Wildlife Watching in Scotland

Wild & Green Escapes has put togther its own mini-guide to wildlife watching in Scotland - from forest to coast, mountain to nature reseve, what to look for and where!

http://www.wildandgreenescapes.co.uk/scotlandwildlife.html

Wildlife Watching With The Experts - Isle of Mull

Mull Charterswww.mullcharters.com
Mull Charters aim to provide you with the ultimate wildlife experience.

They take small groups of people (up to 12 max) to see the magnificent White Tailed Sea Eagle in it's natural environment around the coast of Mull.

Every trip is a different adventure and most trips result in amazing views of these spectacular birds taking fish from the surface of the sea as close as 7 metres away.

Every trip has stunning scenery, a helpful crew and a taste of the wild, usually a hot drink and a biscuit as well!

Check out their youtube link for more wildlife watching experiences www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKVp6l0-99g

Find out more about Mull Charters and wildlife watching on the Wild & Green Escapes website

Have A Wild & Green Holiday!

Do you want to holiday with a green conscience? Prefer to opt for eco friendly holidays? Looking to discover the amazing wildlife of the UK in a low impact, user-friendly way?

Then you’ve come to the right place because Wild & Green has all the information right here so you can quickly and easily plan your next green holiday...

* Eco friendly, green award winning hotels, B&Bs, cottages, camping and places to visit
* Nature watch - what to look out for each month in nature in the UK - birds, flowers, animals, signs of the season etc
* Our top spots to wildlife watch in the UK
* Details on wildlife watching events and festivals all over the UK, throughout the year
* How To be Green on your holidays

Plus much more...

Wild & Green brings you ideas for enviromentally friendly, organic holidays and wildlife watching experiences in the UK.

Wild and Green: eco friendly, green, organic and wildlife watching holiday inspiration; helping you get back to nature...

What's Happening In Nature In May

Despite all the rain, cold and wind, have you:

* Spotted butterflies in your garden, woodlands or parks?

* Heard the cuckoo yet?

* Discovered bluebells in your local woods?

* Noticed hawthorn in flower?

Record your sightings and download free wildlife and nature factpacks on the Woodland Trust website:
http://visitwoods.org.uk/en/visit-woods/for-nature/Pages/nature.aspx

Nature Watch In May

Wildlife Watching in May

This month look out for:
*Hedgehogs - in courtship mode.
*Foxes - look out for playful cubs this month.
*Badgers - plenty going on at the sett this month with badger cubs out and about.
*Roe deer - the babies are born this month.

Birds in May*Swifts
*Seabirds - colonies of seabirds, especially gulls, guillemots, gannets and kittiwakes, are very active at the moment in the breeding season. Seabird colonies are buzzing with birds between now and August. Most of these colonies are situated in the north of the country.
*Puffins - now breeding on various islands including Farne Islands, Northumbria.
*Wading birds - avocets, lapwings, terns.

Flora in May*Hawthorn - hedges full of heavy white/ cream blossoms are a great sight at this time of year.
*Violets - spot some of the 13 varieties of these flowers with their purple petals in bloom this month.
*Early purple orchid - tall, 'spiky' flower heads pinky mauve in color, can be seen in meadows or by roadsides this month.
*Horse chestnuts are in bloom now with their delicate pink and white flowers.
*Common gorse - bright yellow flowers on spiky greenery with a 'coconut' type smell.
*Cow parsley - around hedges and at the sides of country roads you'll see clouds of these small white flowers on top of tall thin green stems.
*Giant Hogweed - tall, more substantial plants, with large 'canopies' of white flowers.
 

May Special Offers From Exmoor House

Exmoor House B&B in glorious Somerset in running some special offers in May:


*Bed and breakfast special
For stays in May of 3 or more nights at Exmoor House, pay just £38 per person per night (sharing a double or twin room) - normally £42. Must be booked in advance; quote reference WGBB May

*May special dinner B&B breaks
In May, you can enjoy a weekend dinner, bed & breakfast package at Exmoor House, in the heart of the National Park, for the same price as midweek: that's from £174 per person for a three-night break. Quote reference WGDBB May when booking.

Exmoor House, Wheddon Cross, Exmoor National Park, Minehead, Somerset www.exmoorhouse.com
For a thoroughly relaxing stay, with excellent food, escape to Exmoor House. Very comfortable, thoughtfully-designed rooms, a friendly welcome and great attention to detail make this a really special place (recommended by The Guardian, 101 Holidays and Lonely Planet). Exmoor House was the first accommodation provider in Exmoor National Park to gain the Green Tourism Gold Award, in 2010.
They specialise in dinner, bed & breakfast breaks and the daily-changing dinner menu combines lovely local produce with expert cooking. There's also a good range of wines, local beers and Somerset ciders for you to enjoy. In Exmoor's highest village, we're ideally placed for walking, cycling and exploring.


Tel: (01643) 841432            e-mail: info@exmoorhouse.com  
web: http://www.exmoorhouse.com/   blog: http://exmoorhousewx.blogspot.com/ twitter: http://twitter.com/ExmoorHouseWX
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ExmoorHouse

Exmoor House is a very special place to stay, in the heart of beautiful Exmoor
**** Recommended by the Guardian, Lonely Planet, 101 Holidays, The Times *****
**** Twice nominated for the UKTV Food Local Hero award****
**** Green Tourism Gold Award 2010 & Best Performer Award 2008 ****
**** VisitEngland 4* + Silver Award 2011 ****

Badger Watch Events This Summer

Magical mystery badger tours in local forest  

Nature fans are being offered a close encounter with badgers deep in a Forestry Commission woodland in North Yorkshire.

Mystery tours led by Scarborough expert Jane Payne begin in mid-May and run until August revealing the highs and low of badger family life.

Strikingly coloured, the creature is one of England’s largest wild mammals – yet spotting one can be really tough. They spend long hours underground in their multi-chambered setts, which can be hundreds of years old, and are mainly active during the night.

Jane Payne explained: “My children went to see badgers when they were just six years old and that helped to get me hooked. Since then studying and observing the animal has become a real passion. Watching them in the forest is magical.

"Cubs born in February will be taking their first few steps outside the sett in May, emerging as night falls. 
Still being weaned by mum, she will teach them how to dig for food like worms. By the year’s end, male offspring are often shown the door, as Dad doesn’t want to be challenged.  But adults may also be keeping their own secrets from each other – cubs often have different fathers!   

“We will be visiting a Forestry Commission hide in a remote wood, overlooking a den which has been used for well over 100 years by generations of badger.  We get people coming from all over the UK and even further afield.  Keeping the location secret helps protect the animal from illegal persecution.”

To check dates and times call 01723 882295 or email brockview@live.co.uk  Meeting details will be given at the time of booking. The event is suitable for adults and children over 10 years old (who must be accompanied).