Today we went on a sensory safari! Sounds exotic you think? Not really, we went on a walk in our local community woodland, actually the first time this year as it had been closed for many months due to poor weather conditions and waterlogged areas. It was good to be back, we love it there, and the woodland was full of spring sights and sounds to enjoy. Perfect for a sensory safari! I love to take photos so ticking off the first part of the challenge was easy: find some pink flowers to earn the first of four badges in the digital calendar. Here's what I found:
The first is herb-robert, a native woodland plant and source of food for many insects. If you look closely, you will spot a small insect on the right in the photo. The second is a beautiful dog rose. Its flowers are a source of nectar for insects and the fruits food for birds. Both are very wildlife-friendly plants that are easily spotted during a walk around woodland and along hedgerows.
First sights, now sounds! I am big fan of the Merlin Bird ID app. Sitting down on a bench, I turned on the app and recorded the song of a robin and a blackbird. Beautiful and very peaceful indeed! If you love birds do check out Merlin and give it a try. This is our view from the bench:
Continuing on our walk, we spotted some newly planted trees. The volunteers who maintain the community woodland do a great job regenerating the forest and planting new saplings is part of their work. I couldn't immediately identify the tree species but I have an app for this! I opened PictureThis on my phone and took a quick snapshot of the sapling. The clever app told me it is a whitebeam. We found several dotted around the woodland. I look forward to seeing them grow and Harry enjoyed putting some fertiliser on them!
Finally, on our way back to the car park we spotted a jay. These beautiful birds used to come into our garden and feast on the bird table but we did not see any this year. It was a particular joy to see one of them out in the wild. I recorded my sighting in the Birda app to log the first of 3 in their 30 Days Wild Challenge 2024. Do join us again tomorrow!
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