30 Days Wild // Week 2

 

Welcome to Week 2 of 30 Days Wild!
30 Days Wild happens annually in June, run by The Wildlife Trusts and is to encourage us to get out and take part in 'Random Acts Of Wildness' every day of the month. Unless you are completely new here you will know we are a very wild family, to begin with! However, it's not only an excuse to share nature and wildlife-themed photos every single day of my project 365  but it is also a fun way to mix up my wildness to include things other than just my obsession with photographing every bird that enters my garden haha.

Just as I did last year I'm sharing each week here as well as daily on my Instagram.

See last week's post here >> 30 days Wild // Week 1

Check out Week 2 of 30 Days Wild from last year, 2021, here >> 30 Days Wild // Week 2

---

Day 8
🌊 Happy World Oceans Day!! 🌊
By a happy coincidence, last month we'd actually booked a boat trip for today!
 Unfortunately, we had pretty wet weather, however, we were still lucky to see so many beautiful birds.

 Guillemots, Puffins, Razorbill, Kittiwakes, Herring Gull, Gannets, Fulmar, Black-Backed Gull,
Shags, Arctic Tern, Eider Ducks (& chicks!), Cormorant, Black Headed Gulls and some Grey Seals too!

I expected to get wet, what with being on the sea and in the rain. It only goes skin deep and we had dry clothes in the car!
With the wet lens though, my photos aren't the best but they captured the day as well as
possible and there are lots more photos coming in a dedicated blog post soon.

The bodies of water on our planet are a whole other magical world and are at huge risks: 
Rising water temperature, the terrible tragedy of bird flu we are currently going through, discarded fishing gear,
pollution from chemicals and oils etc and of course the insane plastic and other rubbish problem.
Look after our Oceans and all their amazing inhabitants. 
Please do what you can to help. Educate yourself and others on the issues and solutions.
We need to protect our planet NOW.

Day 9
Beach Litter Pick.

Moving on from World Oceans Day yesterday, I wanted to do something somewhat worthwhile.
My parents had come down yesterday to look after the animals while we were away for the day
and so Mam accompanied me this morning to one of the local beaches for a litter pick.

At first, it seemed quite clean, but the more we looked the more we found.
The saddest things were the sheer amount of cigarette ends and tiny bits of plastic, already on its way to becoming the microplastics that are terrorising our world.

A strange find was a 7-Spot Ladybird sat on a piece of rubbish down by the shoreline.
They happily climbed aboard my hand and I ran them up to the grass where they flew happily away.
 (I put them on some driftwood to take a quick photo beforehand!)

Once in the car and already on our way home, we had to stop just at the opening of the car park to pick up a huge amount of waste from someone's takeaway food...
mere meters from a bin.
Please, please, please be conscious of not only your waste disposal but of your consumption, to begin with.
Dropping litter is never excusable.
If you see any pick it up.
If there are no bins, take your waste home. Recycle what you can and try not to buy single-use plastics.
 With the number of options now available you should be able to avoid causing even more harm to our planet and our precious wildlife.
Not that there will be any fisherpeople reading this (go vegan!) but ghost gear is a huge problem and needs to stop.
It is the most harmful marine debris. If you find any at all please dispose of it accordingly.

Day 10
Reading in the Garden.

It seems a bit of a cop-out for a 'challenge' as it's a regular occurrence for me, but today I read sitting out in the garden,
hugging my dog and being often interrupted by my need to photograph each bird that stopped by.
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold seemed very fitting for this month and it was one of the best books I've read in quite a while.
This story brings a poignant and extremely important topic to life.
The Last Bear has brought climate change and the issues our world and wildlife face to another audience in a heartfelt, fictional story.
I hope this will help more kids and parents alike care about and make changes in their lives to save our planet and precious wildlife.

Day 11
Identifying Spiders!

While I was re-potting some plants and just doing general garden work I spotted a spider and took its photo.
Then I saw another, took a photo, then another...and another!
It's funny because I'm not a huge fan of them in my house but I find them interesting outside haha.
And so today accidentally became a spider day.
I'm not 100% on many of the identities, but I think some of them are as follows - Green Orb-Weaver, Garden Spider, and Zebra Spider... anyone knows any of the others let me know!

Day 12
Sensory Session.

I've had a hard day today so my 30 Days Wild was simple.
I sat in the garden to read for a while.
I looked around at all the beautiful trees, flowers and plants, listened to countless species of birds singing,
wind howling and rustling the leaves on the trees and bees buzzing, breathed in the air that smelt of earth and felt the grass between my toes and fresh air on my face.

The same Blue Tit from my photo on day 10 has been visiting daily which is lovely.
A single lone Starling also stopped by for a drink and a rest.
Of course, our front garden is the hive of activity so it's always nice when the birds stop by the back when we're out there.

Day 13
Healing Waters.

I don't know if it's because I grew up with a view of the sea from my bedroom window and the salt air in my lungs, but the seaside is something I need and helps me considerably.

I've had a very down few days so somehow gathered up the confidence for a solo walk at the beach after dropping Mr H off at work this morning. I don't often go anywhere alone but I needed this.
It's unbelievable the magic that the sea holds.
Just getting to feel the sand between my toes and the water wash over my feet was so healing.
Of course, it doesn't cure my ailments or take away my sadness, but it helps.

During my mini exploring session, I was also lucky enough to spend time with Sand Martins, Herring Gull, Fulmar, Razorbill, a Rock Pipit, Cormorants, Rock Doves and Kittiwakes.
(Can you spot the little fluffy babies on photo 3?!)

My litter picker was in tow and I'm happy to report there was only 1 lone beer can on this beach.
I did pick up some takeaway containers in the car park but this beautiful beach has remained a bird haven so far...
I wish I could start my day like this every morning, but I'm extremely thankful to live in this proximity to the water anyway.

Day 14
Mouse Visit!

This little face was a bright moment in a dark week.
We haven't seen a sign of the field mice family since the beginning of last month, so when
I spotted this cheeky thing on the bird table while I washed the dishes it made me smile.
I know people don't like mice or rats etc, but if they aren't doing any harm why not just appreciate them?
The mission impossible style jump and slide down the ladder made the sighting all the better 🐭

It's been an action-packed week! Both in my life and with 30 days wild.  We are currently on Day 17 of the challenge so pop on over to my Instagram to keep up with my daily posts in real-time >> Instagram.

See last week's post here >> 30 days Wild // Week 1
Check out Week 1 of 30 Days Wild from last year, 2021, here >> 30 Days Wild // Week 2

Until next time...