Somerset Wildlands
@somersetwildlands
Somerset Wildlands - creating wild space for nature in the Somerset Levels. Buying land to set aside for wildlife and ppl. Charity 1191953. Rewilding. Join us! www.somersetwildlands.org
One of our small rewilding sites - still looking quite green in spite of the drought and the heatwaves. Somersetwildlands.org
Just did a session at a hot dry Valley Fest talking about rewilding, Somerset Wildlands, fires and climate change. Great stuff - thanks for having us!
Early morning on a newly begun rewilding project in the Somerset Levels. Still pretty green despite the hot and dry. Reed warblers and stone chats calling in the background.
Even though we’ve had no rain and very high temps for over a month our memorial trees seem to be doing surprisingly well- although how long that lasts we can’t say. Grass still green-ish in spite of everything…
We’re sure it goes without saying, but don’t light fires or drop cigarettes or leave litter in the countryside. The climate may prepare the fire but it’s usually a person who lights it.
Roseals bush cricket with its own wings… lots of these around at the moment.
Athelney looking magical at the moment. This is its fourth summer of rewilding and the flowers, inverts and birds are bursting out. From standard sheep pasture to this in just a few years.
Reposting this image from a heatwave in 2022, showing the boundary between one of our small rewilding sites - green - and a neighbouring field. It's like a rather brutal flag for the anthropocene, but it does illustrate how creating space for nature can make the land more resilient.
Athelney looking absolutely stunning on this steamy tropical morning. Flowers out, birds singing, scrub scrubbing, masses of grasshoppers and butterflies. If any photographers fancy getting down, early morning any time now is glorious. www.somersetwildlands.org
It’s possible that the next few days may see the warmest ever recorded in the Somerset Levels, and possibly the warmest days since they were were formed! Rewilding is crucial to climate change - helping store carbon but also giving wildlife and ecosystems space to adapt as the climate does.
Pretty rubbish shot (the camera seems to have slid down the pole), but nice to see this mother and her fawn on the dried out scrape at Athelney. www.somersetwildlands.org
Collecting in an audio recorder today that looks like it has seen some bird action…. www.somersetwildlands.org
Huge thank you to the #NationalLottery Fund for supporting our new Clark Fields rewilding project in the Somerset Levels and our partnership with Seed of Hope on their Three Acre Wood. It's going to be so great... Now where do we order a new gate from...? @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
Bit of fun with the Seed of Hope gang as they to develop a water delivery system (literally) for their developing food forest at 3 Acre Wood. www.somersetwildlands.org
Dead wood! And dying wood. And dead tree stumps that have been loved with a digger and are now spiriting new shoots. Marsh harriers, deer, yellow wagtails, diverse warblers and more down on the Levels sites today. Still too early for most of the flowers and insects but they are coming.
Bit of scrub finally starting to emerge on a small floody site down at Godney. We’ve planted nothing - but after 10 years it’s coming in. On one hand that’s a long time, but on the timeline of nature of course it’s nothing. www.somersetwilds.org
And here’s Kris from our partners at Seed of Hope surveying his empire from a new composting toilet they’ve just built at 3-Acre Wood.
Happy May Day everyone, a joyous Beltane and a fun-filled Floriana. Here we’re celebrating with snake mats.
According to Google Earth the emergent scrub has formed a perfect number "2" on one of our rewilding sites, which we can only take as a sign that nature itself is going to spell out a message (or an equation). More details as we get them. www.somersetwildlands.org
Also this swan with a very perfect nest, and nice little areas of willow scrub emerging in places.
Spring is starting to spring on the Levels. Loads of warblers in the hedges and grasses (sedge, Cettis, poss grasshopper)… a yellow wagtail hanging about an almost dry (!) scrape.
We did it! Huge thank you to everyone who donated to our recent fundraiser as part of the Big Give! Enormous thanks too to PlanAid for providing the match funding. To find out more about us and our work go to www.somersetwildlands.org
Thanks to everyone who has donated and shared so far. We are two-thirds of the way there, with more to come. ONE LAST chance to have your donations doubled - all day today. Help us do something good, and make space for nature and people through rewilding. donate.biggive.org/donate/a05WS...
As well as setting aside land for nature we work to build a community around rewilding in the Somerset Levels - working with volunteers, schools, local interest groups and others to create wilder, better future. Donate now and your money will be doubled! donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far - every penny raised goes towards rewilding land in the Somerset Levels. Let's keep it going - creating more space for nature and people. donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...