Futures Forum: BBC Springwatch: starts Monday 24th May

Monday, 18 May 2015

BBC Springwatch: starts Monday 24th May

It will soon be that time of year: Whitsun Monday bank holiday will be bringing the ever-popular Springwatch back to our screens:
BBC Two - Springwatch

For the past ten years the programme has been incredibly successful in engaging people in watching nature:

From 2005 until 2007, the BBC ran a Springwatch survey in conjunction with the Woodland Trust. Viewers were encouraged to record key events indicating the passage of spring, including the first sign of frogspawn, blossom on hawthorn trees and the arrival of swifts. By comparing the results with previous years, the surveys established that spring was arriving sooner than average. The BBC are no longer involved in the annual survey (now called Nature’s Calendar) but the results are still reported on the programme. It remains the largest survey of phenology in the world.
Springwatch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been especially successful in 'citizen science' - in getting us to look at and record what we see:
Futures Forum: Citizen science on Springwatch - with the Woodland Trust >>> tracking how fast spring moves

At the beginning of the month, for example, we were being asked to look out for May blossom, or hawthorn:
BBC Two - Springwatch, BIG Spring Watch: Hawthorn Blossom

Their Facebook pages are very active, showing we are really interested in engaging with what's going on out there. This snapshot is also from the start of the month, when spring was really beginning to spring forth:

BBC Springwatch
is on Facebook.

To connect with BBC Springwatch, sign up for Facebook today.

The Big Spring Watch is well underway with over 14,000 sightings of our BIG Five logged.

Swallows have been seen over most of the country, even as far north as Orkney. But we’ve yet to have any reports from Shetland. Iolo Williams will be heading up there for Springwatch, so we particularly want to know when swallows arrive on the islands.

First sightings of seven spot ladybirds and orange tip butterflies have tailed off, though lots of you have been recording your first oak leaves, as you can see here on this map http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/map/current.htm?rsid=158&reid=2&ry=2015&rs=S

You can log your sightings here - http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/bsw

BBC Springwatch

TV Programme

BBC Springwatch

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It's Hedgehog Awareness Week!

Did you know that in the 1950's there were around 30 million hedgehogs in the UK; estimates today put it at less than one million.

UK's threatened hedgehogs 'need our help'

Public urged to help what is arguably the UK's most iconic mammal during Hedgehog Awareness Week

BBC.COM

BBC Springwatch shared Wildlife Aid - home of TV's Wildlife SOS's photo.

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Some advice worth sharing….

Wildlife Aid - home of TV's Wildlife SOS

Helping wildlife in the spring…

As the weather gets warmer, we will inevitably spend more time outside, and so it’s likely that, at some point, you’ll witness s...

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