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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.

Well that was dramatic! I'm sure it was sunny a fe Well that was dramatic! I'm sure it was sunny a few moments ago...
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#apatchwilder #mendips #thunderstorm #storm #weather
The Paddock is the smallest of the 3 fields at A P The Paddock is the smallest of the 3 fields at A Patch Wilder and has taken many forms over the years including cider orchard and horse pasture. Currently, it is mostly daisies and it's difficult to imagine that it has ever looked better!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #wildflowers #oxeyedaisies #daisies
A fistful of beetles. Cockchafer beetles (also kno A fistful of beetles. Cockchafer beetles (also known as the Maybugs) are the largest of the 90 scarab beetle species in the UK. They also have these rather spectacular antennae which can be used to tell apart males, which have seven feathers (like this individual) and females which only have six.
Large they may be, but graceful... not so much if this individual is anything to go by!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #cockchafer #maybug
Still a few tickets left for our free Wildlife Pho Still a few tickets left for our free Wildlife Photography Workshop this Sunday. If you enjoy a mooch round a sunny meadow snapping pics of flowers, butterflies dragonflies and other critters then make sure you don't miss out!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #wildlifephotography #natureevents
Deer fawn by day and badger cubs by night - both f Deer fawn by day and badger cubs by night - both filmed on the same camera trap.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #badger #babyanimals #cub
It's that's time of year again and the farm is awa It's that's time of year again and the farm is awash with cute little.baby animals. And as much as they eat all my trees and undo days of back-breaking labour, they don't come much cuter than a little fawn.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #fawn #babyanimals #bambi
Always lovely to see these little migrants on the Always lovely to see these little migrants on the farm. Spotted flycatchers used to be one of the most common birds in the UK But have suffered a catastrophic decline and are now red listed and a bird we only see infrequently.
Luckily, we see them each year here where they nest up in the woods and the woodland pond is a particular favourite spot.
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#apatchwilder #spottedflycatcher #birds #mendips #trailcam
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
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