30 Days Wild

05 July 2016






During June a UK based wildlife trust challenged us to 30 Days Wild.  In a world where nature is abundant everywhere but we are becoming increasingly disconnected from, this challenge is one small way to help re-establish those vital connections.  It wasn't meant to be about walking up a mountain every day or going to places where you won't see another soul, it was about looking at the cracks in the pavements, observing your local tree, noticing the flowers wherever they grow or watching the sky.  Whatever it looked like it was about stopping, looking and noticing.

We spend a large proportion of our time outside, even more so at this time of year.  I went for a see what happens approach, with the exception of Wednesdays which are our nature study day, the rest of the month was something we observed by being outside.
  1. Carried out two hedge transects, studying the plants in a 30m section of hedge, on a local hedge as part of our study of the hawthorn tree.
  2. Paddled in a stream with a home ed group
  3. Observed Spotted Flycatchers in the bushes at the end of the garden, I only saw this bird for the first time last year and was amazed to see it living so close to us!
  4. Watched the blue tit parents flying in and out of the nest box in our garden.
  5. Took our canoe out on a local lake, observed many birds including several geese families, had a swim in the lake.
  6. Watched a mouse exploring and a sparrow feeding its young, both in the garden
  7. Observed sparrows mating and a spider spinning its web.
  8. Watched lightning 
  9. Made a river using silver foil
  10. Took a closer look at a peony flower 
  11. Observed the rabbits in a neighbours garden which led us to realise that they have created a new den in and amongst some tree stumps 
  12. Observed an osprey carrying a fish, it flew in front of the car
  13. Identified wild flowers, picked nettles, lit a fire and made tea with a home ed group
  14. Identified bees on the comfrey and chive plants in the garden and listened to them drinking the nectar
  15. Identified wild flowers and plants for foraging on our village walk
  16. Picked cleavers and nettles to make a pot of tea
  17. Pressed poppy petals that had fallen from a flower in the garden
  18. Watched the clouds to work out what the weather was going to do
  19. Listened to the birds in the trees all around us as we waited for our friends to arrive of our annual summer camp
  20. Camping always brings you closer to nature, you are much more aware of the weather, the time of day from what the wildlife, particularly the birds, are doing
  21. Heard green woodpeckers 'laughing' in the woods and another sound that we couldn't identify but had fun trying to track (still camping)
  22. Identified a meadow brown butterfly fluttering in the long grass behind our tent
  23. Watched wren fledgings in the garden, we had no idea we had a nest (we found it after some hunting!)
  24. Listened to a song thrush singing from the top of a tree in our neighbours garden it has done the same every day since.
  25. Observed a frog hopping about in the garden, enjoying the rain
  26. Watched rooks flying overhead and making a lot of noise, we couldn't work out why perhaps they were just conversing?
  27. Had a close look at buttercup flowers, the seed heads were totally unexpected
  28. Blew a dandelion clock, had a close look at one of the seeds, watched the seeds fly away and followed some of them, they flew a good distance.
  29. Watched a spider trapping and wrapping a moth in its web

I really enjoyed this challenge.  It did make me stop, look and be more aware of my surroundings.  I loved that most of what we saw was not hunted out it was there for us to see with the right mindset.  Some days we saw more than I have noted here, but for me these were the highlights. I would love to try doing this again in a different season, I am going to give it a go in September another month with 30 days, so another 30 days wild who knows what we will see then?


12 comments:

  1. What a great project, and an amazing list of nature observations.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, what a wonderful challenge. You do seem to spend a lot of time in the outdoors, which is great. Your list of things you saw and experienced is so extensive! What a great experience for all of you, especially as homeschoolers. I look forward to seeing what you see in September.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It all sounds wonderful and I'm sure you've created lots of happy memories to look back on xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. that sounds like such a fun challenge, on our walks I am constantly stopping to look at flowers, or listen to a birds song, or picking up funny shaped rocks, though the birds song is because I have trouble hearing low notes ( like the Bearded Wonders voice).so i tend to notice high notes more haha :) x

    ReplyDelete
  5. sounds like a wonderfully wild month xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. what a great idea, send out a little reminder on your blog and we can all do one in autumn! I know i'll forget if left to my own devices...
    Love to read what you've noticed and inspiring me to get out and notice more.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is a great initiative and how true that you don't need to be "in the wild" to observe the natural world in action. We see so much just in our own backyard, though of course adventuring to new places is great too. We have Pileated woodpeckers here, large black and white birds with red heads, and we love hearing them "laugh" also. Sounds like monkeys in the trees.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a fantastic challenge - would catching and releasing the huge spider that I've just found in my bedroom count?! Love your June photos too. Here's to a wild summer. xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great way to bring nature to the forefront of one's mind...think I might do the 30day challenge in September too! That will be our Spring here. Meg:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I love the picture from inside your beach shelter! That there is my childhood, except we were less organised and made ours from towels and driftwood!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It truly sounds like a wonderful month :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am intrigued by number 14, listening to bees drink nectar. I must go out in to the garden and listen next time I see some on the lavendar plants! Our summer has been wet and cool so far so I have seen almost no bees yet x

    ReplyDelete

Hello......would love to hear from you :)