The swallows have returned, like some kind of mythical creature

Two photos of bluebells posted side by side. They look very similar but text boxes and arrows highlight their key characteristics. The photo on the left is of English bluebells wth curved, droopy stems with flowers mostly on one side. The tips of petals curl back, the flowers are narrow and deep blue-violet in colour. The photo on the right is of Spanish bluebells which are pale blue with wide bell-shaped flowers. Flower tips flare out and the upright stems display flowers on all sides.

Are you able to identify which bluebells are the native English variety and which are the more vigorous Spanish bluebell? This might help.

Also, use your nose. The English bluebells have a sweet scent, whereas their Spanish cousins have little to no scent.

The Big River Watch Help improve our rivers. From 24th and 30th April 2026 , t ake part in The Big RiverWatch survey!

Join @theriverstrust.bsky.social Big River Watch survey between 24th and 30th April 2026! Help monitor the health of rivers and streams across Ireland and the U.K. Join the survey here: theriverstrust.org/take-action/the-big-rive...

#BigRiverWatch

Two large pale globular slime molds on the trunk of a tree.

👽️ Alien life discovered on our reserve?

Phil Townsend spotted two false puffballs (Reticularia lycoperdon) growing on a hazel trunk at Rushbeds Wood. Despite the similar names, they are not a type of fungi - but rather a slime mold.

🦇Only two weeks to go until you can double your donations!

For one week only, on 22-29 April, all donations up to £10,000 received on our Big Give campaign page will be doubled.

Register here to be notified when the campaign goes live: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/ZnvQvABrcu

Folks of Kennington! Are you doing something like this in your garden? Is your garden accessible to hedgehogs (whether via holes in the fence, or a hedge)? Is so, let us know - we'd love to feature some local examples.
#GoWildForHedgehogs #HedgehogStreet

Want to #GoWildForHedgehogs?🦔

Step 1: Choose your patch 🌼
Step 2: Leave it to grow wild & undisturbed 🍃

It’s that simple! This spring, we’re going WILD & welcoming nature into our gardens.
Go wild today👉 buff.ly/vx5q7D7

#HedgehogStreet is jointly run by us & @ptes-org.bsky.social

🦦Local Wildlife Sites are crucial for habitat and species protection, aiding resilience against modern pressures and climate change. Waterstock Mill in Oxon, featured in BBC's "Secret Garden" with Sir David Attenborough, highlights this.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

🎥Captured by Henry Manisty

Get your camera ready because we have an exciting photo competition! 📷️

To celebrate our annual "Spring in Your Step" campaign, we would love for you to take part in a social media photography competition.

Contentment ! Thank you to Hussain Sparkle Anila for today's #FoxOfTheDay

Golden sunlight bursts through a tangle of budding trees, casting long beams of light across a mossy woodland floor. New green shoots push up through leaf litter and patches of moss, catching the glow of the morning sun. A soft haze fills the air, with a hint of warmth and life returning to the woods.

It's the Spring Equinox - the first astronomical day of spring! ☀️

Longer days. Lighter evenings.

Sunshine warm on your skin, birds singing, blossom in the branches.

How to create your own little pocket of paradise James Canton explains how he made his wildlife heaven in rural North Essex, and how we can all do something for nature

Today is International Rewilding Day.

So while we are focusing on what each of us can do to help wildlife, here 👇 are more ideas to create your own haven

A close up of a primrose flower, with pale cream petals giving way to a richer butter-yellow colour towards the centre.

🌼 The primrose's common name comes from the Latin 'prima rosa', meaning 'first rose' and describing its early spring flowering. These pretty, creamy-yellow flowers pop up in woodlands and grasslands at this time of year.

📸 Alan Price

Everyday is a Wild about Kennington day!

Do let us know what you've been up to to help #wildlife in your patch - share with us a story and/or a picture.

It's a great way to inspire others, as well as take pride in how our village is doing our bit to combat the #BiodiversityCrisis

#EverydayIsWaK

Everyday is a Wild about Kennington day!

Do let us know what you've been up to to help #wildlife in your patch - share with us a story and/or a picture.

It's a great way to inspire others, as well as take pride in how our village is doing our bit to combat the #BiodiversityCrisis

#EverydayIsWaK

Before replacing fences, paving or decking, think about whether gaps, edges or rough areas could be left to help animals move through your garden. 🦔 Leave space under fences (hedgehogs just need a 13cm × 13cm gap) or allow a strip of long grass to help wildlife travel, feed and shelter.

🎞️E Malone

Coral background with faint heart illustrations. A glossy male Blackbird with a bright yellow bill faces left. Large title reads: “Birds as bad exes*” Smaller text reads: “*Yes, you read that right.”

Happy Valentine’s Day, from us to you. Tag your exes. Xoxox

In the centre of the photo two small cup shaped fungi one above the other. The insides are a rich deep red colour, while the outsides are a paler orange colour. They're growing among leaf litter with chips of old decaying wood and a few blades of green grass.

Delighted to spot our first Scarlet Elf cup (Sarcoscypha austriaca) fungi of the season in the fen this morning. Here's two of around a dozen we found.
#FungiFriends #OxfordshireFens #OX3 @judywebb.bsky.social

The Kennington #ToadPatrol has already been out there with their buckets, helping our local Bagley Wood population survive the modern road system. They do need more helpers, so if you're up for it, message them at bagleywoodtoads [at] gmail. com 🐸

This evening!

#WaterVoles

Speaking of #WaterVoles, a reminder that this Saturday we're hosting hosting the excellent Dr Merryl Gelling (@spiresecology.bsky.social) who will talk about a national approach to saving them

7pm, Church Hall (or 6:30 for refreshments!)

More details👇
wildaboutkennington.wixsite.com/home/about-1

Speaking of #WaterVoles, a reminder that this Saturday we're hosting hosting the excellent Dr Merryl Gelling (@spiresecology.bsky.social) who will talk about a national approach to saving them

7pm, Church Hall (or 6:30 for refreshments!)

More details👇
wildaboutkennington.wixsite.com/home/about-1

A small, wet water vole perched on a mossy log over a calm river in a natural, overcast setting. 📸Mike Lane | istock.com

Today we're celebrating #WorldWetlandsDay with our friends at WWT🌾💧As much as we need air to breathe, we need water to live. The conservation of our wetlands is essential to life on Earth.

Did you know #wetlands are one of the world’s most biodiverse habitats?

We have hedgehogs in Kennington, so we reckon this post is relevant 😁

Happy #NationalHedgehogDay! 🦔🦔

A Grey Heron stands perfectly still, its long neck stretched tall and beak pointed forward, eyes wide and unblinking. Its sleek grey feathers and sharp stare give off an air of quiet determination...or perhaps silent desperation? With an expression that screams, "If I don’t move, maybe no one will ask me to do anything," it perfectly captures that classic Monday mood.

Monday mood: This Heron standing very still, hoping no one asks it to do anything today.

#MondayMotivation

Happy #FolkloreThursday 🌳

In British folklore, ash was known as the healing tree and rituals would take place. A child would be passed through the hole in the trunk of an ash tree to cure broken or weak limbs. If the parts of the tree stayed together the child would heal.

Poster of a talk entitled "Water Voles: A National Approach to Saving 'Ratty'". Follow the link in the post for the rest of the details in the poster.

We're very excited to host local resident Dr Merryl Gelling (@spiresecology.bsky.social)with her talk "Water Voles: A National Approach to Saving 'Ratty'"

7pm (or 6:30 for refreshments) on Feb 7th, at St Swithun's Church Hall in Kennington.

No need to register and entrance is free. See you there!

A spotted redshank with its head just above the water so that its beak is fully submerged. Text: This bird can't object to the Fingleton Review * But we're pretty sure they would ask you to help. *It doesn't have WiFi or opposable thumbs.

📣 Help us speak up for nature by spreading the word on social media!

Download our social media graphics and suggested text to encourage your friends and followers to speak up against the Nuclear Regulatory Review which could have catastrophic consequences for struggling species: buff.ly/Jg14jlg

Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre citizen science Mend the Gap is funding a species record analysis and mapping project for the programme area.

We're moving to the next phase of our #MendtheGap project: recording and mapping signature trees planted and training volunteers to spot and record them. Stay tuned for ways to get involved! 

Any locals taking part in this year's #BigGardenBirdwatch? 🐦‍⬛🪶🐦🦅