The Wild City project is a celebration of the wild places we have in Bristol, bringing eight different city communities closer to their local green spaces. Support from the National Heritage Lottery Fund has allowed us to work with volunteers to improve habitats for nature, collaborate with local schools, and engage the whole community in our programme of wildlife events.
And there’s good news this Easter, because we’re making it even easier for families to enjoy the nature on their doorsteps with a series of self-led trails, each one focusing on one of our My Wild City sites. The Toddlers on Tour activity pack is suitable for toddlers, while the Nature Explorers pack is suitable for children aged 5-10 years old. After you’ve downloaded your map and activity pack, you’re ready to get out exploring. All trails are completely free and these and all our events can be found on our website. If you’re a parent looking for an Easter holiday activity, this could be the perfect solution!
There are loads of other ways to explore the green spaces around you – be they one of the eight My Wild City sites or your local park. You could rise with the early birds to experience the mad cacophony of the dawn chorus. Or, for a really special experience, why not join one of our organised dawn chorus events in May to learn more about the different resident and migrant birds that are fighting it out to be the loudest and proudest?
Another lovely thing to do is to head out as the sun sets and look out for deer or swooping bats as they hunt for insects in the evening light. If the sun is shining and the air is warm, this is a good time to go reptile spotting. Concentrate on sunny banks where you might see a grass snake, slow worm or lizard basking.
Spring is also a great time to enjoy all the trees bursting into flower and the pollinators busily feeding on pollen and nectar. We’ll be running various training workshops for volunteers who are keen to help us monitor wildlife in their local area, including water vole monitoring, butterfly ID and bee ID training. Get in touch with us if you are interested in getting involved.
We know lots of people have been exploring new and different green spaces in Bristol over the past year, which is fantastic, and we are really keen to hear what people have been discovering. We’re also really excited about being able to run in-person activities again soon, and have a series of events in the pipeline, taking place throughout the summer. In the meantime, we’re running a series of online workshops which are designed to inspire you to get outdoors and connect to nature, from getting to know your urban birds and learning about the bats of Bristol, to cyanotype printing with the sun.
However you like to experience wildlife, spring is one of the best times to get outside and enjoy everything in the natural world. The eight My Wild City sites are proof that you don’t need to go far to experience some mood-boosting nature outdoors.
To get involved with volunteering, book an event or find out more visit our My Wild City pages or email us.
