365 Days Wild. Lucy McRobert

346. Enjoy an edible pond

       347. Make room for birds’ nests

       348. Volunteer your wild time

       349. Identify five winter wildflowers: shepherd’s purse

       350. Identify five winter wildflowers: snowdrop

       351. Identify five winter wildflowers: chickweed

       352. Identify five winter wildflowers: daisy

       353. Identify five winter wildflowers: teasels

       354. The humpback whale I never thought I’d see

       355. Enjoy mini murmurations

       356. Plant a mini nature reserve

       357. Pen an acrostic poem

       358. Watch a real swan lake

       359. Stalk a dinosaur

       360. Find the first frog spawn

       361. Catkins calling

       362. Become a wildlife champion

       363. Build a wild snow creature

       364. Admire the setting sun

       365. Reflect on your wild year

       CONCLUSION

       ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

       INDEX

       ABOUT THE AUTHOR

       PICTURE CREDITS

       ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

       Introduction

      My wild life

      Growing up in rural Leicestershire, I was lucky to experience a wild childhood, scouring every tree, every park, every field and every hedgerow for adventure, running (relatively) wild and free.

      As I got older, things changed; that innate love of nature faded (although it never disappeared) as I discovered boys, make-up and the shackles of modern school curriculum. When I was thirteen, my mum got very ill with cancer. She died three years later. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realised that I didn’t start to grieve properly for years: not until I was at university. I now believe that this grieving process was triggered, and ultimately overcome, by rediscovering my love of nature: a love that I’d forgotten until then.

      In my twenties I began to reconnect with nature. I met my now husband, Rob Lambert, who is a hardcore birder and twitcher, inevitably falling down that rabbit hole myself. By the age of 28 I’d seen over 400 different species of bird in Britain (Rob has seen well over 500!). The more I immersed myself, the more I learned about the challenges facing our modern environment. I knew I wanted to make a difference. This sense of purpose, more time spent outdoors, a love of the natural world and an increasing knowledge of it, helped to bring the peace of mind that I had lacked since losing my mum.

      Now, a handful of years later, my whole life revolves around nature. I have fallen in love with new landscapes – the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the Isles of Scilly, the Somerset Levels, North Norfolk. And my wild life has become even more exciting with a new little traveller to share adventures with. I wrote this book while I was pregnant, and in September 2018, Rob and I welcomed Georgiana Tean Lambert into our lives. Georgie already has a wild life of her own, visiting Kent to see a beluga whale in the Thames at one week old; exploring the Isles of Scilly by land, air and sea at a month; and watching for birds and wildlife every day. She has enriched our wild experiences and lives.

      I work for a wildlife charity called The Wildlife Trusts, engaging hundreds of thousands of people with wildlife and helping them to fall in love with it, too. As part of my job, I helped to set up the annual campaign 30 Days Wild to encourage people to do something wild every day for 30 days. This book takes that campaign a step further – why not live all 365 days of the year with nature in mind?

      I hope that this book will give you plenty of ideas for your own wild adventures. Wildlife and wild places are much closer than you think, so have a fabulous time finding your own wild life.

      The Wildlife Trusts

      No matter where you are in the UK, there is a Wildlife Trust standing up for wildlife and bringing people closer to nature near you. Their work is returning wildlife to our towns and countryside and touching the lives of millions of people, young and old, from all walks of life. Each of the Wildlife Trusts believes that everyone can make a positive difference to their local environment – whether schools, councils, farmers, businesses or individuals – and that by working together we can achieve nature’s recovery on land and at sea.

      Visit their website at wildlifetrusts.org.

      Wildlife Watch

      Wildlife Watch is the junior branch of The Wildlife Trusts and the UK’s leading environmental action club for kids. Taking part in Wildlife Watch is an exciting way to explore your surroundings and get closer to the wildlife you share it with. And the best thing about being a member is that by joining Wildlife Watch you’ll be helping your local Wildlife Trust to care for the wildlife where you live! Visit wildlifewatch.org.uk.

      The 30 Days Wild Campaign

      Setting up the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild Campaign inspired me to write this book. The campaign encourages people to get outdoors every day in June by providing them with inspiring ideas: ‘Random Acts of Wildness’. Once June is over, we ask them to stay wild and The Wildlife Trusts are there to help. Put simply, The Wildlife Trusts believe that all our lives are better when they’re a bit wild.

      You don’t have to do something every single day, but by becoming more aware of your natural surroundings, enjoying the wonders nature can bring and occasionally even giving it a helping hand, most people will find that they feel better. It becomes unconscious, too: people always ask me, ‘when do you find time to go birdwatching?’ The simple answer is that I am always birdwatching and enjoying wildlife: whether I’m on a train, at work, at home or spending time with friends. And it’s wonderful.

      What is a Random Act of Wildness?

      A Random Act of Wildness is any little thing that you can do as part of an average day, that allows you to experience, learn about or even help nature near you. It can take a few seconds – like taking a moment to smell a wildflower on the way to work; or a few hours – like creating a whole area for wildlife in your garden. Some Random Acts of Wildness don’t have to take any time at all, but instead are all about making little changes to your daily routine that will ultimately be better for wildlife, like buying a re-usable coffee cup or using products that are good for the environment. To help you, I have pulled together my top 365 Random Acts of Wildness, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get creative and make up your own. The best Random Acts of Wildness immerse you (if only for a few seconds) in nature, setting your senses alight. Smelling freshly fallen rain, tasting the sweet explosion of a fresh blackberry as you pop it in your mouth, wriggling your toes in the icy waters of a stream, waking up to birdsong. It’s not just about seeing, but experiencing the wild in every way possible.

      Wild,