HELLO AGAIN!

 Hi! I hope you have all had an amazing summer. I have had some wonderful experiences and have seen some amazing new wildlife. 

Action For Conservation Summer Camp

For the past year or so, I have been involved in Action For Conservation(AFC)'s online programme and I was lucky enough to get a place on one of their amazing summer camps. Action For Conservation are a brilliant charity working to help young people take action for the environment. I really recommend checking out their website. The camp was such an incredible experience for me. I got to meet new people, learn about different environmental issues, get involved in hands-on experience tackling climate change, and see some new wildlife. The camps take place every summer for free, and afterwards you become an Action For Conservation Ambassador. 

Birdwatching in Dorset 

I went camping in Dorset for a week, where I saw a Yellowhammer (top picture) for the first time. Luckily I managed to get some pictures and this is my favourite one, with the Isle of Portland in the background. Sadly I didn't hear their typical 'little bit of bread and no cheese' song. I went to RSPB Raddipole while I was there, a tiny wetland reserve in Weymouth. I saw both Great White (pictured above) and Little Egrets, as well as lots of ducks and a brilliant view of a peregrine falcon (which I didn't manage to get a photo of 😞).  I also got a glimpse of a bullfinch for the first time!

Osprey tour

For Christmas last year, I got a voucher for an osprey tour on Esthwaite lake in the Lake District. As I had been waiting for so long, I was really excited and nervous. Ospreys are migrating birds, and as we had come at the end of the season, there was no guarantee they would still be on the lake. After a couple of minutes one osprey flew right past the boat, for one second majestically spread out before us. But after that there was nothing. We saw the messy platform-shaped nest and hung around watching the other birds (Cormorants, Swans, Herons, Great-crested Grebes and Carolina Wood Ducks) for almost an hour. But then, not one but two birds flew onto the nest! The first, a juvenile, had a fish and was on the nest for ages tearing at it. The other was an adult male, but he left after a few minutes to get his own fish and we didn't see him again. We all got some photos of the juvenile and our guide told us more about these birds. Ospreys were once extinct in the UK but thanks to the efforts of conservationists they are recovering. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experiences this summer. Now I am ready for the new school year, and with lots of ideas to talk about!

Ayla :)