Wild Worcestershire

What does a hedgehog get up to at night? What do they eat, what happens when they go into hibernation and how can we help them in our gardens? From rolling into a ball to the curious behaviour of self-anointing, Terry, volunteer at the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, reveals what makes hedgehogs such a fascinating species.

After chatting to Terry, podcast host Lee visits Henbrook Hedgehog Rescue in Stoke Prior and speaks to Holly, self-proclaimed ‘servant’ to hedgehogs. Holly gives Lee an insight into how vulnerable hedgehogs are cared for and introduces him to one of the rescue’s current patients, Ms Moss.

Although hedgehogs are among our most-loved doorstep wildlife, their numbers are in decline and they need our help. Terry and Holly share simple ways we can make our gardens more hedgehog-friendly, from leaving out a dish of shallow water and nesting materials to providing shelter and a hedgehog highway.

For more information and to record a hedgehog sighting, please visit https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/hedgehogs

After a day with members of Worcestershire Bat Group at The Knapp and Papermill in bat, bats, bats...part one, Lee hot-footed it to Lower Smite Farm, the Trust's HQ. Here he met up with Annabel, senior ecologist with Worcestershire Wildlife Consultancy, to find out more about what's involved in surveying for bats in the evening.

As dusk falls and the night draws in, join Lee as he discovers even more about bats (and becomes a true bat enthusiast). What species will Annabel and her volunteers see and hear? Do the buildings at Lower Smite Farm make good bat roosts? What motivates people to hang out in a farmyard of an evening? Find out all this and more, in the second of our bats, bats, bats podcast.

Worcestershire Wildlife Consultancy provide a professional ecological service that encompasses all disciplines of ecology, conservation and biodiversity. They offer ecological surveys and assessments, mitigation schemes and environmental planning and management. They're a trading arm of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and all profits are donated to the Trust to support our conservation work across the county.

If you're interested in getting involved with surveying for bats or any other aspect of the Trust's work, visit the volunteering pages of our website for more information

The diversity of The Knapp and Papermill - one of the Trust's most loved nature reserves - makes it an incredible place for bats. Daubenton's bats swoop over the river, barbastelles roost under lifted tree bark on older trees, Leislers feed over the meadows, common and soprano pipistrelles dart around the orchard and lesser horseshoes snooze in the loft space over the education centre.

Volunteers for Worcestershire Bat Group have been installing and, under licence, checking bat boxes at The Knapp for more than 20 years. This long-term monitoring is really important to help us understand more about how wildlife uses the nature reserve, how different species are doing and how the Trust can ensure that they continue to thrive.

Join (excited) podcast host Lee on a bat box check with members of Worcestershire Bat Group and discover more about these amazing flying mammals.

(Spoiler alert: Barbastelles are notoriously flighty, hence their exodus from the roost when the volunteers were nearby. The ecologists returned to that particular bat box at the end of the day and again the next day just to make sure that the pup had rejoined its colony…and it had. A happy ending!)

The Wilder Worcestershire: Neighbourhoods Nurturing Nature team work with local people to create pockets of habitat for wildlife to thrive, from orchards and meadows to ponds and allotments.

Lee chats to Jameela, Liz, Sarah, Zaina and Richard to findout how their experiences with the project have helped them come together with their communities and connect with the wildlife on their doorsteps.

From discovering bats on a nighttime walk and noticing wildlife in a city garden to bringing communities together, getting young people active outdoors and volunteering to transform a wellbeing garden, hear about how taking small actions can make a big difference for wildlife and people.

If you've ever wondered about the wildlife that might be making its home in your garden, this is the episode for you. Podcast host Lee has his eyes opened to some of the wildlife hiding in plain sight in Lower Smite Farm's wildlife garden as he joins naturalists Rosemary and Wendy on an amble to discover more about the variety of garden wildlife.

Along the way, you'll bump into shieldbugs, wasps, ants and aphids, dragonfly exuviae, butterflies, bees and more. The gang also delve into how you can help wildlife at home and why it's important to record what you see.

More on wildlife gardening: https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife-gardening

Tell us about the wildlife you see in Worcestershire: https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife-sightings

Want to volunteer in the garden at Lower Smite Farm? https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/volunteering-opportunities/wildlife-garden-volunteer

The saline and freshwater pools at Upton Warren, Wychbold, are amongst the best places in Worcestershire to spot birds and other wetland wildlife. Listen in on a visit to this special place as host Lee is joined by the reserve's manager, Eleanor, and engagement warden Ion.

The trio visit both The Flashes and The Moors, talk birds (obviously) and other wildlife, chat about the importance of volunteering and the benefit of birdwatching for wellbeing.

Discover what you might see if you visit, how the team protect rare wildlife like little ringed plovers (under license and with a permit) and how to learn more about wildlife.

Upton upon Severn is Worcestershire's stag beetle hotspot. In fact, the town and surrounding villages are the only places in Worcestershire where these giant beetles are found. Join host Lee as he wanders the streets with the Trust's Eleanor Reast on the hunt for the UK's largest beetle.

Along the way you'll discover more about the amazing lifecycles of stag beetles; with up to seven years spent underground, we're privileged if we spot one in the 'just' 40 days they spend above ground in their adult form. The question is, will Lee and Eleanor spot one on their evening walk? Listen to find out!

Take a wander through a traditional orchard with podcast host, Lee Robinson, and Severn Treescapes Trees and Woodland Advisor, Simone Mansi, to discover why deadwood is anything but dead.

The two chat all things timber, looking at the importance of deadwood, hunting for the poo of amazing iridescent beetles and exploring how we can build continuity of trees and deadwood habitat into our landscapes.

Dead Wood Society is part of Severn Treescapes, which is a partnership project between Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Wildlife Trusts. You can find out more at https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/severn-treescapes/dead-wood-society

Sit back and relax into the dawn chorus of a Worcestershire woodland.

Do you remember your first contact with nature? Inspiring schoolchildren about the natural world is something that the Trust is passionate about and has been doing for decades.

Recent investment means that it's not just children that are benefitting from the Trust's expertise. From pond dipping to soil auguring for children to deep diving into the curriculum with teachers, the team run a full programme of school visits as well as work alongside teachers to help them overcome barriers to outdoor learning.

Host Lee Robinson meets Cat and Lucy to discover more about the importance of inspiring the next generation, what schools might experience on a visit to Smite and how schools can improve their own spaces for wildlife. Learn how harvestmen can make a difference to children scared of spiders and how a woodlouse can become a loved creature that a class is proud of.

Find out more about the Trust's programmes for schools at https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/schools