Orston is a rural village surrounded by arable fields and pasture. The river Smite skirts the western edge and greatly increases the biodiversity. The Millennium Green is also to the west, on Smite Lane, it’s a green space that is managed for the enjoyment of our human residents and is a haven for a host of flora and fauna.
The best way to experience the wildlife of the area is a (roughly) 2-mile
Orston Nature Walk
taking in most of habitats the village has to offer.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel @GraceandNature or follow my blog below to learn more about our local environment.
A Tale of Three Weekends
Saturday December 7th A beautiful, clear blue morning. Unseasonably warm. Walking through the Millennium Green on my usual route along The Smite. Robin, Wren and Long Tailed Tits all extremely vocal for the time of year. As I exit the metal gate on Smite Lane and peer over the bridge (hoping for a glimpse of […]
The Art of Doing Nothing
The Millennium Green is in good shape. It’s official. The data from this year’s campout shows an increase in numbers for all the wild creatures we monitored on our bat walk, butterfly count and bird identification session. Birds have flown from Africa to spend our summer at the Millennium Green and we’ve recorded five species […]
The Millennium Green is a great place to share with family and friends
The Millennium Green is a great place to share with family and friends of all ages but I’ve been particularly amazed how the children of Orston Primary Forest School have incorporated themselves into their wild surroundings. 6 and 7 year olds have an amazing imagination and you give them a doll or a car and […]
Modern life is hard
Modern life is hard. You wake up on Monday morning with the dread of another week pounding in your chest. Homework, school work, house work. Four missed calls before breakfast and a drive to work bumper to bumper or stuck behind a tractor or cyclist. A pile of emails, text or calls. Facebook notifications, PPI, […]
In like a lion and out like a lamb
In like a lion and out like a lamb says the old proverb and this March is no exception. We took the unprecedented decision to cancel the last Millennium Green work party due to high winds, hail and heavy rain – all interspersed by brilliant sunshine! Well the latter half of the month has seen […]
Apps
iNaturalist is an identification app for all living beings. You take a photo or a sound recording and the database makes suitable suggestions based on your location. Your sighting is then uploaded onto their database and then open to the wider community- specialist can then verify your sighting , or correct it, once you get three positive IDs it becomes research grade and helps build a picture of the local ecosystem. The app is free but you can make a donation of your choice if you value their work.
Merlin Bird ID uses algorithms to identify bird species by photo or sound. The sound function is extremely accurate and sensitive so can handle the dawn chorus easily- picking out each individual bird from the cacophony. You can build your own life list, and there are additional sound recordings so you can play back either the song, contact and alarm calls to build your song ID skills
Websites
