NEWS

One quarter of native mammals now at risk of extinction in Britain. The first official Red List for British Mammals highlights species most at risk of national extinction in the near future, with researchers calling for urgent action to prevent their loss (30th July 2020).

Among those species listed as being at risk of extinction in Britain are the water vole, hedgehog, hazel dormouse, wildcat and the Grey long-eared bat. It's not too late to act, you can make your garden or piece of land more welcome for British mammals such as hedgehogs by creating safe corridors and hiding places, see our knowledge base page for more ideas here.

https://www.mammal.org.uk/2020/07/one-quarter-of-native-mammals-now-at-risk-of-extinction-in-britain/

Events

From Friday 17th July- Sunday 9th August it is the 2020 Big Butterfly Count and we have been asking you to make your #pledgefornature and record butterflies in your local area and submit your sightings on the @savebutterflies App. (More info here)

People in the community have volunteered to lead butterfly walks in Chulmleigh, Croyde, Braunton and on the Tarka Trail. Our final Big Butterfly Count walk is on 7th August on Great Torrington Common, places are limited but please find out more information on our Facebook Page here.

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The image competition winners also had a fantastic nature walk on Braunton Burrows with local experts Mary and John Breeds: rare plants, moths, butterflies, newts, lizards, kestrels and even a roe deer and a fox were spotted, hopefully inspiring the next generation of naturalists!

Your pledges

We have had some fantastic July pledges come in:

• Lester in Northam has pledged to create a Wildlife Pond in their garden
• Paula from The Rotary Club of Brautnon Caen has pledged to organise A Plastic Monster Challenge: to invite the local community to create a plastic monster out of household waste,  and invite all entrants to an online seminar on the subject and the work of Plastic Free North Devon and the Plastic Free Consortium.
• Andrew from Upton Pyne has pledged to 'Give your hedge a few inches' , the hedge was planted in 2007. They also planted a wild flower meadow in 2019!
• Kim from Winkleigh completed the Big Butterfly Count in her garden and in the local biodiversity area.
• Craig in Winkleigh pledged to convert various areas of their garden to wildflower meadow and a pollinators bank.
• The Big Butterfly Count group walks were also recorded as pledges on the Pledge Map!

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Thank you to everyone who has pledged so far, we love reading the descriptions of your pledges and seeing your progress photos.

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‍Nature Natters

In early July we visited the wonderful Hole Farm where we met Andrew who spoke to us about how he and now his daughter Heather has made their farm wildlife friendly with native breeds of cattle and digging amazing ponds that have naturally colonised.

In Episode 6 we spoke to Luke from Farm Wilder about how farming can be good for wildlife and good for people too. Farm Wilder supports farmers who are adopting more regenerative farming methods which then results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, healthier soils, less flooding and pollution and biodiversity gains.

In Episode 7 Bev from the North Devon Dynamic Dunescapes project introduced the work that they will be doing at Braunton Burrows and Woolacombe to make the dunes more biodiverse, as well as the volunteer opportunities that they will be offering.

We hope you are enjoying these video sessions, in August we will be visiting Exmoor National Park to talk about their Non-Native invasive species work and speaking with Rob Wolton from the Devon Hedge Group about how we can manage our hedges in a wildlife friendly manner!

Things to look out for in August

• Swifts may already be gathering and on the move back to central Africa. Swallows and house martins linger a little bit longer, gathering in flocks before embarking on their long migration.
• Many wildflowers are already blooming in August:

And of course you've got a week left of the Big Butterfly Count so don't forget to submit your sightings!

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Thanks everyone, have a great August and please keep sharing your amazing pledges for nature using the #pledgefornature or joining the Facebook group.

July-September Activities: Big Butterfly Count, Create a Wildlife Pond, Give your hedge a few inches, Help for hedgehogs,