Green Holidays

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Visit a delightful little site at the foot of the South Downs with a historic water mill and stream.

This reserve is actually the SWT’s HQ as well, and is crammed full of old buildings and great habitats for you and your kids to explore.

Education groups are run here for schools and adults alike - with training courses run for countryside management and habitat surveys as well as general interest evenings and wildlife tours

Habitat Features:
The site is approximately 40 acres in size and is at the base of the chalk South Downs near Henfield.

It is mainly wetland pastures and grassland meadows, with a small area of dense bluebell woodland, a more open and coppice woodland and a variety of historic small waterways that used to power the mill itself (which is no longer in use).

The reserve is famous for its nightingales and has a huge number of newts living in its main dipping pond.  There are plenty of damselflies and dragon flies in the spring, as well as nesting kestrels and owls - and many overhead swallows and swifts!

The Reserve:
A walk around the reserve could take around 2 hours if you were just strolling with the family, but if you loved wildlife watching or photography, then you could easily be there double that time.

Woods Mill Sign Post

Entering the reserve is over the main water feed to the old mill where you can start seeing the insect life in flight - and you enter the main school group outdoor education areas (raised gardens, picnic tables, insect houses and main reception) -  but turning first left for a coutryside walk.

The main route is all weather and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs and there are plenty of seats dotted along the way too.

This first path gives you a waterside walk where you will hear the famous nightingales singing in spring (good luck seeing one!) and brings you up to the reed beds.  Following on to the left is a grassland field where there are raptor nest boxes on the far side.

From here you can head out further along the raised waterway for long views over some wetland pastures and to connect with some wider footpaths and hiking trails outside of the reserve itself.  However, heading across the pastures you can walk alongside a small bluebell woodland - filled with stitchwort and other spring flowers - before heading into the coppice woodlands.

Expect to see common vetch, lords and ladies and cuckoo flower as you follow the woodland trails.  Log benches and willow sculptures can be found here - as well as some moss-covered ‘ruins’ throughout.  Thought to be from a demolished folly here many years ago - they certainly intrigue visitors as they lay where they were dumped all those years ago!

Overgrown Stone Ruins

The ponds are found here too, with larger ornamental ponds and a smaller dipping pond closer to the road.  Expect to see newt after newt rising to the surface here in spring - taking a gulp of air before heading back down to the murky depths! 

There is limited parking on site - but I always find a space!  Maybe check for training sessions at the site - which will usually attract more drivers as there is no train station close by and only a handful of buses pass by - and avoid those days!

Reserve Details:
Here is a general summary of the site for the visitor as in Spring 2010.

Cost:      The reserve is free to visit.
Hours:    The reserve is open all hours - apart from 2 weeks at Christmas.
Carpark: There is a carpark for about 50 cars max.
Travel:     There is a bus stop outside the reserve - but no train station near by
Shop:      There is no shop on site - villages 5 minutes drive each way.
Eating:    There is no cafe or restaurant on site.
Toilets:   In carpark - open until 5pm each day.
Dogs:      No dogs allowed in reserve.
Kids:       Families are welcome and there is plenty for young children to do.
Other:     There is no playpark, cycling or horseriding on the reserve.

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Is that beautiful picture of a tiger really so beautiful?

Were you aware that there are animal farms across the world where ‘wild’ animal are bred specifically for wildlife photography?

Did you know that there are places across America and Europe where tigers, pumas, wolves and foxes are kept in small cages specifically to look ‘wild’ for a paying customer?

It happens all the time apparently to ‘get a great close up shot’ for a magazine or website - but is it infact just a lie?

Is the shot ‘perfect’ because it is of a beautiful animal regardless of where the animal was just 10 minutes before the image was created - or should the best shots only be of wild animals?

The Problem:
There has only really recently been a heavy discussion about this ‘canned’ photography since the winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 was proved to be a caged wolf that had been hired by the photographer and ‘made’ to jump the gate for the winning shot!

People were in uproar when it was discovered as it exposed the dark side of wildlife photography - and the lies of the photographer.

How many times he had made the wolf jump the gate to to get the right shot we will never know - but is the fact that he resorted to a captive animal good ethics anyway?

The Facts:
If you want to use caged animals for your photos that is your prerogative - and there are some really well maintained establishments that do this - but it really isn’t the way to get a ‘true picture of wildlife’ is it?

Knowing that the animals are caged - most of the time in sub-standard environments - should be enough to put nearly all true wildlife lovers off immediately.  But as these places still exist, we know that people have been using them an awful lot of the time and all over the world.

How many photos have you thought were amazing - but will never know that they were filmed in a ’set up’ location with a totally unwild animal?  Shouldn’t these images be clearly marked when published?

Baited Scenes:
However, where do you stand on actual wild animals being lured in to a ’shot’ with food?  Basically leaving out food to attract the animals to exactly where you want them to be.

We do it all the time for our pleasure with bird feeders and certain reintroduced species - but does it infringe on ethical photography?

Great Tit On Feeder

Should you sit around animal nests knowing that there are young inside - but potentially stressing the parents with your presence?

It all starts to get a bit confusing when you analyse the role a photographer plays in the landscape - as animals don’t just live where we see them - they live in the surrounding countryside, so you traipsing through it day after day to get a ‘good picture’ could actually be making different species move out of the area!  And feeding them could actually attract even more to the area.

But surely all wildlife photography isn’t that bad?

Well I say: stick to footpaths - and get a camera with an excellent zoom!

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It’s your chance to meet some inspirational people - and get your hands on some great equipment!

It’s not all about birds - but if you love birdwatching and great wetland landscapes - then I suggest you clear your diary for any day over the weekend of 20th to 22nd August 2010!

For only £10 entry - you could have the opportunity to ask Chris Packham for some wildlife-watching tips, listen to Mark Carwardine discussing endangered species and maybe watch a slide show of great wildlife moments from Simon King - not bad, eh?

The Show:
Basically, BirdFair is one of the biggest bird-watching and outdoor shows in the UK and is set in the most beautiful scenery to add even more to your day.

As with many great shows, there will also be the opportunity to visit the stands of all the local and international wildlife stands and ask questions about the work they do and how to become a supporter or volunteer.

Add to this stalls that are filled to the brim with the best photographic equipment to improve your photos and to increase your viewing range as digiscopes and binoculars of all shapes and sizes are on offer.  As well as a host of specialist manufacturers and users to help you decide on the best items for your needs.

Whether you are hoping to get some advice for starting out or whether you are looking to take the next step in your craft and hoping to increase your equipment collection to cover more wildlife and birds - it will all be there.

Using A Zoom Lens Can Get Great Images

And it’s not just about technical things - there will be a whole host of stalls selling outdoor clothing, camping goods, walking shoes, wildlife holidays, travel books, field guides, wildbird seed, nest boxes, wildlife art, and so much more!

And, to be ‘green’ the organisers are offering free transfer buses to the show from the local train station to save on all those cars on the roads!

Show Extras:
It’s not all about just being a show - there is so much more there than stall after stall.

For example, there is a grand auction selling a whole range of random goodies from paintings to one-off experiences - all donated to the show specifically to raise funds for this years fundraising targets.

There are also 3 different agendas for events and talks throughout each day and kids events as well for the little learners!  Bushcraft skills, art and education are the themes you can find here in the several big tents on site.

And, your entry ticket gives you free access to the nature reserves here too - so after you have brought that new camera you have been promising yourself - or upgraded to a better digiscope - you can get straight out there are try it for size!

If you plan to go for the day - make sure you get there early and plan to do a lot of walking, and you won’t regret it.  If you know you love this type of show then make sure you stay for the weekend as you might not get to see everything on just the 1 day!

And this only happens once a year!

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Have you ever wanted to know what that beautiful orange butterfly was? 

You must have been sitting in the garden, or walking in the countryside and watched the most delightful and brightly coloured butterfly waft past you on a breeze.  But what was it?

Or maybe you followed it as it hopped from flower head to flower head, fanning it’s wings open and closed. And we have all tried to photograph them only to have them flutter away on a breeze.

So, why not take part in a survey this July (2010) to help identify some of our most common butterflies here in the UK - and get to learn what they are for your own benefit at the same time!

Butterfly Identification:
There are plenty of very distinct butterflies in the UK - but there are plenty of similar species too - so when trying to identify any butterflies, you need to be looking for key details like the placing or spots or the position and amount of white on the wings for example.

There are also more expert ways of identity - such as the shape of the wings, the coloring of the underside of the wings (normally totally boring compared to the the top) and which plants they are settling on.

Butterflies are very specific in the types of plants that they will eat and so this can sometimes be the key difference between two similar looking species.

Best course of action for the butterflies (as with all species id) is to start learning the most common species in your area and get these 100% right. Only then is it worth learning all the other similar species.

Butterfly Id Guide:
It is always great to have a simple colour guide to these common species that you can carry with you - and then refer to immediately you see the butterfly.

Peacock Butterfly - With Obvious Large Spots

This way you get to learn their patterns much quicker, For example the Peacock butterfly (above) and the Small Tortoiseshell (below) can both appear quite a reddy-orangy colour to the novice as they flutter about - but they are so different when you see them in display.

Small Tortoiseshell - With Distinct Patterning

So by knowing to look out for stripes on the one and spots on the other can make all the difference when trying to identify them. Then if a Painted Lady appears, you will be able to tell it apart from these 2 as well rather than getting all 3 muddled up!

Painted Lady Butterfly

Download the Butterfly Identification Guide off the Big Butterfly Count website and start practising!

The Butterfly Survey:
What a great opportunity to get outside and away from the busy town than to plan a walk or a picnic out in the countryside or local woods - than to go count butterflies!

Butterflies are a key indicator or damaged habitats and changing weather patterns as they depend on only a handful of specific plants for their lifecycle.

So a drop in numbers of one species can mean a drop in the numbers of the other species that live in the same area - including the mammals and birds that feed on the missing butterflies!

All you have to do for this survey is spend 15 minutes in the sunshine (and it has to be sunshine otherwise the butterflies won’t be flying) and log your sightings!

What easier way is there to help your local wildlife and have a great outdoor adventure at the same time!

Big Butterfly Count - Takes place between: 24th July and 1st August 2010

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Don’t just enjoy that rare wildlife moment all to yourself - tell the world!

Did you know that there are wildlife charities and businesses out there that would love to know what you see on your day to day trips out of town - and even what you see closer to home!

You don’t need to wait for a specific ‘wildlife survey’ to come up - you can just tell them what you see when you see it. Even if it isn’t that unusual.  I mean a fox in your garden, squirrels in the city centre or the odd bird of prey by the roadside: they are all important to someone!

The Problem:
I recently saw the scatter distribution maps of rabbit populations and thought; why are there so many areas without rabbits in them - I thought they were everywhere?

Well, they are everywhere, it’s just that some people think that rabbits are so common that they needn’t include them in the survey! As a result it looked like there were huge areas of the UK without any bunnies!

And of course, we all assumed that hedgehogs were in every-one’s back garden until they actually did a survey and found that they weren’t! They had gradually becoming less and less common - but we hadn’t noticed!

So why not start becoming a contributor to your local - and ultimately the national - database for our wildlife. And it could also help you to brush up on you species id!

Or you can just specialise a bit if you find that easier, like reporting all the species that you see in your garden only. Or reporting only the species you already know, or making a point of trying to find the unusual sightings!

It’s Easy To Do…
And quite addictive. I have found myself reporting everything I see apart from only the very very obvious - like herring gulls on the sea front and swans on the Thames! Everyone can see them every day - so I can leave those for someone else to report or wait for a general bird survey.

Only if I DON’T see them will I report anything!

There is always a space for other comments too, so you could say what the animal was doing at the time, how long it was doing it, and other times you have seen it there. Or even whether you were sitting still or making a noise. It could all be useful to the people at the other end.

So rather than you deciding what is important - leave it to the experts! And anyway - they take your email address on the form, so will no doubt politely ask you to stop sending certain sightings in if you get a bit too enthusiastic!

Nearly all these reporting systems will ask you what your location is based on the Ordnance Survey grid system as well - so find out yours at home for starters, and use Multi-map to find all the others (it has a OS version and gives you the exact location!).

Tiny Little Mouse

And if you can manage to get a photo of the said creature - that could well be a bonus, especially if it a rare sighting, and different colouration or a migratory species.  And then at least the experts can get their beady eyes on the specimen - it could be more unusual than you think……

So, it’s over to you to start emailing in your sightings!

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Have you ever imagined what it would be like to see wolves in the UK - following your every move?

Well, you can do it now, right here in the UK - you don’t need to fly off to the US or a scary forest in Europe!  And don’t worry, the wolves are totally tame!  But all the same - what an experience it would be.

So how do you get involved? 
Well, that’s simple - you just visit the Events page of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and check out the dates that suit you.

It really is that simple!

The wildlife encounters with the wolves are run by the UK Wolf Conservation Trust which is based near Reading in Berkshire, and you will get some really close contact with their tame wolves.

There are 2 different main encounters on offer, 2 for adults only and 2 for children (1 with an adult and 1 without).

Walking With Wolves - Adults:  2 hour walk - plus extras; Half Day Event.
This is probably the experience that most people will be interested in.  You basically go out for a nice long walk with a Wolf Expert and the wolves - just like walking your dog really (apart from chasing balls).

As you wander through the woodlands, the wolves run freely around you, maybe interacting with you, or just walking ahead or to the side of the group.

You will also get a tour of the centre, the opportunity to photograph the animals close up and get to view the animals in their larger enclosures as well.

Walking With Wolves - Kids (6-18):  2 Hour Event.
Here, the kids get to walk with the wolves with an accompanying adult.  It is a shorter event than the adult walk due to the shorter attention span of the kids I would imagine!

Be A Wolf Keeper For The Day - Adults: 6 Hour Event (10am-4pm).
Here, you get the full Monty!  Basically you are there all day feeding, cleaning, treating and working with the wolves all morning.  Working alongside permanent staff and experts to get an behind-the-scenes glimpse of what wolves need - and like!

In the afternoon you get to go on a walk with the wolves (as above) and interact with them.

Be A Wolf Keeper For The Day - Kids (10-14): 5 Hour Event (10am-3pm).
As above but for the younger generation - including watching the wolves get their dinner! 

Kids do not need an adult with them for this event, and infact no-one under or over the age limits can attend!

For more information on the wolves other events, or the Wolf Conservation Trust in general, then just visit their website - and if you would love to help protect these magnificent animals in the wild - but would rather not get too close, then consider a membership instead!

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Hello again, and what a lovely time of year it is to be traveling through familiar environments!

There is nothing better for me sometimes, than to just walk a short while from my home to the beach or the countryside with a good book and my binoculars!  Pure bliss on a sunny day like today!

I’ve been out along the beach, up in the countryside - as well as visiting the family now that we all live a lot closer together these days!  Although, I shouldn’t have gone on the trampoline for so long - my legs are aching today!

Well, let’s see what the rest of you have been up to…….

It is quite clear that some of you are also planning to stay home too by the looks of Ana Paula’s article - with the Top 100 Gardening Blogs - many of which are eco friendly green fingered tips - but not all, so make sure you modify the un-green gardening tips!

Try to lighten up or even ‘green’ over your commute to work using Maria Clara tips: 100 Excellent Lifehacks for Your Long Commute. There are quite a few in there that totally make eco sense…….. and best use of your time. I mean if you have to take a journey, why waste it just staring out of the window - learn something new, do something new - make every second count!

Here’s a nice little article on one thing that even I struggle with - Tips for Eating Healthy While on Vacation by Debbie Dragon - and it had a great Vitamin gadget on the site too!

Here’s a lovely sort tale of what wonders a walk in the countryside can have - especially if you happen to pass through a farm - so thanks to Richard with his A Visit to Fulking Hill! - with some great photo’s in there too.

Next, Mike Vogt gives us something very different to think about with his great article on 10 Great Mission Trip Ideas.  Not many people consider the role that religion and religious thinking can have in developing countries.

the beach

And one for the summer: Tara V presents Green Wedding Guide; Planning an Eco-Friendly Exchange of Vows.  A great way to enjoy the best day of your life - as well as making sure that it doesn’t have a negative impact on anyone else!

It’s still sunny, so get back out there!

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If you haven’t got your own kids - then grab someones else’s for some great green adventures.

This May and June you can get involved with some national or local events celebrating the great outdoors and family life!  Or why not make your own adventures…….

National Family Week starts on the 31st May and runs until the 6th of June across the UK (although you can run your own events in any country you want!).  It is a celebration of all things family - so your nieces and cousins will do if you want to make a bigger day of it if you want.

Planning is the key here, as you will need to make sure that transport and lunch is all taken care of before the big day - and of course the theme!

There are specific ‘days’ on the national schedule which might help you make a group decision - or their are things being planned across the country that you can just turn up to with your hoard!

Monday: Family Picnic Day
Maybe you can head of to a local park with a great big hamper of yummy food and some sports equipment - a bat and ball and maybe a bike or 2 should do the trick!  A nice couple of blankets and a chair for granny and you are well on your way to a whole day of outdoor fun.  Don’t forget the camera!

Tuesday: Family Film Day
How about getting everyone to score some films of your choice from 1 to 10 - with 1 being the one they are most likely to watch and then tot up everyone scores to get the best 3.  Order the pizza and microwave the popcorn - and make sure all the sleeping bags are out for everyone to stay over!

Wednesday: Family Story Time
For this one you have the choice of 3 things really.  Either all get together at your home and read some short stories (maybe scary stories on a sleepover), or find a lovely patch of woodland with a tasty lunch box of goodies and all just read in the sunshine.  Or maybe, get together around a table with scraps of magazines, scissors and coloured pens and make your own stories or scrapbooks!

Thursday: Family Road Trip
Think of all the places you want to go and see a bit further away than usual, and then plan your route - making sure that you remember all your outdoor gear incase you see a great footpath you want to follow, a park to play in or a castle to explore!  Camera and waterproofs are essential for this one.  Even more fun if there is more than 1 car of you, so you can meet up in certain places or pull silly faces at each other!

Friday: Family House Party
Start by checking with mum!  This one gives you a whole host of options; it could include lunch, family board games, dinner, films, cheese and biscuits, night time walk in the countryside(!), scary stories and even a sleepover - but make sure there is plenty of yummy fruit for breakfast! 

Saturday: Family Sports Day
Set up an event of all the silly things that get the family together.  Maybe a few beanbag-on-the-head races, 3-legged races and sack racing, as well as bats and balls, skipping ropes and egg-and-spoons!  Maybe have a red and a blue team and someone keep scores! 

Sunday: Family Roast Dinner! ( I added this last one myself - as I love a family roast!)

But if none of these appeal, then make your own up - maybe Family Horse Riding Day on the Tuesday, or Family Woodland Walk on the Wednesday. Or even Family Photography Day on the Friday!

Swimming, Reading, Bicycling or just Garden Tea Party - all valid family events - so take your pick and get planning!

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Instead of waiting until you have booked your green holidays - get planning now!

Think of all the time you have available now to learn something new or start saving for! Even if you don’t know when you will book your next trip - it’s never to late to start thinking about the things that will come in handy when you do.

For example, if you love South America or South-East Asia - then you know you will get there eventually even if you have a few local short breaks in between. And you know that you will want to spend longer there than normal vacations as you love the place. And you know that anything to do with the language, culture or wildlife of those places will interest you.

So, what are you waiting for?
You will never get time back, so why waste it watching that repeat on TV again when you could be reading about a nations history? Why wash the dishes staring out of the window when you could be working through an audio language course while your hands are wet?

And it’s not just the little things you could be achieving. Say for example you enrolled yourself on a distance learning TEFL course and spent a few hours a month completing that rather than searching for an elephant on Farmville!

Or took flying lessons, diving lessons, a photography course or rock climbing adventures. If you practice all these things in advance you can get so much more out of your green adventures - and you will regret it as I have seen people who are in the beautiful Maldives filled with endless coral and passing dolphins and turtles - but they are in the pool taking starter diving lessons rather than out there experiencing the real magic beneath the waves!

Just a few horse back lessons before you leave can build up your confidence for that sunset canter along the sandy beaches on the Caribbean, or a long trek up into the rainforests and mountains of the Andes.

Write Your Plan:
Get yourself a sheet of paper, and create a sort of spider diagram to highlight the places, people, wildlife, or experiences that you love or want to see or experience.  Keep adding to the flow as you think of things.

For example, writing ‘Canada’ could lead to ‘Rockies’ which could lead to ’skiing’ or ‘horseback riding’; or it could lead to ‘Wilderness’ which could make you think ‘camping skills’ and ‘kayaking’.  Either way, if you read up on these things or gained the new skills needed before you arrived - your trip would become 100 times better.

I wouldn’t want to try setting up a tent for the first time in the middle of nowhere - and I certainly wouldn’t want to try to eat plants or mushrooms in the ‘wild’ having only just brought the book!

Once this diagram is complete, turn it into a 1 or 2 year plan - effectively finding out how long these things take to learn and planning backwards.

So, learning to dive might take around a week if you do it intense, whereas learning Chinese from scratch could take at least 6 months for general conversation - or more.  Fit these in around your existing plans and your work load to find out the best plan for you.

The First Steps:
The easiest first step is a trip to the library.  You don’t need to spend any money or risk any investment - just go grab some books about the things on your list and start reading.

It’s possible that you thought you could learn hieroglyphics yourself - but after reading the first book, you know you need help - or a lot longer!

Same goes for certain countries - what if you thought you liked a certain region and then found a better one - or you found out something about a region that you didn’t know about before and want to learn more!

Everyone has a spare 15 minutes a day to start reading stuff - so take the first step as soon as possible, and get learning!

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Hello again, and I hope you haven’t been caught up in all this airline trouble at the moment!

No doubt if you had booked a quiet trip by train across Europe, it could have been affected by thousands of other holidaymakers who couldn’t get on a plane! 

Your quiet out-of-the-way hotel could have been besieged by families waiting for a ferry or coach to turn up!  It could make for some really interesting articles but wasn’t much fun I’d imagine!

Anyway, lets get on with those already in the system - starting with a great post about travelling around the States using car-shares rather than the hassle of hiring one yourself or dragging your car across the country!  Follow the tips offered by Byteful Travel in How to Get Paid to Travel 1,000 miles: Craigslist and see if you can go on a great plane-free car-sharing friend-making adventure!

If you are traveling north to Canada instead then why not take a peek at the photos in Mark H’s article: Wicked But Stunning (Jasper National Park, Canada) where you can see images of pure tranquility! And imagine if you a life there for next too nothing - wouldn’t that make it all the more magical?

Eco Living Advice wants to share with you some destinations on the other side of the Atlantic with 7 Eco Friendly Tourist Destinations in the UK, showing that you don’t need to travel across oceans to see some great sites - you have plenty right where you are now!

And if you want to take along some pretty unique clothing and accessories when you travel - maybe for yourself (laptop bag) or for others (hair bands and wallets) - then take a look at some of the links which Gabriella White has in the post 100 Amazing Upcycling Ideas Anyone Can Do and maybe give one a try! It makes using all your rubbish so easy - and you get something totally unique virtually for free!

However, if you want a taste of a country without actually going there, take a look at the huge choice given by Rowena Hebert for travel literature that summons up the taste and feel of exotic or distant destinations that could interest and inspire you: 100 Novels That Let You Travel The World Without Leaving Home. I have added a few to my reading list that I hadn’t heard of before……

……but if you want to see rather than read, then take a look at Daniel Jones’ list of Top 100 Travel Photography Blogs and see some amazing shots - and like me you might wonder why you aren’t doing your own travel journal like this!

And finally, Jerry Rogers offers up a huge list of links for the student and includes a small section on green travel links 100 Essential Blog Posts for Students Going Green, and you might even find something else inspiringly green that you weren’t really looking for as well!

So, get reading and change today for the better…….