we have a nest box building event from 10-2pm, and there's no need to book, just drop in. You will be able to build your own box to take home.

Here are some boxes I made with the local youth club a couple of weeks ago:

Perfect for blue tits

We all live by our watches and calendars and timetables, and often remark when seasons change, almost over night. I have found myself saying things like 'I cant believe its autumn already', sometimes it's as though you wake up one morning and the landscape has changed magically over night.

So what am I getting at?.....Well actually we can avoid this 'magic season change phenomenon' if we take the time to look and listen and even smell the world around us. You will find your senses become more sensitive to seasonal cues, and comments like 'oh wow it's spring already, how did that happen?!!!' will be a thing of the past.

If you go for a walk around Sandwell valley this weekend, you will find that spring is here already, and here are some signs:

A song thrush is singing in the first car park first thing in the morning at the moment. Singing means 'I'm setting up a territory' and 'Let's see if the ladies can resist this tune'.... It's a great time of year to listen to birds because the trees are still bare so it's easy to spot who the singers are. Birds generally don't bother singing in winter, it's a waste of valuable energy and they need to be looking for food in the colder months.

Another thing to look out for are the buds growing on the trees and shrubs, they're planning for the spring sunshine and know that the longer days are coming. A nice thing to spot in February are the catkins on the hazel tree, I just popped out of the office to get this picture to show you:

Hazel catkins

Catkins are basically the flowering part of this tree; other trees produce catkins too, like the willow.

Not convinced? Well as I sit here and write this blog, the office door propped open and I can hear an ice cream van making it's way along tanhouse avenue. Surely that's enough to convince any 'spring skeptics'?

Come down and see u if you can, or take a short walk around any green space near where you live and look for the different trees coming into bud and listen for singing birds. I guarantee it will put a smile of your face.

Nature's reach update

 Just a quick blog update today. I wanted to let you all know about the amazing progress of natures reach, the new visitor centre. The Harpers team have been working hard and the new building is taking shape. We have floors and walls and doorways, it’s very exciting indeed.

 

Have a look at these pictures:

Lesley looking good in her  safety gear

A view of the whole building site.

I want to say a huge well done to the building team!!!! Over the past couple of weeks they have been battling against arctic like conditions; frozen water pipes and frozen building materials have made their task frustratingly difficult. This week looks to deliver a milder forecast.

I went for a walk yesterday and I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face and I only needed one pair of socks. For me (as well as hosiery), by far the best signs that winter is on its way out are those that Mother Nature provides. Singing dunnocks in the hedgerows and snowdrops popping up everywhere tell me that scraping my windscreen in a morning might be a thing of the past.

Don't forget, sign up to the blog if you want to keep up to date with the building progress, wildlife news and all the other wonderful goings on down on the nature reserve. If you would prefer to find out things in person, you could always pop in and see us. We're open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

Dragons Den comes to Sandwell Valley....

Move over Duncan Bannatyne there’s a new dragon in town, and rumour has it he’s looking for a new home in the valley.

We are delighted to announce that we have been able to commission some STUNNING sculptures to display around the nature reserve. Local artist, Robot Cossey has been working with us to create something extra special for families (and big kids) later this year.

 

Artist, Robot Cossey works on one of our special sculptures

We thought long and hard about what they should be and where they might be placed. Back in October we held an event where we asked local people for their sculpture suggestions; we got some great ideas. We're not going to tell you what they are because we want you to come here and discover them for yourself. We think you will be surprised. The only thing I will say is, expect the unexpected.

To make the sculpture trail even more enchanting we have decided to put our sculptures in the trees. This should make it a little trickier for you to spot and exciting to discover. Unaware explorers will get a surprise if they scan the canopy for parakeets and come across something totally unexpected.

Unfortunately we have one big fire breathing problem; our largest sculpture, the dragon. It is feared it will scare the birds in the trees. It is a well known fact that our feathered flying friends and scaly, mythical flying creatures do not make good neighbours. It’s like the opposite of rabbits and guinea pigs, they do not get on AT ALL.

So we have up until our new visitor centre opens in July, to find the dragon a new home. Keep an eye on the blog and on our facebook and twitter page to see where he ends up. I have a feeling this could be a tricky problem to solve.

The Dragon lands in a woodland close to the nature reserve leaving a trail of terrified blue tits and scorched earth. Photograph taken by one of our bravest volunteers.

Any sightings of the dragon on the reserve should be reported to the dedicated team of RSPB staff and volunteers. Either pop in and see us or email sandwellvalley@rspb.org.uk

Hamstead Hall students leave their mark at Sandwell Valley

Since day one I have been hankering to get the railway bridge at the entrance to the nature reserve spruced up. Finally, the blank canvas of concrete has been transformed this week by a mural artist with the help of local school children.

Once a long stretch of greyish nothing, the bridge is now a bright and vibrant corridor, which is far more representative of the wonderful wildlife the reserve holds.

Where to begin, if you remember I blogged about Network Rail coming to prep the bridge with masonry paint back September (thanks guys). Well since then we have been very busy indeed. Children from the local primary school, Grestone primary and secondary school, Hamstead Hall Academy came to the nature reserve to try their hand at some natural art. Taking inspiration from nature the students created pictures that I sent to the mural artist to inspire a design that would transform the crossing.

Thursday morning came with thick cold wet mist that hung over the bridge like a cloak. The guys from Spearfish arrived at 8am and informed us that the walls were too damp and the spray paint that they were using to create the mural would not stick. Credit has to go to our community engagement intern, Jasmin, and Cass who quickly grabbed as much absorbent material they could get hold of and got to work wiping down the walls.

Rich Roberts, the artist, then got to work outlining the design of the mural. Myself and Cass, from Spearfish began to fill in the shapes that soon came together as one huge amazing piece of artwork. It was as though the bridge had come alive.

In the afternoon more students from Hamstead Hall Academy came to the reserve to try their hand at spray painting and to help get the work completed. Jumpsuits on, and facemasks in place, they soon got to work. I actually heard one of them say it was one of the best things they have ever done. J

Unfortunately the sinking sun stole the day away from us prematurely and we had to call it a day at 4.30pm. Rich and Cass had to come back for a second day to complete the work.

The pictures speak for themselves....it looks absolutely AWESOME! Come and have a look for yourselves, you know where we are!

A Natural Christmas at Sandwell... come join us!

Christmas is coming... it comes round fast and we have the perfect event to get in the spirit!

Sorry about the odd framing, took a photo of the wreath we made
on a phone and can't crop it... not that technical. 

On Sunday 7 December, 11am -3pm, we have once again planned our fantastic and popular Christmas Fayre event. But this year there is a difference. We have used natural materials to decorate the classroom in a more environmentally friendly way. We have used recycled materials and plant material that can be found in green spaces, so that we may inspire you to help protect nature when you decorate for Christmas.

At the event you can make your own willow wreath to place on your door to welcome your Christmas guests or put in your kitchen to make it festive. We will be using natural material that have been harvested in a way that won’t harm the natural area it came from. There will also be lantern making from recycled jars to brighten up your mantel piece and many other crafts and activities for the whole family to get involved in.

Follow our festive trail around the reserve in search of Father Christmas, before returning to the classroom for a hot cup of chocolate and a mince pie or two. Here you can buy your RSPB Christmas cards where all profits go towards nature conservation and have your face painted like some of the nature you have seen around the reserve or further afield. We ask for a small donation towards the crafts and activities that will go towards the resources.

This will be a wonderfully festive event, a perfect way to get in the spirit and gather ideas for your 2014 Christmas.

Andy Hay (rspb-images.org.uk) 

Pop along, stick your nose round the corner, say hello and get stuck into our festive activities. Have a chat to our staff and volunteers about how you can create a natural Christmas and get ideas.

We’re so excited for this event and look forward to seeing you there!

Jazz 

Wintery images of Sandwell

Good Morning all... 

The reserve was looking extremely magical this morning with frost covering every bit of nature and fog softly covering the valley. I had to take a few photos to share the beauty of the reserve so that I could share the views with you. Nature is so incredible all year round and the winter can be so spectacular!