Get Dunsmore Buzzing! – Take Action for Pollinators
One out of every three mouthfuls of food is dependent on pollinators - that's bumblebees, other bees, butterflies and moths, hoverflies, other flies, beetles and wasps. As these insects move from flower to flower they move pollen between them, allowing the plant to complete their reproductive cycle and produce fruit, seeds and energy rich roots and tubers. But there's been a 60% decline in...
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A Summer of Surveys
Our Dunsmore Living Landscape Trainee Rhiannon talks of her summer of surveys on the project. The summer months of the Dunsmore project are often spent outside, ID book in hand, carrying out various habitat surveys. These surveys play a really significant role in our conservation efforts as they allow us to learn so much about the nature that we are trying to protect. We can identify any rare...Read More
The twists and turns of my traineeship
My Traineeship: Who knew the twists and turns that I and indeed the World would take?! From installing deer fencing and hedge planting to the lockdown, then homeworking to being furloughed and having activity restricted. My traineeship was certainly interesting to say the least. I shouldn’t forget that there was so much I helped with on the project. For starters, there were lots of...Read More
Dawn Chorus: one of nature’s most breathtaking phenomena
It's 4.30am on a cold April morning and I'm walking through Bubbenhall Wood listening to a symphony of clicks, churrs, chyaks and intense trills. I head slowly along a gravel path, stopping constantly trying to hone in on the birds that are waking up and bursting into song. The first bird to break the silence is the blackbird. His eyes are mostly larger than the other birds and therefore...Read More
Connecting with wildlife from home
When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot can seem somewhat uncertain and settling into self-isolation may seem like a challenge. However, there are still many things that you can do from the comfort of your own home to remain connected to nature. Below are some ways that can help you positively navigate through these uncertain times whilst keeping your mind active, improving your mood and...Read More
Dunsmore’s Unofficial Trainee
It was a Monday morning and I received the good news that I have passed my Diploma in Work-based Environmental Conservation. I looked on this with a real sense of satisfaction after nine months of hard, but enjoyable work. I was a mature student working on a career change, so not your average trainee. A few years ago you would have found me poring over the accounts of large US companies as a...Read More
Wroth Silver Celebration 2019
Photo courtesy of David Eadon Barry Patterson, a local blog writer and performer from Coventry, who attends the event near Ryton-on-Dunsmore, shared the story of this age old tradition: The Wroth silver is an annual event held on November 11th, known as ‘Martinmas Eve’, just before dawn. Dating back to Saxon times, ‘Wroth Silver’ was an ancient land tax paid to the Earl and his men...Read More
The holy grail of our native moths
To celebrate the 20th year of National Moth Night, we acquired expert David Brown to run a moth trapping evening at Wappenbury Wood. Whilst butterflies are widely loved and appreciated, moths unfortunately don’t receive the same limelight as a result of their largely nocturnal life, so we wanted to put moths on the map making people aware of their importance in our ecosystem....Read More
Dormice, Hedgelaying and Coppicing: the life of our 2nd year trainee
Photo credit: Joyce James Dunsmore's Living Landscape's 2nd year trainee Jake McAlister talks on his year with us on the project: My first experience of hands-on habitat management and conservation was whilst I was volunteering with the Dunsmore Living Landscape. I have always felt an affinity to Nature and the wildlife that we share the world with, but until I got in touch with...Read More
Birding: The gateway to supporting my mental health
Dunsmore Living Landscape's Community Engagement Officer, Dan Loveard talks about his mental health and how birding became his therapy. There is a good chance that you or someone close to you has struggled with mental ill health. One in four people in England will experience a mental health problem in any given year. What we need is a tonic of wildness! People who love to spend time in...Read More
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