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Three years on from the ‘knitting together’ of 3,400 hectares of priority habitat to create the UK’s first-ever ‘super’ National Nature Reserve (NNR) on the Purbeck Heaths in Dorset, where the BBC filmed Springwatch this year, the National Trust is working with reserve partners on an ambitious project to create a 1,370-hectare open ‘savannah’ for … Read more
Last week, 38 rare hazel dormice were reintroduced into the heart of the National Forest by wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), the National Trust and partners, in an attempt to save this endangered species from extinction in the UK. The golden-coated, bright-eyed dormice were released into a large, secluded woodland on the … Read more
As the last episode of the new Wild Isles series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, aired last night, a reminder that the National Trust, RSPB and WWF are urging everyone in society to come together to halt the destruction of UK nature and take urgent action in their Save Our Wild Isles campaign. Millions of people from … Read more
In this short film, Discover Animals’ Geoff Moore visits the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate on Exmoor in Somerset, to discover more about how beavers have been re-introduced. 📸 National Trust Images Nick Upton
Norfolk’s annual winter wildlife spectacle is underway with the birth of the first grey seal pup at the National Trust’s Blakeney Point, home to England’s largest colony of grey seals. 📸 Hanne Siebers National Trust Images
A survey carried out by National Trust rangers found puffin numbers on the remote Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, are stable despite the heavy rainfall last summer. It was feared that the population would be affected after numerous burrows were flooded. At least 300 pufflings were lost after 5 inches (12cm) of rain fell … Read more
The National Trust has launched a campaign in partnership with RSPB and the National Trust for Scotland to protect seabirds living on UK islands from predators. The Save Our Seabirds project aims to raise awareness of the risk to seabirds such as puffins, Manx shearwater and European storm-petrel from predators such as rats, stoats and … Read more
Today (Wednesday 20 March) marks the official arrival of spring. It is also a chance for wildlife lovers across the UK to add their entries to the first ever crowd-sourced nature diary to celebrate the fact. The digital diary – a project by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), researchers at Land Lines, the … Read more
Anxious rangers on the remote Northumberland Farne Islands had feared that its puffin numbers were in decline after noticing fewer seabirds nesting last May. However, it now seems the low count was actually due to the thriving grey seal population who had inadvertently crushed puffin burrows on the outer islands, meaning more birds were nesting … Read more
It’s been a bumper year for grey seal pups at the National Trust’s Blakeney National Nature Reserve in Norfolk with rangers recording 3,012 born over the winter. This is the highest number of births since records began 30 years ago when the first grey seal pup was spotted on Blakeney Point in 1988. A rookery – or … Read more
Visitors to the Victorian aviary at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire can now help Asian songbirds with one tap using new contactless payment units to donate. The ‘Silent Forest: Asian Songbird Crisis’ campaign was launched by European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to highlight the devastating effect of South-East Asian songbirds being taken from the … Read more
Farmland cared for by The National Trust in South Wales has been transformed into a haven for rare animals, birds and wildflowers after the introduction of a pioneering new project involving traditional 1940s farming methods. A stretch of coastline near the spectacular Worms Head in Rhossili has been restored to its former glory after ‘strip … Read more
The largest hibernation of pipistrelle bats in the UK has been recorded at Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland. Sixty-one pipistrelle bats were found in stone crevices and in the arches of a balcony at the hall earlier this year, revealing previously unknown information about the bats’ hibernation habits. Ecologists had believed that the pipistrelle prefers … Read more
Saturday 7 July is National Meadows Day and to mark the occasion The National Trust has announced the purchase of wildflower-rich farmland in the Peak District The hay meadows and wildlife-rich grasslands cover 460 acres (equivalent to 260 football pitches) and are vital habitats for birds, butterflies and bees. The intensification of farming since the … Read more
The National Trust has good news regarding the once common tree sparrow after a number of birds were found successfully nesting and breeding on a three mile strip of coastal land in South Tyneside. The Leas and Whitburn Coastal Park, the site of an abandoned colliery, is cared for by the conservation charity and is … Read more
The National Trust is embarking on ambitious plans to develop 60 hectares of lowland heath and wood pasture in a bid to save the UK’s rarest and most endangered butterfly, The High Brown Fritillary. The last 50 years has seen a rapid decline in High Brown numbers, with changes in their natural habitat and pressures … Read more
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