#571: Live Ospreycam

One resource that may be used when preparing to teach the GCSE Natural History will be webcams or streams which show wildlife and environments. I can imagine creating a wall of webcams.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust has shared a new live webcam of an osprey pair who successfully fledged two chicks at NWT Ranworth Broad and Marshes in 2025, making the nature reserve the first known site in the region to make a home for breeding osprey in hundreds of years.

Just before the birds returned this spring, NWT carefully installed a wildlife camera that offers views into the nest the pair used in 2025, which will be streamed online thanks to support from NWT corporate partners, MelBek.

The avian couple returned to Ranworth Broad nature reserve in late March, making 2026 the fourth consecutive year that the site has welcomed a pair of osprey. They settled back into the same nest site as last year, within close sight of the new camera.
The osprey pair has already been seen settling into life in Norfolk, feathering their nest, hunting for fish, and laid three eggs! 

Watch the live camera stream to stay updated on their journey.

I've been a member of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust for over 25 years. You can join them here for just a small monthly fee which gives access to all of their reserves including the place that started it all: Cley next the Sea.

#568: NWT Centenary event with Chris Packham

I've been a member of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust for over 25 years.

They are the oldest of the Wildlife Trusts in the UK and are celebrating their centenary.

Last week, I attended an event at UEA to celebrate the centenary of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.  

Chris Packham was able to join us for a conversation with Patrick Barkham, followed by questions from the Youth Forum and the audience.

An audience of over 500 people was crowded into Lecture Theatre One for the talk and question session. The evening started with the film above, made to celebrate 100 years of conservation work within Norfolk, starting at Cley Marshes on the Norfolk coast. I have been a member of the NWT for over 30 years. Norfolk has a great many places to see wildlife.

Chris talked with candour and passion about the value of wildlife to him personally and to us all individuallly and collectively. It was a good evening.

The BBC News picked up what he had to say about young people and the impact of David Attenborough's work as we get closer to his 100th birthday.

"He is the greatest broadcaster the world has ever had and the greatest ambassador of life. He has entertained, engaged, enraptured people, he has taught generations of young people to have a deep-rooted affinity, a love, for the natural world".

#487: Cley Spy

One of the aspects of the new draft specification is the suggestion that students are exposed to fieldwork which takes them to areas of interest locally. The cost of fieldwork visits will be one thing which potentially limits the uptake of the new specification. Locally based fieldwork, and on-site fieldwork guidance will be important here.

There are a number of excellent locations where students may be taken. 

If I was teaching in Norfolk again, I would aim to head for Cley Marsh reserve. We have previously taken students there from Ely to carry out GCSE fieldwork exploring the management of the land for habitats. The area has been expanded over the years with additional land purchases and they have an active education programme.

Cley Reserve has an important place in the history of conservation. This is partly explored in this article in KL Magazine (a local magazine that I read when it comes out).

A history by Kay Forbes explains how ther reserve started.

The Simon Aspinall Centre at the reserve was opened by Sir David Attenborough.

What other Norfolk locations would you recommend? 

And where are your own locations that you think would fit well with the subject?

Image: Alan Parkinson - shared on Flickr under CC license.

#416: Norfolk Wildlife Trust - case study

I think a useful focus for some of the work that goes on once the new course is taught will involve the work of the many Wildlife Trusts that there are in the UK.

These are often based on activity within counties. It may be worth checking whether you have a local Wildlife Trust.

I have put together a list of the Wildife Trusts - and a link through to a website where you can visit them easily. Along with that, I've put together a case study of my local Wildlife Trust.

I have just received my new membership card and parking permit for my local wildlife trust for 2024-5. I thought it might be worth adding a case study.

Case Study: Norfolk Wildlife Trust

I've got quite a few pictures of Norfolk Wildlife Trust locations as well, which will be in the Flickr folder of images I'm creating - all CC licensed for teachers who will perhaps need to create their own resources as they may not have the budget for class sets of any official textbook that emerges - and there is likely to be at least one of course.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust's website is here.

The trust was actually the first local wildlife trust to be founded.

The original land was at Cley next the Sea in North Norfolk. This is the NWT Reserve I have visited the most over the years that I have lived in the county.

It had previously been used for wildfowling: the shooting of wild fowl such as geese.

Duck decoys can still be seen marked on local maps. Where is your nearest duck decoy?

Like all Trusts, they publish an annual Impact Report - these would make useful resources to interrogate to see the sort of work that is carried out to develop and protect habitats.

The most recent Imapct Report for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust is here.

Their 2023 strategy is called Wilder Norfolk for All.

#330: Wildlife Trusts and Living Landscapes: Cley Marshes

Cley Marshes Reserve is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. 

It is an important place in the history of British birdwatching and conservation.

Its education centre was opened by Sir David Attenborough, who described the place as being particularly significant in these respects.

It also has a rather wonderful view of the reserve and hides heading out to the shingle beach, which can be enjoyed with a cheese and tomato toastie if you're feeling peckish.

There's a good visitor centre space with a series of different art exhibitions and several purchasing opportunities.

The reserve talks about this landscape being a "living landscape" and "a living coast".

It changes twice a day with the tide.

Follow them on Twitter here.

#28: National Nature Reserves Week 2023

 

There is a  week to celebrate National Nature Reserves in late May.

From the website:

National Nature Reserves are our most important places for nature, the beating heart of England’s landscapes. From Lindisfarne in Northumberland, to the Lizard in Cornwall. From ferny woodlands and ancient heaths, to glimmering wetlands and wild coasts. 

National Nature Reserves are not only precious, but as colourful and diverse as the wildlife and people who call them home.

These ancient and unique places are wildlife-rich, breath-taking, and play a vital role in securing our country’s amazing wildlife and geology. They are at the centre of landscapes and communities, providing the foundation and inspiration to work towards reducing the impact of climate change and increasing the resilience of our countryside, towns and cities for people and wildlife. They are at the heart of a growing nature recovery network. National Nature Reserves act as outdoor laboratories where learning, science and discovery come together. Time is running out for our wildlife and ancient landscapes. Our reserves are helping us to find the answers to tackle the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.

From the very first six in 1952, there are now 221 National Nature Reserves in England. 

Almost two thirds of these are managed by Natural England, but also by over 60 different partner organisations including the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, local authorities and many other landowners and conservation bodies. These NNR partners all work together to ensure our most important places for nature thrive, and are protected for people to enjoy.

One useful activity would be to consider where your nearest National Nature Reserve is, and what format it takes.

To find them, you can use an interactive map produced by Natural England, and accessible from this link.

My nearest NNR is Foxley Woods, famous for its bluebells at the right time of year.

This is also an SSSI: a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

These acronyms will also need to be part of the supporting materials for the new specification and we will be providing a list of them as part of the rsources we will be creating around the blog.