Worcester's Wild-side: Sand Martins and #scienceathome

The start of the summer holidays, so much anticipation and excitement about all the wonderful things that can be done and seen outside. Unfortunately, due to several reasons, we have not had that many opportunities to get out and about. Some of the reasoning has been good, eg BBQ with friends. Others have not e.g the dreaded Rain. However, we have used that to our advantage.

Jemima Doing Some #scienceathome Chemistry

Melting Wax Crayons Using a Hairdryer

On a rainy day we took combined inspiration from the pinterest website and another blogger, Kirsty Watson. Every day of the summer holiday she is writing a blog with a different science based activity. What an excellent way to get people engaging in science. She is one of the people running the Cheltenham Science Group who are working in the Cheltenham and Gloucestershire area inspiring people to develop a love for the STEM subjects. (http://www.cheltenhamsciencegroup.co.uk)

Melting WaX Caryons

Finished Masterpiece

We carried out a couple of ideas. First of all we melted some wax crayons using a hair dryer. This in turn sprayed the molten wax onto paper and made a picture. It was a lot of fun and very messy. It was amazing where we found wax once we had finished. The science of solids and liquids may be simple but it was a great way to think about them in your own home and to produce some art master pieces. The second activity was crystal making. Unfortunately, we have to wait a few weeks for the water to evaporate before we can see what we have produced. We then make some bath bombs but the idea of using them in the bath did not go down too well!!

Melted Wax Crayon Art

Sand Martin Chicks

We did get a bit of time outside between the rain and packing and other activities. So we took an opportunity for a quick walk along the river and through Cherry Orchard Nature Reserve. It was great to see large numbers of sand martins nesting at Diglas Basin. Each year there are large numbers of them nesting in this area, which I think it is great. We spent ages watching the parents bring food to the young chicks waiting at the entrance to their nest hole, which is a drainage pipe.

Feeding Time for Sand Martins

Traditionally you would expect sand martins to nest in sand banks along rivers and in sandy cliffs at the coast. Here they will excavate a burrow to use as their nest to raise their young. Due to being along rivers they can get flooded out after heavy rain so it can be a risky business. Sand Martins will reuse old burrows and will nest in artificial nesting holes. It is quite amazing that they are using these drainage holes in Worcester. But the height above the water level will ensure that they do not get flooded as they might in more typical nesting colonies along the river Severn where they are closer to the river level.

Grey Heron - River Severn Worcester

Six Spot Burnet

Walking further along the river we noticed a Great Crested Grebe along the river. Such a beautiful bird that for birders is a very common bird to see but unusual to see along the river severn in a built up area. It is just great to see such diversity in our towns and cities and really encouraging for people who are learning about wildlife to get the opportunity to see such a beautiful bird on their doorstep. It shows that getting out and taking notice of your surroundings can offer some surprise findings.

Great Crested Grebe - River Severn Worcester

Great Crested Grebe

Further onto the nature reserve our weather window did not last long and the rain returned. We did, however, get a couple of opportunities to take in some butterflies and wild flowers. The two species of wild flower that stood out were Common Ragwort which is a very common and much seen flower, but, provides a rich source of nectar for a multitude of invertebrates. The second was Evening Primrose with its large striking yellow flowers. This is a plant that has was introduced into the UK in the 1600's and is common on waste grounds and sand dunes. Here it was seen in a sandy part of the Nature reserve. We headed home before the rain and continued with our Holiday packing; we are off to France for a few weeks. Hopefully the weather will allow lots of wildlife encounters (Camargue here we come).

Common Ragwort

Common Evening Primrose

So, if its dry get out and see what your town or city has to offer in terms of wildlife this summer holiday. You may be lucky and come cross some unusual species.

If its wet check out #scienceathome for some ideas @cheltscigrp.