Badger watch

Visit the ‘Margaret Grimwade Badger hide’ for an intimate evening with these sociable mammals close up. The badger hide was established to provide people with a unique opportunity to observe these secretive animals in their natural environment. On any one watch you may be lucky enough to see several badgers go about their nightly routine, from foraging for food, playing, grooming and climbing.

Comments from recent badger watcher Richard Haugh:

‘It was a fascinating evening - a Suffolk safari! We saw eight badgers, including two youngsters. I had never seen wild badgers before, they were much bigger than I expected and their interaction with one another was captivating. I will definitely book another watch next year.’

Click below to watch footage of badgers forraging as seen from our badger hide:

www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/media/badgers(1).wmv

The badger hide viewing season runs from April to September on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. It costs £7.50 per adult, and £2.50 for children aged 7 and above. For more information, or to book part or all of the hide, please ring 01473 890089.
Alternatively you can purchase vouchers for the badger hide in our online shop, -these make fantastic, unusual gifts.

Real Africa in Suffolk

Alongside wishing you all a Happy New Year i would also like to welcome Real Africa as a bronze member of our Investor in Wildlife membership scheme.

Real Africa's staff have over 100 years of experience at planning and organising exceptional safari holidays to Africa. They have all travelled extensively there and love going back whenever they can. I look forward to getting them involved with the wilds of Suffolk in 2013.

 

Coppicing - a 'cut' above the rest

Felixstowe based illustrator and printmaker Clare Curtis is supporting the Trust throught the donation and sales of of her lithograph named 'Coppicing'. The image, which has turned into one of the most popular Christmas card designs in the Trusts 2012 range was on sale at a recent open day at Clare's house. As well as selling her prints, Clare also displayed packs of cards for the Trust and raised a fantastic £120. Thanks Clare.

UK's No.1 utility company support Suffolk's dormice

UK Power Networks, Platinum member of the Trust's Investor in wildlife scheme was named Utility of the Year in a double win at a glittering event last week.

The company beat strong competition to win both the prestigious Utility of the Year title and Team of the Year, at the Utility Industry Achievement Awards. 

UK Power Networks was a triple finalist at the awards, having been shortlisted for the Environment category in recognition of its unique partnership with Suffolk Wildlife Trust and other Wildlife Trusts in the South Eastern region as well.

Two weeks before the black tie function in London, UK Power networks staff were out in the Suffolk countryside in their coats and wellies supporting dormice conservation. The hedgerows planted by the team will link up ancient woodlands in the south of the county enabling dormice to radiate out from their stronghold of Bradfield Woods National Nature Reserve.

Box on a tube!

A barn owl box to be precise. Bob, as he affectionately became to be known throughout the day, was chapperoned down to London last week for the annual International Carillion S-Factor awards ceremony where the partnership between Suffolk Highways Partnership and the Trust  was being put forward in the biodiversity category.
We came runners up to a project in Dubai. I was pretty disappointed but not as much as Bob, so i promised to take a couple more photos of him by way of remembering his trip out of the county.

Who knows, he might have even been the first ever barn owl box to hit the capital's central district. We certainly had a few enquiries and thousands of quizzical looks.

NB no barn owl boxes were harmed in the making of this blog feature.

Grown by the Trust, Made by the Forge

Made by the Forge was founded in 2006 by blacksmith Richard Fishenden and his wife, Juliet.

Richard made a decision right at the start of the business to plant a tree in Suffolk for every product sold. Every year he plants native suffolk hedgerow but this year 2012 Richard contacted the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to see if they had an area he could help with. After learning that they are planning to plant 1000m of hedge to reconnect key areas of habitat for the dormouse he decided to donate all the money to help buy the hedge trees for this project.

The photograph is of Richard with Molly and Swift and some of the hedge row trees he planted Spring 2012.

 

Richard has developed a contemporary range of wrought iron kitchen wear and designed curtain poles and towel rails for the home. Recently they have added other home products handmade by local craftspeople in Suffolk to their website www.madebytheforge.co.uk.

 

Many thanks for your support.

Notcutts joins the Trust

Notcutts recently joined Suffolk Wildlife Trust as an 'Investor in Wildlife'  bronze member. The family owned group of individual garden centres have been supporting Snakes head fritillaries at Fox Fritillary Meadow nature reserve over a number of years and decided to demonstrate their commitment as a member in 2012. I look forward to developing a relationship with their staff during 2013 and onwards. Welcome Notcutts.