Throughout September we had the pleasure of welcoming 11 businesses to our nature reserves and beyond for Wild Work Days, team outings, and mindfulness days. 

Highlights include a boat trip on the River Orwell aboard Orwell Lady with by Sophie Flux (Senior Corporate Relations Officer) and Joe Underwood (South-East Suffolk Warden). Our Wardens also lead work parties at Bradfield Woods, Lackford Lakes, Dingle Marshes, Dunwich, and Martlesham Wilds. 

We are always grateful to welcome teams to our reserves to help with works on the reserve and to connect with Suffolk's wildlife and wild places. If you would like to learn more about how we can work with your business, email us on: wildmybusiness@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

Helen, one of our Farm Wildlife Advisors attended the Call for Land Summit hosted by Mid Suffolk District Council. 

The day welcomed a host of environmental organisations and landowners interested in sourcing solutions for their land which creates new habitats for wildlife and benefits the biodiversity of the area. Helen spoke about the work provided by our Farm Advice and Wilder Landscape teams. 

Other visiting organisations included Forestry Commission, Local Nature Recovery representatives and Dedham Vale National Landscape. This was a very positive event, and it was a pleasure to meet so many other organisations and individuals striving for more space for wildlife in Suffolk! 

Our wildlife trail camera positioned around many of our nature reserves have been busy this month with some brilliant footage of wildlife.

Watch the short video below for some of the highlights which include a great white egret at Dingle Marshes, kingfishers (including a juvenile), and little egrets at Worlingham Marshes.

Read the latest update from our Charlie Zakss (Martlesham Wilds Engagement Officer) who has had a very busy Summer hosting local events and working with to create a wilder Suffolk in the Martlesham-Woodbridge area:

"We have had a wonderfully busy Summer at Martlesham Wilds with sold out evening walks exploring Wonderful Trees, Brilliant Bats and Actions for Insects. We explored the magnificent ancient oaks and found plentiful young saplings - which these will support in growth through their root and mycelium network – a natural phenomenon that Martlesham Wilds provides an opportunity for nature to explore. We were lucky with our bat walk, it was a beautiful, still evening and we heard 6 species of bats in a relatively short time and space. The bats we discovered were the Soprano pipistrelle, the (not so common) common pipistrelle, noctule, serotine, barbastelle, and either a natterer or a daubenton. This is a great result!

"We have also been out and about in Martlesham, helping create wildlife corridors and encouraging people to get active in their gardens. Children in Birch Wood amazed us with their skills and persistence collecting wood, sawing wood and digging a hole over 50cm deep to bury their logs and create a stag beetle habitat. This buried wood needs time to rot, to create the perfect place for stag beetles to lay their eggs. These eggs, turn into larvae, then live in the wood for 6 years, before emerging in their adult form.

"If you are able to create log piles and leave wood to rot in your garden, you can also help stag beetles and other insects and create wildlife corridors in Martlesham, helping Martlesham Wilds to thrive. Click here for advice on how to help wildlife in your green space."

Our Youth Board Members took the award season by storm!

Henry has been announced as a Finalist in the Young Persons category for the 'NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Awards for Wildlife Recording'. The winner for this will be announced in November, we have our fingers crossed for you Henry!

James has been named Winner in the Green Category at the BBC Radio Suffolk 'Make a Difference' awards!

We'd like to extend a very big congratulations to Henry and James for their amazing work protecting wildlife and using their voices for nature. 

We are thrilled to announce that your generous donations have meant we have reached over 50% of our Worlingham Marshes appeal goal! Thank you to all who have donated and helped us reach this target!

Early works have already begun on the reserve including surveys and waterway restorations - , made possible by your donations and the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Throughout the summer months we have enjoyed welcoming participants on Discovery Walks and boat trips to explore the wildlife in and around our newest reserve. In the winter, there are still opportunities to explore the reserve with one of our Worlingham Marshes talks in Felixstowe or online. 

If you would like to find out more about the Worlingham Marshes appeal and how you can help us protect this area for wildlife, click here. 

Our team at Carlton Marshes held a thank you event in the visitor centre to celebrate the hard work of their volunteers supporting reserve works, surverying, events, and in the centre.

Volunteers are an integral part of the Trust. With their support we are able to work towards a wilder Suffolk together. Whether volunteering in the cafe and visitor centre, at events, or on reserve we would like to extend a big thank you to all of our volunteers.

Kesgrave High School are hoping to welcome a new cohort in the spring with their newly installed swift boxes. The boxes were kindly donated by Bunzl Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies on behalf of SOS Swifts.

A total of 18 boxes will be installed around the school with hopes of attracting a larger colony of the birds to the area. Swifts are fascinating birds living almost the entirety of their lives in flight, including whilst they sleep. These boxes will help provide them safe nesting spaces to combat their declining numbers. Thank you to all of those involved with installing these boxes, you are helping create a wilder Suffolk!