This is my 10th year taking part in The Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild and
my 6th year documenting it here. I've actually annoyed myself by
looking back at my previous year's posts because as my health continues
to change the way I live my life, there is no way that this year will be
able to live up to those past and as the challenge gains momentum,
becoming more mainstream, it tends to become a competition.
It's like
everything I've been a part of from Cats Protections Craft for Cats, to
using the Birda App to document my birding sessions - the more popular
they become and numbers of participants increase the less fun it
becomes. You have the show-offs, the know it alls, the people who have
no clue but are doing it because it's trendy, and that all makes for an
uncomfortable and unfriendly environment in the online communities.
That's why I tend to keep to myself and do my hobbies solo, eliminating
the possibility of the enjoyment being sucked out of things.
Each
year I've found it increasingly difficult to navigate 30 Days Wild as
it is, because I see it more as a challenge to encourage those less
Nature-minded to get more connected with their wild side. For me, I am
already immensely entwined with the wild world. We are all a part of
Nature, and I live my life with Mother Nature as a member of the family,
one of my highest priorities and I am doing things that are
'challenges' during 30 Days Wild multiple times a week, if not per day!
That being said, what is second nature to me, isn't something I always
think is worthy of being documented. So...that's where I am with 30 Days
Wild. Year 10 may end up being my last as it becomes more of a chore
than something to enjoy these days.
Taking all of this into account, here is week 3 of my 10th year.
(See Week 1 here > 30 Day Wild 2026 // Week 1
and Week 2 here > 30 Day Wild 2026 // Week 2 )
15th June - Day 15Just a small selection of some flying friends I met today - minus the
Hummingbird Hawk-Moth(!!!) we were so lucky to see in our front garden this morning. They were so fast I couldn't get a photo but it was such a cool experience to watch them on the Red Valerian. We're very lucky to get a large amount and range of species of Bees, Hover flies and other pollinators in our gardens most days, and I love it.
16th June - Day 16I may feed the birds every day and watch them multiple times a day, but I don't always make the time to sit for an extended time to photograph them. Today I did just that, as well as listening out for as many as I could. Merlin as an app can be quite flawed and can show birds that are not there, however for illustrative purposes I put it on to photograph today and it was actually accurate! I saw and/or heard all of these species while out in the garden - what a joy.
17th June - Day 17Making Elderflower Cordial! We have an immense Elder outside our kitchen window that provides not only shade for us but also a wonderful place for the birds to play, hide and eat. The flowers we're already starting to fall and berries beginning to form, so we harvested a small amount to make some cordial.
Of course it had to be left overnight to infuse so the straining and bottling was done on the 18th and I created and affixed a label (to gift a bottle for Father's Day) on the 19th but thought I'd keep all the photos together.
18th June - Day 18Some tiny garden friends! I love what a variety we get!
19th June - Day 19A trip to the Wetlands with Mam was fruitful for my annual bird total!
Swallows and a Whitethroat, Terns and so many babies! It's also Dragon/Damselfly season so we were lucky to see a couple of those, as well as other bugs including Orange-spotted plant bug and 'Chlorophorus figuratus'. Wetlands are incredible important places, but they are also magical wonderlands that contain SO much beautiful life.
20th June - Day 20Planted out the Sunflower seedlings into their new planter and sewed some wildflower seeds in the other!
I will cram as much life as possible into this garden to make up for all the life everyone else is taking away.
21st June - Day 21Litha!!
We went for a walk/roll in the woods, spent a short amount of time in the front garden (and were blessed by the presence of another Hummingbird Hawkmoth), decorated the alter with some wildflowers from the garden and had our Litha meal outside. There are a lot more photos from this day which will be up soon in a separate post.
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