Avon Wildlife Safari Day 8 - On the Water

This weekend it's the Bristol Harbour festival, full of music and outdoor performances but also a great chance to get on the river and see the city from a different perspective. Whether it's hopping aboard the SS Great Britain or taking a ride on one of the historic vessels that make up the M shed fleet, explore the river and take a step back in time.

photo: Darin Smith

Urban rivers have changed in recent years, after a long time of being polluted through industry and poor sanitation, many urban rivers are now rich and healthy ecosystems. With the second highest tidal range in the world the Avon Gorge is a fantastic habitat, dominated by soft silts and muds, with smaller areas of gravel and rock. The mudflats support dense populations of invertebrates and these invertebrates provide a food supply for large populations of migratory birds. Look out for the distinctive cormorants and herons hunting for fish and see if you can catch a glimpse of the reclusive otter.


For more information about walks around the river Avon download this river Avon trail leaflet

At the harbourside festival watch out for the Newfoundland dogs display.These dogs are trained to be lifesavers at sea, their oily fur keeping them buoyant and their webbed feet acting as paddles to make them excellent swimmers. Once you've had enough of all things watery head off to the lovely Castle Park where you will find a circus stage and children's area, enjoy this fantastic green space in the heart of the city.

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 7 - Meet an Owl

Today's wildlife safari top tip is to visit the wonderful Tyntesfield estate in North Somerset, owned by the National Trust. The estate is home to bats, badgers, foxes, deer and hares with over 800 different species of fungi, rare newts, breeding buzzards and beautiful orchids growing in the lawns.

Read the Tyntesfield Wild Blog before you go to catch up on the latest news and see some fantastic photos of the wildlife on site, such as the 'ninja wasp' and 'bejewelled damsel'.

photo: Tawny owl - Darin Smith

On 26th July, Avon Owls will be bringing some of their owls to the estate. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the owls that live in the woods at Tyntesfield and get up close to one of these stunningly beautiful birds. So if you are working your way through your '50 things to do before you're 11 3/4 list' this is a great opportunity to tick off 'hold a scary beast'! For more information phone Tyntesfield on 01275461900 or email tyntesfield@nationaltrust.org.uk

Don't forget that the Gromit Unleashed trail is also at Tyntesfield, so while you're there see if you can spot this family favourite and tick it off your list. Then you'll be one step close to finding all 80 this summer!

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 6 - Go on a dog hunt

photo: http://www.gromitunleashed.org.uk

80 Gromits, 10 weeks, 1 city! It's the Gromit Unleashed trail and it's on all summer so get out and discover parts of Bristol you never knew existed. Download your trail map and explore the city of Bristol whilst looking for giant dogs that have been painted by artists, celebrities and local people - what could be more fun! Get the app and use your smartphone to guide you around some of the best heritage sites of the city and listen to audio content about some of the most famous landmarks. You can collect a passport and get it stamped at various locations, buy merchandise and all money raised goes to Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal, The Bristol Children's Hospital Charity so you can have a great day out whilst also helping others.


The Gromits are situated all over the city and surrounding area from Cheddar Gorge to Windmill HIll City Farm and the National Trust's Tyntefield to the beautiful Hawkesbury Upton in South Gloucestershire so this could be a challenge for the whole summer which takes in some of the best places the South West has to offer.

photo:Tyntesfield House http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield/

In October all the Gromit sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for the appeal so if you have a favourite and want to bid fill out a form here to register your interest.

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 5 - Bats in Bath

Browns Folly nature reserve is a unique place to explore with fantastic views towards Bath. The flower rich grasslands attract a wide variety of butterflies, bees and moths and provide a great spot to admire the view, whilst the ancient woodland on the lower slopes are home to woodpeckers, owls and deer. You can download a butterfly spotting sheet here and a woodland wildlife spotting sheet here to help you identify different species.

The nature reserve covers the remains of the old Bath stone quarries, reputed to have provided stone for Buckingham palace and now home to several different species of bat, including the threatened greater horseshoe bat. There is a huge amount of history associated with the area, from the Jurassic period when the area was covered by a warm tropical sea (you can still find the fossils), through the Industrial revolution when limestone was heavily extracted from the mines to World War 2, when the caves were converted into ammunition stores. If you would like to find out more about the wildlife or history of the site then contact us to receive a copy of our Browns Folly nature journal on mail@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk.

The species rich downland flora that covers the spoilheaps, includes nine different species of orchid, wild thyme and harebell. This steep sided slope is grazed annually as part of our Sheepwatch programme to help keep down scrub and protect this valuable habitat. The insects attracted to the variety of plants that grow here are an important part of the food chain, providing much needed food for the bats and birds.

The tower that sits in the heart of the nature reserve was built by Colonel Wade Browne in 1848 and gives the nature reserve it's name. The folly was constructed by Browne's workers in an attempt to provide employment during an agricultural recession and enabled him to admire the commanding view.
Folly's are generally extravagant buildings built for decoration rather than any practical use and this one has many stories associated with it. One local tale I heard was that Browne put his daughter in the tower to avoid her death which had been predicted by a local fortune teller. Every day food was hoisted up to the top of the tower for her in a basket. One day, the day of her predicted death, her food was sent up as usual, but this time, unseen by anyone, an adder slid into the basket. Needless to say, the tale goes that the adder bit Browne's daughter and she died, as predicted.

Download our detailed walk for the site and see if you can find the rare bath asparagus, listen to the wide variety of birds singing in the woodlands and if you are their in the early evening look out for the bats leaving the caves to feed.

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 4 - Animal Adventures

Book today to secure a place on the Avon Gorge and Downs summer season of children's activities for 8 -12 year olds. The first session, Animal Adventures, is on August 1, 10.30am - 3.30pm and costs £8.50 per child. Discover the incredible journeys that wild animals make to and from the Downs and decorate a ‘story stick’ along the way to help you re-tell your adventures. For more information call Mandy Leivers on 0117 9030609.

But you don't have to wait until then to explore the Downs, situated at the top of Whiteladies road, just a couple of miles from the city centre, the Downs provide large areas of limestone grassland brimming with wild flowers. With a good variety of trees and shrubs this is also a great place for bird-watching as over 65 different species use the site. The Avon Gorge and Downs project provide an online wildlife virtual tour so that you can find out more before you go or use a smartphone to guide you around the site.

if you take any photos when you're there post them on twitter with  #awsafari or send them to us at mail@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk and we'll share them on our facebook page.

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 3 - Go to the Beach

photo: theoriens.com

We are very lucky here in Avon, not only do we have rolling hills, wildflower meadows, ancient woodland and beautiful ponds but we also have the coast. This is a great opportunity to go on an adventure to find out more about marine and coastal wildlife, particularly in the Severn estuary which is a valuable habitat for wading birds,salt tolerant plants and migratory fish.

The Severn estuary is one of the largest estuaries in Britain and has the second largest tidal range in the world. there are many walks that you can take to explore the wildlife from Bridgewater Bay all the way up to Aust.
Look out for curlews on the saltmarshes near Walborough Common,  and migrant birds such as finches, wagtails and skylarks at Aust Cliff, which is is also a great spot to go fossil hunting.

photo: Ulster Wildlife Trust

But if you really want to go to the beach, check out the Weston Super Mare sand sculpture festival and marvel at the amazing creations for this year's Hollywood theme. When you've had a look round, go for a walk along the beach, explore the rock pools and gather some inspiration to make your own sand sculpture. 

Make sure you send us some photos!

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 2 - Explore the City

Get out on your bikes and join in with the Carnivelo, the UK's only cycle festival and it's happening in Bristol on Sunday 21 July. Meet at Creative Common at 12 midday in your best fancy dress for a 2 mile, traffic free, circular bike ride through Bristol. Prizes are awarded for the best fancy dress too! After the bike ride watch a family film and then head over to Castle Park for family fun with bike themed games and competitions.What a brilliant opportunity to explore the centre of Bristol by bike without having to worry about the traffic.

Photo:bristolcyclefestival.com

Make Sunday's Special events are happening throughout the summer and is an initiative of the new mayor, George Ferguson. For one Sunday each month, King Street, Baldwin Street and the Old City will be closed to motor traffic and opened up for people to enjoy the city, watch street performers, explore the parks and stroll along the river. With live music, sports activities, outdoor shows, dancing and even a mobile climbing wall there'll be something to do to cater for everyone's interest.


While you are in the city why not download our City nature trail and explore some of the amazing wildlife too and if you fancy venturing out of town, take advantage of the Green days Out launch in Hotwells? With 5 walks and cycle rides to choose from who knows what you might discover.

photo: Sparrowhawk by Darin Smith