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A Patch Wilder

A Patch Wilder is a conservation project aiming to benefit wildlife and connect people with the environment around them.

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Gallery

As well as documenting the sights and sounds of nature at A Patch Wilder, Charlie and Spade have built up a portfolio of nature photography from across the globe. See our other photos here.

Moths are EVERYWHERE. The UK is home to around two Moths are EVERYWHERE. The UK is home to around two and a half thousand species and they come in all shapes and sizes. Because most of them come out at night, they are masters of hiding themselves away during the daylight and have turned camouflage into an art form.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #moths #mothsmatter #springwatch
Our next event is fast approaching! We've planned Our next event is fast approaching! We've planned an Open Day on 20th June - a chance to have a tour round the Patch and see some of the positive changes for nature. There will be activities for children and hopefully we'll also spot a few of our favourite Patch residents. It's free to attend, but booking is essential to manage numbers. Book either the morning or afternoon slot at -

 www.apatchwilder.com/events 
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#apatchwilder #somersetevents #mendips #natureevents #whatsonsomerset
Meet one of the Patch's more fearsome residents — Meet one of the Patch's more fearsome residents — a giant horse fly, caught in a quiet moment before inevitably ruining someone's afternoon. These are remarkably accomplished predators, capable of detecting movement from a considerable distance thanks to those spectacular compound eyes, and the females deliver one of the more unpleasant bites in the British insect world — slicing rather than piercing skin with scissor-like mouthparts designed to get through the hide of a horse. The males, to their credit, are entirely harmless and spend their time feeding on nectar and pollen.

#apatchwilder #mendips #macrophotography #insectphotography #horsefly
We are very excited to share a BIG pine marten upd We are very excited to share a BIG pine marten update with you: Chuzzlewit is no longer alone - now there are TWO!!!

That makes this the first AND second official records of pine martens in the Mendip Hills in over 100 years. 

One pine marten is special and just an incredible to have here at the Patch.  But two, two could be the start of a new population - the real-time recolonisation of these hill by a species lost for generations. Keeping everything crossed that perhaps we have a male and female pair 🤞 They didn't sound over-friendly on that video but not all couples do I suppose...
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#apatchwilder #mendips #pinemarten #springwatch
Aaah, yesterday's tawny owl going for a quiet rela Aaah, yesterday's tawny owl going for a quiet relaxing dip suddenly makes more sense - Mum needs a bit of me-time!

Last night we heard squeaking and went to investigate to find 2 fluffy tawny owlets up in the ash trees doing a bit of flying practice.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #tawnyowl #owlet #springwatch
In this heat there's really only one thing to be d In this heat there's really only one thing to be done and this tawny owl has the right idea. Get in the water! 
The woodland pond is always busy but during a heatwave, it becomes a hive of activity with an almost constant stream of visitors hoping for a drink, a bath and some escape from the heat of the day.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #pond #tawnyowl #springwatch
The Silver Y moth is a remarkable long-distance mi The Silver Y moth is a remarkable long-distance migrant that travels from North Africa and southern Europe to the UK each year. What is so amazing about this migration is its scale - each year hundreds of millions of these moths arrive on our shores in Spring and busily set to work pollinating our wildflowers

#apatchwilder #mendips #butterflies #butterflyconservation #silvery
the Mother Shipton moth might be mistaken for a bu the Mother Shipton moth might be mistaken for a butterfly with it's day-flying habits and bold patterns, but it is in fact a moth and one whose remarkable wing markings resemble the profile of a hooked-nosed face, a likeness so striking it was named after a legendary 16th-century English witch. Flying in May and June across meadows and grassland edges, this species is a beautiful reminder that moths can be just as bold and visible as any butterfly.
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#wildlifephotography #naturemacro #insectphotography #apatchwilder #mothershiptonmoth
Baby dunnock recently fledged and not too sure abo Baby dunnock recently fledged and not too sure about all this wet weather - looks at its grumpy face!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #dunnock #babyanimals #fledgling
Oh hi there, don't mind me - just the world's fast Oh hi there, don't mind me - just the world's fastest living creature cruising over the Patch.
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#apatchwilder #mendiphills #peregrinefalcon #springwatch #ukbkirds
Great Spotted Woodpecker. The "Great Spots" have b Great Spotted Woodpecker. The "Great Spots" have been darting frantically back and forth across the farm. We're sure they have a nest full of hungry chicks somewhere but haven't managed to work out where yet. Can't wait to see the cute fluffy little ones with their red heads once they've fledged.
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#apatchwilder #greatspottedwoodpecker #woodpecker #springwatch #ukbirds
We hadn't seen Chuzzlewit the Pine Marten for a li We hadn't seen Chuzzlewit the Pine Marten for a little while and wondered if he had moved on, so it was a lovely surprise to see several videos of him when I checked the camera traps this morning. He may have been exploring a bit further afield, or perhaps staying up in the woods and managing to go undetected. Either way, it's great to see our local celebrity (first recorded pine marten on the Mendip Hills in over 100 years) back scampering along the dry stone walls on the Patch.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #pinemarten #bbcspringwatch #springwatch
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

From the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe 
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#apatchwilder #mendips #raven #britishbirds #ukbirdwatching
The Bluebell Path really living up to its name at The Bluebell Path really living up to its name at the moment.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #bluebells
Lovely display of an underrated woodland plant at Lovely display of an underrated woodland plant at the moment - Sanicle is easily overlooked with its subtle white flowers peppering the woodland ground flora, but take a closer look and it is rather lovely.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #sanicle
Imagine if your entire species evolved to look lik Imagine if your entire species evolved to look like a bird 💩. Meet the Chinese Character moth! This diminutive little lepidopteran manages to escape the attention of avian predators by looking like a bit of poo on a branch!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #chinesecharacter #mothsmatter
A lucky capture on the camera trap - sparrow hawk A lucky capture on the camera trap - sparrow hawk with what appears to be a blackbird that it has just captured posing nicely on this drystone wall before being chased away.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #sparrowhawk #trailcam #browningreconforceelitehp4
Now you see me, now you don't. It is amazing how f Now you see me, now you don't. It is amazing how fast snakes can travel, considering their primary mode of movement is "lateral undulation" which is effectively just rippling their bellies!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #grasssnake #springwatch
We've had quite a few new followers lately, so if We've had quite a few new followers lately, so if you are new to us.. hello and thanks for your interest in our Patch!

We are Charlie and Rachel, a couple of consultant ecologists who manage this 15 acres of former campsite in our (somewhat limited) spare time. 

With yesterday marking the incredible milestone of Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday, we got talking about how much his programs influenced us as children. Sunday evenings for us both are fondly remembered as watching David Attenborough documentaries with our respective families. The films absolutely inspired us to the point that our chosen degree (where the 2 of us met)  and career path was ultimately shaped by them, and the desire to see those same animals. 

I wonder where we would be today if not for this absolute legend! Happy birthday Sir David 🎈🎂

(Photo from Aug 2020, our first summer on the Patch when we had just learned to scythe and made our first haystack.)

#apatchwilder #davidattenborough #rewilding #mendips #zoologist
We have a very exciting resident staying with us a We have a very exciting resident staying with us at the moment - this is a Greater Whitethroat. These scrubland birds can be encountered fairly frequently in the wilder places in Mendip but this is only the second one we have recorded at A Patch Wilder. This male has established a territory here and has been singing his heart out all week in search of a female. This feels like a milestone as scrubland is something we are trying to create and getting this whitethroats seal of approval makes it feel like we are slowly moving in the right direction!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #whitethroat #britishbirds #ukbirdwatching
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