Our Engagement Officers have had a blast hosting spooky (but family friendly!) Halloween events across the county.

A variety of themed activities were available to take part in at our seasonal Halloween events at Foxburrow, Lackford Lakes, and Carlton Marshes, and in Ipswich.

Families followed nature trails by torch light, dissected owl pellets, and made tin lanterns to name a few activities - all connecting them to Suffolk's autumnal wildlife and wild landscapes.

We’ve had some showstopper bird species at our nature reserves this month.

At Trimley Marshes our bird ringing volunteer Justin had a pleasant surprise with a fabulous rustic bunting (Emberiza rustica). Considered a 'scarce visitor' in England, this is the first record of a rustic bunting at our Trimley Marshes nature reserve, and one of only 6 records in Suffolk. The bird was safely ringed and sent on its way. With the new ring in place, we’ll hopefully be able to discover more about this species' migration pattern.

Over at Lackford Lakes, a rare Slavonian grebe (Podiceps auritus) was photographed by Trevor Goodfellow. Similar in size to a moorhen, this diving bird has a striking breeding plumage but in colder months their plumage can make it difficult to distinguish them from other grebe species. In the UK, breeding pairs of Slavonian grebes are only found in Scotland, more migrate to the UK in winter and can be seen at sea along most coastlines. To have one of these rare birds visit us inland at Lackford Lakes was very special.

Fabulous fungi have been making spectacular appearances at our nature reserves across the county this month. Big or small, fungi are an important part of the ecosystem breaking down decaying matter, and recycling and as a source of food for wildlife. 

If you would like to find fungi near you why not check out this Wildlife Trust page for some tips. 

(Please note that foraging or picking of fungi is not permitted at our nature reserves. We ask that people leave the areas how they found them for other people and wildlife to enjoy.)

Our Forest School trainers, Emma Keeble and Jo Atkins, have been awarded Recognised Trainer status by the Forest School Association (FSA). Awarded at a recent FSA conference, Emma and Jo are now undergoing the assessment process to be awarded Endorsed Trainer status - a status currently only held by 14 trainers in the UK.

Find out more about our Forest School programmes and the topics Emma and Jo teach in this blog.

Graham Hart, our Conservation Adviser, held a brilliant County Wildlife Sites (CWS) event alongside the Greenways Countryside Project this month. The Greenways Countryside Project was formed in 1994 with the aim to protect and enhance 100 square kilometers of countryside and open spaces for wildlife in and around Ipswich.

CWS custodians attended alongside local conservation groups and councils for a tour of the Belstead Brook County Wildlife Site, cared for by Greenways, to discuss the challenges faced by managing CWSs in urban areas. Thank you to Greenways for hosting the CWS event at their Belstead Brook site, if you are a CWS owner and would like to host an event with us, please get in touch by emailing: teamwilder@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

Coppicing has begun at Bradfield Woods this month. This is a seasonal management process which is carried out during the late autumn and winter months as this has the least impact on wildlife outside of bird nesting season.

Our teams have surveyed the new coppicing block to ensure minimal disturbance to wildlife. Coppicing is a beneficial process which helps to extend the life of the tree, allows light onto the woodland floor which encourages growth of the ground flora, and results in a dense understory that is perfect habitat for woodland birds and small mammals such as hazel dormouse.

Watch our short film to learn more about the ancient technique of coppicing:

Our Wildlife Live Webinars are back for the autumn/winter season. So far in October we have delved into the world of hedgehogs with Hedgehog Street, discovered more about the UKs rarest tree with David Appleton, and dove into marine wildlife with North Sea Wildlife Trust. 

Tickets for our webinars start from £3 and are watchable via Zoom. To find out more and to book your space visit our Wildlife Live event webpage. 

One of our Farm Advisers, Helen Bynum, hosted an event delving deep into the importance of soil with Suffolk-based Marks & Spencer growers. Joined by ADAS Agricultural Consultant John Gadsby, the attendees explored the importance of soil health and how to monitor soil condition.  

The day was held at the Kenton Hall Estate by wildlife-friendly regenerative-farming manager Tom McVeigh. Tom is developing the farm’s agroforestry fields, broadening crop rotations between the tree rows, using the manure from the farm’s English longhorn beef cattle for soil enrichment and trialling low density subsoiling equipment to make life underground healthy for farming outputs. After the presentation by John we were able to get our hands dirty and see the effects of Tom’s land management approaches across the farm’s soils.

In addition to working with the Farm Advice team, Helen has been conducting research of soil health using ecoacoustics and biophony techniques. You can read Helens blog about starting her research here, and members can read more about this in the most recent Wild Suffolk magazine. 

Members of our Planning & Advocacy team attended East Suffolk Council's Major Home Builders Forum to speak with home builders, developers, and planners about how they can improve the biodiversity of their sites.

We believe that good development can address the housing and biodiversity crises in tandem. By providing quality housing that incorporates nature-friendly design and solutions, new development can create a greener environment for people whilst also providing wildlife habitats that are so desperately needed to reverse the biodiversity decline.

By engaging with home builders, developers, and planners, we hope to influence decision-makers to make nature-friendly choices.