Family Day out at The Wildwood Trust, Herne Bay, Kent, England
Today we visited Herne Bays Wildwood Trust wildlife park. Great fun for only £11.45 per adult and children under 3's go free. Located in between Canterbury and Herne Bay it is easily accessible by car or public transport.
Wildwood Trust Kent England
This is my first film. It is about my day at Wildwood. Wildwood is in Kent. It has been around for years but recently has seen some great updates and expansions. Directed and produced by Clarice King, Camera and edit by James King. We created this video while staying with Nan in Herne Bay where we lived for ten years before moving to Canada. We used to visited Wildwood every weekend as it was a magical place.
Best Attractions and Places to See in Herne Bay , United Kingdom UK
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List of Best Things to do in Herne Bay , United Kingdom (UK)
Reculver Towers and Roman Fort
Herne Bay Central Beach
Wildwood Trust
Herne Bay Pier
Waltrop Gardens
Central Bandstand
The Seaside Museum Herne Bay
Reculver Country Park
The Downs
Herne Bay Memorial Park
Chough Return to Canterbury
Canterbury welcomes back its three, long lost ‘chough’
Canterbury is rolling out the red carpet to welcome three of Britain’s rarest birds back to the city. Lost to Kent for centuries, the magnificent chough, which adorn the city’s coat of arms and civic regalia, can once again be seen back in the county synonymous with this wonderful bird.
The chough, a member of the crow family, is one of the rarest birds in the UK and was driven to extinction in Kent well over 100 years ago. The chough has a long-standing association with Kent and still lives on in the coat of arms of Canterbury City and the University of Kent, and in Shakespeare’s King Lear (Act iv – Fields near Dover, Scene 6) where he introduces the chough in his description of the Dover Cliffs.
The Canterbury-based charity Wildwood Trust has taken delivery of three new chough this week as part of a ground-breaking project to assess if these amazing birds can be released back into the Kent countryside. Famed as acrobats of the sky, the chough naturally performs majestic flying displays which can now be seen by visitors to Kent’s largest bird aviary at the Wildwood Trust Animal park on the A291 between Canterbury and Herne Bay. Wildwood’s team of expert keepers hope to establish a breeding programme for the birds and supplement with a reintroduction project if deemed feasible.
Leading rewilding expert & Wildwood Trust boss Peter Smith said:
“The chough is an amazing bird whose aerial acrobatics can now thrill our hundreds of thousands of members and visitors. But the story of the chough gets to the very heart of problems of wildlife in the UK. The chough where driven to extinction by persecution and detrimental farming and landownership systems. We can bring these magnificent birds back to Kent, but to make them thrive in our countryside we must make some major changes to how we use the land and the chemicals we pour onto it. By rewilding poor agricultural land full of bugs and little beasties, choughs and a host of rare wildlife can once again thrive in Kent. “
About the chough:
While its black plumage identifies it as a crow, the chough (pronounced 'chuff') has a red bill and red legs unlike any other member of the crow family. Males and females are similar in appearance, but in juveniles the bill is yellow and the plumage and legs are duller in colour than in adults. The red-billed chough, a coastal cliff loving bird, is found mostly on the west coast of the United Kingdom. It became extinct in England until a population recolonised the Cornish coastline in the early 1990’s. To date, this is still the only English population.
It is a superb and acrobatic flyer, and can be distinguished when soaring by the “finger feathers” at the wing tips. It is a highly sociable bird in winter, gathering in large flocks. In summer, they build a nest of twigs lined with moss, lichen and sheep’s wool. Courtship often includes “mirrored” flying displays where the male and female will follow each other’s flight patterns. Between 2 to 6 eggs are laid, which hatch after 19 days, and both parents feed the young until they fledge at six weeks. The young birds follow and harass their parents for food, until becoming independent and spreading their territories during the winter months. They breed from 2-3 continuing until almost 20 years old.
The chough population has become highly fragmented with several isolated populations around the coast of Britain in West Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man and a small population in Cornwall. The chough was once more widespread and formerly occurred as far east as Kent where it became extinct c. 160 years ago (Bullock et al. 1983). The decline of the species in the UK has been due to a number of factors including persecution, pesticides use and changes in farming practice.
Wildwood Trust and Coast Visit
A Slideshow of the images captured during a wander around the Wildwood Trust Park near Herne Bay today also stopped off to drink my cuppa by the water before driving home. Whilst there could not help taking a few frames.
Wildwood is one of the best value parks around with plenty to see and do.
Lots of animals out and about in the mild weather and the bears were having a explore of the enclosure trying to find hidden treats I think.
The images can be viewed on my Photoblog
nigelwheal.co.uk
What is Wildwood Trust?
What is Wildwood? Learn from this great video made by Nathan Munday who made this as part of his university work. We think it's great even though it was raining... excellent contributions for our visitors, trustees and staff.
Red squirrels babies feeding at Wildwood Trust Canterbury
This video features baby red squirrels venturing out of their nest boxes for the first time at Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury in Kent. After maturing at the park they will be released as part of Wildwood's red squirrel conservation project which is aimed at preventing their nationwide extinction by re-introducing red squirrels back to the UK.
Once grown up, the squirrels will be sent to a conservation site such as the Island of Anglesey in Wales to live wild and free, helping form a buffer population to safeguard the species against national extinction.
Red squirrels went extinct in Kent in the 1960's, though many of us can still remember them from our childhood, and many areas like Kent once teemed with these beautiful acrobats of the trees.
Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust's Chief Executive said:
Red squirrels are one of the most beautiful animals in the UK but sadly they face extinction unless urgent action is taken. But it's not yet too late. If we can help restore areas of woodland to a native state and make a concerted effort, we might just be able to tip the balance back in the red squirrel's favour.
Wildwood Trust, as a charity, is committed to restoring our native and once native species and will continue to champion the restoration of natural woodlands.
Red Squirrels are just some of the huge range of British animals that can be seen at the Wildwood Discovery Park near Canterbury. For more information visit our website at wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 01227 712111
Wildwood's 'Wildlife Conservation Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come 'nose to nose' with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more.
Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury.
A Day At Wildwood!!
My sister went to Wildwood (Kent, UK) for the day to see the wolf she had adopted there, so I tagged along! HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!
Wildwood's Website:
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The Work Of Wildwood Trust
A short introduction to the work of Wildwood Trust
Discover Wildwood This Half-Term
Looking for the perfect family day out this Half-Term? Put a smile on everyone's face with a trip to Wildwood. Come and see our wolf pack in their huge woodland enclosure, watch our rescued bears as they get ready to hibernate for the winter and marvel at the acrobatic red squirrels leaping from tree to tree in the new red squirrel walkthrough. Grab a bite to eat at our cafe or bring a picnic as you let your kids run wild in our adventure play park with climbing walls, rope bridges, slides and scary drop slide PLUS we have over 50 species of native British animals from past and present in our 42 acre woodland and plenty of themed activities to keep everyone entertained throughout the holidays!
Wildwood wildlife centre Herne Kent-the walkway over the brown bears
Could dormice help us travel between the stars?
Could an understanding of hibernating dormice be used to place people into suspended animation? Hazel Ryan, a senior conservation officer from the Wildwood Trust, explains how these animals' energy-saving techniques work.
To help protect dormice visit our website:
More on the BBC website:
Video journalists: John Johnson and Jack Burgess
wildwood trust
wildwood trust hernebay in kent
A Drive Thru Margate, Birchington & Herne Bay in Kent England
A drive through Margate, Birchington and Herne Bay High Streets with a glimpse of Minnis Bay 2011
Sand Lizards at Wildwood Trust
UK’S RAREST LIZARDS RETURNS TO KENT
Keepers and conservationists at Wildwood Trust took delivery of 4 of Britain’s rarest lizards today.
The sand lizards which were believed to have gone extinct in Kent in the 1970’s, will be bred at the Canterbury based wildlife conservation charity with a view to reintroducing them to their former range.
The sand lizards - an endangered UK species – survived in Kent until the 1970’s on sand dunes and one of the last reported sightings was next to Herne Bay close to the Wildwood Animal park.
The species has gone through major decline due to habitat loss, with their coastal dune and heathland habitats becoming increasingly fragmented by agricultural expansion and building developments.
But a captive breeding and reintroduction programme is now helping the lizards to make a comeback across the UK and Wildwood has now joined forces with leading conservation charities to play its role in the sand lizard comeback.
Sand lizards are the UK’s rarest lizard and populations in some areas are so low that we can’t just rely on protecting the site, we have to help breed them to boost their numbers.
Wildwood Trust’s, Peter Smith said:
“Working with conservation partners we hope to breed and restore sand lizards to their former range. Scientific research has shown that sand lizard numbers can have a significant boost when captive bred animals are released. Those bred in zoos have a higher chance of survival than those that hatch in the wild thanks to the intensive car in their early stages of development, giving them a great head start.”
The Lizards came from Chester zoo who have already pioneered the breeding and reintroduction of Sand Lizards to areas they have gone extinct.
Wildwood’s Paul Whitfield who collected the lizards said
“It is a great honour to have these precious animals entrusted to our care. After we have bred them there will be a chance for visitors to see the lards in a large enclosure we are building that mimics their natural habitat and will help us breed more for the future.”
Sand lizard facts
1. The sand lizard was once commonly found on dunes and heathland in Britain but the gradual destruction of its habitats has led to its extinction in many places
2. According to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation group (ARC), the lizard was lost altogether from a number of counties including Cheshire, Cornwall, Kent, Sussex, and north and west Wales
3. More than 90% of suitable habitat has also vanished from Merseyside, Surrey and Dorset
4. During the breeding season male sand lizards adopt a bright green colouration to attract a mate. Females are often a sandy brown colour
5. The sand lizard is Britain’s only egg-laying lizard. The females lay eggs in burrows dug in the sand in June or July, before they hatch a couple of months later
6. Sand lizards are the UK’s biggest lizard species and adults can reach 20cm in length
7. Sand lizards tend to hibernate between November and March, but can be seen basking on rocks in sandy heathland and dunes during the summer
8. Its scientific name is Lacerta agilis
day out to... Wildwood
new series 'day out to...' ft Wildwood located in Herne Bay, Kent.
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Loren && Ema, Day Out At Wild Wood x