Henry's Wildlife and Nature

 This week, we have had a male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker in our garden. First of all we saw the male and now it has mainly been the female. She seems a bit more confident every day and happily feeds on the peanut and suet feeders.  They all have a red patch by their tail and a black and white body. The male has a red strip on the back of his neck, the female is all black and the juvenile has a big red patch on the top of his/her head. They have a very long tongue to get the bugs after making a hole with their beaks. The tip of his tongue is sensitive, bristly and sticky and can go 4cm past his/her beak. They eat insects and larvae that live in wood. In the winter they eat nuts and conifer seeds. Woodpeckers make a nest in a dead or rotten tree and it can take 2-3 weeks to make their nest. The woodpecker hits the wood 15-16 times a second! To avoid brain damage, they have a shock-absorbing cushion between its skull and beak. I hope to have some baby woodpeckers in the garden s

Today we have received some exiting post, our 30 Days Wild calendar and activities. I have taken part in 30 Days Wild every year since I was born. It is run by The Wildlife Trust and in 2017 almost 50,000 people joined in! My copy is in welsh as me and Tommy are both welsh speaking. Mental Health Awareness Week - Nature The theme for this years Mental Health Week is nature and is on 10th-16th May. I think that nature activities helped during lockdown and they always has. One thing I have enjoyed is listening to the bird calls and have started identifying some of them like the Blackbirds and Woodpigeons. I love looking at the birds on the feeders and find it very relaxing. I always have my camera close by to try and get a picture! During most of human history, we have been living around nature so maybe that is why so many of us find it relaxing and puts us in a good mood. To find out more press on this link:  Why Nature is the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 | Mental Health

On Saturday we went to RSPB South Stack in Anglesey and saw a lot of wildlife. South Stack Lighthouse There is a view point were you can see a lot of nesting sea birds on the cliffs. On the cliff we saw Guillemots, Razorbills, Gulls and Shags. Unfortunately we didn't see any Puffins, although they were around as other people had seen them.  The cliff tops are home to a lot of wildflowers, Gorse and Heather. This was home to a lot of wildlife, but you had to look carefully. I saw some birds which I have never seen before, so I had to look them up when I got home. Here are some of the things I saw. Chough Herring Gull Red Banded Sand Wasp Female Wheatear Male Wheatear Meadow Pipit Razorbill Sea Campion Sea Thrift